Kyrgyz Climber Ascends Annapurna on Same Day as Avalanche Disaster
The head of Kyrgyzstan’s mountaineering federation has climbed the Himalayan mountain of Annapurna, which has a reputation as a particularly dangerous climb because of the threat of avalanches and other factors. Two sherpas on a different team were swept away in an Annapurna avalanche on the same day, prompting a helicopter search for the missing men. Eduard Kubatov reached the peak of Annapurna, which stands 8,091 meters above sea level, on April 7. He did so without supplementary oxygen, which made the ascent much harder. He recorded a video at a location that appeared to be below the summit, saying it was hard to film at minus 40 degrees and with strong winds at the top. “Last night, our entire team safely descended from the summit, and today we officially announce the successful completion of the oxygen-free ascent of Annapurna!” Kubatov said in an Instagram post on Wednesday. The Kyrgyz climber, who described Annapurna as “the most difficult and dangerous mountain in the world,” said in a later post that he was still at Annapurna base camp following the ascent. “It snowed 20-30 cm at night, several snow and stone avalanches fell! Even base camp is not a safe place on this mountain! We all team walking from Annapurna to Pokhara. It will take about 25 km to the nearest village and 4-5 hours on jeeps to the city of Pokhara! Apparently we are going all day to get to civilization!” he said. Seven Summit Treks, a Nepal-based trek and expedition operator, said it suffered a “terrible disaster” when two of its climbing sherpas, Ngima Tashi and Rima Rinje, were caught in an avalanche on April 7 while transporting oxygen cylinders for the summit push. It said it deployed a helicopter to look for them. Annapurna “is considered one of the most challenging and dangerous mountains to climb due to its steep slopes, exposed routes and frequent avalanches and landslides that occur on the climbing route,” the company has said. Kubatov was among several dozen climbers who reached the summit of Annapurna on the same day. Last year, Kubatov ascended the Himalayan mountains of Lhotse and Makalu, which are also more than 8,000 meters above sea level. He did so without oxygen cylinders in those climbs as well. He has previously climbed Everest, the world’s tallest mountain above sea level. Kyrgyzstan has a strong mountaineering tradition, and several peaks in the Central Asian country are in the 7,000-meter range.
