8000ers in Winter - A Chronological Compendium of Climbs
With the ascent of K2, on 16th January, 2021, all fourteen 8000ers have now been successfully summited in Winter.
We, at Dream Wanderlust, felt the need for a compilation of all the major Winter expeditions to the 8000ers.
These have been arranged chronologically, till March 2021, from Everest, the first 8000er to be successfully climbed, to K2 the last.
The Fourteen 8000ers
In decending order of Altitude
| Everest | 8848m |
| K2 | 8610m |
| Kangchenjunga | 8586m |
| Lhotse | 8516m |
| Makalu | 8463m |
| Cho Oyu | 8188m |
| Dhaulagiri | 8167m |
| Manaslu | 8163m |
| Nanga Parbat | 8126m |
| Annapurna | 8091m |
| Gasherbrum I | 8080m |
| Broad Peak | 8051m |
| Gasherbrum II | 8034m |
| Shishapangma | 8027m |
Time Span between First Ascents
In Summer |
: 14 years to summit all 14 |
In Winter |
: 40 years to summit all 14 |
| Peaks Summited Chronologically | Year of First Ascent in Winter | Year of First Ever Ascent |
|---|---|---|
| Everest | 1980 | 1953 |
| Manaslu | 1984 | 1956 |
| Dhaulagiri | 1985 | 1960 |
| Cho Oyu | 1985 | 1954 |
| Kangchenjunga | 1986 | 1955 |
| Annapurna | 1987 | 1950 |
| Lhotse | 1988 | 1956 |
| Shishapangma | 2004 | 1964 |
| Makalu | 2009 | 1955 |
| Gasherbrum II | 2011 | 1956 |
| Gasherbrum I | 2012 | 1958 |
| Broad Peak | 2013 | 1957 |
| Nanga Parbat | 2016 | 1953 |
| K2 | 2021 | 1954 |
Some Salient Statistics
- First Winter Expedition - 1974, Lhotse, Polish team
- First Peak Climbed - Everest (1980)
- Last Peak Climbed - K2 (2021)
- Most Climbed Peak - Cho Oyu (6)
- Most Attempted Peak - Nanga Parbat (30+)
- Country with Most Successful Summits - Poland
- Country with Most First Summits - Poland
- Most Successful Individual Climbers - Simone Moro (Italy - 4 - All First Ascents), Jerzy Kukuczka (Poland - 4 - Three First Ascents and One Second Ascent)
- Time Taken to Complete All Fourteen 8000ers - 40 years, 11 months
- First Woman to Summit a 8000er - Marianne Chapuisat (Cho Oyu - 1993)
- Female Summitters - Marianne Chapuisat (Cho Oyu - 1993), Elisabeth Revol (Nanga Parbat - 2018)
- Only Ascent by New Route - Maciej Berbeka, Maciej Pawlikowski (Cho Oyu - 1985)
- Two 8000ers in a Single Season - Jerzy Kukuczka, 1985, Cho Oyu and Dhaulagiri
- First Solo Ascent w/o O2 - Fernando Garrido Velasco, 1988, Cho Oyu
EVEREST
17th Feb
Polish climbers Krzysztof Wielicki, Leszek Cichy made the first ascent. The 20-member Polish team was led by Andrzej Zawada by the S Col-SE Ridge.
Postcard containing participant's images of 1979-80 Polish Everest Winter Expedition [Courtesy: Andrzej Zawada Archive]
1979-80 Everest Winter Expedition Team [Courtesy: Bogdan Jankowski]
Krzysztof Wielicki on the summit of Everest [Courtesy: Leszek Cichy]
Leszek Cichy on the summit of Everest [Courtesy: Krzysztof Wielicki/Andrzej Zawada Archive]
27th Dec
Japanese climber Yasuo Kato made the second ascent. He left for higher camps with Toshiaki Kobayashi but summited solo. Unfortunately, both of them were lost and are presumed dead. Kato led the 7-member Japanese team by the S Col-SE Ridge.
Yasuo Kato - made the Second Winter ascent of Everest [Courtesy: Yasuo Kato Archive]
16th Dec
Japanese climbers Noboru Yamada, Kazunari Murakami, Takashi Ozaki along with Nawang Yonden Sherpa reached the summit by the S Col-SE Ridge. The 10-member Japanese team was led by Kazuyuki Takahashi. This was the third ascent.
