Horia Colibăşanu, one of Romania's most famous high-altitude climbers, has decided to give up the ascent of Gasherbrum II (8,035 meters) due to extreme cold and "a moderate, but not negligible, risk of avalanches." This would have been his eleventh eight-thousander, part of his plan to summit all of the world's 14 highest peaks.

He announced on Monday, July 22, that he had made it safely back to base camp and was on his way back home.

"A lot has happened in the last few days on our way to the top, and I couldn't put it into words faster. From 6,650 meters, it was also difficult due to the extreme cold. My hands would freeze just typing a short message. And this was during the day, at 6 pm," Colibăşanu said in a post on social media.

He also stated that this is not "the best season in terms of weather," with prolonged episodes of heavy snowfalls and extreme cold. 

"We waited until around 5 pm for the weather to lighten up at least a little, hoping we could move forward. Nothing changed. In addition, Billy, an avalanche expert, was telling me that there was moderate, but not negligible, risk of avalanches," he further explained.

He went on saying: "Last year on Broad Peak, I only spent 4 days in the upper camps. Now I've been up for 8 days already. I stayed as long as I could hoping the weather would clear enough to give us a small window. But it was like that almost the whole time I was here. There are years like these, with disruptions."

Horia Colibăşanu left for Pakistan roughly one month ago for this expedition. 

Last summer, he reached the summit of Broad Peak (8,051 meters) without supplemental oxygen and Sherpa backup, marking his 10th peak over 8,000m. Previous summits include K2, Annapurna, and Dhaulagiri - three of the most dangerous mountains in the world.

His exceptional performance in high-altitude climbing has also been honored numerous times. He received the Sports Merit medal from the Government of Navarra (2008), the Spirit of Mountaineering, Piolets d'Or (2009) distinction from the British Alpine Club, and the Star of Romania National Order in 2019, among others.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Horia Colibasanu)