Horia Colibășanu and his team mates are at the Japanese Dhaulagiri basecamp, waiting for favourable weather to start climbing to the summit, on a new north-west ridge route. The three mountaineers are prepping for 5 days of hard work, entailing the climb to the summit and return to basecamp.
The Timisoara-based climber says they will have to save their strength on the way up, in order to tackle the unknown route and have enough energy to reach the 8,167 m summit.
We are presently at basecamp. The weather is cold, windy, with rain and snow. There is absolutely nothing we can do. Hopefully we’ll be spared another cyclone. On the upside, this is our chance to rest. Considering how things are at the moment, it is certain that we only get one weather window, one shot at attacking the summit. It will be a steady and continuous climb. From the moment we head out, our target is the peak. It will be a major challenge, which we expect will take 5 days. When climbing, we’ll have to take it easy, in order to acclimatize. Once we are past the chimney we have already secured, we can go by foot. We are hoping for good weather, it is what matters most to us. – Horia Colibășanu
Horia Colibășanu has summited so far eight of the 14 8,000ers of the Himalayas. His high alttitude experience is essential for the successful opening of a new route on Dhaulagiri, a challenge which he describes as being his toughest so far, even tougher than the 2004 expedition on K2 (8,611 m).
Horia, Marius and Peter will be opening a new route, on the north-west ridge of Mount Dhaulagiri, without supplemental oxygen or Sherpa assistance. Return home for the three athletes is planned for beginning of June 2019.
You can follow the expedition on www.horiacolibasanuhimalaya.ro , on the “Horia Colibășanu” Facebook page, as well as his twitter account.
2019 marks Colibășanu’s 21st international expedition, as well as his 16th in the Himalayas.