Shishapangma

The Central Peak is not the main summit of Shishapangma. Climbers and expedition operators who tackle this eight-thousander in Tibet should know this. The Central Peak is at 8,008 meters. From there, the normal route continues over a ridge to the 19 meter higher main summit at 8,027 meters. Only when this is reached, Shishapangma is officially considered as scaled. Many are not too particular about this rule. And so the news was premature that a Chinese expedition had scaled Shishapangma on 29 September and that Luo Jing was the first woman from the “Middle Kingdom” to complete the 14 eight-thousanders. Just a few days later, a Basque mountaineer, who had ascended the same day, piped up and said that nobody had climbed the ridge to the main summit due to bad weather. “They were clearly only on the Central Peak,” tells me Eberhard Jurgalski, German chronicler of mountaineering in the Himalayas and Karakorum, who had received a video of the Chinese group from their turning point. “Luo Jing has already admitted this publicly.”

“True Explorers Grand Slam” also not complete

Hong-Juan Dong (l.), Luo Jing (2nd from l.), Zhang Liang (3rd from l.), Liu Yongzong (r.)

Thus also the news that Zhang Liang, Hong-Juan Dong and Liu Yongzong, three more Chinese who belonged to Luo’s team, completed the 14 eight-thousanders, is not true. “Dong is not only missing the main summit of Shishapangma, she was demonstrably not on the highest points of some more eight-thousanders she claimed for herself,” says Jurgalski.

Zhang Liang had already let himself be celebrated in 2017 for being the first Chinese to complete the eight-thousander collection. But even then his list “only” included the Central Peak of Shishapangma – which he has now reached for the second time. This summer’s news that the 54-year-old had finished second after the South Korean Park Young-Seok the “True Explorers Grand Slam” (14 eight-thousanders, Seven Summits, North and South Pole) proved to be premature too. “His performance cannot be compared with that of the South Korean Park anyway,” says Eberhard Jurgalski. “Zhang Liang only did a last-degree expedition to the South Pole, while Park Young-Seok walked the entire way from the edge of the continent to the Pole.” Park died in an avalanche on Annapurna in fall 2011.

Luo Jing (in 2016)

Also from the eight-thousander Shishapangma in Tibet, the first summit successes of this fall season were reported today. According to their own announcement, a team of the Russian expedition operator “7 Summits Club” reached the 8,027-meter-high summit , as did a team of the Nepalese operator “Seven Summit Treks”. SST-Board director Dawa Sherpa informed on Facebook, that Chinese Luo Jing was among those who stood on the summit of Shishapangma. It was the last of the 14 eight-thousanders that the 42-year-old still lacked in her collection.

All 14 in almost seven years

Luo (r.) on K2 in 2014

After South Korean Oh Eun-sun, Spaniard Edurne Pasaban, Austrian Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and  Italian Nives Meroi, Luo is now the fifth woman to have scaled all 14 eight-thousanders. Kaltenbrunner and Meroi did all their ascents without bottled oxygen. Luo Jing scaled her first eight-thousander in fall 2011: Manaslu. Since then, hardly a year passed without her successes on eight-thousanders. In less than seven years she completed the 14. In 2012, she stood on top of Makalu, in 2013 on the summits of Kangchenjunga, Gasherbrum I and II. In 2014, the Chinese scaled Dhaulagiri and K2, in 2016 Annapurna, Mount Everest and Cho Oyu. In 2017 Luo summited Lhotse, in summer 2018 Nanga Parbat and Broad Peak and now in fall Shishapangma.

“Mountains accepted me”

“After climbing so many mountains, I realized that I did not conquer the mountains, but the mountains accepted me,” the computer expert from Beijing told the newspaper “China Daily” last summer after her success on Broad Peak. Luo Jing is the first woman from China in the “14 Eight-Thousanders Club”.

Her compatriot Zhang Liang was the first Chinese to complete the 8000ers collection in 2017. This summer, he was the second person after South Korean Park Joung-Seok to succeed in the so-called “True Explorers Grand Slam”: he scaled Denali, the highest mountain of North America, and thus the last mountain of the “Seven Summits” still missing from him. Thus the 54-year-old had climbed all eight-thousanders as well as the highest mountains of all continents – and also reached the North and South Pole.

