British Mountaineer and Everest summiter Alan Hinkes: has....

 Update here

Update: Channel 5 in the UK report, was supposed carefully edited, which made it seem like he summited, but they don't know that. That report appears to have many confused. With all of that said, we should know in a few days if he has made it....

Update details: OK have now got to the bottom of this story and it seems that Channel 5 twisted an interview that Dave Evans from Berghaus gave to SKY TV last week. This morning has seen me speaking with SKY/Channel 5 and Berghaus to clear this up.

The latest situation is that nobody has heard from Alan, he was due to push for the summit over the weekend and we are all waiting for him to call. It may well be that his sat phone generator is broken and if this is the case we won't hear from him until he is back in Kathmandu.

Here is the scrip from the interview that SKY had with Berghaus...

"It was a journey which started in 1987.  Alan Hinkes's aim sounded simple enough.  To climb the world's 14 highest mountains.  Those over 8 thousand feet high.  It's taken him 25 attempts to complete that journey. One of those which he scaled was K2.  This was the point when he reached the summit.

GRAB - Alan Hinkes / Challenge 2000  30" tight out 34"

Here Alan is crossing a deep crevasse.  On this occasion it went well.  But on another climb the bridge collapsed, Alan fell - breaking his arm.  He described his decent back down the mountain as "very scary" - perhaps an understatement for a very brave man.

On other occasions the threats were from avalanches like these.

Alan's support team back in the UK say the last stretch of his challenge has been particularly difficult.

GRAB - Dave Evans - Challenge 8000 1'16"

So how did Alan celebrate his achievement of becoming the first Britain to ever climb the 14 highest mountains?  Just like he did when he reached this previous summit.  By having his photograph taken with his own special flag - a picture of his daughter and grandson. 

Having now read all the details - this wasn't an agency story - it came from the newsroom at Sky who had also been running the report. It was produced based on the timeline they had. They have no confirmation Alan has been successful. As you see from the script is was a "look ahead" rather than a confirmation report.

Hope that clears up the confusion 

Update: Berghaus has no knowledge of the an Alan summits yet...

Update: We understand from our UK, readers that Channel 5 in the UK has reported this news. However, again, this is ALL totally unconfirmed at this point. Stay TUNED!

BRITISH MOUNTAINEER ALAN HINKES PREPPED FOR RECORD SUMMIT BID

For British mountaineer Alan Hinkes it seems to be a waiting game at Kangchenjunga base camp with the weather proving to be a fickle companion.  

With nothing but heavy snow for more or less three weeks the Swiss International climbing team at base camp decided to call it a day and retreat back to Kathmandu.  No sooner had they left than the snow stopped and the temperature rose.  The snow has now receded above base camp for the fist time since Alan arrived more than three weeks ago.

Alan is now pretty much alone at base camp with just his climbing partner Pasang Gelu and a couple of cooks to keep him company. By his own admission this is how he prefers it and he's now beginning the mental preparation for a final summit dash.

The weather forecast (which is never too reliable in the Himalaya) is looking favourable towards the weekend so when the majority of the UK is enjoying the Bank Holiday, Berghaus athlete, Alan Hinkes will be pushing for his final 8000m summit.  If successful he becomes the first Briton to climb all 14 '8000ers' and only the 13th person to join the elite club of 8000m hero's.

Hopefully - with fingers crossed and touching wood - the next Alan update will be a summit announcement

Update 20/05/05 from Alan Hinkes: Weather challenges final push for the summit

The weather on the mountain continues to remain poor, throwing everything it can at Alan. So much so that the Swiss expedition is considering leaving base camp in the next few days to return to Kathmandu. However, Alan is determined to give his everything and is remaining there at least for another week to see if there is a break in the weather. If there is an opening he will probably make an attempt on the mountain early to mid next week.

Update 5/15/2005: Leading British mountaineer Alan Hinkes has just called in to Berghaus, his sponsors,  headquarters  from  his  record  summit  attempt  on  the  8000m Kangchenjunga mountain in Nepal.

Alan  is  in good spirits and following several days on the mountain to set up camp 1 he has returned to base camp for a well earned rest before making an attempt further up the mountain to set up camp 2.

From  camp  2  Alan  hopes  to  be  able  to make a summit attempt. However conditions  on the mountain are treacherous with a Swiss expedition already having two of its mountaineers helicoptered out with injuries.

Alan states: "I  am  hoping  there  won’t  be a need for a third camp but with conditions already  threatening  the  lives  of those around me I need to make a sound judgement  call when the time comes. As I have always stated no mountain is worth  a  life  but  with  this  being  my  final 8000er and having been to Kangchenjunga and failed twice already I have my sights set firm.”

Alan  is  again climbing with his good friend Pasang with whom he summited his 13th 8000er, Dhaulagiri, in Spring last year. If successful he will be the  first  Briton  to have climbed all of the world’s 8000m peaks and only the 13th person in the world to have stood where so many can only dream of standing.

Background

Alan Hinkes has announced his final Challenge 8000 expedition. Alan will be flying out to the Himalaya at the end of March to climb Kangchenjunga and if successful will enter the history books as the first Briton and only one of 12 people to have stood at the top of all of the world’s 8000m peaks.

As part of Challenge 8000, Alan has reached the top of 13 of the world’s most famous and dangerous mountains, including Everest, K2 and Nanga Parbat and in 2002 he became the first Britain to climb Annapurna in 32 years and in record time via a new route. All of these mountains are in the “Death Zone”, an unforgiving environment where the human body rapidly deteriorates and no one can survive for more than a few days.

Kangchenjunga (8586m) is the third highest peak in the world. Alan had to previously abandon an attempt on the mountain in May 2000 following bad weather conditions; while on his descent a snow bridge collapsed across a crevasse and he fell into it, breaking his arm. Having encountered the giant before Alan knows, like its fellow 8000ers it is a very dangerous mountain and one for which he has to prepare meticulously.

Alan comments: "Kangchenjunga lies at the eastern extreme of the Himalaya and is exposed to exceptionally bad weather conditions as the monsoon period moves in. This isn’t my first visit to Kangchenjunga and I know what lies in store, the terrain is very difficult and once on the mountain there is a very serious danger of avalanche and rockfall. I am however not worried, it feels like I am returning to an old friend and I am really looking forward to it. As I have always said I climb to live, not to die - the summit is always optional but returning is mandatory.”

Alan Hinkes has been working with Berghaus since the early 1980s and will be using many of the company’s most technical products whilst on expedition.

From 2004: Alan Hinkes Summits Dhaulagiri! and Alan Hinkes Summits Dhaulagiri more details and Mountaineer Alan Hinkes returns to Kathmandu following successful summit of Dhaulagiri

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