Minus 40 degrees Celsius, wind speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour, extremely dry and oxygen-poor air: Mount Everest is a hostile place, especially in winter. Nevertheless, Jost Kobusch spent almost two months on the highest mountain on earth. He had set himself quite a high goal: He wanted to be the first person to reach the 8,848-meter-high summit alone in winter without additional oxygen – and that too on a particularly difficult route, over the west ridge and the Hornbein Couloir, up to 50 minutes grade steep gully.
By live tracking you can track where the 29-year-old German mountaineer is at the moment: on the descent towards the valley. After several attempts to climb, he abandoned the expedition because the wind on the mountain was too strong. He never got higher than 6500 meters, in the past few weeks he has spent most of his time in the “pyramid“, a research station at 5050 meters, or in one of his high-altitude camps on the mountain. If the weather forecast looked reasonably good, he climbed up, but was repeatedly stopped by the storm. Kobusch himself had already assessed his chances as rather small. Why sits down anyone voluntarily take on such a Sisyphus task?
Jost Kobusch can be reached on the mountain at an altitude of 6450 meters, the reception is sufficient for an interview via Whatsapp voice messages. He sits in his tent and speaks with a slight wheeze in his voice, which reveals the height, in the background you can hear the wind shaking the tarpaulin. “The storm ripped ten cracks in my tent last night,” reports Kobusch, “the wind is so strong that the chances of reaching the summit no longer exist.” Not even his goal of climbing higher than the last attempt seems realistic. In winter 2019/20 Kobusch had made it to 7350 meters, but then had to give up due to an ankle injury and stomach problems. This time he mainly had to contend with the cold and the storm.
Kobusch also faced a fair amount of headwind from the established professional mountaineering scene. Experienced high-altitude climbers such as Hans Kammerlander, Ralf Dujmovits and Reinhold Messner had expressed serious doubts about the feasibility of the project even before the expedition. Messner publicly mocked Kobusch and called him “the world champion in announcing” because he reported on his record attempts on social networks without being able to show anything. “In winter he tries to climb Everest alone and without any aids, even though he said he only had a one percent chance,” said the South Tyrolean in an interview with the magazine alpine. The criticism doesn’t bother Kobusch, on the contrary: “I feel flattered that Messner, of all people, who has managed to establish himself as a global brand like no other, praises my PR.”
Until a few years ago, Jost Kobusch was unknown among alpinists
Until a few years ago, Jost Kobusch was a completely unknown person in the alpinist scene. He comes from Borgholzhausen near Bielefeld, 135 meters above sea level. At school he took part in a climbing club and started mountaineering late – but then soon dared to tackle very demanding goals. In 2014, at the age of 21, he climbed the 6,814 meter high Ama Dablam in Nepal, in 2016 Annapurna, his first and only eight-thousander to date, without additional oxygen. In 2015, he was at Everest Base Camp when an avalanche triggered by an earthquake killed 18 people. Kobuschs Video from the avalanche was clicked more than 20 million times, making it known worldwide.
Jost Kobusch on the west ridge of Mount Everest at 7350 meters, here in February 2020.
(Photo: –/dpa)
More than 7,000 people have climbed Everest, almost all using bottled oxygen and porters. Instead of climbing the mountain at the usual time in May via the southern route prepared with fixed ropes and ladders, Kobusch immediately tackled the much more difficult variant via the west ridge, alone and in winter. Loud Himalayan Database, a documentation of all ascents of important peaks in the Himalayas since 1905, so far only one person has made it to the top in winter without oxygen, but not solo. Ang Rita Sherpa, who died in 2020, was traveling with a group of Korean mountaineers in the winter of 1987/88. He made it to the top with one of them, who had artificial oxygen with him. In total, only 15 winter ascents have been made so far.
The first leg amputee, the oldest woman, the first vegan on the summit – you have to come up with something special to stand out on Everest. If Jost Kobusch manages his project at some point, he would write his name in the history of the climb. The fact that experienced professionals think his goal is almost impossible seems to spur him on: “For me, it’s about heading into the unknown, about exploration,” he says, “I want to try things that seem impossible and grow from them”.
Hundreds of mountaineers are on Everest during the high season, but there is silence in winter. He actually appreciates the meditative silence and solitude on the mountain, says Kobusch, who reads, writes and sends messages home during the breaks. There is now mobile phone reception even on Everest and you can post photos on Instagram and send voice messages to Germany from the west ridge. Some of it sounds thought-provoking. When asked what the purpose of his expedition is, the young mountaineer replies: “Well, what for? I’m climbing a meaningless, icy pile of rocks, I’m not producing anything, I’m leaving nothing behind – it doesn’t make any sense objectively. But I have such a big one Curiosity in me about this project that I just have to do it of my own accord.”
Although he had to turn around at 6500 meters, Kobusch does not see himself as a loser. He has achieved one of his goals, to learn as much as possible about the conditions of his planned route. He likes not knowing if his project is even possible. While waiting at the base camp, he reads a lot, including motivational literature. “My favorite book at the moment: Positive Psychology for Dummies,” writes Kobusch Instagram. In the book, two psychologists give tips on how to deal with difficult feelings and make your life happier and healthier. “With the current conditions on the mountain, I need this book too!” In this context, Herbert Achternbusch’s much-quoted saying has an alpinistic meaning: “You don’t have a chance, so use it.”