Alex Txikon Trying Everest: Winter, Solo, Sans O2
Spanish climber Alex Txikon is approaching Mount Everest for his second attempt at climbing it without bottled oxygen, alone and in winter.
He would become the first climber to achieve the feat. His first attempt was last winter and reached 7,950 metres.
Txikon has climbed 12 8,000-metre peaks, established big wall routes and pushed winter climbing.
On this attempt, he will be with experienced Pakistani mountaineer Muhammad Ali Sadpara and nine others who will be supporting the Txikon.
The first winter ascent of Everest was by Poles Leszek Cicy and Krezysztof Wielicki in 1980.
In 1987, Nepalese climber Ang Rita Sherpa summited in winter after climbing with no oxygen. But he had climbed most of the peak in fall.
Michael Levy interviewed Txikon during last year’s attempt for The Outdoor Journal. Txikon said: “I’ve been thinking about trying Everest since the winter of 2014-2015, when Ali Sadpara and myself made a good attempt on Nanga Parbat.
“I started thinking about it in June or July. I was climbing in Basque country everyday, and I was dreaming of Everest. I’ve never attempted it, but if you check the statistics, of people who have climbed more than five 8000ers, Everest is often the first or second. But this was not my case.”
Txikon and Reinhold Messner discuss the winter attempt in the video below.
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