Vail Symposium returns to in-person programming with hosts Ellen Miller and Jeremy Evans to discuss Mount Everest’s greatest mystery

Marco Siffredi was the first person to make a complete snowboard descent of Mount Everest in 2001 and was regarded by many as the world’s best snowboarder. But in 2002, Siffredi mysteriously disappeared on Everest while attempting a more difficult route known as Hornbein Couloir: an unrelentingly steep, difficult-to-access route with a high failure rate.

On Wednesday, Feb. 23, the Vail Symposium welcomes author Jeremy Miller and three-time Everest summiter Ellen Miller for a special Unlimited Adventure program at Vail Interfaith Chapel to discuss what might possibly be Mt. Everest’s greatest mystery.

Siffredi’s family and friends granted author Jeremy Evans exclusive interviews; in his book, Evans attempted to solve Everest’s greatest mystery in nearly a century while exploring Marco’s pursuit of a dream, his love of freedom and adventure and how his French family was forever altered by his loss.

“Most people, though impressed by Mt. Everest and the adventurers who climb it, cannot see themselves climbing it, let alone snowboarding down it,” said former Vail Symposium director of programming Claire Noble. “But that is exactly what Marco Siffredi tried to do but disappeared in the attempt. Journalist Jeremy Evans plumbs this tragedy and its reverberations in what promises to be a fascinating conversation for adventure lovers between himself and local mountaineering legend Ellen Miller.”

Evans will be joined in conversation by legendary local mountaineer Ellen Miller, the first American woman to complete the Everest trilogy. Their conversation will probe the disappearance of Siffredi, the pursuit of an Everest summit and mountaineering in general.

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About the speakers

Jeremy Miller

Jeremy Evans is a Lake Tahoe-based author whose nonfiction titles include “See You Tomorrow,” “In Search of Powder,” and “The Battle for Paradise.” “See You Tomorrow” investigates the mysterious disappearance of French snowboarder Marco Siffredi as he attempted to snowboard down the Hornbein Couloir after summiting Everest a second time. His work has appeared, or been reviewed, in national and international publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Powder and Skiing, as well as regional outdoor publications such as Adventure Sports Journal and Tahoe Quarterly.

Ellen Miller

A Vail Valley resident for more than 20 years, Ellen Miller is a USATF Certified Level 2 Endurance/Athletic Coach and works as an Outdoor Fitness Coach in the Vail Valley and is the Coach/Manager of the US Women’s Mountain Running Team. She was the first American woman to climb Mt. Everest from both sides, Nepal and Tibet, in addition to climbing other Himalayan 8000-meter peaks: Lhotse, Cho Oyu, and Manaslu. She’s the founder of The Climb for Literacy, a local grassroots event involving young climbers that raises awareness and funds for literacy in the Vail Valley, and she created and directed the Vail Mountain Winter Uphill Race/Hike as a 100 percent fundraiser to support young athletes in mountain/trail running.