Hinkes Unlikely To Finish Challenge 8000 This Year
In a scoop interview, Al Hinkes reveals that he's unlikely to tackle both his remaining 8000-metre summits this year, plus he talks about fear, Kangchenjunga and swallows...
Posted: 31 March 2003
by Jon
In an interview with OUTDOORSmagic the day before leaving for
Kangchenjunga, Alan Hinkes revealed that it's 'highly unlikely' that
he will climb both his remaining 8000-metre summits this
year.
|
|
Hinkes on the summit of Annapurna
last year.
No chance of a similar speed ascent on
Kngch though he tells us.
|
Hinkes say that it's 99.5 per-cent certain that he won't be able to
tackle both peaks this spring, ruling out a helicopter-assisted
double summit bid on both Kangchenjunga, the world's third highest
mountain, and Dhaulagiri, the only other peak between Alan and his
attempt to become the first Brit to summit all 14 8,000-metre
peaks.
Financial considerations mean that it's also unlikely that he'll
return to the Himalaya this autumn, so it may be 2004 before he
completes the challenge, assuming that he successfully summits
Kangchenjunga.
Last time he attempted the mountain two years ago, he backed off
and, during the retreat, fell into a crevasse breaking his arm. He
intends, he says, to film the spot for a Tyne Tees TV
documentary.
With a 14-day walk in to base camp, plus a further five weeks of
acclimatisation, it'll be a while before Alan's summit attempt, but
he's emphasising that there's no question of another record speed
ascent, like his five-day push on Annapurna last year. The extra 500
metres of altitude mean that he'll be using more conventional
tactics, climbing high on the mountain then coming down to rest and
acclimatise, rather than pushing straight through in an aggressive
summit bid.
He's promised to phone us from Nepal and keep OUTDOORSmagic users
updated on how things are going, but for now, check out the rest of
the interview where Hinkes talks about his experience of being buried
up to his thighs - while wearing only his underpants - by an avalanche on
K2. He also discusses his motivation for climbing, ridicules the idea of 'alpine style' in the Himalaya, tells us what he carries
with him on summit day and reveals the air speed velocity of an
unladen swallow...
To read the full interview, click
here.
Discuss this story
|
