Czech team sets sights on Everest

Mount Everest - the world's highest peak: many skilled mountaineers have strived to conquer its height, but have been forced to turn back short of the summit because of illness or dangerous conditions. Still, for the most intrepid it remains a dream to return to again and again: at 8,850 metres Everest is quite simply the ultimate challenge. As we now report a new Czech team of just three men is setting its sights on Everest with an added challenge: reaching the top without the help of bottled oxygen. Jan Velinger has more.

Czech team sets sights on Everest

Miloslav Palacky, photo: CTK

Three climbers, one mountain, and a target date of reaching Mount Everest's peak between May 5th and May 20th this year. Members of the expedition led by 49-year-old Miloslav Palacky are confident they have what it takes, with years of climbing experience and many mountains under their belts, including North America's Mount McKinley and Europe's Mount Elbrus. Still, because of its sheer scale Everest remains in a league of its own. Of the three Czech mountaineers only Miloslav Palacky has been there before; and though he came close in 2002, he was forced to turn back some 600 metres from the top.

"At the time I was having problems with breathing which proved insurmountable. I had to stop just below the third camp on the final day. However, my partner was able to continue on and managed to reach the peak. For me Everest remains the ultimate challenge because of its great height. It's not a question of aspects of the route - it's just a question of getting there."

Of course Miloslav Palacky is not alone in his desire. Miroslav Hrad, the crew's youngest member at twenty-five, says he would love to succeed, even if it means only spending fifteen minutes at the top. And, Mr Hrad explained why they felt it was important to take Everest without bottled oxygen - or additional carriers. He saw it as a return to the purity of the sport, at a time when rich customers can pay to have themselves "hauled" up the mountain by experienced professionals.

Mount Everest

"Today climbing without the help of bottled oxygen is generally considered a pure style, as opposed to climbing done by large commercial expeditions with a mountain of money and the desire to reach the summit at any cost. Our aim is not to reach the top at any cost, but to do so within a set framework of basic conditions, one of them being without bottled oxygen. Others have succeeded in this style, we want to do it as well."

Still, Miroslav Hrad admits there is always a measure of danger.

"Of course there is a certain risk, but there is also risk if you depend too much on technology. Your oxygen mask or oxygen can freeze up just when you need it most. Then, when you take off your mask you can find yourself in much greater danger than if you had spent the necessary time for proper acclimatisation, getting used to the conditions and relying on your own experience."

The Czech team sets off at the end of March and will join an international expedition before tackling the main climb on its own. The team will be climbing the north side of Everest, out of Tibet. If successful in their bid - and that is a big "if" - the team will add the mountain to their list of completed climbs, as part of their on-going attempt to become the first Czechs to conquer all seven of the world's highest peaks.