22nd Dec
South Korean climber Young-Ho Heo along with Ang Rita Sherpa reached the summit by the S Col-SE Ridge. Ang Rita Sherpa became the first to climb Everest in Winter without supplemental oxygen. The 9-member South Korean team was led by Hahn Tak-Young.
Ang Rita Sherpa - made the First Winter ascent of Everest without supplemental oxygen [Courtesy: Gripped.com]
18th, 20th and 22nd Dec
Three Japanese teams of two climbers each, Fumiaki Goto and Hideji Nazuka, Shinsuki Ezuka and Osamu Tanabe, Ryushi Hoshino and Yoshio Ogata reached the summit on alternate days. They made the first Winter ascent of Everest by the SW Face. The 10-member Japanese team was led by Kuniaki Yagihara.
Other Notable Expeditions
17-member Japanese team, led by Naomi Uemura by the S Col-SE Ridge, reached 8000m.
11-member British team, led by Alan Rouse by the Lho La-W Ridge, reached 7300m.
11-member International team, led by Michel Metzger by the SW Face, reached 6500m and by the N Col-NE Ridge from Lho La, reached 7600m.
18-member Japanese team, led by Michiko Takahashi by the N Face, reached 8100m.
13-member South Korean team, led by Oh In-Hwan by the S Col-SE Ridge, reached 7850m.
16-member mostly French team, led by Eric Dossin by the Lho La-W Ridge, reached 7500m.
9-member Japanese team, led by Michiko Takahashi by the N Face, reached 8450m.
16-member South Korean team, led by Kim Ki-Heyg by the Lho La-W Ridge, reached 7100m.
11-member South Korean team, led by Nam Sang-Tae by the S Col-SE Ridge, reached 8500m.
9-member South Korean team, led by Park Young-Bae by the SW Face, reached 7700m. This was the first Winter attempt by the SW Face.
6-member South Korean team, led by Oh In-Hwan by the S Col-SE Ridge, reached 8000m.
5-member South Korean team, led by Park Young-Bae by the SW Face, reached 8300m.
4-member Japanese team, led by Tsuneo Hasegawa by the NE Ridge-N Face, reached 7650m.
17-member mostly Belgian team, led by Herman Detienne by the S Col-SE Ridge, reached 8700m.
11-member South Korean team, led by Park Young-Bae by the SW Face, reached 7800m.
4-member Japanese team, led by Tsuneo Hasegawa by the Face between N and NE Ridges, reached 7800m.
27-member South Korean team, led by Kim Ha-Kyung by the S Col-SE Ridge, reached 7900m.
18-member Japanese team, led by Kuniaki Yagihara by the SW Face, reached 8350m.
11-member South Korean team, led by Kim Kwang-Jin by the S Pillar, reached 8700m. This was the first Winter attempt by the S Pillar.
5-member South Korean team, led by Kim Teuk-Hee by the S Col-SE Ridge, reached 8600m.
19-member mostly British team, led by Philip Neame by the S Col-SE Ridge, reached 7900m.
Spaniard Fernando Garrido, in a solo attempt by the S Col-SE Ridge, reached 7750m.
American climber Robert Anderson, by the N Col, reached 7000m.
2-member Spanish team, led by Alex Txikon by the S Col-SE Ridge, reached 8000m.
2-member team, led by Alex Txikon by the S Col-SE Ridge, reached 7900m.
German Jost Kobusch, in a solo attempt by the W Ridge via Lho La, reached 7350m.
8-member Spanish team, led by Alex Txikon by the S Col-SE Ridge, reached 7300m.
4-member Nepalese team, led by Tashi Lakpa Sherpa by the S Col-SE Ridge (Speed Climb), reached 7100m.
MANASLU
12th Jan
Polish climbers Maciej Berbeka, Ryszard Gajewski made the first ascent. This was also the first ascent without supplemental oxygen. The 11-member Polish team was led by Lech Korniszewski by the S Face.
Maciej Berbeka on the summit of Manaslu [Courtesy: Ryszard Gajewski Archive]
Ryszard Gajewski on Manaslu [Courtesy: Ryszard Gajewski Archive]
14th Dec
Japanese climbers Noboru Yamada and Yasuhira Saito made the second ascent without supplemental oxygen. Yamada led the 2-member team by the NE Face.
