Shishapangma

There is still no trace of Boyan Petrov. As reported, the most successful Bulgarian high altitude climber has been missing for days on the eight-thousander Shishapangma in Tibet. The Bulgarian government has joined the rescue operation. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said they were in constant communication with the authorities in Nepal and China, as well as with Petrov’s family. According to Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva, a helicopter suitable for flights in high altitude is now available to search for the 45-year-old. Directly on the slopes of the mountain, a rescue team of three Chinese climbers and three Sherpas is in action. Despite bad weather, the rescuers had climbed to Camp 2 at 6,900 meters, it said.

Nothing is impossible

Boyan Petrov about three weeks ago

Petrov had set off on 29 April for a solo attempt without bottled oxygen. Six days ago, on 3 May, he was last sighted by telescope from the base camp, roughly at the level of Camp 3 at about 7,300 meters. Last Saturday, another team arrived at the high camp and found Boyan’s half-open tent, with his sleeping bag inside. Petrov has already scaled ten of the 14 eight-thousanders without bottled oxygen. His partner Radoslava Nenova still hopes that Boyan is alive and can be rescued: “In a world full of possibilities, do not tell me something is impossible,” she wrote on Facebook. So keep your fingers crossed for Boyan!

Update 11 Mai: Two helicopters of the Nepali company Simrik Air , which is specialized on mountain rescue, flew to Tibet to Shishapangma Base Camp today. They are to be involved in the search for Petrov.

Boyan Petrov some weeks ago in Kathmandu

The most successful Bulgarian high altitude climber, Boyan Petrov, has been missing for several days on the eight-thousander Shishapangma in Tibet. This was confirmed today by his partner Radoslava Nenova on Facebook. According to her, a search for Petrov is to begin tomorrow. Previously, the team of the Hungarian climber David Klein reported that the 45-year-old Bulgarian had set off on 29 April for a solo attempt without bottled oxygen. On 3 May, last Thursday, Petrov was seen from base camp by telescope at the level of Camp 3. On Saturday, an Ukrainian and three Sherpas reached Camp 3 at about 7,400 meters and found Boyan’s semi-open tent with his sleeping bag, covered in snow. Obviously, Petrov had left for the summit.

Ten eight-thousanders without breathing mask

Shishapangma

Petrov wished to scale his eleventh eight-thousander, the 8,027-meter-high Shishapangma, like the ten others before without breathing mask. Subsequently he wanted to move on to Everest. In the past two years alone, Boyan had succeeded five summit successes on the highest mountains in the world: In 2016 on Annapurna, Makalu and Nanga Parbat, in 2017 on Gasherbrum II and Dhaulagiri. Petrov works as a zoologist at the National Museum of Natural History in the Bulgarian capital Sofia and is a specialist in wildlife in caves. The climber has survived cancer two times. As a result of chemotherapy, Boyan has been suffering from diabetes for 18 years.