Challenge 8000 -
The Makalu Diaries
Tuesday 25 May 1999
NEW BRITISH RECORD
ALAN HINKES, UK'S TOP HIGH-ALTITUDE MOUNTAINEER,
SUMMITS FIFTH HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN THE WORLD.
MAKALU (8470m) - ONLY BRITON TO HAVE CLIMBED
ELEVEN OF THE WORLD'S FOURTEEN HIGHEST MOUNTAINS.
Alan Hinkes, the UK's top high-altitude
mountaineer, has reached the summit of Makalu
(8470m) the fifth highest mountain in the
world and a harder climb than Everest, and
has set a new British record by pushing
his total to eleven out of the world's fourteen
highest mountains.
Alan has set himself one of the most challenging
tasks for a mountaineer, to climb all fourteen
of the world's highest mountains which are
all in the Himalaya or Karakoram. He has
called this Challenge 8000. He has now climbed
eleven of these mountains including Everest
and K2.
Alan set off from high base camp at 5700m
on Thursday 20 May climbing to camp 1 at
6500m for the first night. On Friday he
climbed as high as camp 2 at Makalu La (7400m)
and pushed as high as camp 3 at 7800m on
Saturday where he bivouacked for the night.
On Sunday 23 May he left at 5.30am and pushed
hard for the summit at 8470m which he reached
at 2pm. He spent an hour on the summit before
returning to camp 3.
"The last push to the summit was hard
work and with about 50m to go I was unsure
as to whether the weather would hold,"
said a jubilant Alan from base camp. "I
could see Everest very clearly and there
was a horrendous storm building up. I had
to decide whether to risk continuing to
the summit or to back off. I decided to
push on. Fortunately the storm missed Makalu
and I reached the summit in fairly clear
weather. It was fantastic to be on the summit.
I knew that I still had to get back down
and arriving back at high base camp this
morning I could at last relax and celebrate."
"The weather conditions were not as
good as two weeks ago. There has been a
lot of fresh snow which has made the climb
harder and increased the avalanche risk."
The weather had delayed Alan's attempt at
the summit and earlier in the month had
claimed the life of a Danish climber on
Makalu. The same bad weather was also responsible
for the death on Everest of Michael Matthews
a few days ago.
More details of Alan's climb will be relayed
later.
