After one day in Camp 2, recovering from Lhotse and the pain of having a fellow climber die in their arms, Sergi Mingote and Juan Pablo Mohr decided to continue their no-02 Lhotse-Everest double header. They set off towards the Everest half, early on Monday.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Mingote had admitted previously. The two climbers have sore throats and are tired after the difficult descent from the summit of Lhotse. On the way down, they helped Ivan Tomov of Bulgaria and his Russian climbing partner, known only as Nasha. While the Russian woman is now out of danger, Tomov perished.
Mingote’s plan was to leave Camp 2 for Lhotse’s Camp 4 on Monday. There, they woould pick up some gear, then move the following day to Everest’s C4, on the South Col. From there, “hopefully, to the summit on May 22,” said Mingote.
Only two percent of all Everest summits happen without supplementary O2. Nevertheless, Mingote and Mohr won’t be alone in their ambitious quest. German David Göttler also plans a no-O2 climb as soon as the jet stream lifts. On a previous acclimatization, Göttler made it all the way to Camp 3, then back to BC.
David Göttler on the Lhotse Wall during his last acclimatization climb. Photo: David Göttler
Meanwhile, Carlos Garranzo and Iñigo Castineyra (both summited Lhotse with O2) are back in Base Camp. Brazilian Moesses Fiamoncini failed to reach the top and instead will try Everest with bottled O2 and the help of a Sherpa.
Meanwhile, Ali Sadpara of Pakistan, who also summited Lhotse supported by supplementary O2, according to Carlos Garranzo) is resting in Base Camp. He will fly to Makalu, his next goal, on May 23.
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