Mt. Everest 2005: Gerfried Goeschl summits without oxygen

(Partners on Shisha, left is Hubert Rieger, Gerfried Göschlm center , right side is Günther Unterberger)

Update June 2, 2005 according to his team: Fantastic news from the Northland Professional expedition on Mt. Everest !!!

After waiting for many days for the right weather, Gerfried Goeschl succeeded yesterday to reach the summit of Mt. Everest 8848m alone and without oxygen, after he already had climbed Shishapangma 8027m on May 3.

He then descended in the dark for three hours to the Camp at 8200m, from where he called this morning to give us the good news.

He will descend further today, but he is very exhausted after climbing two 8000m high mountains, and waiting for a long time for the best weather conditions in 6500m, where you cannot recuperate, and moreover, he is snow blind on one eye.

We keep our fingers crossed for his safe descent to the basecamp, where he will meet the Chinese "Qomolangma Action 2005" group,

sponsored by Northland Professional and accompanied by Northland Team member Burkhard Felber.  The group will make one expedition every year until the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 to Mt Evereyst and Tibet, to collect garbage and to dispose of it in an environmentally safe way, and most important, to create the awareness of the importance on environmental protection in the country with the biggest population in the world.

Update May 20th: Gerfried Goeschl has turned back his summit attempt due to the strong winds and extremely cold weather, they turned back at 7500 meters (camp 2), and now he will descend down to 5100m for a few days.

Update 5/03/2005: Today, May 03, 2005 at 8:45 a.m. Austrian time we received the phone call via satellite phone: Gerfried Goeschl is sitting on the main summit of Shisha Pangma, 8027m. He is the only one who after the strenuous climb without oxygen still had the stamina to continue from the central summit, where the rest of the group remained, on to the main summit. The group is waving and shouting while he calls. Tomorrow, after they have safely descended, we will receive the next report with more details. We congratulate the Northland Shisha Pangma Expedition team

Previous Update

Northland Professional expedition climbing Shisha Pangma (8027m) & Mount Everest (8848m) Spring 2005

..Tested under extreme conditions..

Expedition plan: Spring 2005 Gerfried Goeschl leads the Northland Professional expedition to climb Shisha Pangma (8027m) in Tibet.  The international team consisting of 11 members want to climb to the summit via the north ridge. Four Austrians, five Germans (two women) and one climber from the Netherlands will accompany him.

They will leave Europe on April 4 for Kathmandu, and April 14 the first basecamp (ABC) in 5600m in Tibet will be established.

Together with his friends Guenther Unterberger and Hubert Rieger Gerfried wants to acclimatize on the mountain and try the climb to the summit. They group will leave Tibet on May 15 and return via Kathmandu back to Austria on May 18.

Gerfried will stay in Tibet and rest in Tingri (4350m) for two or three days, and will then proceed to the northern basecamp of  Mount Everest (8848m). From upper basecamp (6450m) he will start for the summit without oxygen. His return is planned for June 5.

Facts of Shisha Pangma (8027m):

Shisha Pangma was the last of the fourteen 8000m high mountains which was climbed in 1964 by a group of Chinese and Tibetan climbers. Shisha Pangma is the only 8000m high mountain which is completely located within the Tibetan borders.

The technical difficulties of the mountain apart from the extreme altitude are near the summit, very steep and exposed traverses above 7800m make reaching the seldom climbed main summit difficult.

The first climbers from Styria, Austria who climbed Shisha Pangma were the well known climber Hanns Schell in 1985 with Thomas Schilcher.

Facts of  Mount Everest (8848m):

Mount Everest is well known as the highest mountain on earth. The summit is located exactly on the border between Nepal and China/Tibet.

The famous first ascent was made by the New Zealand climber Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tensing Norgay in 1953 from the southern side in Nepal, which is the normal route today, after the many expeditions through the preceding decades failed.

The first climbers who reached the summit without oxygen were Peter Habeler from Tyrol and Reinhold Messner from South Tyrol in 1978. The first and up to now only Styrian climber, Robert Schauer from Graz, reached the summit in the same expedition.