Noboru Yamada - made the Second Winter ascent of Manaslu [Courtesy: Noboru Yamada Archive]
8th Dec
Kazakh climbers Yuri Moiseev, Alexander Baimakhanov, Anatoli Boukreev, Shafkhat Gataoulin, Oleg Malikov, Dmitri Mouravev, Dmitri Sobolev and Vladimir Souviga made the third ascent without supplemental oxygen. The mostly Kazakh 13-members team was led by Kazbek Valiev by the NE Face.
6th Dec
South Korean climber Young-Seok Park along with Kami Dorchi Sherpa and Ang Dawa Tamang reached the summit by the NE Face without supplemental oxygen. The 6-member South Korean team was led by Park.
Other Notable Expeditions
10-member Japanese team, led by Noboru Yamada by the NE Face, reached 7700m.
17-member mostly Canadian team, led by Alan Burgees by the NE Face, reached 6860m.
6-member British team, led by Ron Rutland by the NE Face, reached 6000m.
2-member French team, led by Eric Monier by the S Face-W Ridge, reached 7950m by Monier on his solo attempt. This was the first solo attempt on Manaslu.
7-member mostly South Korean team, led by Park Young-Seok by the NE Face, reached 6500m.
4-member Spanish team, led by Alberto Inurrategi via NE Face, reached 7500m.
4-member Spanish team, led by Jesus Martinez and Jose Antonio Martinez by the NE Face, reached 6800m.
7-member Japanese team, led by Koichi Ezaki by the NE Face, reached 7300m.
7-member Japanese team, led by Hideji Nazuka by the NE Face, reached 7100m.
Michael Strynoe from Denmark, by the NE Face, reached 7350m.
Bart Vos from Netherland, in a solo attempt by the NE Face, reached 7000m.
3-member Czech Republic team, led by Milan Wlasak by the NE Face, reached 5850m.
2-member Italian team, led by Simone Moro by the NE Face (up) and E Pinnacle (down), reached 5900m.
2-member French team, led by Elizabeth Revol by the NE Face, reached 7300m.
Italian team led by Simone Moro, by the NE Face, reached 6400m.
Alex Txikon, Simone Moro, Iñaki Álvarez, and four Sherpas named Chepal, Calden, Gelum and Namja have attempted Manaslu this year. As per the latest report, Alex has reached 7050m on Manaslu. However, Simone Moro has already abandoned this expedition.
DHAULAGIRI
13th Dec
Japanese climber Akio Koizumi with Wangchu Sherpa reached the summit. On 16th December, So Anma, Osamu Hanai and Akinari Ishimura reached the summit without supplemental oxygen. The 14-member Japanese team was led by So Anma by the NE Ridge. ***[Considered a late Autumn summit]
1982 Japanese Dhaulagiri Winter Expedition Team - considered as late Autumn summit [Courtesy: Expedition Archive]
21st Jan
Polish climbers Andrzej Czok, Jerzy Kukuczka made the first ascent. This was also the first ascent without supplemental oxygen. The 11-member Polish team was led by Adam Bilczewski by the NE Ridge.
Andrzej Czok on the summit of Dhaulagiri [Courtesy: Jerzy Kukuczka Archive]
Jerzy Kukuczka on Dhaulagiri [Courtesy: Jerzy Kukuczka Archive]
8th Dec
Swiss climbers Jean Fernand Troillet, Erhard Loretan and Pierre-Alain Steiner Sherpa reached the summit without supplemental oxygen. The 4-member Swiss team was led by Jean Fernand Troillet by the E Face-NE Ridge.
2nd Dec
Frenchmen Marc Batard with Sungdare Sherpa reached the summit without supplemental oxygen. The 9-member French team was led by Marc Batard by the NE Ridge.
4th Dec
Yugoslavian climbers Marjan Kregar and Iztok Tomazin reached the summit without supplemental oxygen. The 4-member Yugoslavian team was led by Stane Belak by the E Face-NE Ridge.
Other Notable Expeditions
3-member Japanese team, led by Haruyuki Endo by the NE Ridge, reached 6700m.
5-member South Korean team, led by Cho Jung-Sul by the NE Ridge, reached 8025m.
