He was a Russian mountaineer. Gorelik was nominated for the Piolet d'Or for his 2009 route on Peak Pobeda's north face. Gorelik and partner Gleb Sokolov climbed in alpine style for more than seven days to establish this difficult, 2400m route up the Tien Shan's highest peak. Two years earlier, he summited K2 as part of a large Russian expedition that put up the direct route on the west face over the course of two and a half months in summer 2007. The route remains one of the most difficult on the mountain.
Death
Vitaliy Gorelik has died during an attempt at the first winter ascent of the second highest mountain in the world in BC of cardiac insufficiency.