Update 4 October: According to a Spanish climber, who was also on Shishapangma at that time, Luo Jing reached “only” the 8008-meter-high central summit, not the main summit. Should this be confirmed, she would not have completed the 14 eight-thousanders yet.

Carlos Soria

Carlos Soria doesn’t give up. The now 79-year-old Spaniard set off again to Nepal to climb his 13th of the 14 eight-thousanders. Already for the ninth time, Carlos will tackle Dhaulagiri. Last year, Soria and Co. had had to abandon their only summit attempt in the upper part of the 8,167-meter-high mountain because they had missed the right route while the fog had become denser. Later heavy snow had impeded a second try. “This time I am sure that we will succeed,” said the probably fittest of all climbing seniors optimistically before his departure for Kathmandu.

Family trip to the Khumbu region

Trekking with daughter and grandchildren

Soria is going to acclimatize with a trekking tour in the Khumbu region, which is also a family trip: his daughter Sonsoles and his 10-year-old grandchildren Andrea and Carlos will accompany him. Afterwards, he will make his way to Dhaulagiri along with three Spanish friends and his Sherpa team. They plan to arrive at the base camp in mid-April. Only just before the start of the expedition, Carlos had managed to find a sponsor for his journey to the seventh highest mountain in the world.

Shishapangma in fall?

Carlos Soria on Dhaulagiri (in 2017)

In case he achieves the long-awaited success on Dhaulagiri this spring, Soria wants to try in fall to scale Shishapangma and thus complete his eight-thousander collection. In 2005, Carlos had stood on the Central Peak of Shishapangma, which is – with a height of 8,008 meters – beyond the eight thousand mark, but just 19 meters lower than the main summit. In 2103 and 2014 Soria had returned empty handed from Shishapangma.

Already eight age records on eight-thousanders

Carlos holds the age records at K 2 (65 years old), Broad Peak (68), Makalu (69, there he climbed solo and without bottled oxygen), Gasherbrum I (70), Manaslu (71), Lhotse (72), Kangchenjunga (75) and Annapurna (77). If he succeeds also on Dhaulagiri and Shishapangma, Carlos Soria would be by far the oldest man who stood on all 14 eight-thousanders. This “record” is held by the Spanish climber Oscar Cadiach, who scaled his last eight-thousander, Broad Peak, in 2017 at the age of 64. Fitness seems to be in Carlos’ genes: “My mother reached the age of 96 years”, the Spaniard said in an interview of desnivel com. “Until she turned  90, she made it to the third floor without a lift.”

Jerzy Kukuczka (1948 – 1989)

One of the all-time best high altitude climbers would have celebrated his 70th birthday this Saturday. But he missed this day of honor by more than 28 years: In fall 1989 Jerzy Kukuczka died at the age of 41 in an accident on Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain on earth. The Pole had previously scaled as the second climber after Reinhold Messner all 14 eight-thousanders. At times it looked as if Kukuczka could even snatch away the crown from Messner, but then the South Tyrolean closed the eight-thousander match with his ascents of Makalu and Lhotse in fall 1986. Just one year later, in September 1987, when the rather publicity-shy Kukuzczka completed his collection, Messner honored him with the words: “You are not the second, you’re great.”

Milestones

Memorial plaque at the foot of Lhotse South Face

In less than eight years – Messner took twice as long – Kukuczka climbed all 14 eight-thousanders and wrote alpine history: four winter first ascents, two of them in 1985 within three weeks (on Dhaulagiri and Cho Oyu), the first ascent of the South Pillar of Everest and of the South Face of K2, the first solo ascent of Makalu – to name only a few milestones. Only on Mount Everest, he used bottled oxygen. In 1988, the International Olympic Committee declared Messner and Kukuczka honorary Olympic champions. Messner refused the medal, Kukuczka accepted it.

Fall to death on Lhotse

Even after Jerzy had completed his eight-thousander collection, the highest mountains in the world did not get out of his mind. For fall 1989, Kukuczka actually planned to traverse all peaks of the Kangchenjunga massif, but then he changed his mind. With his countryman Ryszard Pawłowski, the 41-year-old tackled the legendary, at that time still unclimbed Lhotse South Face. On 24 October 1989, Jerzy Kukuczka fell from about 8,200 meters to his death.