4-member Spanish team, led by Enric Lucas by the NE Ridge, reached 7000m.
5-member French team, led by Laurent Lukie by the NE Ridge, reached 5200m.
7-member American-Canadian team, led by Timothy Brill and James Yoder by the E Face-NE Ridge, reached 7315m.
Swiss Franco Dellatorre, in a solo attempt by the NE Ridge, reached 6500m.
3-member South Korean team, led by Park Young-Seok by the NE Ridge, reached 7200m.
CHO OYU
12th Feb
Polish climbers Maciej Berbeka, Maciej Pawlikowski made the first ascent. This was also the first ascent without supplemental oxygen by a new route. It was the only Winter ascent on 8000ers by a new route. On 15th February, 1985, Polish climbers Zygmunt Andrzej Heinrich and Jerzy Kukuczka made the second ascent without supplemental oxygen. The 12-member mostly Polish team was led by Andrzej Zawada by the SE Pillar. Kukuczka summited two 8000ers (Cho Oyu and Dhaulagiri) in one Winter Season.
Maciej Berbeka and Maciej Pawlikowski [R to L] [Courtesy: Andrzej Zawada Archive]
Zygmunt Heinrich and Jerzy Kukuczka [L to R] [Courtesy: Andrzej Zawada Archive]
Maciej Berbeka on the summit of Cho Oyu [Courtesy: Andrzej Zawada Archive]
Jerzy Kukuczka on the summit of Cho Oyu [Courtesy: Andrzej Zawada Archive]
Zygmunt Heinrich on the summit of Cho Oyu [Courtesy: Andrzej Zawada Archive]
5th Dec
Czechoslovakian climbers Dusan Becik and Jaromir Stejskal made the ascent without supplemental oxygen. The 6-member International team was led by Roger Marshall by the W Ridge-W Face.
6th Feb
Spaniard Fernando Garrido Velasco made the first solo ascent. He did it without supplemental oxygen by the W Ridge-W Face. This was the first Winter solo ascent of any 8000er.
Fernando Velasco - made the First Winter solo ascent of any 8000er [Courtesy: Fernando Velasco Archive]
8th Feb
Spaniard Manuel Gonzalez Diaz, Fernando Guerra Sanchez, Jose Manuel Morales Rodriguez and Manuel Salazar Rincon reached the summit without supplemental oxygen. On 10th February, Spaniard Luis Arbues, Swiss Marianne Daniele Chapuisat and Argentinian climber Miguel Angel Sanchez Toledo reached the summit without supplemental oxygen. Chapuisat became the first woman to climb a 8000er peak in Winter. The 8-member International team was led by Manuel Gonzalez Diaz by the W Ridge-W Face from the South.
Marianne Chapuisat - The first woman to climb a 8000er peak in Winter
26th Jan
Spaniard Juan Jose Garra Lorenzo and Jordi Magrina Guell reached the summit without supplemental oxygen. The 6-member Swiss-Spanish team was led by Jean-Luc Beausire and Juan-Carlos Piedra by the W Ridge-W Face from the South.
3rd Dec
Spaniard Alberto Inurrategi Iriarte and Jon Beloki Pzeta reached the summit without supplemental oxygen. The 3-member Spanish team was led by Alberto Inurrategi Iriarte by the NW side.
Other Notable Expeditions
7-member mostly Italian team, led by Reinhold Messner by the SE Face, reached 7500m.
2-member Japanese team, led by Kiyoshi Ishii by the SE Face, reached 5700m.
5-member mostly Belgian team, led by Alain Hubert by the SE Face, reached 7200m.
7-member South Korean team, led by Lee Ho-Sang by the SE Face, reached 7800m.
Italian Kurt Walde, in a solo attempt by the W Ridge-W Face from South, reached 7500m.
KANGCHENJUNGA
11th Jan
Polish climbers Krzysztof Wielicki, Jerzy Kukuczka made the first ascent. This was also the first ascent without supplemental oxygen. The mostly Polish 19-member team was led by Andrzej Machnik by the SW Face.
Krzysztof Wielicki, Jerzy Kukuczka after the summit of Kangchenjunga in Winter [L to R] [Courtesy: Jerzy Kukuczka Archive]
2nd Jan
South Korean climber Jeong-Chel Lee made the second ascent. The 9-member South Korean team was led by Jung Sang-Moo by the SW Face.
