In the autumn of 1980, European climber Reinold Messner achieved a remarkable feat in the history of mountaineering: the successful ascent of Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, solo without use of supplemental oxygen. This unprecedented achievement not only turned him into a climbing legend but also raised the bar for future climbers in search of their own records.
Forty-two years later, another European, Jost Kobusch, is aiming for something equally groundbreaking, more ambitious, and much more deadly. Kobusch, 29, is currently on his second attempt to be the first human to climb Mount Everest solo, and without supplemental oxygen – in the winter, via the seldom-climbed and extremely hazardous western ridge.
For most mountaineers, the simple prospect of climbing Everest in the winter is just shy of insanity. To do this completely unsupported, via a new route, and without oxygen ups the ante to a level that is difficult to fully explain.
Kobusch’s plans to climb the mountain in the purest alpine style – meaning minimal fixed ropes, no Sherpa support above Basecamp, and he alone will carry all of his equipment.
“My philosophy is that I want to set a goal that really means something to me and in a way also gives direction to my life,” he told Everest Chronicle in a voice message sent from his basecamp in the Everest region.
But a project of this scale takes extensive focus and training and multiple attempts. During Kobusch’s first attempt in 2019 he was forced to turn around at 7,300 meters – a full 1,600 meters below the summit.
“It’s not a three-year project. It’s a project involving multiple stages. And, it’s how I would say I need to come back and learn and learn and build skills in order to become somebody who is able to do this project. I believe there’s nothing that can prepare me better than the project itself,” Kobusch said.
“In 2019, honestly, I wasn’t sure how far I could go. I set myself a goal to reach 7,200 meters which is the beginning of the west shoulder. And for me that was an ambitious goal because the route is very technical and very demanding, even for teams. That experience in itself showed me, ‘hey, this project is possible’,” he continued.
To date, only 14 people have successfully summited Everest in winter, and only one without oxygen: legendary Sherpa guide, Ang Rita Sherpa, also known as ‘the snow leopard, in 1988.
If he succeeds, the young climber from western Germany will also outshine the record of the late Ang Rita Sherpa, the legendary guide who is the only person to climb Everest without the support of artificial oxygen in the winter. Ang Rita climbed the peak while working as a guide for a South Korean expedition.
Kobusch’s ambition has drawn a fair amount of praise and criticism. His critics have lashed out at him for setting such unrealistic goals. Messner, a German speaking Italian who spent 16 years climbing all 14 eight thousander peaks without oxygen, described it as nothing more than a PR gimmick. “It is all PR. He has said he only has a 1% chance. If that is so, he should stay in the Alps, do smaller things successfully, or climb the challenging 6,000 or 7,000’ers first,” Messner told the Nepali Times.
“Everything is impossible until somebody does it. So, honestly, I don’t care about the criticism. I don’t do this to impress the world,” Kobusch said. “I do this because I’m curious about the route and I’m curious about the way up there, and I’m very curious about what I’m able to accomplish as an athlete and my personal limit.”
Some supporters acknowledge that the young climber was setting the bar far too high but it was still doable for a person of his caliber and expertise. Kobusch has already proven himself through his successful solo, artificial oxygen-less, ascent of Annapurna I. In 2017, he became the first person to climb Amotsang (6,393m) in the Damodar range in October. Before that, in 2013, he became the youngest climber to summit Ama Dablam at the age of 21. In 2017, Kobusch was nominated for the renowned Piolet d’Or mountaineering award.
Kobusch considers his mission as an exploration of the essence of alpinism. “Climbing Everest in winter via this route is very much like the first ascent that I did. It’s the journey into the unknown, it’s experiencing so much wilderness and for me this exploration is the essence of alpinism,” he said.
Additional reporting by Bhadra Sharma
