A Climber We Lost: Amaia Agirre
Amaia Agirre, 31, January 19
You can read the full tribute to Climbers We Lost in 2023 here.
Basque climber Amaia Agirre died in an avalanche while descending from the Patagonian spire Fitz Roy/Cerro Chaltén (11,171ft), along with her climbing partner Iker Bilbao. A third member of their team, Josu Linaza, was able to escape the slide, which swept Agirre and Bilbao into a crevasse.
Agirre’s partner of four years, Julen Berrueko, shared her story. “I could write words and words of gratitude for the years I shared with her,” he said, describing a woman who was dedicated to bringing out the best in herself and those around her.
Born in the Basque town of Urnieta, Agirre was a keen climber from a young age, both competitively and in the mountains. Agirre was a leading member of the Spanish Federation for Mountain and Climbing Sports (FEDME), and friend and noted alpinist Eneko Pou called her “one of the strongest girls on the team and very versatile in all areas,” in an interview with Basque paper Deia.
Five years ago Agirre finished her doctorate in family medicine and met Berrueko. The pair almost immediately moved into his van, spending the next several years traveling and climbing together around the world until she left for Patagonia in January 2023. “They were very intense years, very beautiful and full of life,” said Berrueko. “For those next four years she only worked for a month, just to to remember that she was capable of doing it.”
Not working, however, didn’t mean that Agirre didn’t find time to serve others. “In her daily life she helped people so much, making her medical knowledge compatible with her passion for climbing,” Berrueko said. “She didn’t need a traditional job to help others, and she enjoyed all of her life.”
“We had time for everything, especially to love each other and climb,” Berrueko continued. “During those four years, when we were not traveling through Europe with the van, we were on expeditions as well as in Pakistan, Nepal, Jordan, and the USA. I have thousands of favorite memories of her, but when I think about her, what I feel most is her smile, her austerity, her humanity and her ability to do good to people.”
Berrueko noted that Agirre seldom kept note of her achievements in climbing, not because they didn’t occur or weren’t impressive, but because that wasn’t what climbing was about, for her. “There are many achievements for which she could be proud, but it was not something she would like to brag about or mention in her memorial,” he said. “The achievements she had will always remain present in us, but in the end her biggest achievement is how she changed the lives of everyone around her.”
One particularly fond memory for Berrueko was climbing the Nameless Tower (20,600ft) in Pakistan with Agirre last year, via the ultra-classic Eternal Flame (VI 7b+ A2 2,100ft). “I thought that after climbing this together everything would be eternal,” he said, “and that’s still how everything will be, except for physical presence of her body.”
Berrueko, who was also close friends with Bilbao, said that both climbers were teachers who lived by example. “They taught us—and continue to teach us—life lessons that very few prophets are capable of transmitting. Both were masters of playing down the negative and amplifying the positive throughout life.”
This isn’t to say they got in over their heads, or that their accident was a result of ignoring warning signs, Berrueko noted. “They did their homework.” Pou echoed this sentiment, noting that, “This was the right time to [safely summit] these mountains,” but the day’s rapid warming quickly destabilized the snow slopes overhead.
Berrueko said he’s struggled immensely with the loss of his partner, but still feels her presence with him, particularly in the mountains. “I trust that in the future this pain will become joy and strength. In the end, Amaia taught us that and there is no better gift than living and sharing so memories remain alive among us.” Now that some time has passed, Berrueko said he’s come to believe that the weight of Agirre’s loss is just one more lesson she has to teach him. “The backpack they left us with is now all resources, not burdens,” he said.
In addition to Berrueko, Agirre is survived by her mother, Belén González, father, Joxe Mari Agirre, and older brother Jon Agirre. “For us to be able to keep [Bilbao and Agirre] alive through this memorial is a privilege,” Berrueko added. “With her memory, we’ll continue our path.”
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