After two failed attempts, the mountaineer from Biscay has achieved the feat of reaching the eighth highest mountain in the world (8,163 meters) in extreme conditions
Alex Txikon has managed to enter Manaslu (8,163 meters above sea level) for the first time in history in a purely winter expedition, without the aid of oxygen. After two failed attempts, the mountaineer from Biscay has achieved the feat of reaching the eighth highest mountain in the world (8,163 meters) in extreme conditions. As his team’s sources have explained, the change in strategy, after a month of acclimatization to be able to attack the summit at the first opportunity, and the good weather afforded them, were key to achieving the objective. “We are very tired but very excited. Now it’s time to go down little by little and arrive safe and sound. At that point we will reach the real summit,” explained the Basque mountaineer during his descent.
Txikon settled in Manaslu base camp on the 26th, about 5,000 meters above sea level. They studied the weather forecasts and found that the wind would get stronger in the last days of the year, but little by little the weather would begin to stabilize. “This is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for,” announced Txikon. They put the backpacks on their backs on January 4, packed the necessary equipment and went straight to C2, at about 6,400 meters. «We made about 1,500 meters of unevenness. The route was very tough because of the wind and all the equipment we brought with us,” emphasized the Basque mountaineer.
They rested at C2 and quickly ascended to C3 (just under 7,000 meters) on January 5. They spent the night there, thinking about the strategy to follow. “We need to take advantage of this window. The time is favorable and it may be our chance. Early in the morning we went out to try the summit. Let’s see what we find,” he explained before attempting the feat.
And on January 6, the Three Wise Men brought him the best gift possible: good weather and the opportunity he had been waiting for for 3 years. Together with Pasang Nurbu Sherpa, Chhapel Sherpa, Gelu Sherpa, Maila Sherpa, Mantere Lama Sherpa and Gamje Babu Sherpa, his rope-bound partners, he successfully attacked the summit. At 9:30 am (local time), they managed to climb the eighth highest mountain in the world, without the aid of artificial oxygen and in the middle of winter, a feat never before achieved by a mountaineer.
Source: La Verdad

I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.