Other Notable Expeditions
3-member American-Australian team, led by Chris Chandler by the N Face, reached 7925m.
ANNAPURNA
3rd Feb
Polish climbers Jerzy Kukuczka, Artur Hajzer made the first ascent of Annapurna. This was also the first ascent without supplemental oxygen. The mostly Polish 7-member team was led by Jerzy Kukuczka by the N Face.
Jerzy Kukuczka on the summit of Annapurna [Courtesy: Jerzy Kukuczka Archive]
Artur Hajzer on the summit of Annapurna [Courtesy: Jerzy Kukuczka Archive]
Jerzy Kukuczka, Artur Hajzer after the summit of Annapurna in Winter [R to L] [Courtesy: Jerzy Kukuczka Archive]
20th Dec
Japanese climbers Noboru Yamada, Teuro Saegusa, Toshiyuki Kobayashi and Yasuhira Saito reached the summit without supplemental oxygen. Unfortunately, Kobayashi and Saito fell to their death. The Japanese 14-member team was led by Kuniaki Yagihara by the S Face.
Other Notable Expeditions
Japanese climber Naoe Sakashita, by the N Face, reached 6700m.
4-member Japanese team, led by Tadao Sugimoto by the N Face, reached 6900m.
15-member Japanese team, led by Kuniaki Yagihara by the S Face, reached 7200m.
6-member French team, led by Bernard Muller by the N Face, reached 6000m.
5-member South Korean team, led by Ahn Chang-Yeul by the N Face, claimed to reach the summit but unrecognized.
16-member Bulgarian team, led by Boyan Atanassov by the S Face, reached 7300m.
2-member Swiss team, led by Daniel Anker by the S Face, reached 5300m.
9-member American-Canadian team, led by Stephen Adamson by the E Buttress of S Face, reached 6115m.
4-member Japanese team, led by Yoshitomi Okura by the N Face, reached 6100m.
8-member Bulgarian team, led by Metodi Stefanov Savov by the S Face, reached 6800m.
7-member Bulgarian team, led by Metodi Stefanov Savov by the S Face, reached 6600m.
14-member South Korean team, led by Jang Bong-Wan by the N Face, reached 7300m.
9-member American team, led by Kenneth Reville by the S Face, reached 6800m.
13-member mostly Yugoslavian team, led by Darko Berljak by the N Face, reached 6400m.
9-member South Korean team, led by Kim Tuek-Hee by the N Face, reached 5800m.
3-member South Korean team, led by Um Hong-Gil by the NE Buttress, reached 6100m and by the N Face, reached 6850m.
3-member Japanese team, led by Atsushi Yamamoto by the N Face, reached 6000m.
3-member Italian-Kazakh team, led by Simone Moro by the E Face of Fang to Annapurna's SW Ridge, reached 6300m.
Swedish climber Fredrik Strang, by the N Face, reached 6400m.
LHOTSE
31st Dec
Polish climber Krzysztof Wielicki made the first ascent. This was also the first ascent without supplemental oxygen. The 5-member Belgian-Polish team was led by Herman Detienne by the W Face.
Krzysztof Wielicki [Courtesy: Krzysztof Wielicki Archive]
Other Notable Expeditions
15-member Polish team, led by Andrzej Zawada, reached 8250m.
6-member Italian team, led by Pierantonio Camozzi by the W Face, reached 8050m.
2-member French team, led by Marc Batard by the S Face, reached 7000m. Batard attempted solo from the Base Camp.
4-member International team, led by Christophe Profit by the S Face, reached 7300m. Christophe reached 7300m climbing solo from Base Camp.
7-member Japanese team, led by Osamu Tanabe by the S Face, reached 7600m.
6-member Japanese team, led by Osamu Tanabe by the S Face, reached 8250m.
6-member South Korean team, led by Lee Choong-Jik by the S Face, reached 8200m.
7-member Japanese team, led by Osamu Tanabe by the S Face, reached 8475m.
