A week ago today, German mountaineer Anja Blacha experienced something on Mount Everest that is now a rarity: she had the summit all to herself – because she was the last summit contender of the spring season to reach the highest point on earth at 8,849 meters and was on her way without a Sherpa companion. One day later, the Icefall Doctors declared the season over and began dismantling the ropes and ladders through the dangerous Khumbu Icefall above Everest Base Camp. This deprived Anja of the chance to attempt the neighboring 8,516-meter-high Lhotse without bottled oxygen.
So be it, Blacha can be pleased to be the first German mountaineer and only the eleventh woman in the world to have stood on Mount Everest without a breathing mask. A remarkable achievement that stands out from the almost 800 Everest ascents this spring.
This means that she has climbed twelve of the 14 eight-thousanders – in commercial teams, on the normal routes – without supplemental oxygen. Only Lhotse and Shishapangma in Tibet are still missing from her collection of eight-thousanders. After her safe return from the mountain, Anja Blacha answered my questions.
Anja, first of all, congratulations on your ascent of Everest without bottled oxygen. It was your third summit success on Mount Everest, and you used a breathing mask on the first two. How did you experience the difference – with/without additional oxygen?
Thank you very much, Stefan. I was simply extremely well acclimatized this time and had significantly better weather and route conditions than in 2021. That made up for a lot of what bottled oxygen usually compensates for.
Nevertheless, the main difference was still how much longer the route from the Balcony (prominent point on the route at around 8,400 meters), from where I had used bottled oxygen in 2021, to the summit seemed to me.
And this time I still had – even remotely – a valuable basis of trust and information on the summit day via (the expedition organizer) Imagine Nepal – just knowing, for example, how much time I have left for the ascent before stronger winds come up can make a big difference.
You were alone on the summit this time. What did you feel and think up there?
Of course it was a great moment to realize: I’ve made it and I’m probably the last person to stand up here for the year and enjoy the view.
Beyond that, however, it wasn’t a great, enlightening experience. The summit seemed even more littered, there were even birds pecking at it at this altitude, and two corpses lined the edge of the path on the last section. There was no shortage of reasons to descend quickly.
After all, I thought, how much nicer would it be if the summit wasn’t a border but a bridge between Nepal and Tibet?
You had considered climbing Lhotse afterwards. Why didn’t you end up doing that?
As there was no longer a large team on the mountain, the Icefall Doctors decided to close the Khumbu Icefall at midday on 28 May, one day earlier than originally announced. I had stayed at Lhotse Camp 4 from 27 May to the morning of 28 May, while we tried to negotiate that the original deadline would be met or at least that there would be time until the evening – but to no avail. Too bad, because the weather and snow conditions on 28 May were great.
You already had ascents without a breathing mask on Annapurna I and Dhaulagiri in your legs from this spring. Where did you find the strength for Everest?
The past two and a half months have actually been a real test of resilience. Annapurna and Dhaulagiri were basically ideal for the acclimatization that I needed for Everest. However, there were a few setbacks in between: A sprained ankle, a little food poisoning, a severe viral infection…
In addition, I had climbed Everest during a suboptimal weather window, which is why I had already spent around a week in Camp 2 (at 6,400 meters) and higher, including two days on the South Col (at just under 8,000 meters) with an ascent to the Balcony, before I even started the final summit ascent. So I was already quite exhausted and not yet fully recovered when I had to mobilize all my strength again.
But miraculously, when it comes down to it, the body manages to put everything aside and switch to performance mode. That helped me in the end.
You didn’t get to Everest until late in the season. Nevertheless, how did you perceive the hustle and bustle on the highest mountain on earth?
I hardly noticed any of it directly. I didn’t leave the Imagine Nepal camp for the short time at base camp, but tried to save energy and regenerate; the same thing happened at Camp 2.
From a distance, I saw the gigantic queues on 18/19 May and heard a story or two. Overall, however, I simply focused on myself and climbed outside the “peak times”.
All your previous expeditions – whether on the eight-thousanders or to the South Pole – ended successfully. Can you reveal the secret of your success?
There are certainly many factors that have come together favorably so far. But I would like to emphasize a few things:
- Think big: I trust myself to be successful in the first place. And then try to create the right conditions by planning and thinking ahead.
- Show grit: I remain persistent, you could also call it “East Westphalian stubbornness”. (Anja grew up in the German city of Bielefeld in the region of East Westphalia) Because if I’ve set myself something ambitious, I don’t stop at the first challenge.
- Stay fit: I stay powerful by listening to my body and my intuition as much as possible. This means I go at my own pace, no matter how fast or slow others are. If possible, I eat, drink and sleep as much as my body needs. I consistently block out everything that takes away my energy but is not a priority at the moment. I don’t push myself to my limits, otherwise I won’t be able to perform if something unexpected demands more of me.
