fat burning

"Anyone can climb Everest." Interview with the legendary climber Denis Urubko. What happens to the body during acclimatization? What are your future plans

36 years ago (May 8, 1978) one of the greatest climbers, an Italian and his companion, an Austrian climber, climbed to the top of Everest

This ascent opened a new line not only in the conquest of Everest, but in the history of mountaineering - after all, the ascent to the highest peak in the world was made without the use of oxygen cylinders, which until that moment was considered impossible.

The line of ascent of Messner and Habeler passed along the classical route (from the South Col along the Southeast Ridge). Then, for Messner, the conquest of Everest was the fourth eight-thousander in his career (Nanga Parbat (1970), Manaslu (1972) and Gasherbrum I (1975).

This historic ascent of Everest was made as part of an Austrian expedition led by Hans Schelp.

We, that is Reinhold Messner and myself Peter Habeler, wanted to dare the seemingly impossible - the first ascent to the summit of Everest on our own, without artificial oxygen.

Almost no one we've talked to over the past 2.5 years about our fantastic goal of "Everest the straight way without oxygen assisted" has supported us in our decision. On the contrary, almost everyone, be it a climber, an altitude physiologist or a doctor, strongly dissuaded: "It's impossible. Either you don't go up at all, or you don't go down any more. If you're lucky, you'll come back talking idiots. The lack of oxygen at this altitude causes brain cells to die in just a few minutes. And just mainly those that are responsible for maintaining higher human functions: first, memory is disturbed, then the center of speech, and, finally, a person loses sight and hearing. Everest without oxygen is suicide.

Experiments in pressure chambers have shown that starting from about 8,000 meters, the ability to control thoughts and actions fades. Within a short time, unconsciousness sets in. On the mountain, it means certain death. All the big wins over peaks over 8,000m have been achieved with artificial oxygen: Nanga Parbat, K-2, Lhotse.

There was only one anti-argument. .

When we referred to this factor, we were immediately objected to: “And what happened to Mallory and Irwin. They disappeared during the assault on the summit and no one saw them again. They died on Everest, whether they reached the summit before they died or not.".

Our ascent of Everest will, of course, be nothing more than a frivolous boyish adventure. Just because our event was considered doomed to failure by 95% of all initiates from the very beginning. This time we prepared, if possible, more thoroughly than in previous expeditions. At the same time, already in the first phase of preparation, it became clear to us that we must be perfectly prepared not only technically and physically. The most important thing for us should also be spiritual patience, our mental endurance.

John Hunt, leader of the successful Everest expedition in 1953, put it this way: “Everest exposes the climber to unheard of emotional stress. These burdens can only be overcome with unyielding determination and iron will.”.

This should be a solo fight. Not only with a terrible mountain and its unknown dangers, not only with physical exhaustion, arctic cold, hurricane, snow and lack of air, with insidious altitude sickness, own "internal meanness" and a terrible certainty that if something happens up there, no no possibility of salvation, as well as with the painful pledge of amazing unbelief, which friends, envious people and enemies showed towards us.

Victory with the help of technology is not a victory for us. How can you really experience human efficiency if you don't really waste yourself to the end?

Reinhold Messner and I arrived at the same understanding each in our own way. This is the reason why we found each other and why we formed an indivisible sports bond. We are not friends in the conventional sense of the word, "sidekies" who always stick together. Very rarely do we talk about the personal. Outside of our profession, we almost never meet. We also train most often separately. And yet, probably, in the entire history of mountaineering, there are hardly and there are two people who would be so perfectly suited to each other. We understand each other without words. Intuitively, everyone knows what the other will do, everyone can rely on the other one hundred percent in any situation. It almost borders on metaphysics.

We only said that we wanted to make an "attempt" to climb Everest without oxygen, that we would immediately abandon our plan if the attempt proved impossible. In our hearts, we wanted to win at any cost. But at the same time, neither at the cost of our lives, nor at the cost of our mental and physical health ... Mountaineering at extreme heights has nothing to do with normal mountaineering in general. Up there, every hour turns into torment, and every movement into hard work. At a high altitude, you become so infinitely tired that in general you can only support yourself with an extraordinary effort of will ... on the absolute border of physical and moral performance, there is still an increase in strength that seems to emerge from the very depths of the soul and make the impossible yet possible.

Already on the day of arrival at the Base Camp, comrades from the advance group told us: “There is very little snow this year. Clear ice everywhere. It will be very hard".

On March 30 and 31, we fiercely and silently continued to work, hammering firn, screwing ice screw hooks, pulling ropes, laying ladders, and in the evening, as if dead, fell into the tent. Despite the great physical exertion, I could not sleep well during those nights. I had headaches, tossed and sweated, and the morning came like deliverance. The optimism of the others, who expected to reach the summit without much difficulty, surprised me more and more. As far as I know, there has not yet been an expedition in which all participants could accurately expect to climb to the very top of Everest. It will be considered a success if at all one bunch confidently goes to the top and goes down again just as safely. The weather remained good.
There was no storm, no big avalanches, and in the afternoon the sun was so hot over the camp that we took off warm down clothes. Reinhold Messner was, like me, not as optimistic. Both of us were still deeply afraid of the southern wall of Dhaulagiri, where a storm and constant avalanches completely exhausted us and forced us to turn back. In the same way, we have not forgotten the hardships on Hidden Peak, where we fought fiercely for the summit and where mortal exhaustion seized us to such an extent that we more than once intended to abandon the plan and turn back.

Joyful we stood in front of the Valley of Silence. On the right, the icy slopes of the mighty Nuptse were piled up, on the left, the western shoulder of Everest, from which huge ice balconies hung down, threatening to collapse at any moment. The whole valley seemed like a desert of snow and ice, threatening with constant avalanches and ice avalanches.

We had one of the worst nights I have ever experienced. The mountain began to defend itself from the aliens.

We managed to set up our tent on time. The blizzard turned into a hurricane: it raged and howled, and we could hardly understand each other. As if hunted, we cleared a free area. The wind literally tore the fabric of the tent from our hands. With great difficulty, we managed to put up the racks and secure the tent ... Nevertheless, the night was over. With the dawn the blizzard subsided a little, and I was in a hurry to return. It was April 3rd, at five o'clock in the morning. We were so weakened by two sleepless nights and cold that we trudged rather than walked. On the way back to "camp 1", which later we covered in exactly 2 hours, this time it took us almost twice as long. The altitude, the snowstorm, the cold, and the effort it takes to make a path through deep snow have used up my strength, which I had been proud of just a few days ago. Looking back, I saw Everest among suddenly bursting clouds. A long snow flag fluttered from its top, as if in mockery or goodbye.

If anyone had told me at this hour that I would soon rise again, that I would be subjected to even greater hardships, and that I would rise again until I stood on top, I would consider him crazy.

"Camp 2" turned into a joyful tent city in the snow and henceforth served as the second "Base Camp" for assault teams.

Reinhold and I - in one bundle, set off on April 10, it was high time to leave the camp.

After several days of sitting idle in the camp, we were full of impatience. We needed to become active, we needed to do something. I felt in great shape. We went up to "camp 2" and on April 11 we were already on the Lhotse wall. We re-entered the virgin lands, because until now no one had been up here before our team. Our task is to find a good safe site for the camp, set up the first tents and hang a railing on the way to the camp. We put up railings. It was fiendishly hard work on pure glass ice. We could only move forward on the front teeth of the crampons. The wind blew away all the snow cover; moving forward very slowly.

We decided to go through the traditional site for "camp 3" on the slope of Lhotse, because it seemed to us too avalanche-prone. But we didn't have enough ropes to secure the railing all the way to the regular Camp 4 site, at 7,200m. 200 m to scout the way.

So, we broke up in "camp 2", it was April 13th. Reinhold with two Sherpas advanced to a height of 7,800 m. I descended to the base camp.

Later, on April 15, Reinhold also returned. While Robert Schauer with two Sherpas continued to work at the top. On April 17 he reached the Geneva rocks.

