Expeditions Archive - Page 3 of 17

26. June 202326. June 2023

Summit successes reported from Nanga Parbat

The first eight-thousander summit successes of commercial expeditions this summer in Pakistan were achieved today on Nanga Parbat. About two dozen climbers reportedly reached the summit of the ninth highest mountain on earth at 8,125 meters. Among them was the Pakistani Sajid Ali Sadpara, who, according to his own information, climbed without bottled oxygen and was part of the rope-fixing team.

For the 25-year-old son of the legendary Muhammad Ali Sadpara (1976-2021), it was the seventh of the 14 eight-thousanders. Sajid climbed six of them without breathing mask: Gasherbrum I and II, as well as Manaslu in 2022, Annapurna, Mount Everest and now Nanga Parbat in 2023. Only on his two ascents of K2 (in 2019 and 2022) did he use bottled oxygen. Sajid’s stated goal is to scale all 14 eight-thousanders without breathing mask.

21. June 202321. June 2023

How the helicopters in the Himalayas became mosquitoes

“Khumbu mosquitoes” – that’s what legendary Austrian expedition leader Wolfgang Nairz called the helicopters in the Everest region some time ago when we were talking about the increasing aircraft noise in the Khumbu. “It’s a constant whirring in the air,” the 78-year-old told me. Among others, Nairz led that Everest expedition in spring 1978, during which Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler became the first people to reach the summit at 8,849 meters without bottled oxygen, and during which Reinhard Karl – using a breathing mask – also became the first German to stand on the highest point on earth.

I was in the Khumbu for the first time more than 20 years ago. I count the increase in aircraft noise as one of the most noticeable changes in the region around the highest mountain on earth. Without helicopters, there seems to be very little going on in the Khumbu.

6. June 202312. June 2023

Kristin Harila: 14 eight-thousanders in three months?

Even if you might turn up your nose at the alpinistic value of the project, Kristin Harila shows what is possible on the eight-thousanders in terms of time – if one gathers around oneself not just one but many strong companions, has the necessary fitness and determination, climbs with bottled oxygen and via the normal routes, uses infrastructure such as helicopters and, of course, also has the necessary small change.

Yesterday, Monday, the 37-year-old Norwegian stood on the 8,091-meter-high summit of Annapurna I. Kristin was accompanied at this summit success by seven Nepalese climbers: Tenjen (Lama) Sherpa, Pasang Nurbu Sherpa, Lakpa Temba Sherpa, Mingma Tenjing Sherpa, Pasang Sherpa, Lakpa Gyaljen Sherpa and Tashi Sherpa. For Harila and Tenjen Sherpa it was the eighth eight-thousander summit within 40 days.

30. May 202330. May 2023

Luis Stitzinger found dead on Kangchenjunga

All hope was in vain, now it is sad certainty. Luis Stitzinger, one of the most successful high-altitude climbers in Germany, is dead. A Sherpa search team of the Nepalese expedition operator Seven Summit Treks (SST) found 54-year-old on Kangchenjunga lifeless at an altitude of about 8,400 meters, SST chairman Mingma Sherpa told the Kathmandu-based newspaper The Himalayan Times. The climber’s body is now being brought down, he added. This information was also confirmed to me by mountaineer Alix von Melle, Stitzinger’s wife.

Luis had reached the summit of the third highest mountain on earth at 8,586 meters last Thursday at around 5 p.m. local time without bottled oxygen, the last of a number of climbers to reach the top that day. Around 9 p.m., he had sent another radio message. It was Luis’ last sign of life. He had been missing since then. As reported, a search team with bottled oxygen had ascended from base camp yesterday. According to Mingma, it consisted of five Sherpas.

29. May 202329. May 2023

Search for Luis Stitzinger on Kangchenjunga in progress

Luis Stitzinger (2011 on Broad Peak) — Luis Stitzinger (2011 on Broad Peak

The weather god had mercy. After fog had prevented the helicopter from taking off yesterday in the lower altitudes around the eight-thousander Kangchenjunga in eastern Nepal, it cleared up this morning Nepalese local time. The four-man Sherpa search team of the Nepalese expedition operator Seven Summit Treks was dropped off at base camp at around 5,150 meters and set off uphill. The plan was to reach Camp 4, the last high camp before the summit, at around 7.600 meters today if possible. The Sherpas climbed with bottled oxygen to make fast progress.