SHISHAPANGMA
11th Dec
French climber Jean-Christophe Lafaille reached the summit solo without supplemental oxygen by the British route on SW Face. ***[Considered a late Autumn summit]
Jean-Christophe Lafaille - his solo summit considered as late Autumn summit [Courtesy: Wikipedia]
14th Jan
Polish climber Piotr Morawski and Italian Simone Moro made the first ascent. This was also the first ascent without supplemental oxygen. The 5-member Polish-Italian team was led by Jan Szulc by the Yugoslavian route.
Simone Moro on the summit of Shishapangma [Courtesy: Simone Moro Archive]
Piotr Morawski on the summit of Shishapangma [Courtesy: Simone Moro Archive]
Other Notable Expeditions
7-member Polish-Italian-Canadian team, led by Jan Szulc by the S Face on the Figueras route, reached 7700m.
MAKALU
9th Feb
Italian climber Simone Moro and Kazakh climber Denis Urubko made the first ascent. This was also the first ascent without supplemental oxygen. The 2-member team was led by Moro by the Makalu La-NW Ridge.
Denis Urubko on the summit of Makalu [Courtesy: Denis Urubko Archive]
Simone Moro on the summit of Makalu [Courtesy: Simone Moro Archive]
Other Notable Expeditions
6-member International team, led by Renato Casarotto by the SE Ridge, reached 7350m.
6-member British team, led by Ron Rutland by the Makalu La-NW Ridge, reached 7315m.
French Ivan Ghirandini, in a solo attempt by the NW Ridge, reached 6900m+ and by the W Pillar, reached 7000m. This was the first solo attempt on Makalu.
7-member Japanese team, led by Hiroyuki Baba by the Makalu La-NW Ridge, reached 7520m.
6-member International team, led by Reinhold Messner by the Makalu La-NW Ridge, reached 7500m.
2-member Japanese team, led by Noboru Yamada by the SE Ridge, reached 7500m.
9-member mostly Polish team, led by Andrzej Machnik by the Makalu La-NW Ridge, reached 7500m.
4-member mostly Polish team, led by Krzysztof Wielicki by the Makalu La-NW Ridge, reached 7400m and by the W Pillar, reached 7300m.
8-member Spanish team, led by Manuel Gonzalez Diaz by the Makalu La-NW Ridge, reached 7200m.
11-member mostly Polish team, led by Krzysztof Wielicki by the W Pillar, reached 5800m, by the S Pillar-S Col, reached 6400m and by the NW Side, reached 7100m.
Frenchman Jean-Christophe Lafaille, on his solo attempt by the Makalu La-NW Ridge, reached 7700m. Unfortunately, he disappeared at his high point (7700m) and probably fell to his death in a crevasse.
3-member Italian team, led by Romano Benet by the Makalu La-NW Ridge, reached 7000m.
4-member Kazakh team, led by Denis Urubko by the Makalu La-NW Ridge, reached 7480m.
GASHERBRUM II
2nd Feb
Italian climber Simone Moro, Kazakh climber Denis Urubko and American climber Cory Richards made the first ascent. This was also the first ascent without supplemental oxygen. The 3-member team was led by Moro.
Denis Urubko, Simone Moro and Cory Richards (L to R) on the summit of Gasherbrum II [Courtesy: Cory Richards Archive]
Denis Urubko, Simone Moro on the summit of Gasherbrum II [Courtesy: Cory Richards Archive]
GASHERBRUM I
9th Mar
Polish climbers Adam Bielecki, Janusz Golab made the first ascent. This was also the first ascent without supplemental oxygen. The 4-member team was led by Artur Hajzer by the Japanese route on NW Face.
Adam Bielecki on the summit of Gasherbrum I [Courtesy: Adam Bielecki Archive]
Janusz Golab at the Japanese Couloir [Courtesy: Adam Bielecki Archive]
Other Notable Expeditions
3-member Canadian-Austrian-Basque team, led by Gerfried Göschl by a partially new route, reached 7050m.
7-member International team, led by Gerfried Göschl by a partially new route. Austrian Gerfried Göschl, Swiss Cedric Hählen and Pakistani Nisar Hussain Sadpara disappeared at around 7700m.
BROAD PEAK
5th Mar
Polish climbers Maciej Berbeka, Tomasz Kowalski, Adam Bielecki, Artur Malek made the first ascent. This was also the first ascent without supplemental oxygen. During their descent Berbeka and Kowalski went missing and were declared dead. The 5-member Polish team was led by Krzysztof Wielicki by the usual route on West Ridge.