In my diary I wrote: "April 18 and 19 blizzard and heavy snow." The weather worsened again. Work on the organization of insurance (on the treatment of the path) was suspended and the exhausted people returned to the Base Camp, but on April 20 the storm subsided, the sun broke through and the weather promised to be beautiful again

Immediately after breakfast, I called Reinhold aside: "Do you think we should dare the first attempt?" – "Why not?"– followed his answer. “In the end, we had the right to the first assault on the summit”.

This right also means a certain obligation, since the rest of the team was naturally partial to this and also wanted to go upstairs. Any delay on our part would delay the whole enterprise. When we announced our decision to everyone, we met with unanimous approval ... Based on experience, the pair-two justified itself best when storming the summit.

On April 21, we left the "Base Camp" and climbed, accompanied by three Sherpas, to "Camp 1". We walked slowly, without straining ourselves, so that we could get used to the altitude as best we could.

In my diary entry: From "Base Camp" to "Camp 1" - about 2 hours". And an addition: "Feeling very good". The next day we walked slowly to "camp 2" and spent a very cold but calm night there. On April 23, we climbed the slope of Lhotse, which meanwhile was fully provided with the necessary insurance, to "camp 3". I felt great. In the evening I was hungry. I pulled out a can of sardines in oil and ate it in one go. After a while, I felt a slight nausea and a feeling of heaviness in the stomach. At first I did not pay any attention to this, attributing these ailments to the influence of altitude. Yet we were on the other side of the border at 7,000 meters! My condition worsened more and more. I broke out into a cold sweat, saliva collecting under my tongue; I had to leave the tent because I was vomiting.

It was like I was thrown out of everything. The stomach and throat were on fire. It became clear that I had severe food poisoning. When all the bitter bile was gone from me, I crawled, weakened to death, into a sleeping bag. I knew I wouldn't make it to the top this time.

This time, maybe never. Altitude, nausea, pain, loss of fluid and tension during vomiting are in themselves a mortal danger. Going further without oxygen would be pure madness. And to everything else, a blizzard rose in the morning.

"I'm not doing well, Reinhold", - I said - “I probably ruined my stomach with sardines in oil. I won't be able to go. And you come back too. The weather will be bad. Blizzard. Too dangerous".

I think he was very disappointed, but he didn't say anything. He cannot reach the top alone. But he didn't want to go down either. Therefore, he wanted to reach the South Col and there, at an altitude of 8,000 m, build "Camp 4".

So he went with two Sherpas. He had with him two tents, two stoves, one gas cylinder, other equipment and food. I felt bad, but because of the bad weather I wanted to go down without fail in order to wait for Reinhold at the "Base Camp". Our first attempt at the summit failed. Now others will try to do it.

We were both within a hair's breadth of death, splitting up that day. The rising snowstorm swirled the snow, and soon the three figures disappeared from view.

After that I started to descend. With every step, I got weaker. Exhausted, I now and then leaned on the ice ax and rested for a few seconds before continuing down the yellow rope railing. I felt that if I did not hurry, I would not have the strength to reach the rescue camp.

A fog appeared, so thick that when I got to the foot of the slope of Lhotse, where the railing ended, I had difficulty orienting myself.

In an impenetrable snowstorm, I lost my bearings, not knowing where to go: to the left or to the right ... Finally, I met one of the marking flags and, after about an hour, arrived at "camp 2".

As I stumbled towards the camp alone, my comrades had frightened faces.

I must have looked terrible. What happened to Reinhold? I did not know it. But it was clear that he and the two Sherpas were fighting for their lives up there on the South Col.

On April 27, an ancient bearded man staggered to Base Camp, accompanied by two boys with the faces of old men. Reinhold Messner and his two Sherpas. Two terrible nights without oxygen at an altitude of over 8,000 meters left marks on them. The Sherpas were more like mummies than alive, while Reinhold Messner, who moved in slow motion all the time, could still tell what had happened. He spoke at the same time very slowly, and his voice sounded as if from afar.

They advanced to the South Col, to the site provided for "Camp 4".

But already on the way they were completely captured by the storm. With incredible efforts, Reinhold and two Sherpas somehow managed to put up a tent. However, after that, they no longer had the strength. The Sherpas were completely apathetic, they thought they were going to die. Reinhold tried to keep their spirits up, although he himself was exhausted to the point of impossibility. But he alone knew that if they fell asleep, they would die of hypothermia. When the tent was suddenly torn apart with a loud crack by the gust of a hurricane, their situation became almost hopeless. Nevertheless, Reinhold managed to mend the tent for a while. He boiled tea and poured it into the Sherpas, who crawled into sleeping bags in panic and did not move anymore. He himself also drank as much as he could of the hot drink. They had limited food and would by no means be enough for a long stay. They didn't even have artificial oxygen with them... Reinhold and his two companions spent two nights and one day in Camp 4. Reinhold spent most of his time trying to keep both Sherpas awake. He grumbled at them, threatened and scolded, and again pushed them aside and woke them up.

We stayed in the camp until May 1, allowed ourselves to finally come to our senses and, finally, became in such a fantastic shape that we had not been during the entire expedition. I guess it was only now that I was truly acclimatized. This also applied to Reinhold, who, literally, blossomed every hour. The weather was great, and it was clear to both of us: now or never.

On May 2, we were ready for the second time to storm the summit. This time we have to do it. In the event of a second failure, we will not have the moral or physical strength to make a third attempt. But this time, too, we were careful in our predictions when we parted from the camp. We never said: "We will conquer Everest without oxygen." At most we said: "We want to try", which for Reinhold meant nothing less than: "In any case, I will try to go to the limit of the possible."

One thing we were very definite about and constantly emphasized: “We will not go to Everest with oxygen under any circumstances. If it becomes impossible to go further without a breathing mask, we will turn back. We will refuse." This was our philosophy, and this point of view we have clarified once and for all. For others and for yourself.

We climbed without rest, leaving Camp 1 behind, and immediately went up to Camp 2. It was hot that day. In the shade of the tent, we measured the temperature - plus 42 degrees. The air doesn't move. It was also windless at the summit, which contributed to the victory of the Nairz team.

At Camp 2, we heard Nairz's success message on the radio. Overlapping voices burst into the microphone. And we yelled in response, interrupting each other, and madly rejoiced with them.

We rejoiced for them and for us, as the ideal weather conditions equally promised us good luck.

At a normal pace, without hurrying, we will rise to "camp 3". Eric Jones would like to come with us. He wants to shoot for films. Let's take two Sherpas. They will have to carry some of our equipment and perhaps help break through the steps on the way from "camp 3" to "camp 4".

On May 6, in 4 hours we climbed to "camp 3". The path was long and steep, but it was already familiar to us. We walked without straining at all, and I cast aside all doubts. Somehow, I thought, let's go.

The path to "Camp 3" has long been a touchstone of sorts. We spent only four hours on the rise. Such a time has not been reached by any of our satellites even approximately. Eric Jones, who was also with us, was on the road for eight hours.

Good omen. We felt that this time we might get lucky. We ate soup and drank an enormous amount of tea. We drank, so to speak, in reserve, since the higher we climb, the more difficult it will be to melt a sufficient amount of snow on the stoves. However, there was almost nothing to do, and there was almost nothing to talk about either.

The only concern is to sleep as much as possible. Reinhold and I both took sleeping pills with us.

Together with Eric Jones, very early on the morning of May 7, we left "Camp 3" and went to the tedious part of the ascent through the South Col to "Camp 4". The sun shone from a cloudless sky, and we felt still cheerful and strong.

The night wind brought high drifts of snow and we walked, sinking above our knees. At the same time, our favorite Sherpa, Tati, helped us first of all. We soon lost sight of Eric Jones. He didn't move as fast with his camera. And we also began to gradually feel the height. Not surprisingly, in the meantime we crossed the 7,000 meter limit. Fatigue passed to the legs and made them heavy as lead. The breath was short and shallow and it felt like you weren't moving forward at all.

