Romanian alpinist tries to conquer dangerous Manaslu peak on a new route

Romanian alpinist Horia Colibăşanu will attempt to reach Manaslu peak (8,163 m) of the Himalaya, the largest mountain chain in the world, on a new route, on the north slope of the peak, which has never been climbed before.

Colibășanu will climb in the pure style, without using artificial oxygen, considered as doping, and with no altitude guides, used by the commercial expeditions and tourists.

The Romanian alpinist successfully climbed the same peak in 2006, but on the standard route, together with Spanish alpinist Iňaki Ochoa de Olza, who unfortunately died two years leater (1967-2008).

Manaslu is considered to be one of the most dangerous mountains of 8,000 metres high, with a sad 9.9pct mortality rate, thrice the Everest’s.

Horia Colibșanu will be accompanied by Slovakian Peter Hamor, while another team consisting of Ueli Steck (Switzerland) and David Gottler (Germany), will try to conquer the Shisha Pangma (8,027 m) also on a new route, on the south slope.

“We are six decades far away from the first successful climbs of the highest mountains in the world. Nowadays, only the style used during your ascension can add value to the world alpinism,” Colibășanu stated.

The expedition starts on March 26 and will be completed at end-May, once with the end of the spring climbing season.

Alpinist Horia Colibășanu, aged 39, dentist by profession, is the first Romanian who reached K2, Manaslu, Dhaulagiri and Annapurna peaks.