Team: Maciej Berbeka, Adam Bielecki, Tomasz Kowalski, Artur Malek and Krzysztof Wielicki [L to R] [Courtesy: Bart?omiej Zborowski/przegladsportowy.pl]
Adam Bielecki on the summit of Broad Peak [Courtesy: Adam Bielecki Archive]
Other Notable Expeditions
Polish climber Maciej Berbeka attempted by the usual route on West Ridge and reached the Rocky Summit or foresummit (8028m) of Broad Peak. He returned from there thinking that it was the actual summit. 25 years later, he, along with four fellow climbers got the crown of the first Winter ascent of Broad Peak. However, he couldn’t celebrate the summit as he and Tomasz Kowalski went missing during their descent and were declared dead.
6-member mostly Spanish team, led by Juanito Oiarzabal by the usual route on West Ridge, reached 6900m.
Italian Simone Moro, by the usual route on West Ridge, reached 7200m.
Italian Simone Moro, by the usual route on West Ridge, reached 7800m.
6-member Polish-Canadian-Pakistani team, led by Artur Hajzer by the West Ridge, reached 7000m.
9-member Polish team, led by Artur Hajzer, reached 7830m.
3-member Russian-Canadian-Finnish team, led by Denis Urubko, reached 7000m. Later Denis made a solo attempt and reached 7650m.
NANGA PARBAT
26th Feb
Italian climber Simone Moro, Pakistani climber Muhammad Ali Sadpara and Spanish climber Alex Txikon made the first ascent. This was also the first ascent without supplemental oxygen. Moro became the only person to have first summited four 8000ers in Winter. Moro was one of a 2-member Italian team while Sadpara and Txikon were from a 5-member team. They had been climbing on two different routes. The three climbers reached the summit by the Kinshofer Route on the Diamir Face.
Simone Moro and Muhammad Ali Sadpara on the summit of Nanga Parbat [R to L] [Courtesy: Simone Moro Archive]
Muhammad Ali Sadpara and Alex Txikon on the summit of Nanga Parbat [L to R] [Courtesy: Alex Txikon]
25th Jan
Polish Tomasz Mackiewicz and Frenchwoman Elisabeth Revol made the second ascent. This was also the second ascent without supplemental oxygen. Elisabeth became the second woman to climb a 8000er peak in Winter. After the summit they were missing and stranded on the mountain. Elisabeth was rescued after a heroic attempt by Denis Urubko, Adam Bielecki, Jarek Botor and Piotrek Tomala who were from the team of an ongoing Polish K2 Winter Expedition 2017-18.
Elisabeth Revol and Tomasz Mackiewicz [L to R] [Courtesy: Elisabeth Revol Archive]
Other Notable Expeditions
11-member mostly Polish team, led by Maciej Berbeka from the South by the German route, reached 6800m.
12-member Polish-British team, led by Maciej Berbeka by the Messner route, reached 6800m and by the Schell route on the Rupal Face, reached 6600m.
2-member French team, led by Eric Monier by the Schell route on Rupal Face, reached 6500m.
11-member Polish team, led by Andrzej Zawada by the Kinshofer Route on Diamir Face, reached 7800m.
British climber Victor Saunders, Dane Rafael Jensen by the Kinshofer Route on Diamir Face, reached 6000m.
12-member Polish team, led by Andrzej Zawada by the Kinshofer Route on Diamir Face, reached 6800m.
8-member mostly Polish team, led by Krzysztof Wielicki by the Schell route on Rupal Face, reached 6800m.
Italian climber Simone La Terra, by the N Col on Diamir Face, reached 6000m.
2-member Polish team, led by Jacek Teler by the Diamir Face, reached 5400m.
Russian Sergey Tsygankov Nikolayevich, in a solo attempt by the Kinshofer route on the Diamir Face, reached 6000m.
Polish Tomasz Mackiewicz and Marek Klonowski, by the Kinshofer route on the Diamir Face, reached 5100m.
Polish Tomasz Mackiewicz and Marek Klonowski, by the Kinshofer route on the Diamir Face, reached 5500m.
Italian Simone Moro and Kazakh Denis Urubko, by the Messner route, reached 6800m.
