Makalu Press Release – Summit Conquered 17th of May 2014

MAKALU CONQUERED

MIKE HORN AND FRED ROUX REACH THE SUMMIT OF MAKALU (8’463m)WITHOUT THE USE OF ADDITIONAL OXYGEN OR HIGH ALTITUDE PORTERS 

17.05.2014 – Nepal. On the 17th of May 2014, South African Explorer Mike Horn and Swiss mountain guide/alpinist Fred Roux reach the summit of Makalu without the use of additional oxygen or high altitude porters.

Mike Horn and Fred Roux left Makalu Advanced Base Camp at 5’700m at midday on the 16th of May and climbed that afternoon to their first camp at 6’800m. The following day they climbed up to 7’500m, stopping for some hours rest before doing the summit push to 8’463m in the early hours of the 17th of May.

The two men took on their own rhythm during the ascent, eventually separating and continuing on their own. Fred Roux reached the summit first at 10:30 local Nepalese time, some hours before Mike, who arrived at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Yet another full day was ahead of them as they started the descent and eventually the exhausted but happy team greeted each other once again in Makalu’s advanced base camp.

Mike Horn and Fred Roux are the first men to successfully climb a Himalayan summit over 8’000m in the Nepal 2014 climbing season and are just a small handful of men who have summited this mountain without the use of additional oxygen.

“The climb was particularly grueling for both of us. We were both very fit and well acclimatised after 3 weeks of waiting for a good weather window, but the mountain is extremely exposed and challenged us with its strong winds and very cold temperatures. We are thrilled to have both reached the summit. It’s a great achievement of physical and mental endurance and we are thrilled to be rewarded with this magnificent victory” says Mike.

The Makalu Expedition proceeds the Expedition Pole2Pole 360° which will kick off in September 2014. Mike Horn embarks on another massive expedition of one year duration, the circumvolution of the world on the longitude, traversing the South Pole, North Pole and Greenland on foot and kayak and joining the continents with his sailboat, Pangaea.

www.mikehorn.com

FACTS

• Mike Horn, climbed his first 8,000m peaks in 2007, Gasherbrum I (8,068m) and Gasherbrum II (8,035m) with team members Jean Troillet, Fred Roux and Olivier Roduit. Later in 2010 he summited Broad Peak with Köbi Reichen, alpinist from Lauenen, Bern, Switzerland. Last year in 2013 he attempted to summit K2 with both Fred Roux and Köbi Reichen but due to bad weather conditions the attempt was unsuccessful. Today Mike adds Makalu to his list of success stories bringing his total of Himalayan summits reached without additional oxygen or high attitude porters to four.
• Fred Roux from Vollèges, Valais, Switzerland is an experienced alpinist who has previously summited five 8,000 meter Himalayan summits without oxygen or additional porters; Mount Everest (8,848m), Gasherbrum I (8,080m) and Gasherbrum II (8,035m), Shisha Pagma (8,013m) and Cho Oyu (8,201m). Fred attempted to summit Makalu 15 years ago but unfortunately due to strong winds was forced to abandon the climb. Today with Makalu (8’463m) finally conquered, Fred Roux has six Himalayan summits to his name.
• Makalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world at 8,463 meters (27,766 ft). It is located in the Mahalangur Himalayas 19 km (12 mi) southeast of Mount Everest, on the border between Nepal and China. It is one of the harder eight thousanders and is considered one of the most difficult mountains in the world to climb. The mountain is notorious for its steep pitches and knife-edged ridges that are completely open to the elements. The final ascent of the summit pyramid involves technical rock/ice climbing. To date, there have been a total of 206 successful ascents of Makalu and a total of 22 fatalities. (Wikipedia)