Alex Txikon returns to Annapurna BC after his first high altitude rotation that took him above 6,400m.

ByTravesía Pirenaica
Alex Txikon returns to Annapurna BC after his first high altitude rotation that has taken him above 6,400m 2.
  • The team of eight climbers Txikon, Chhepal, Ang Gyalu, Passan Nurbu, Magkpa, Mig temba, Lakpa, Pemba and Mattia Conte have managed to equip the route up to C3 (6,400m).
  • They arrived at BC 4 days ago (22 December) and have already spent 4 days (23, 24, 25 and 26 December) and 3 nights at altitude.

Bilbao, 26th December 2023. Alex Txikon, Chhepal, Ang Gyalu, Passan Nurbu, Magkpa, Mig temba, Lakpa, Pemba and Mattia Conte are now back at the CB of Annapurna (4,200m) after completing the first altitude rotation of #AnnapurnaColdPeaks, which took them over 6,400m this morning.

The team of eight climbers set off from the BC on Saturday 23 December, "without a clear objective, other than to work as hard as the mountain would allow us to", said Txikon on his return to the BC. The mountaineer from Bizkaia was carrying more than 30kg on his back, but that didn't stop him from reaching the C1 (5,150m) by 15 hours, "with more than 1,000 metres of positive altitude gain". "During the ascent I remembered my best spring, when we reached the summit with Edurne Pasaban on Annapurna and Shisha Pagma". The entire route of the glacier crossing was marked with bamboo stakes for the following altitude rotations.

There have been nights on that C1, so they spent Christmas Eve there, "we had lentils and rice for dinner, we had a great time". Yesterday, 25 December, the group split in two, each climber carrying 25kg of equipment up to C2 (approx. 5,600m). "I don't like the location of C2 on a slope too much... I spend the night thinking about it and I feel uneasy," said Txikon.

Today at 7.30 a.m. (Nepalese time) the whole team, despite the strong wind, set a course for C3. "Thank goodness the gusts were not constant. We set off with 1,200 metres of rope to equip, and two snowbound 2 tents to set down at C3 at 6,400m," he explained.

"The sensations are good, we can't be confident, we arrived at the BC 4 days ago (22 December) and we have already spent 4 days (23, 24, 25 and 26 December) and 3 nights at altitude. We have even C3 equipped and we are all very strong. The weather has been with us and that is key. But the mountain will tell us whether it will or not... Now it's time to get our strength back and as soon as we can we'll start climbing again", said Txikon at the end of the call.