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Personal information | |
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Nationality | Austrian |
Born | 19 May 1896 |
Died | 8 May 1961 | (aged 64)
Karl Prusik (1896–1961) was an Austrian mountaineer. Prusik served twice as President of the Austrian Alpine Club (AAC) and is credited with establishing over 70 ascents and routes.[citation needed] He is also recognised as the inventor of the Prusik knot (sometimes misspelled as Prussic).[1]
Prusik was born on 19 May 1896 in Vienna, Austria, to parents of Czech origins. After the Anschluss, Prusik was a supporter of the then Nazi German Alpine Club (German: Deutscher Alpenverein) led by Arthur Seuss-Inquart. In 1941, at the age of 45, Prusik was called to serve as a lieutenant in the Nazi German Wehrmacht. In 1942, he was promoted to captain and received the War Merit Cross, 2nd class, for operations behind the Nazi front.[citation needed]
In 1947, Prusik became the first Vice President of the Österreichischer Alpenklub (ÖAK.). Prusik Peak in the Cascade Range of Washington state is named in honour of Karl Prusik.[2] Also, a route in the Slovenian Alps was named after Karl Prusik and his climbing partner, Roman Szalay.[3] He died on 8 May 1961 in Perchtoldsdorf, Austria, at the age of 64.