Tag: broad peak winter expedition

Winter Expedition Rundown: K2, Everest, Broad Peak The 2020 winter season is seeing several major expeditions in Nepal and Pakistan. From Jost Kobusch working on the first solo, unsupported, sans-supplemental oxygen winter ascent of Everest to Denis Urubko and Don Bowie attempting Broad Peak, a host of big alpinists are battling a host of big NEWS +  mountains.By Owen Clarke | January 22nd, 2020 Everest Jost Kobusch Jost Kobusch climbing technical rock to reach Lho La, Everest. Photo: Daniel Hug. The youngest person to summit Ama Dablam (6,812 m) in winter, German wunderkind Jost Kobusch also made the first ascent of Nangpai Gossum II (7,296 meters), at the time the fourth highest unclimbed peak on earth, alone and unsupported. Now the 27-year-old is shooting to complete a winter ascent of Everest (8,848 m), solo, unsupported and without oxygen. If successful, the peak will be his second 8,000-meter summit (he climbed Annapurna [8,091 m] alone in 2016). He is attempting to summit via the seldom-climbed West Ridge and Hornbein Couloir, which he feels is much safer for a solo alpinist, avoiding the notorious Khumbu Icefall. In an interview with Rock & Ice prior to his expedition,he explained his decision: “[The West Ridge] has really good exposure to winds, which you benefit from. It will be pretty windy on the lower parts, but therefore it will be pretty icy, so not too much deep snow and I can move pretty fast.” Rock & Ice also talked with Kobusch from his Camp I at the Lho La col (6,000 m) earlier this week via WhatsApp. He rope-soloed and fixed lines on the initial three rock pitches, estimating them to be about 6b+ (5.11a), and then traversed onto the glacier with WI 4 climbing up to the col. “I was hoping to have established