Gerfried Göschl wants to climb the technically challenging north eastern ridge from Tibet without use of “bottles”. The most difficult parts are on the summit ridge in an altitude of 8500m to 8650m, three steep rocky promontories must be climbed. The ridge to the summit is more than 2km long, on both sides of the ridge there are near vertical 3000m steep walls.

Tactic: Since the ABC (6450m) on Everest is quite high, Gerfried Goeschl does not want to acclimatize painfully on Everest. He plans after a climb of over 8000m on Shisha Pangma to reach the Everest basecamp fully acclimatized and in best condition and wait for best weather.

Then he will try to reach the summit with two bivouacs (7600m, 8150m).

According to statistics, the best weather to reach the summit of Everest are between May 17 and May 26, during this time he will stay in the basecamp and use the best day for the climb.

Northland Professional Team 2005:

The Northland Professional Team 2005 consists of three climbers:

• Gerfried Goeschl
• Hubert Rieger
• Guenther Unterberger

Team-biography:

• Gerfried Goeschl (32) from Styria, Austria

Expedition leader

Member of Alpine Rescue Team Gesaeuse

Many expeditions (South America, Asia):

1999: Momhil Shar (7343m) up to 6500m

2001: Muztagh Ata (7546m)

2002: Cho Oyu (8201m)

2003: Aconcagua (6962m)

          Gasherbrum 1 (8068m) up to 7500m

          Gasherbrum 2 (8035m)

• Hubert Rieger (31) from upper Austria

Vice expedition leader and camera team

Works for film and TV

Lots of local European tours Dachstein, Glockner

European Eastern Alps: Piz Palü, Piz Bernina.

Expeditions to South America (2002 und 2004):

6000m: Aconcagua, Illimani, Huyana Potosi, Parinacota, Pomerape.

5000m: Alpamayo chico, Ilusion.

• Günther Unterberger (38) from Styria

Regional leader of Austrian Mountain Rescue Team in Selzthal

Alpine Highlights:

Dachl north face, Grosse Zinne north face, Cima Canali Buhlweg, and many more

Expeditions to India (1991) and South America (1996):

6000m: Barthakuna (6560m), Ojos del Salado (6880m)

Other members of the Shisha Pangma Expedition:

From Austria:

Georg Wenzl (26)

Hans Wenzl (34)

From Germany:

Dr. Andrea Lakatos (39)

Dr. Helga Schubert (44)

Thomas Scherzer (25)

Martin Nuess (30)

Norbert Linz (37)

From Holland:

Elio Schlijen (33)

Update 4/10/2005: Greetings from Nyalam

Hello again! Since yesterday we stay in Nyalam. All 11 members made trips up to 4400m today and feel good. Real bad weather here. We will leave Nyalam at Monday to reach BC of Shisha.

Greetings, Gerfried and team

Update 4/6/2005: Hi from KTM! Tomorrow me and my team is going to Zangmu, it seems there are no problems with the Maoists! All members are well!!! Greetings from KTM Gerfried

Previous Update is below

Gerfried Goeschl from Austria who summited Cho Oyu on May 3rd, 2003 will lead a group of 12 to Shisha Pangma (normal route 6 Austrians, 5 Germanys including two women, 1 Dutch) and then after Shisha head over to Everest for a push to the top alone and without oxygen.

"Alone I will stay in Tibet, have some rest in Tingri and change to Everest. I have interesting plans for Everest from the North side, alone and without artificial oxygen.  I will wait for the weather window till the end of May. My flight from Kathmandu to Europe will be at 4 June." Greetings from Austria, Gerfried Göschl

Team members for Shisha:

 

5 Austrians:

Gerfried Göschl (32), leader

Hubert Rieger (31), co-leader

Günther Unterberger (37)

brothers Georg (26) und Hans (34) Wenzl

 

5 Germans:

Mrs. Dr Andrea Lakatos (39), climbed Cho Oyu 2002

Mrs. Dr. Helga Schubert (44)

Thomas Scherzer (25)

Martin Nüß (30)

Norbert Linz (37)

 

1 Dutch:

 

Elio Schijlen (33)

 

All members are in a good shape.

As we planed we will leave 4. April from Munich.

 

Greetings from Austria, Gerfried Göschl

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