A New Expedition to the Himalayas with Alpinist Horia Colibășanu
Tomorrow, April 5th, Horia Colibășanu, the renowned Romanian mountaineer, embarks on an exciting journey with his team, Marius Gane and Slovak Peter Hámor, to conquer Kangchenjunga (8,586 m), the third-highest peak in the world and the only 8,000-meter summit yet to be reached by a Romanian. The expedition is planned to last two months.
“A weather window for the summit is expected around May 20th. Until then, we have time to acclimatize and prepare the route. Kangchenjunga is an incredibly high mountain, just 25 meters shorter than K2, yet equally challenging in structure. The distance between the final camp and the summit is immense,” Horia Colibășanu explains.
Ten years ago, Horia made his first attempt to conquer this peak but stopped 200 meters short of the summit due to extreme risks.
“If I had continued, it would have taken over six hours to return to the safety of the last camp. The risks were immense because I was out of resources. Now we are much better prepared, especially after last year’s expedition to Dhaulagiri. My experience over the past decade, combined with my partners’ extensive expertise, will be invaluable. Together, we have nearly 100 years of high-altitude mountaineering experience,” he adds.
Horia Colibășanu has participated in 23 international expeditions, making him the Romanian mountaineer with the most significant achievements in high-altitude climbing, having summited eight of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks.
The three climbers will ascend without Sherpa assistance or supplemental oxygen. Statistically, Kangchenjunga is the second most dangerous mountain in the world. Data from 2021 showed a mortality rate of 29.1%, meaning one in four climbers attempting the summit did not survive.
Kangchenjunga retains its reputation as the “untouched peak.” Out of respect for local beliefs, climbers from the first two successful expeditions stopped a few meters short of the summit to honor the sacred nature of the mountain.
Horia remains the only Romanian to have summited K2, Annapurna, and Dhaulagiri, three of the five most dangerous peaks in the world. His accomplishments have earned him numerous awards, including the National Order “Star of Romania” at the Knight rank, and he is an honorary citizen of Timișoara and Slatina.
We are proud of Horia Colibășanu, and the TEMAD and WD-40 teams support him in this extraordinary adventure.
