Romanian climber and conservationist Alex Găvan has given on his K2 winter expedition this season.
Găvan, who was preparing the climb the K2 peak together with the Italian Tamara Lunger, without supplemental oxygen, has announced in a Facebook post today that he is giving up the ascent for now.
“Humbly listening to the signs and getting the message when it is all around written with capital letters has always kept me safe and on the right path in this life.
Therefore, for the moment, my time here is up.
I cherished and I am grateful for every second while on the steep slopes of the mighty K2 in winter.
Returning now with priceless gifts as personal insights and lessons from Above. What a blessing and a privilege indeed.
Heartbroken for Sergi’s passing away. Did everything within our powers and beyond.
Happy for the all Nepali team to have reached the summit. Historically and morally they were entitled to it. Beyond any controversy.
Thank you, Tamara Lunger, thank you from the heart everybody. I take a bow.”
On January 12, Alex Găvan used to announce a new stage of acclimatisation and training for the final ascent, next to Tamara Lunger and other two hikers: Sergi Mingote (Spain) and Juan Pablo Mohr (Chile). Sergi Mingote has died on Sunday after a fall of almost 600 metres down.
“It is my deep belief that mountains are to be climbed not only with ice tools and crampons, which we all can have, but above everything else, with humbleness,” Găvan told Asia Times back then.
“For myself, climbing mountains outside is climbing mountains inside. To me, K2 is a great teacher and a great master which I revere, not some gigantic pile of rock to just be desecrated by a Victorian mindset of conquest. For us being on his steep and icy slopes is foremost a spiritual matter, and only secondary a climbing feat. Ascension is always from within,” he added.
Climber Alex Gavan had climbed seven 8000+ meter mountains without 02.
K2 is one of the most difficult and dangerous mountains for ascents in the world, having the second highest fatality rate among those 13 peaks of over 8,000-m high.