Horia has reached base camp at the feet of Annapurna Massif, at 4,130 m, after almost six days of trekking on one of the most spectacular Himalayan tracks. A few days of rest will follow, and then he will continue making his way towards the Dhaulagiri base camp, where he will meet up with his rope mates for this year’s expedition, Peter Hamor and Marius Gane.
The trekking days are long, and so are the distances. It’s a good start for acclimatizing, at the feet of Annapurna Massif, where I’ll be spending about a week.
The arrival at the Annapurna base camp was marked by unfortunate events. An avalanche destroyed the camp and lodges. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the expeditions continue.
Horia set out on this expedition with a group of friends, eager to discover Nepal and the Himalaya mountain range. Their trekking route towards the base of Annapurna did not miss Poon Hill, a 3,210 m-high mountain. It is one of the most visually enticing areas in the Himalayas, with a breathtaking view of three 8,000ers: Dhaulagiri (the peak towards which Horia is striving this year), Annapurna and Manaslu.
The plan is for the three athletes (Horia Colibășanu, Marius Gane and Peter Hamor) to head for the base of Dhaulagiri (8,167) on April 10th. On April 16th they intend to reach base camp, then start acclimatizing on April 19th at higher altitudes, equipping the climbing route and installing intermediary camps towards the summit. The final ascent is planned for the May 15th-25th window, when the weather forecast is most favourable for climbs at over 8,000 meters. 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.
This expedition is a project of the Alternative Sports Club from Timișoara (Romania), affiliated to the Romanian Mountaineering and Climbing Federation, which runs and monitors mountaineering projects included in the international sports calendar.
Horia Colibășanu is supported in this expedition by the following Gold Level Sponsors: Profi, FAN Courier, Comtim and Webasto.
The ascent’s Silver Level Sponsor is: AD Auto Total.
Bronse Level Sponsors are: Mewi, Poka, Recaş Vineyards, Timişoara City Hall and Timiș County Council.
Technical partners are: Mammut, La Sportiva and Cebe. Equipment partners are: SportGuru amd Sorins.