And this time we did our job in four hours. We were pretty exhausted when the camp on the South Col appeared. While waiting for Eric, tea was boiled. But Eric didn't show up. He was either in no hurry, or turned back. It's been 2 hours... Three... Nothing is known about him yet. We started getting really worried. After all, he walked, like us, without oxygen. We hope that he has not earned a collapse.

However, Eric behaved like a real Englishman. He appeared at exactly 5 o'clock (the time of the traditional English tea party), exhausted - he fell and exhaled: "Please, tea!" He spent eight and a half hours on this distance. He was mortally exhausted and, despite this, was prone to jokes. On the way, he was seduced by a yeti woman, he claimed without batting an eyelid. But then he nevertheless admitted that at times he thought that he would no longer reach us upstairs.

One thing was clear: a bunch - a trio with him would greatly burden our ascent. We cannot afford to waste so much time without putting ourselves in danger. Eric was aware of this and declined the offer to use the two oxygen tanks that were brought up the South Col for us. It wouldn't be sporty enough for him. He would rather stay in the camp and film only our departure and return.

The night was cold. Despite triple sleeping bags, our hands and feet were very cold. We hugged each other as close as we could. Again I asked myself how Reinhold had actually been able to endure two stormy nights up here without any health consequences.

There was nothing to think about sleep, and at 3 o'clock in the morning Reinhold was already busy preparing tea. We wanted to take another 3-4 liters of liquid. But he spent an infinite amount of time until he turned the right amount of snow into tea.

Meanwhile, it was already half past six. We got together and dressed the cats in the tent; then went outside. It was May 8, 1978. Today we wanted to either make a peak or abandon it forever, because under any circumstances we wanted to avoid another overnight stay between the South Col and the main peak, unlike the others. So, we will have to overcome the missing 848 meters in height with a single huge effort.

At least we have one advantage. We don't have to worry about getting enough oxygen. However, at the same time I had to wonder at my own stupidity. Already leaving, I felt myself beginning to suffer from altitude. I became slow and my legs were leaden and I had absolutely no enthusiasm. If all this escalates, I won't even reach the South Peak.

I concentrated entirely on the ascent, registering my every step, and tried to distribute my forces and use them sparingly.

There was no question of lofty thoughts or feelings. My horizons were very narrow, limited to the essentials. I saw only my feet, only the next upcoming steps and holds, and moved like an automaton. I completely blacked out and thought only about the next five meters ahead of me. I was not thinking about Everest, not about our goal. All that mattered was that I left those five meters behind. Nothing else. If I thought of anything else, it was how willingly I would go down from here. I was running out of air more and more. I was close to suffocation. I also remember that the only word flashed through my head in time with my steps: "Forward, forward, forward ...". Like a Tibetan spell. I rearranged my legs mechanically ...

In this first phase of the ascent, Reinhold gained a slight advantage. While I was busy waking up Eric Jones, my partner had already stepped forward. We wanted to go to the South Peak without getting in touch. For the upper section, Reinhold carried a 15 meter end of the rope on his backpack. I had a camera, spare clothes, glasses, and some food.

I saw Reinhold shortly before the start of the steep takeoff leading up to the SE ridge. He sat on a rocky platform and looked towards me. From here we laid tracks, replacing each other. The slope we were on was so swamped with snow that we sank above our knees. In addition, a fog appeared, so dense that we were afraid to lose sight of each other ... Sometimes I stopped, drove an ice ax into the snow, leaned on it for a quarter or half a minute, greedily grabbed air like a fish on land, and tried to rest. After that, I clearly felt how my muscles were filled with new strength and I could go another ten or twenty steps.

In a strange way, after I had overcome several hundred meters in height, I no longer felt lethargic. On the contrary, it was somehow easier to go. Maybe the reason is that we are still somewhat better accustomed to this difficult to imagine height.

Naturally, the transition through deep snow devoured an incredible amount of strength. Therefore, where there was an opportunity, we moved to icy rocks, where the wind blew away the snow cover. Although climbing the icy rocks was technically more difficult than breaking steps in deep snow, it was easier for us. We were so forced to concentrate on every step, every hold, that we didn't have time to think about fatigue.

Four hours later, at about half past ten, we stood in front of the tents of "Camp 5" at an altitude of 8,500 meters. Norton also reached this height, just like us, without oxygen. From now on, we entered the absolute virgin lands. We were completely on our own. If something happens to us, then no rescue team can come to help us, not a single helicopter, nothing. The smallest incident means certain death.

Reinhold and I often talked about how it would be impossible in this last base to help each other if something happened. Although we were incredibly close to each other, and made up an inseparable whole, yet we were unanimous: if one of us gets into trouble, the other must certainly try, no matter what, to save himself. The insignificant remaining forces are hardly enough for himself. Any attempt to save or help another was doomed to failure in advance.

I was sitting in front of a small tent, which was pressed into the snow from the side of the mountain, while Reinhold was desperately trying to light a stove in the tent in order to make tea. I leaned against the wall of the tent to rest in a place sheltered from the wind and gazed into the mist. Sometimes, for a moment, the wall of fog would break, and far below me I saw the Valley of Silence, I saw Lhotse and again looked up to the South Summit, where a huge snow flag indicated that a much stronger wind dominated there than at us in Camp 5.

The weather is sure to get worse. The period of good weather was coming to an end. Perhaps, together with him, our attempt to climb to the top ended, and our expedition to Everest broke down once and for all. For I clearly felt that the second time I would not rise here. Already now I had a great desire to turn back. The organization of a bivouac here in "camp 5", in anticipation of perhaps better weather, was completely out of the question. Then we probably wouldn't be able to get out of the tent at all. And in no case will we have the physical or spiritual strength to go further forward. Our energy, at most, is enough for the descent. Continuing the ascent in such conditions would be a "road of no return".

Of course, neither Reinhold nor I had time to think about these dangers. The desire to move on prevailed over everything, it defeated the desire to turn back, or at least sleep. In any case, we wanted to go further up, at least to the South Peak, 8.720 meters high. Climbing the South Summit without oxygen would also be a huge success. It would be proof that someday it will be possible to reach the main peak only due to human strength. My reflections continued for exactly half an hour while Reinhold prepared tea. My thoughts were his thoughts too. We exchanged them without words and were united in continuing the assault on the summit. We hit the road again. Good help in terms of orientation was provided by tracks from previous climbers, which could still be seen in the snow.

Clouds rolled in from the SW from the bad weather corner of the Himalayas. We had to hurry even more, as this did not bode well. We were in the low end of a violent 200 km/h wind… Reinhold and I photographed and filmed as soon as possible. In doing so, we had to remove our sunglasses and overhead gloves. Each time it became more difficult to put on the mittens again. But the consequence of their absence would be the rapid death and frostbite of the hands.

Since further movement through deep snow was no longer possible, we turned left onto the SE ridge. The wall here broke off to the SW at 2,000 meters. A wrong step and we will fall down into the Valley of Silence. Free climbing on the edge of life on ruined rocks without a rope required exceptional composure. Reinhold walked beside him. I went first to the South Peak. Quite imperceptibly, we passed through the clouds and suddenly found ourselves on the tip of the mountain, so to speak, at the last station before our goal, and at that moment the hurricane hit us with all its force.

Our physical reserves have been used up. We were so exhausted that we had almost no strength to walk five steps at a time. We had to stop again and again. But nothing in the world could hold us back now.

We contacted each other as there were large cornices on the summit ridge, as Hillary had already described, although in case of danger the rope would not have helped us.

We trudged along at a worm's pace, trusting only our instincts. The sun shone on the snow, and the air above the summit was so intensely blue that it seemed black. We were very close to heaven. And we, by our own strength, have risen here, here, to the seat of the gods.

With a wave of his hand, Reinhold showed me that he now wanted to lead the way. He wanted to film me climbing the ridge with a raging sea of clouds below me.

