All three winter 8,000m expeditions are staying away from their chosen mountains until winter officially starts at 3:06 pm Nepal time on December 21. However, they will all acclimatize well before that date.
Jost Kobusch of Germany continues to chip away at his ambitious long-term goal: a solo winter climb of Everest via the West Ridge. After attempting an unclimbed peak in central Nepal and some days of trekking in Dolpo, Kobusch has arrived in the Khumbu. He will not go to Everest Base Camp until December 22 but will continue to acclimatize on nearby trekking peaks.
Everest summit not the goal
Kobusch continues to stress that his winter solo Everest project has several stages and he is not at the final stage yet.
“In 2019-20 and 2021-22, [his two previous attempts] I spent time on the route working out the beta, learning a lot, and building skills,” he said.
Last winter, an injury forced him to cancel the expedition. This time, he says he is still not expecting to summit.
“The goal will be to break the altitude record set by a French team in 1983,” he said. “They reached 7,500m on the West Ridge in winter. I would love to go higher and explore the upper section.”
In a previous interview with ExplorersWeb, Kobusch said that if he had a chance to look at the Hornbein Couloir from 7,500m, he would consider the expedition “a complete success.”
Ama Dablam before Annapurna
Alex Txikon and the Seven Summit Treks team are also in the Khumbu Valley, en route to Ama Dablam’s Base Camp. The Basque climber heads a large group that includes a sherpa team, some trekkers, several climbers there solely for Ama Dablam, and others willing to continue with Txikon to attempt winter Annapurna. He previously tried last winter as well.
Alex Txikon and Sajid Sadpara two days ago Near Namche Bazaar. Photo: Sajid Sadpara/Instagram
The team also includes Mattia Conte and Waldemar Kowalewski of Poland and Sajid Sadpara of Pakistan. Other climbers who are regulars on Seven Summit Treks expeditions may join shortly.
Sadpara and Kowalewski confirmed that the plan is to launch a fast summit attempt on Ama Dablam within the next few days in order to reach the summit by December 6.
They plan to climb Annapurna in classic style, with sherpa support, a fixed route, and supplementary oxygen for at least some of the climbers.
From Italy to Manaslu
Meanwhile, Simone Moro spent most of November in Nepal, working as a pilot and acclimatizing. He is now back in Italy for some final training at home before heading to Manaslu for an alpine-style attempt with Nima Rinji Sherpa. The 18-year-old sherpa, the youngest to complete the 14×8,000’ers, is currently lecturing in Nepal and abroad. According to his social media, his next public appearance will be in Italy. He will be in Trentino on December 6 with Everest female speedster Phunjo Lama.