Nives Meroi (r.) und Romano Benet during the IMS 2016 in Bressanone

There are mountaineers who in particular deserve their successes. Like Nives Meroi and Romano Benet from Italy. Without making a fuss about it, the two 55-year-olds have scaled eight-thousander after eight-thousander over the years and have remained true to themselves and their style: always en route in a small team, without Sherpa support, not using bottled oxygen. With the ascent of Annapurna, Nives and Romano completed their eight-thousander collection, exactly a month ago today – 19 years after their first success on Nanga Parbat, eight years after Romano suffered from aplastic anemia. Two bone marrow transplants were necessary to save Romano’s life.

Along with two Spaniards and two Chileans, Meroi and Benet reached the 8091-meter-high summit of Annapurna on 11 May. They became the first married couple who scaled all of the 14 highest mountains in the world. Nives was the second woman after the Austrian Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, who stood on all eight-thousanders without breathing mask. Meanwhile, Nives and Romano are back in Italy – and Nives has answered my questions, which I had sent to the couple after their success on Annapurna.

It was your third attempt on Annapurna after 2006 and 2009. How did you experience your climb? Did you benefit from your previous attempts?

Thanks to our previous attempts we knew the mountain’s dangers and risks that we should try to avoid as much as possible.

Annapurna

What did you feel in the moment when you reached the summit of Annapurna and realized that you really did it: all 14 eight-thousanders as a couple, without bottled oxygen and Sherpa support?

On top of an eigth-thousander you are only “halfway up”. Only after returning safely to base camp, you can say finally “summit”. And this, especially on Annapurna. I remember that in the morning, awakening at base camp, it took me a bit of time to distinguish dream from reality and realize that we really had been successful. Annapurna has been generous to us and gave us a very special climb to close our “necklace of eight-thousanders”. A climb “of other times” – by joining forces six mountaineers climbed this mountain in Alpine style.

Nives and Romano in 2009 on Kangchenjunga

You have worked so hard during the past years to fulfill your great dream, especially after Romano’s life-threatening disease. Are you now enthusiastic about what you have achieved or maybe even more burned out, exhausted?

Of course we are grateful and happy that we have been able to close our “necklace” but also aware that this is a stage on our way in the mountains. Not the goal.

Is there any message you have for young climbers looking for adventures on the highest mountains?

Do it with patience and passion! Step by step without looking for shortcuts, in an honest confrontation with the mountain and yourself.

Nives Meroi and Romano Benet

They did it. Nives Meroi and Romano Benet have climbed their 14th eight-thousander. The Italian couple belonged to a group of six climbers who reached the summit of the Annapurna today at 10.30 a.m. local time. This is reported by the Spanish climber Alberto Zerain, who in his own words was also on top, along with his compatriot Jonatan Garcia. Moreover, two Chileans reached the highest point on 8091 meters, says Alberto. Nives Meroi and Romano Benet, both 55 years old, are the first couple to have reached together the summits of all 14 highest mountains in the world – without the use of bottled oxygen and without sherpa support. It was their third attempt on Annapurna after 2006 and 2009.

First Italian woman without breathing mask on Everest

Nives was 19 years old when she met Romano. First he was her climbing partner, then her life partner. They are married for 27 years. In 1998, they scaled Nanga Parbat, it was their first eight-thousander. In 2003, they succeeded in climbing the Karakorum trilogy of Gasherbrum I, II and Broad Peak in just 20 days. In 2007, Meroi was the first Italian woman who climbed Everest without oxygen mask.

Life-threatening disease

Annapurna

But there were also setbacks.  In 2009, Meroi had a good chance to become the first woman on all 14 eight-thousanders. On Kangchenjunga, at 7500 meters, Romano suddenly became increasingly weak. He tried to persuade Nives to climb on alone. But she refused and supported him during the descent. The reason for Benet’s weakness was serious: aplastic anemia. Two bone marrow transplants were necessary to save Romano’s life. They returned to the Himalayas. In 2014, Romano and Nives climbed Kangchenjunga. Then in 2016 Makalu and now Annapurna as the last eight-thousander in their collection. Congratulations, Nives and Romano!