He had to take off his glasses to better position the camera. I noticed that his eyes looked inflamed. But I did not attach any importance to this, and neither did he. At an altitude of 8,700 meters, not higher, we obviously reached a point where normal brain functions failed, or at least severely limited.

Despite the euphoria, physically I was completely exhausted. I walked no longer of my own free will, but purely mechanically, like an automaton. I was no longer aware of myself and it seemed to me that a completely different person was walking instead of me. This other reached the Hillary step, that very dangerous take-off on the ridge, climbed and dragged higher, along the steps knocked out by the predecessors.

He stepped with one foot into Tibet and the other into Nepal. On the left is a 2,000-meter plummet towards Nepal, and on the right, 4,000 meters towards China. We were alone - a friend and I. Reinhold, although tied to me with a short piece of rope, no longer existed.

And then I began to pray: “Lord, let me reach the top unharmed. Give me the strength to stay alive. Don't let me fall down here." I crawled further on my knees and elbows and prayed incredibly like never before in my life. It was like a one-on-one conversation with a higher being. And again I saw myself crawling further, below me, next to me, higher and higher. He propelled me to the top. And then suddenly I was on my feet again. I woke up. I stood at the top.

It was at 13:15 on May 8, 1978. And here again Reinhold was nearby, his camera and a three-legged Chinese topographical sign.

We came. We threw ourselves on each other's necks, sobbing and stuttering, babbling something and could not calm down. Tears streamed down his beard from under his glasses. We hugged again and again, hugging each other and again threw ourselves on each other's necks, laughing and crying at the same time. We have been saved and set free. Spared from the inhuman compulsion to climb further.

After tears and release came emptiness, sadness, disappointment. Something was taken from me, something that was very important to me. Something that filled me was gone and I was exhausted and empty.

No sense of triumph or victory. I looked at the surrounding mountain peaks: Lhotse, Cho Oyu. The panorama of Tibet was covered with clouds. I knew that I was now standing on the highest point of the earth. But I didn't care. Now I wanted only one thing: back, back to the world from which I came. As fast as possible. I cut a 1 meter long end of the rope with which I was still connected to Reinhold and firmly fastened it to a Chinese topographical sign, as proof that we were up here.

The descent was nothing heroic, in the same way as the ascent. On the way up I was guided by a force I cannot define, and down I ran driven by a power I can describe very well: it was the pure will to survive. In an instant, I left the Hillary step behind me, crossed the summit ridge and began to climb the counter-lift in front of the South Summit.

And here something happened that I was already familiar with from the experience of previous expeditions: on the descent it is almost impossible to overcome even a slight takeoff. “There is no more strength,” I thought, sinking into the snow in front of the South Peak. I pose up literally on all fours. I reached the South Summit, turned around and saw Reinhold, who had just passed the Hillary step. At the South Summit, I decided not to go down the usual way through the SE ridge, but to “move out”, as it is called in the language of specialists on the eastern slope. I sat down on the snow and just glided down the steep slope using an ice ax as a rudder. I slowed down with my feet. However, before that I drew three or four arrows in the snow with the beak of an ice ax in the direction of travel, in order to thereby show Reinhold my route of descent.

He probably saw these arrows, but did not want to put himself at risk and chose a tedious path along the ridge. I, on the other hand, did not think about the avalanche danger and that below me the wall dropped steeply 4,000 meters down. I overcame a distance of 200 meters in height from “camp 5”, sliding on the “fifth point”. Then he got up, crossed the SE ridge and repeated the maneuver from Camp 5. True, now, I have to be more careful because I had to stop from time to time and go down the rocky walls, which we passed on the ascent. Strangely, I did not feel any relief with the ever-decreasing thinness of the air. On the contrary, I had the feeling that I was even more short of breath than when I was lifting. My legs were trembling on the rocky areas and my heart was pounding. Shortly before the South Col, that is, not far from the goal, I jumped off the rocks into the snow. At the same time, the snow board came down. Now everything was going faster than I wanted. I rolled over several times, lost my ice ax, my goggles, my crampons were blown off my boots. I found cats later. They hung on reinforcing belts. At some point, I felt a stabbing pain in my right ankle. I probably hit a rock. However, despite such a rough descent, I arrived down unscathed. And then there was Eric Jones. He watched my dizzying descent and feared the worst. He believed that the descent of a snow board would develop into an avalanche from which you would not get out. He left the camp and went to meet me to help me. Much to his surprise, I stood up and hobbled towards him with difficulty.

I hugged Eric and murmured, "We climbed Everest without oxygen." Again I was moved to tears. This time out of exhaustion. But Eric could not share my emotion. He just looked at me with an indescribable expression on his face. So, probably, the one who met the ghost should look. Only a little later did I understand why. I had to look terrible. I broke my forehead and it bled. I lost my glasses. And my eyes were covered with ice. My nose was dark blue, almost black from the cold, and my beard was snow white from the ice. Exhausted, I looked like a living corpse. Reinhold looked exactly the same when he arrived, staggering back to camp half an hour later. I fell into the tent, grabbed the radio and yelled into it: "We were without oxygen at the top." I didn't care if anyone heard me or not. I just had to scream at the world. But "Bull" was at that moment in "camp 2" at the radio, which was turned on all the time for "reception", in case of our return. He answered me with an animal cry. On the radio, I heard a colossal noise in the camp.

At 1:15 I was standing with Reinhold at the top. A quarter of an hour later I began my descent. And now I learned from Eric that the time was about half past three. Thus, I made the way from the top to “Camp 4” in exactly one hour – it took us almost eight hours to climb.

Reinhold came half an hour late. I don't know how he found the camp. It was a real miracle, because he had snow blindness. His eyes were red with inflammation and he couldn't even make out the cup of tea I handed him. I myself once had ordinary snow blindness. But with Reinhold it surpassed everything I had seen so far. In addition, sharp pains appeared in his eyes, which drove Reinhold almost to madness. We had no eye ointment or painkillers on hand. Either no medicines were taken up, or they were used up and no longer replenished. I had only my usual, but powerful, painkillers, which I always carry with me. Three of them I gave to Reinhold, who got worse and worse.

At night, Reinhold screamed in pain. He sobbed and cried. "Peter, don't leave me alone. I beg you, you must stay with me! .. Do not go down alone, without me, ”he asked me again and again. He thought, naturally, of our agreement that in such a case the healthy man should try to save himself. But I didn't have to ask for it, for me it was a matter of course. “I will not leave you alone, Reinhold. Please believe me. I will stay with you. And we'll go down together. We will definitely go down. And besides, Eric will help us.”

True, I kept silent about the fact that Eric's condition was also not very good. He froze his fingers and toes, and under the influence of altitude became sluggish and lethargic. Definitely he won't be much help—he'll need help himself.

I was all alone with responsibility for both of my friends. Just like Reinhold was then alone in charge of both Sherpas. And just like then, quite unexpectedly, a strong storm began. She whistled and howled over the South Col, grabbed and shook small tents. Plus, there are still sobs and begging requests from Reinhold. And again I prayed. This time for a friend.

I helped Reinhold get dressed and at 6 o'clock in the morning - it was May 9 - we left the tent. Only now I noticed that I myself saw everything blurry. So, there is nothing else left but to go down. Reinhold and I left the camp first, Eric following us step by step, feeling our way down the South Col towards Lhotse. The storm hit us with all its might and seemed to get even colder. However, now I was responsible not only for myself alone, and this distracted me from my own troubles.

We reached the railing that was hung on the slope of Lhotse, snapped the safety carabiners onto the rope and felt somewhat safe, since now we did not have to find our own way, and we could follow the ropes fixed on the rocks and ice. Before starting the vertical descent, we had to overcome two long traverses along the wall. Despite his miserable condition, Reinhold managed to descend to "Camp 2" on his own. Although he did not control himself, he nevertheless passed the wall with fantastic reliability ... I could not help him during the descent, neither could Eric, who himself had to fight desperately ... "Camp 3" we reached early in the morning. It was empty. We just climbed into the tent and hoped that the sun would soon rise and warm us.

