Jost Kobusch climbs to 7537m on Everest West Ridge winter solo attempt

German alpinist Jost Kobusch is currently in Nepal where he is making his third attempt at his long-term project, namely the first-ever winter solo ascent of Mount Everest, without supplementary oxygen.

The 32-year-old is attempting the extremely ambitious feat via the Lho La col above the Khumbu icefall, the West Shoulder, the West Ridge and the narrow Hornbein Couloir on the steep north face of Everest. This route has never been climbed before in winter.

On his first attempt in winter 2019/2020 Kobusch surprised many by reaching the West Shoulder at 7366m. After setting the bar extremely high, the following winter strong winds forced him to abandon his attempt at around 6500m. In winter 2022/2023 he made headline news by soloing the Messner Couloir on Denali in Alaska alone and in the coldest season, and this November he returned to the Himalayas for a third attempt at the highest mountain in the world.

Kobusch arrived in Nepal in late November and after acclimatising on Mera Peak, he waited until the official start of winter, the 22 of December, before starting his West Ridge of Everest attempt. Prior to setting off he stated that his main goal this year was to "go higher than 7500m and step further into the unknown" and on the 27th he achieved just this. Climbing alpine style as per usual, pushed all the way up to 7537m before returning to his tent at 6800m and descending safely the next day. Writing on his social media account, he stated that the route "worked well but is exposed to the strong winds."

Kobusch is currently resting and recovering from his forray and, seeing that in many respects he has already achieved this year's goal, it is unclear whether he will make a second attempt this season. Writing yesterday to German journalist Stefan Nestler on abenteuer-berg.de, Kobusch explained that due to his lack of acclimatisation, it would have been too dangerous to continue upwards. "Ultimately, I’m not interested in breaking any records in the short term. I want to achieve the project in the long term. That’s the focus."

 

 

 

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