German Jost Kobush to Attempt Everest Solo in Winter

German climber Jost Kobush will attempt to solo Everest’s West Ridge this winter solo and unsupported. The first winter ascent of Everest was in 1980 by Andrzej Zawada’s team from Poland. It was also the first winter ascent of any of the world’s 14 8,000-metre peaks.

He’s climbed a number of big Himalayan peaks in the past, including Nangpai Gossum II in 2017, which he climbed solo and unsupported. The year before, he climbed Annapurna. Last winter, he visited Alaska and made a winter ascent of the smaller of the two summits on the Mosse’s Tooth.

A number of climbers recently made an attempt at the regular route on Everest, including Tim Emmett with a Mountain Hardwear team and Andrzej Bargiel who was hoping to ski down. A massive serac above the Khumbu Icefall is teetering on the edge of a face. It was the reason why the teams decided not to continue with their expedition. Kobush is currently in Nepal and will be starting his expedition soon, watch a video about his Everest climb below.

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To reach a goal I focus on the means required to achieve it – I weight the values of the goal against the difficulties of the means and against the full context of all my other values and goals. I do not demand the impossible of myself and do not decide too easily which things are impossible. I never drop the context of the knowledge available to me and never avoid reality. Realizing fully that my goal will not be granted to me by any power other than my own action. And should I avoid it, it’s not some authority that I could be cheating but myself. If I become discouraged by difficulties I remind myself of the goal that requires them – knowing that I’m fully free to reconsider. To Ask: Is it worth it? And then no punishment is involved except the renunciation of the value I desire. One seldom gives up in such cases unless one finds that it is rationally necessary. In similar circumstances it’s easy to loose focus on the goal and place it on your own moral character instead – the automatic reaction is guilt and fear. Fear of failing your duty. Fear of some weakness which duty forbids. Fear of proving yourself morally unworthy. The value of your goal vanishes from your mind – drown in a flood of self doubt. You might drive yourself on in this cheerless fashion for a while – but not for long if you’re trapped in this mindset you seldom carry out or undertake important goals – they are a threat to your self esteem. This is one of the crucial psychological differences between the principal of duty and the principal of final causation. This is my point of view – based on the thoughts of Ayan Rands book „Philosophy – Who needs it“ Picture by: @terragraphy @blackyak_global #madeformissions #jostgoforit #pureclimbing #solomountaineering #winterclimbing #mindsetquotes #ayanrand #eyeofthestorm @wespot_x

A post shared by Jost Kobusch (@jostkobusch) on Jun 25, 2019 at 9:13am PDT

Jost Kobush and Everest