During a short break in "camp 3" we rested very little. I was still deadly exhausted and my legs were still trembling. But we had to go down and the prospect of reaching the mobile "Base Camp" in the near future made us hold on. Late in the afternoon we were again on the slope of Lhotse. The railing led us to the foot of the wall. Then we had to overcome a gentle, but very difficult section of the path. We no longer contacted, but I nevertheless handed Reinhold my ski pole so that he could hold on to it tightly. So I carefully led him across the ice past countless ice cracks. He still couldn't see much, and every now and then he had to stop and rest.

“I can’t take it anymore, I won’t go any further,” he said. He saw ice cracks where there were none and suffered from hallucinations. But we shouldn't have lingered. We are still not out of the danger zone, the death zone. If the night takes us by surprise, we are lost. Neither Reinhold nor I would have endured spending the night in the open, we were too weak for that. We just needed to keep going. And just as Reinhold urged the Sherpas then, so now I hurried him. I didn't let him stop, forced him to go forward and pushed him every time he wanted to give up. In this case, I would most willingly sit next to him. I had to pretend to be strong and brave, although I myself was exhausted.

My whole body ached, and the bruised ankle caused hellish torment at every step, my brain seemed to be on fire.

If I felt so terribly ill, then how much worse must it have been for Reinhold, completely helpless and completely relying only on me.

So we walked, more stumbling and falling than we had been advancing for two and a half hours, until, at last, the motley tents of the mobile "Base Camp" emerged before us, like a Morgan's veil. Exultant, ready to help, caring Sherpas rushed to meet us. There was tea, a lot of tea and more tea. We were so dried up... our faces were like those of old people.

Everyone knows that there is not enough oxygen in the mountains, and for this reason, altitude sickness can occur. However, this is not quite true. The oxygen content in the mountain air is exactly the same as in the air on the plain. Namely 21%. In fact, the oxygen concentration itself does not matter at all for our body. Only the partial pressure of oxygen (hereinafter PO2) matters. Only it determines how much oxygen can enter the blood through the lungs.

What is partial pressure?

Partial pressure is that part of the total pressure of a gas mixture that one particular gas creates. For example, if the atmospheric pressure on the plain is 1 atmosphere (hereinafter atm), and the oxygen concentration is 21%, then PO2 = 0.21 atm. And this is exactly the partial pressure of oxygen to which we are all accustomed and at which we feel normal.

How does PO2 change when climbing mountains?

As you climb mountains, the atmospheric pressure gradually decreases. At the top of Elbrus, it becomes two times lower than on the plain, that is, about 0.5 atm. And this means that PO2 at the top of Elbrus drops to 0.1 atm. Of course, the body inevitably reacts to such a significant decrease in PO2 with various manifestations, the mildest of which are headache and weakness, and the most severe are pulmonary edema and cerebral edema. To avoid this, it is important to do high-quality acclimatization before climbing.

What happens to the body during acclimatization?

When the body experiences hypoxia (lack of oxygen), it switches on adaptive processes to increase the amount of hemoglobin in the blood and thus increase the solubility of oxygen in the blood and compensate for the deficient PO2. It takes time to enable adaptive mechanisms. For most people, this takes 7 days. In these 7 days, you need to climb and descend, gradually gaining height.

But even with proper acclimatization, the hemoglobin content in the blood increases only by 20-30%, while PO2 at the top of Elbrus, as we already know, decreases by 50%. That is, acclimatization is not able to fully compensate for insufficient PO2. In practice, this manifests itself as follows: a person feels acceptable, nothing threatens his health, but at the same time he feels weak, he has shortness of breath and, possibly, even a headache. Despite full acclimatization, he perfectly feels the lack of oxygen and every step uphill is given to him with great difficulty.

How does the use of oxygen affect a person?

Yes, the body cannot fully compensate for low PO2 in the mountains, but PO2 can be increased! There are two ways to increase PO2:

The first way is to increase the overall pressure. But in the mountains this is only possible with a portable pressure chamber. This is such a sealed rubber chamber to which the compressor is connected. It is used in the mountains to help with severe mountain sickness, when it is not possible to instantly lower the patient to a safe height. A patient is placed in the chamber, the compressor pumps ordinary air into the chamber, from this the pressure in the chamber increases, and, accordingly, PO2 also increases. Very soon the patient becomes much better.

The second way is to increase the concentration of oxygen in the inhaled air. This is possible with oxygen equipment. Normal PO2, as we already know, is 0.21 atm, and atmospheric pressure at the top of Elbrus is 0.5 atm. This means that in order to feel the same as on the plain, it is enough to breathe a mixture that contains 42% oxygen. In fact, when using oxygen equipment, we can set different oxygen delivery rates, thereby changing the oxygen concentration in the inhaled air up or down. That is, we can create even higher PO2 than 0.21 atm, and, accordingly, the body will receive even more oxygen than on the plain. As a result, in practice, we see that those clients who use oxygen, but do not have acclimatization at all, feel better and go faster than those who have good acclimatization, but do not use oxygen.

Do I need to use oxygen equipment when climbing Elbrus?

In itself, this feeling of hypoxia is quite interesting as an experience. Consciousness changes, any physical activity becomes very difficult. And when a person reaches the top in such a state, he gets a completely unique psycho-emotional experience, which can hardly be compared with anything. At this point, tears often come to my eyes. Many later say that their life was divided into "before" the ascent and "after".

It is quite obvious that such strong emotions are exactly what many people need in the modern world, which is rather boring and monotonous. However, at the same time, it is also obvious that not everyone needs these emotions. And that for some people just to visit the top of Elbrus, to look at the World from such a height - this is already enough.

Therefore, whether or not to use oxygen during the ascent is a very personal question, and the answer to it depends only on your individual preferences.

The use of oxygen in the company Strahu No

At Strahu Net, oxygen equipment is widely used in three areas:

1. Climbing Elbrus with oxygen in 1 day.

The use of oxygen will not allow you to get such strong emotions, as described above, simply because the person in this case will not experience hypoxia. He will experience only physical exertion and nothing more. There will be no tears at the top, no overcoming oneself. But such a format of ascent, of course, also has the right to exist. Acclimatization in this case, of course, is not needed. Climbing takes only 1 day, and the whole tour, together with air travel, can be packed into 1 weekend. For example, on Friday evening the participant of the ascent flies from Moscow to Mineralnye Vody, where we meet him and take him to the hotel. On Saturday we climb the slope of Elbrus, stay in the Shelter, and the next night we climb first on a snowmobile, and then on foot to the top of Elbrus. On Sunday afternoon we are downstairs, and in the evening the participant is already at home. All the time he is on the mountain, he breathes oxygen through an oxygen mask. The best thing about this climbing format is that you don't need to take a vacation to do it. What previously required the organization of a large expedition, can now be put into 2 days off along with the flight. Just imagine… Colleagues on Monday ask: “What did you do at the weekend?” And you modestly answer: “Yes, I climbed Elbrus.” Isn't it amazing?!

2. Use of oxygen for emergencies.

This is, in fact, what started our use of oxygen a few years ago. If the question of whether to use oxygen during the ascent is a personal matter for everyone, then the availability of an emergency set of oxygen equipment in each group ascending Elbrus should be a mandatory norm. Because only it can guarantee the safety for the life and health of the climber in a situation where he has developed severe mountain sickness, and there is no way to immediately go down. It is enough to give such a patient a breath of oxygen, and good health and strength return to him. Blood oxygen saturation is monitored by a pulse oximeter. Typically, the use of an emergency oxygen kit means that the client must immediately stop climbing or stop climbing altogether.

The same emergency kit can also be used in such cases when there is very little left to the top (100 meters, for example), and it has become too difficult for some of the clients to walk. The use of oxygen in this case saves his strength and, which is also very important, the time of the whole group.

3. Rental of oxygen equipment.

In addition, each of our clients who climb Elbrus on any route can rent oxygen equipment and breathe oxygen during the ascent just to make their task easier. A great solution if your goal is not to experience the effects of lack of oxygen in the mountains.