Fingers crossed!

As reported, Luis Stitzinger, one of the most successful German high-altitude mountaineers, has been missing since Thursday evening in the upper area of the mountain. According to previous findings, the 54-year-old, who was en route without a breathing mask, was the last climber to reach the summit at 8,585 meters that day at around 5 pm. The last contact with him was a radio message around 9 pm. At this time, Luis was, according to his own information, at an altitude of about 8,300 meters. He had skis with him. Whether he also used them is unclear. After all, it was already dark at the time of the radio call. Luis did not arrive at Camp 4. Position data from his Garmin device is not available, which makes the search more difficult. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for a small miracle!

P.S. I am receiving many questions about Luis’ disappearance. I continue to urge you not to speculate on his fate, nor to badger his wife Alix. We will continue to provide you with the facts. As long as there is still hope, the search for Luis should be absolutely in focus!

28. May 202329. May 2023

Kangchenjunga: Concern for German climber Luis Stitzinger

Luis Stitzinger, one of the most successful German high-altitude mountaineers, has been missing since Thursday evening local time in the upper area of the eight-thousander Kangchenjunga in eastern Nepal. According to information from his wife, mountaineer Alix von Melle, Luis reached the summit of the third highest mountain on earth at around 5 p.m. – as the last climber of a group standing on the highest point at 8,586 meters that day.

The 54-year-old climbed without bottled oxygen and had his skis with him because he planned to ski down Kangchenjunga if possible. At around 9 p.m., Stitzinger was once again in contact with the base camp team of the Nepalese expedition operator Seven Summit Treks (SST), Alix said.

24. May 202324. May 2023

Holecek and Bernat master Northwest Face of six-thousander Sura Peak for the first time

The six-thousander Sura Peak in the Makalu region

And again a piece of true alpinism in the Himalayas. Within four days the two Czechs Marek Holecek and Matej Bernat succeeded in the first ascent of the approximately 1,300-meter-high Northwest face of the 6,764-meter-high Sura Peak (also known as Honku or Hongku Chuli Nup) – in alpine style, i.e. without bottled oxygen, without Sherpa support, without fixed ropes and without fixed high camps.

On the very first day on the wall, Marek was impressed by the steepness. “The initial 50 degrees in the firn was still possible. Then the degrees started to increase and the ground changed to ice of varying hardness,” Holecek announced via satellite phone last Saturday, which can be read on his various social media accounts.

19. May 202319. May 2023

Schäli, Maynadier and Gietl master new route on six-thousander Meru Peak

Successful trio: Mathieu Maynadier, Roger Schäli, Simon Gietl (from l. to r.)

“Good news, South Face of Meru South Peak is climbed,” Swiss Roger Schäli wrote on Instagram today. “On the second attempt it worked. Big dreams need more than one try!” Schäli, Frenchman Mathieu Maynadier and South Tyrolean Simon Gietl climbed the South Face of the about 6,600-meter-high Meru Peak in India’s Garhwal Himalayas late last week – on a new, challenging route with two bivouacs.

In their first attempt in fall 2019, Schäli and Maynadier – then accompanied by Belgian Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll (he succeeded in a solo ascent of the so-called Fitz Traverse in Patagonia in 2021) – had to turn back at 6,400 meters due to bad weather. This time they were luckier, even though it had snowed heavily during the first phase of the expedition.

17. May 202318. May 2023

Kami Rita’s 27th strike – fifth death of the Everest season – rescue operation for Carlos Soria on Dhaulagiri

Today, Wednesday, was the most successful summit day of the spring season on Mount Everest so far. According to the newspaper “The Himalayan Times”, more than 100 members of commercial teams reached the highest point on earth at 8,849 meters. So, it is likely that there was jostling at the summit and also on the route.

For Kami Rita Sherpa, standing on the highest point was routine. The 53-year-old Nepalese led – with bottled oxygen – a billionaire from the US financial sector to the Everest summit. Kami Rita thus stood on the roof of the world for the 27th time, more often than any other person.

