Twenty-four hours after winter officially began, Jost Kobusch moved from the Everest Pyramid weather station onto the Khumbu Glacier to begin his solo Everest expedition.
The German is currently camped at the base of the Lho La, the col that accesses the West Ridge, his planned line up the mountain. He hopes to reach at least 7,500m this winter.
Jost Kobusch’s location on the Khumbu Glacier on December 23. Photo: tracker from Kobusch’s website
The German is not eyeing a single, alpine-style push. Instead, he intends to fix ropes to the Lho La. He will set his first altitude camp at 5,700m, at the top of the col. If he follows the same style as in previous years, he’ll move self-sufficiently from that point, carrying a bivy tent as far up the West Ridge as he gets.
The West Ridge
The formidable West Ridge has some interesting features and variations to consider. The German’s line follows that of the 1979 Yugoslavian team, the so-called West Ridge Direct. After accessing the ridge at the Lho La, the route continues up the huge ramps marking the border between Nepal and Tibet until 7,300m. Here, it joins the Hornbein-Unsoeld route of 1963. (The Americans started on the normal route and diverted toward the ridge at Camp 2 on the Western Cwm.)
The Yugoslavian 1979 route in pink, plus the variations taken years before by the Americans. Topo: Animal de Ruta
There, the ridge narrows and becomes more difficult as it approaches the final summit pyramid. Kobusch might reach his planned highest point of 7,500m without making some difficult choices. These range from tackling an extremely difficult line on unknown terrain to straying onto the Tibetan side of the mountain.
Climbing light
Kobush previously told ExplorersWeb that his minimalistic style involves carrying as little as possible. His pared-down backpack contains:
- sleeping bag
- inflatable mat
- stove and fuel
- tent
- food and nutritional supplements for 7 days
- insulation layers
- extra gloves
- shovel
- 1.5-liter water bottle
- long titanium spoon
- sunscreen
- 60m of 6mm rope
- power bank and chargers
- Zoleo tracking device
- down boots
Looking inward
Kobusch has posted some thoughts ahead of his Everest climb. He says he is calm and focused. He has also meditated about the risk of his venture.
“Most people refuse the reality that the great beyond is nothing but a cold, dark, infinite void, but I accept it, along with the freedom that comes from acknowledging that truth,” he reflected.
Also, he has matured in his need for external approval.
“I‘m not looking outside of myself,” he notes. In the past, some veteran climbers have criticized his ambitious project of climbing Everest alone in winter via the West Ridge.
Messner’s darts still hurt
Jost Kobusch during his first attempt to solo Everest. Photo: @terragraphy