Safety when using oxygen equipment

The use of oxygen equipment can be deadly if used incorrectly. And above all, here we are talking about such possible cases when the climber went to the summit with the only set of oxygen equipment, and one of the equipment elements failed. In practice, we have not seen this, but any equipment can break down sooner or later, and you need to be prepared for this situation. It is enough just to always have a spare set of equipment with you. Because to stay a person without acclimatization and without oxygen at high altitude is the same as for a diver to stay at a great depth without air. And here the same rule applies as in diving: each piece of equipment must be duplicated. There are only three elements, these are a 4-liter cylinder (2-liter for children), a mask and a reducer. Accordingly, the guide must have a spare balloon, mask and reducer in his backpack.

In addition, the oxygen in the cylinder may simply run out. In a 4-liter cylinder under a pressure of 300 atm. there are 1200 liters of oxygen. The usual rate of oxygen supply is 2 liters per minute. Thus, one cylinder is enough for 10 hours of continuous operation. Usually this is more than enough to climb Elbrus and descend. But again, in case the ascent and descent take more than 10 hours, it is necessary to have a spare full cylinder of oxygen with you.

Is it possible to be poisoned by oxygen?

Can. But only not at atmospheric pressure, and even more so not at pressure below atmospheric pressure. Toxic for humans PO2 = 1.6 atm and above. But even if you breathe 100% oxygen at atmospheric pressure, then PO2 will be only 1 atm. Therefore, even if you try very hard, you will not be able to poison yourself with oxygen.

And one more important nuance in the use of oxygen, which concerns safety. Pure oxygen, in contact with oils and other flammable substances, can cause a fire. Therefore, it should only be used with clean hands and away from such substances.

First time without oxygen

"I am nothing more than a lone panting lung
floating over mists and peaks."
Reinhold Messner, Everest.

Climbing Everest, the highest peak in the world, was the unfulfilled dream of many dozens of great climbers until 1953, when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached its summit. The following decades witnessed many "first" achievements: the first female ascent, the first solo ascent, the first traverse, the first descent on skis ... But all these climbers relied on the use of supplemental oxygen to perform their high-altitude feats. Is it possible to climb Everest without oxygen?

Ever since the 1920s, climbers have debated the pros and cons of using aids. So, George Mallory argued that "the climber must rely entirely on his natural abilities, which can warn him if he tries to step over the limit of his strength. With auxiliary means, he exposes himself to the possibility of an unexpected breakdown if the apparatus breaks down." This philosophy, stating that nothing should stand between a climber and a mountain, found its adherents fifty years later.

In the 1970s, two of the most ardent followers of this philosophy were Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler. By that time, Messner had already managed to win a little scandalous fame, having made a considerable number of spectacular ascents in the Alps along rocky routes without the use of metal hooks. In 1974, Messner teamed up with Habeler, a quiet guide from Mayrhofen who shared his philosophical views. And this couple decided to attack the climbing world by storm. Together they climbed the walls of the Matterhorn and the Eiger in record time. In 1975 they made an outstanding ascent of the 11th highest peak in the world, Gasherbrum, without the use of supplemental oxygen. By 1978, they were focusing their efforts on the main goal - to climb Everest without oxygen.

Messner and Habeler quickly became the target of criticism from both the mountaineering community and the medical community. They have been labeled "crazy" who put themselves at risk of severely damaging their brains. In previous expeditions, physiological loads were studied when climbing Everest; it turned out that they are very extreme; tests conducted in 1960-61 on expedition members led by Sir Edmund Hillary showed that the level of oxygen at the top of Everest is barely enough to keep the body in a calm state - and the climber's oxygen consumption increases greatly during movement.

Despite this, Messner and Habeler continued with their plan. They were going to get together with the members of the Austrian Everest expedition to the western circus, and from there to make an independent ascent to the top. The teams arrived at Base Camp in March 1978 and spent several weeks arranging a safe passage through the icefall and setting up Camps I-V and preparing for the ascent.

Messner and Habeler made their first attempt on 21 April. They reached Camp III on the Lhotse slope on 23 April. That night, Habeler felt very ill, poisoned by canned fish. Messner decided to continue climbing on his own, without his weakened partner, and set off the next morning with two Sherpas. Having reached the southern saddle, the three climbers suddenly got into a terrible storm. For two days they tried to ride out the storm. Exhausted by the struggle with the torn tent and suffering from the cold, even Messner later admitted that he considered his idea "impossible and pointless" at that moment. Finally, a window in the weather allowed the exhausted group to descend to the Base Camp and recuperate.

Messner and Habeler raised the possibility of another assault attempt. Habeler even began to consider using oxygen, but Messner remained firm, stating that he would not resort to oxygen and would not climb with anyone who did. He believed that reaching as high as possible without oxygen was more important than reaching the summit. Habeler, unable to find another partner, agreed, and the two became a team again.

On the sixth of May Messner and Habeler went upstairs again. They easily reached Camp III and, despite the deep fresh snow, were ready to move to the South Col the next day. Now they were at such a height when the lack of oxygen makes itself felt. Messner and Habeler agreed to bring two bottles of oxygen to Camp IV, just in case, and agreed to turn back if one of them lost coordination or speech.

The next day it took them only three and a half hours to reach the South Col (7986m), where they spent the rest of the day and evening. Habeler complained of headaches and seeing double on the climb, but felt better after resting, although both climbers often woke up from their slumber from lack of oxygen. They forced themselves to drink tea in the hope that by saturating the body with water, the effect of rarefied air would decrease.

At three in the morning on May 8, both woke up to go on an assault on the summit. It took them two hours just to get dressed. Since every breath was now precious, the couple began using gestures to communicate. The case moved slowly. Walking in deep snow was very difficult, so they had to climb more difficult rocky ridges. It took them four hours to get to Camp V (8500m), where they stopped for a half-hour rest. Although the weather was still threatening, they decided to continue their ascent - at least to the southern summit, which they had 260 vertical meters to go.

Messner and Habeler were in a state of exhaustion that they had never experienced before. Every few steps they leaned on their ice axes, gasping for air with the last of their strength. It felt like their lungs were about to burst in half. Rising a little more, they began to fall to their knees or even just face down in the snow, trying to catch their breath.

Having reached the southern peak, the deuce contacted and continued on their way. The wind ruffled them mercilessly, but a piece of clear sky was visible ahead. They had to score 88 meters vertically. They approached the Hillary Step and continued their ascent, taking turns and resting three or four times. At an altitude of 8800m they were untied, but the lack of oxygen was already making itself felt so much that every 3-5 meters they fell into the snow and lay. Messner later said that "the process of breathing became such a serious business that we had almost no strength left to go." He describes that at that moment his brain was as if dead, and only his spirit made him continue to crawl on.

Sometime between one and two in the afternoon on May 8, 1978, Messner and Habeler made what was thought impossible - the first ascent of Everest without oxygen. Messner described his feelings as follows: "In a state of spiritual abstraction, I no longer belonged to myself, to my vision. I am nothing more than a lone panting lung floating above mists and peaks."

It took Habeler an hour to descend to the South Col, and Messner 1 hour 45 minutes - the same distance in the morning took them 8 hours. Two days later, jubilant, they arrived at the Base Camp.

The success of Messner and Habeler puzzled the medical community and forced a re-examination of physiology at high altitudes. In 1980, Messner would return to Everest again to make a successful solo climb - again without the use of oxygen.

One of the greatest climbers in the world and the best in the CIS, Denis Urubko, in an interview with Medialeaks, spoke about the conquest of Everest and other heights of the planet, about the moral choice at an altitude above 8,000 meters, and about the Soviet athlete Anatoly Bukreev, who became the hero of the movie "Everest".

Denis Urubko is a Russian and Kazakhstani climber who has conquered all the highest peaks of the planet without the use of oxygen. He became the 8th in the world and the first in the CIS to do so.

You started climbing mountains at the age of 17 and made your first ascents alone, why?

