Horia Colibășanu summits his 11th eight-thousander without the use of O2
Romanian climber Colibășanu and Australian Allie Pepper reach summit of Nanga Parbat (8,125m), inching closer to completing their 14 peak challenge.
Horia Colibășanu's Facebook
Romanian climber Horia Colibășanu reached the summit of Nanga Parbat (8,125 meters) on Friday morning, marking his 11th successful ascent of a mountain over 8,000 meters without the use of supplemental oxygen.
The climb represents a significant step in Colibășanu’s pursuit to scale all 14 of the world’s eight-thousanders without oxygen support. Only three peaks—Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, and Cho Oyu—remain on his list.
Colibășanu, 48, summited alongside Australian climber Allie Pepper and Sherpas Mingtemba and Dawa, according to expedition organizers Seven Summit Treks. The summit push began on Thursday night, with the team reaching the top around 7:00 AM local time Friday after nine hours of climbing.
“Summit! Today, July 4, at 7:00 AM, I reached the top of Nanga Parbat (8,125 m). A deep feeling of gratitude after nine hours of climbing. It was a long and difficult night,” Colibășanu wrote on social media.
Colibășanu is the only Romanian to have climbed four of the world’s five most dangerous peaks—K2, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, and Kangchenjunga—without supplemental oxygen. In 2009, he was awarded the prestigious Piolet d'Or.
Australian climber Allie Pepper, who is also attempting to summit all 14 eight-thousanders without supplemental oxygen, successfully reached the summit. She has previously climbed Cho Oyu (8,188 m), Makalu (8,485 m), Annapurna (8,091 m), Manaslu (8,163 m), and Broad Peak (8,051 m) without oxygen. She has also summited K2 (8,611 m) and Mount Everest (8,848.86 m).
Austrian climber Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and Italian climber Nives Meroi are two women who have summited all 14 eight-thousanders without using supplemental oxygen.
The summit route was opened Thursday, with at least eight climbers from Seven Summit Treks reaching the top. However, the expedition was marred by the disappearance of Czech climber Klára Kolouchová, who reportedly fell during her descent above Camp II. A search and rescue operation was launched, but helicopter teams were unable to locate her as of Friday evening.