Polish Tomasz Mackiewicz and Marek Klonowski, by the Schell route on the Rupal Face, reached 6600m. Later, Tomasz on his solo attempt reached 7400m.
4-member US-Hungarian team, by the Diamir Face, reached 5400m.
Italian Daniele Nardi and Frenchwoman Elisabeth Revol, by the Mummery Rib on the Diamir Face, reached 6400m.
Frenchman Joel Wischnewski, on his solo attempt by the direct route on the SE Pillar on the Rupal Face, went missing on 6th February while climbing up from Camp-2 (4300m). His body was found on October 2013.
Italian Daniel Nardi, on his solo attempt by the Mummery Rib on the Diamir Face, reached 5450m.
German climber Ralf Dujmovits, by the Messner route on the Diamir Face, reached 5500m.
Italian climber Simone Moro and German David Goettler from North Face team climbing together with Polish Tomasz Mackiewicz and Marek Klonowski - a 6-member team, by the Schell route on the Rupal Face, reached 7200m.
Polish Tomasz Mackiewicz and Frenchwoman Elisabeth Revol, by the Messner route on the Diamir Face, reached 7800m.
Spanish Alex Txikon, Italian Daniele Nardi and Pakistani Muhammad Ali Sadpara, by the Kinshofer route, reached 7850m.
4-member Russian team, by the Schell route on the Rupal Face, reached 7150m.
Polish Tomasz Mackiewicz and Frenchwoman Elisabeth Revol, by the Messner route on the Diamir Face, reached 7400m.
7-member Polish team, led by Marek Klonowski by the Schell route on the Rupal Face, reached 7500m.
Italian Daniel Nardi and British climber Tom Ballard, went missing on 26th February, 2019 while ascending beyond 6300m. On 9th March, 2019, their bodies were found.
K2
16th Jan
Nepali Sherpa team consisting of Nirmal Purja, Mingma David Sherpa, Mingma Tenzi Sherpa, Geljen Sherpa, Pem Chhiri Sherpa, Dawa Temba Sherpa (Team of Nirmal Purja), Mingma G, Dawa Tenjin Sherpa, Kilu Pemba Sherpa (Team of Mingma G), Sona Sherpa (Seven Summit Treks) made the first ascent. Nirmal Purja made the first Winter ascent of K2 without supplemental oxygen.
[Courtesy: Mingma G Sherpa]
[Courtesy: Mingma G Sherpa]
[Courtesy: Mingma G Sherpa]
The Team [Courtesy: Mingma G Sherpa]
The Team
Other Notable Expeditions
24-member Polish-Canadian-British team, led by Andrzej Zawada by the Abruzzi Spur, reached 7300m.
14-member International team, led by Krzysztof Wielicki by the North Ridge, reached 7650m.
9-member Russian team, led by Victor Kozlov by the Abruzzi Spur, reached 7200m.
13-member Polish team, led by Krzysztof Wielicki by the Cesen/Basque route, reached 6300m, and by the Abruzzi Spur, reached 7400m. However, on his solo attempt Denis Urubko reported that he probably reached 7600m.
7-member International team, led by Vassiliy Pivtsov by the Abruzzi route, reached 6800m. 4-member Spanish-Galician team, led by Alex Txikon by the Abruzzi route, reached 6800m.
4-member International team, led by Mingma G Sherpa, reached 6600m.
Sergi Mingote (50), the Spanish alpinist fell to his death on his way back to K2 Base Camp on 16th January, 2021. While descending from around Camp-1, he fell all the way down to Advanced Base Camp.
Bulgarian climber Atanas Skatov (42) died on 4th February, 2021. He fell down while descending from Camp-3.
On 5th February, 2021, John Snorri, Juan Pablo Mohr, and Muhammad Ali Sadpara went missing on K2. They were last seen near the Bottleneck during their summit bid. However, Italian Tamara Lunger returned from Camp-3 on the same day.
*** The Winter Dilemma
Winters in the high Himalayas are cold. But there remains a warm debate about the period to be designated as "Winter".
The more subjective meteorological Winter falls between Dec 1st and Feb 28th (29th for leap year).
The objective Astronomical Winter is the period normally between Dec 21st and Mar 21st.
This latter is conventionally regarded as the Winter Season by climbers.
Special Acknowledgement: Dr. Rupak Bhattacharya
This news was revised on 26-02-2021