It was hard for me to find mutual understanding with other people and I preferred to act without any arrangements and agreements. It just made it easier.

And when did you climb Everest in 2000 (the first eight-thousander conquered by Denis Urubko)?

Just then I was working on an expedition with my friend Simone Morro. I then already wised up, became more mature.

There are 14 highest peaks on Earth, which rise more than 8 thousand meters above sea level. They are called eight-thousanders or the "Crown of the Earth". According to the latest data, only 34 people in the world were able to conquer them all. And without the use of oxygen - about two times less. In the world list of conquerors of the "Crown of the Earth" Denis Urubko is 15, among those who did not use oxygen cylinders - 8.

And also without oxygen.

Oh sure. When I first started hiking in the mountains, the peaks were small in height and therefore oxygen was not required there. Then, when I walked alone and realized that it was too hard and dangerous, I ended up in the right school, in the hands of instructors. And he was already preparing well for mountaineering in a team.

Although I still practice solo ascents, including on eight-thousanders. This is due to the fact that either I do not come across a reliable partner, or I do not consider it necessary to pull the other person on a risky adventure.

Did you immediately decide to walk without oxygen?

There was no such decision. I just went as I saw fit. I didn't even think about walking with oxygen, because it's unnatural, not harmonious. As an athlete, as a person who likes to act as he sees fit, I was not tempted by the restriction of freedom, tying myself up with some kind of framework and stuffing myself into an oxygen tank.

It probably takes a lot of practice to walk like that.

Of course, all this is achieved by the preparation process. Roughly speaking, how much you prepare for the project, running, pumping physical fitness, general endurance, training on the uneven bars, horizontal bars, how much time you spend, then you give less time on the expedition to acclimatize and normally enter the process of climbing to the top above 8 thousand m. You just need to train a lot and then everything will be fine.

What does a person experience at such a height without oxygen?

All this is experienced by people in normal life. For example, with extreme loads: a person works tirelessly for three days, then he begins to hallucinate. Or under drugs. Doctors explained to me that the mechanism of the effect of alcohol on the brain is about the same - it replaces oxygen in the blood and oxygen starvation begins, this makes a person drunk. Similar sensations are on top, but it's not that drunkenness, just lack of coordination, some sound, visual images appear, and, of course, a general loss of physical performance. Because when instead of 4 breaths of air they give 1, naturally, you can do much less.

And how long can you stay without oxygen at an altitude of 8 thousand meters?

I stayed 4 nights 5 days and felt that I could still stretch normally. It depends on the preparation. If, for example, you find yourself there, without preparation, maybe sit for half an hour, and then you will need to be lowered down.

Do you remember the day you climbed Everest? What did you experience?

Yes, I remember this day and even described it in books and articles. I went to the goal for many years, it was the dream of the heart, which had to be realized. I went all out in that snatch. I still remember inner satisfaction from how reliably I acted, how efficient my body was, how I overtook all the clients who came with oxygen, the same Sherpas. Because I practiced a lot. And he felt a certain amount of pride.

When I reached the highest point, I felt fine. Spent more than an hour there and left simply because there was nothing to do there, I already took a video and a photo. And I remember this fatigue on the descent, when the body was exhausted. It was because of strong preparation and tight control that I was able to do everything calmly, move down unerringly and go down to the tent on the South Col, despite the bad weather.

How long did you prepare for the ascent?

Two years.

Have you watched the recently released movie "Everest"?

I haven’t watched it yet, but in a week I plan to come to Ryazan, and my wife and I will go to the cinema.

Do you remember that tragedy in 1996?

I read a lot about it and heard people talk about it. Of course, I read the book by Anatoly Boukreev and John Krakauer. Naturally, there are a lot of questions to all the actors in this tragedy. But I have confidence that Anatoly Bukreev acted very correctly as a climber and as a guide. His self-control, ability to force himself to act in spite of bad conditions, saved the lives of several people. He called others to help him, but they closed the tents and said - I'm not a guide, don't touch me. And he alone went and saved people. These are heroic acts.

Your career intersects with the name of Anatoly Bukreev, you beat his records.

Gasherbrum II - there is such an eight-thousander peak, Anatoly Bukreev in 1997 set a record for high-speed ascent. I went there already focusing on his time, it is always easier to follow someone. Therefore, I tried to break the record and go down faster. And I did it, I'm very pleased.

Did you know him? Crossed?

In 1994, he brought his friends from England or America, I don’t remember exactly, and we, very young guys from the CSKA club, helped these people climb the Marble Wall (Tien Shan, 6400 m). And Anatoly Bukreev was incomprehensible to us, unfamiliar - we were young, we were completely bad, in our company we somehow could not accept him, because he was just a different person, of a different plan. And, of course, it was a mistake. Because now, looking back, I think how much necessary and important I could comprehend with this person.

Has something changed in mountaineering since 1996? If those tragic events had happened in our time, could things have been different?

Everything would be exactly the same. Because, firstly, height is still the limit where a person cannot count on help - on someone's physical efforts or in terms of technology. And secondly, a person should not consider that he has the right to count on such help.

Anatoly Boukreev was incredibly strong. He carried out rescue work at the risk of his own life, nevertheless he did it. And someone else will go to help a person at such a height and may also die.

A person who is forced to ask for help - he did not train well, or did not calculate the weather forecast well enough, the supply of oxygen. And this is actually an immoral situation, which is often observed on climbs above 8 thousand meters.

Avalanche, cardiac arrest, exhaustion, mountain sickness, cerebral edema, hypothermia, falling, freezing of internal organs, missing - the list of causes of death of those who died on Everest can be listed for a long time. The territory above 8 thousand meters above sea level is called by climbers - the death zone. Over the almost century-long history of climbing Everest, several hundred people have already died. The bodies of many still remain there.

Often at high altitude people are left to die and everyone passes by.

On Everest, not everyone passes by, although such cases, unfortunately, have happened. In principle, and as a pupil of the Soviet school of mountaineering, I believe that human life is the most important thing. We must help others, we must save ourselves so that our parents and children can see us at home. And of course, the summit is not worth, as my coach Dmitry Grekov said, even one frostbitten human finger. Mountains have stood for thousands of years and will continue to stand.

I have always believed that the most important thing is to go down the mountain, to help another person come home. On K2 in winter, I helped a member of our assault group. Just before the expedition, his daughter was born. And a year ago I visited him in Warsaw, and I saw this girl, she is already 13-14 years old, and I also saw my little son, who was born quite recently. He is here with his family, his wife has happy eyes. This is great.

How high can amateurs climb Everest?

Lover to lover of strife. An amateur is someone who is not involved in professional sports, but this does not mean that he is a weak athlete. In principle, anyone can climb Everest. It is important that he understands why he needs it.

I knew that I was going to Everest, to the peak with a height of 8848 m. And if a person puts on an oxygen mask, he comes to a certain geographical mark, where the guides lead him “on a leash”, oxygen - whatever. But he won't do it on his own. To reach the point by which you mean Everest in this style, you need a lot of money, luck and a little patience.

Everest. Archive D. Urubko

Do you experience fear while climbing?

Of course! The other day I went on an ascent not far from Bergamo, to a small peak, it has attracted me for a long time. It is 1130 m high. Its eastern slope is rocky and ruined, and of course I understood that there is a risk here, although small. It was a conscious fear, so sticky, astringent, restricting movement. It is important to be able to fight it. As the great French climber Gaston Rebuffat said: "The basis of my safety is my high technique."

What about the fear of heights?

Fear of heights is different. This is when you stand on the edge of a 10-story building and are afraid to look down, you feel dizzy. I have never experienced such fear in my life. But when you go to Everest, such fear does not play a role, because there you never stand on the edge of an abyss, on the edge of sheer cliffs. You just walk on a relatively simple terrain.

In mountaineering, unfortunately, you often have to lose partners. What does a climber do? Should I move on or come back?