16. May 202316. May 2023

First ascent of the West Face of the seven-thousander Kabru South – in alpine style

They still exist, the ambitious alpinistic projects in the Himalayas, although rarely on the eight-thousanders. Last Friday, the Slovak Peter Hamor, the Slovenian Bojan Jan and the Italian couple Nives Meroi and Romano Benet climbed for the first time the West Face of the 7,318-meter-high Kabru South – “on a new route, without bottled oxygen, without Sherpa support, without high camps, without fixed ropes,” in other words in alpine style, as Hamor’s wife Maria reported from base camp. “Fortunately, the weather improved on the last day (of the climb), and the wind died down.” We’re sure to hear more details in the coming days.

15. May 202315. May 2023

Further summit successes on Mount Everest and Co.

Sunrise over Mount Everest and Lhotse (r.)

The good weather window over the Himalayas with little wind seems to hold. And accordingly, it is hardly surprising that summit successes from the eight-thousanders are now being reported daily. After on Saturday – as reported – a nine-man team of the operator Imagine Nepal had fixed the ropes up to the summit of Mount Everest, on Sunday and today Monday also the first clients of the commercial teams reached the highest point on earth at 8,849 meters. Among them was the Pakistani Sajid Ali Sadpara, who climbed without bottled oxygen. For the 25-year-old son of Muhammad Ali Sadpara – the legendary Pakistani climber died on K2 in the winter of 2021 – it was the sixth eight-thousander and the second this spring after Annapurna, which Sajid had also climbed without a breathing mask.

3. May 20233. May 2023

Kristin Harila completes her eight-thousanders collection

“Just one week after summitting Shishapangma – a mountain Kristin has never climbed before – Harila reached the summit of Cho Oyu, marking the end of her journey in Tibet,” reports the team of Norwegian Kristin Harila today. “After reaching the top of 12 mountains [higher than 8000 meters] last year, it’s a relief for Harila and her team alike that the two mountains she did not get to summit in 2022 have finally been reached.” Nepalese expedition operator Climbalaya confirmed the Norwegian’s summit success and informed Harila was accompanied by Nepalese guides Ngima Rita Sherpa and Tenjin Sherpa.

26. April 20233. May 2023

Summit success reported from the eight-thousander Shishapangma

The Climbalaya team that climbed Shishapangma (in the background).

“We have finally reached the summit of Shishapangma in Tibet, it’s been a very very long and hard way up here. I’m very happy,” Kristina Harila told her team back home via satellite phone after reaching the highest point of the mountain located in Tibet at 8,027 meters today.

It was the 13th eight-thousander for the 37-year-old Norwegian. In 2022, she had had to abandon her plan to climb all 14 eight-thousanders – with bottled oxygen, Sherpa support, on the normal routes – in the same year. The Sino-Tibetan authorities had closed Shishapangma and Cho Oyu to foreign climbers because of the COVID-19 pandemic and made no exception for Harila. This year, she plans to attempt her project again – in her own words, without bottled oxygen, in less than six months. It is not yet known whether she climbed without a breathing mask on Shishapangma.

20. April 202322. April 2023

Manaslu: Felix Berg succeeds in reaching the summit

Manaslu in the first dailight — Manaslu (in 2007)

The German mountaineer Felix Berg has, in his own words, scaled the 8,163-meter-high Manaslu in western Nepal – alone and without bottled oxygen. This was reported to me by his home team of the expedition operator Summit Climb.

The 42-year-old climbed from base camp to Camp 2 at about 6,300 meters on Monday, it said. The following night, Felix set off at 1 a.m. local time and reached the summit after 15 hours – in whiteout. At 9:30 p.m. he was back at Camp 2. The descent was difficult due to storm, snowfall and poor visibility. Yesterday, Wednesday, Berg returned safely to the base camp.

20. April 202324. April 2023

Annapurna I: Indian climber Anurag Maloo found

It is a small miracle. According to consistent reports from Nepal, the Indian climber Anurag Maloo, missing since Monday on the eight-thousander Annapurna I in western Nepal, was found and rescued today in a crevasse at about 5,800 meters. The 34-year-old was flown by helicopter to a hospital in the city of Pokhara and then on to a clinic in Kathmandu.. “He is in a critical condition, but he is alive,” Sudhir Maloo, the climber’s brother, said in a short video shared on social media.

The rescue team from Nepalese expedition operator Seven Summit Treks was led by Chhang Dawa Sherpa. Polish climbers Adam Bielecki and Mariusz Hatala, who had planned this spring to open a new route through the Northwest Face of Annapurna I along with German Felix Berg, also participated in the rescue operation.