Wahey! Great news from Nepal where Challenge 8000-man Alan Hinkes
has successfully climbed Dhaulagiri, the 13th of his 14 8,000-metre
peaks leaving him just one summit away from immortality, as Arsene
Wenger might say.
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Alan Hinkes on Annapurna - he
always
carries a photo of Fiona, his daughter
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Now just one mountain, Kangchenjunga, stands between Alan and his
goal of becoming the first British climber to summit all 14 of the
8,000-metre peaks. The Berghaus-sponsored mountaineer reached the top
of the world's seventh highest peak at noon on Monday - 17 May - in
tough conditions.
Accompanied by his Nepalese friend and climbing partner Pasang
Gelu, he posed for a summit shot, as always holding a photo of his
daughter Fiona, before beginning the descent to base camp which he
reached today, Wednesday.
Speaking direct to Berghaus after tucking into a welcome plate of
eggs, chips and chapatis washed down with a mug of tea, Alan
described the difficult conditions:
"The descent was incredibly scary, because the weather was
becoming milder. Snow was melting and there was a lot of rock fall,
which reminded me of my time on Nanga Parbat.
"A Slovenian expedition who reached the top a couple of days
before me had climbed up virtually in their shirt sleeves. However,
by the time I reached the summit on the 17th it was starting to cloud
over. My first bivouac on descending was at 7,400m and it almost took
off in the wind. On my way down I spent each night without a sleeping
bag, managing in just my insulated clothing in a bivi.
"This has been a really tough expedition and a great effort from
all of my team out here. I've successfully made it to the summit of
Dhaulagiri and returned safely, which is always my main aim. All that
stands in my way of climbing all 14 8000m peaks is Kangchenjunga and
my focus over the next year will of course be on this final Challenge
8000 summit. For now though I want to get home, see Fiona and have a
well earned rest!"
We'd just like to say well done to Alan and everyone who's
supported him along the way so far. For more information and an
interview see the links below or check out the Berghaus
web site.
DaveMycroft