Firstly, you need to understand whether a person died or not, you need to try to help. I did not have enough strength to continue climbing when my friend Alexei Bolotov died. Of course, a lot of my friends died in the mountains. In any dangerous activity, people die. And, of course, these are scars in the soul, but we are forced to live with this further, because life cannot be stopped and we must continue to enjoy flowers, smiles, children, how beautiful it is around.

Why aren't bodies being evacuated on Everest? Is it really impossible to do this? Modern technology does not allow?

No, technology does not allow. Helicopters do not fly at such a height, and it is dangerous. There was a tragedy: two people felt that they were tired - we didn’t want to climb further, and it would take a long time to descend, they decided to call a rescue helicopter. He flew in and fell: the pilot, the flight mechanic and one of the so-called rescued were killed. This is a measure of responsibility and of course there is a risk for other people. And therefore, when the body lies at an altitude of 8.5 thousand meters, in order to lower it, one has to risk the lives of other people. In addition, there is such a factor as money. If I were lying there, for example, and they would say: now we will spend 50 thousand euros to lower the body and bury it. Yes, it would be better to give them to my family, to orphanages, than to actually lower a piece of ice from a height.

What are your future plans?

I am now doing many pleasant ascents of warm rocks in good company. At the same time, I train young people, I set the task of explaining, preparing for risk, teaching them how to act safely. Because I see how many people around are dying simply from the lack of school, initial knowledge. I want as many young people and girls as possible to bring joy to their parents at home.

Denis Urubko conquered the highest points of the planet 21 times (a record in the CIS, caught up with Anatoly Bukreev), two of them for the first time in history in winter, passed 4 new routes and made a high-speed ascent to the eight-thousander Gasherbrum II in the footsteps of Anatoly Bukreev, breaking his record.

Faktrum wants to tell you some stories about conquering Everest. Warning: the text is not for the impressionable!

1. 40 passers-by and one Discovery TV crew

For the first time, the general public learned about the "terrible" morals that prevail on the approaches to Everest in May 2006, when the circumstances of the death of David Sharp, a British climber who tried to conquer the summit alone, became known. He never made it to the top, dying from hypothermia and oxygen starvation, but it is noteworthy that a total of 40 people passed by the slowly freezing mathematics teacher, and no one helped him. Among those who passed by was the film crew of the Discovery channel, whose journalists interviewed the dying Sharpe, left him oxygen and moved on.

The general public was indignant at the "immoral" act of the "passers", but the truth is that no one could help Sharpe at such a height, even with all the desire. It was simply not humanly possible.

2. "Green shoes"

It is not known when the concept of "green shoes" entered the everyday life of the conquerors of Everest and became folklore. But it is known for certain that they belong to the Indian climber Tsevang Palzhor, one of the victims of the "bloody May" of 1996 - a total of 15 people died on Everest that month. This is the largest number of victims in one season in the history of conquering the highest peak on the planet. For years, the green boots of Paljoros have been a guide for those who climb the mountain.

In May 1996, several commercial expeditions climbed Everest at once - two American, one Japanese, one Indian and one Taiwanese. There is still debate about who is to blame for the fact that most of their participants never returned. Several films have been made based on the events of that May, and the surviving participants have written several books. Someone blames the weather, someone blames the guides who started descending before their clients, someone else blames the expeditions that did not help those in distress or even hindered them.

3. Spouses Arsentiev

In May 1998, Francis and Sergei Arsentiev attempted to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen. The idea is daring, but quite real - without additional equipment (at least 10–12 kg), you can climb and descend faster, but the risk of complete exhaustion from lack of oxygen is very high. If during the ascent or descent something goes wrong and the climbers stay in the "death zone" longer than the physical capabilities of the body allow, they will face inevitable death.

The couple spent five days in the base camp at an altitude of 8200 meters, twice their attempts to climb ended in failure, time passed, and strength left with it. Finally, on May 22, they went out for the third time and ... conquered the summit.

However, during the descent, the couple lost sight of each other and Sergei was forced to go down alone. Frances lost too much strength and just fell, unable to continue on her way. A few days later, an Uzbek group passed by freezing Francis without helping her. But its participants told Sergei that they saw his wife and he, taking oxygen cylinders, went in search of ... and died. His body was found much later.

The last people who saw Francis and who, accordingly, saw her alive, were the British climbers Ian Woodall and Cathy O'Dowd, who spent several hours with the dying. According to them, she kept repeating “do not leave me”, but the British could no longer help her and left, leaving her to die alone.

4. Perhaps the first true conquerors of Everest

It is not for nothing that those who seek to conquer Everest say that it is not enough to climb - until you descend, you cannot consider the conquered peak. If only because there will be no one to tell that you really were there. Such is the sad fate of climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irwin, who attempted to conquer Mount Everest in 1924. Whether they reached the top or not is unknown.

In 1933, at an altitude of 8460 m, the hatchet of one of the climbers was found. In 1991, at an altitude of 8480 m, an oxygen cylinder was found, manufactured in 1924 (and, accordingly, belonged to either Irwin or Mallory). And finally, in 1999, Mallory's body was found - at an altitude of 8200 m. Neither a camera nor a photograph of his wife was found with him. The latter fact makes researchers believe that either Mallory, or both climbers, nevertheless reached the summit, since Mallory, before going to Everest, told his daughter that he would definitely leave a photo of his wife at the top.

5. Everest does not forgive "not like everyone else"

Everest severely punishes those who try to act "not like everyone else." It is not for nothing that most successful ascents are made either in May or in September-October - the rest of the year the weather on the mountain is not conducive to ascents and descents. Too cold (before May), weather conditions change too fast, risk of avalanches too high (summer).

Bulgarian Hristo Prodanov decided to prove that climbing Everest in April is quite possible - to do what no one has done before him. He was a very experienced climber who had scaled many iconic peaks.

In April 1984, Christo undertook the ascent of Everest - alone and without oxygen. He successfully summited, becoming both the first Bulgarian to set foot on the planet's highest mountain and the first person to do so in April. However, on the way back, he fell into a severe snowstorm and froze to death.

6. The creepiest corpse on Everest

Hannelore Schmatz became the first woman and the first German citizen to die on the approach to the summit of Everest. It happened in October 1979. However, she is known not only for this reason and not because she died of exhaustion on the descent, having successfully conquered Everest, but because for another good 20 years her body frightened those who tried to conquer Everest. She, blackened in the cold, froze in a sitting position in the direction of climbing Everest, her eyes wide open and her hair blowing in the wind. They tried to lower her body from the top, but several expeditions failed, and the participants of one of them died themselves.

In the end, the mountain took pity and during one particularly strong storm at the beginning of the "zero" Hannelore's body was thrown into the abyss.

7. Keep Anniversaries Alive

Sherp Lobsang Shering, nephew of Tenzing Norgay, the first official climber of Everest, decided in May 1993 to make the ascent in memory of what his uncle had done. Fortunately, the 40th anniversary of the conquest of the mountain was just approaching. However, Everest does not really like "anniversaries" - Schering successfully climbed the highest mountain on the planet, but died during the descent, when he already believed that he was safe.

8. You can climb Everest as much as you want, but one day he will take you.

Babu Chiri Sherpa is a Sherpa legend, a guide who has been to Everest ten times. The man who spent 21 hours on top of a mountain without oxygen, the man who climbed to the top in 16 hours and 56 minutes, which is still a record. The 11th expedition ended tragically for him. At an altitude of 6500 meters, "childish" for this guide, he photographed the mountains, accidentally miscalculated his movements, stumbled and fell into a crevice, in which he crashed to death.

9. He died, but someone survived

Brazilian Vitor Negrete died in May 2006 during the descent after conquering Everest. This was Negrete's second ascent, and this time he planned to be the first Brazilian to summit the mountain without oxygen. Climbing, he made a cache in which he left food and oxygen, which he could use on the descent. However, on the way back, after a successful mission, he found that his hiding place had been devastated and all supplies had disappeared. Negreta did not have enough strength to reach the base camp and he died not far from it. Who took the supplies and the life of the Brazilian remained unclear.