Posted: Feb 25, 2008 12:45 am EST
(MountEverest.net) He climbed 7, 8000ers with Messner and skied down Everest, but says that his traverse of the two Gasherbrum sticks out most. "This level of difficulty can be upped only through the Everest-Lhotse traverse," Hans Kammerlander told PlanetMountain, "it would be the next step, perhaps a thing for the next generation."

This spring, a remarkable 'true' Lhotse-Everest traverse will be attempted - by no other than the Kazakh National Team coached by Ervand Tikhonovich Iljinsky.

The plan

The traverse has been a dream climb for many strong mountaineers, including climbers such as Simone Moro and Denis Urubko.

Climbing two 8000ers back to back within a day or two puts an incredible stress on the human body, and in this case the world's highest mountain (Everest 8848 meters) and 4th highest mountain (Lhotse 8516 meters) are both involved. The climb is a gamble with weather, and a serious test of the human spirit and mountaineering skills.

Iljinsky told ExWeb's representative in Kazakhstan Andrey Verkhovod that the Kazakhstani national team plans to make the first true traverse of Lhotse - Everest and although the exact route is still debated, the main components are:

- Ascent to Lhotse via the normal route from the South
- Descent to South Col (8000 m)
- Ascent to Everest via the classic route from the South Col.

The team and the route

The team will likely descend from Everest summit via an alternative route such as the US western route, but not via the normal route back to the South Col. This will make it a true traverse; that is starting from one point and ending at another point with no repetition of any points during the entire climb on the traverse route.

For Max and Vasso, this would prove a very special climb on the eve of their already remarkable 14, 8000ers quest. Lhotse is one of the only three 8000+ summits they still have unclimbed (the two did Everest north side without supplementary oxygen last spring).

Both Lhotse and Everest will be new 8000+ summits for the other members of the expedition. The team's training starts today (Feb 25) and here goes the short list of the 2008 expedition member candidates:

Maxut Zhumayev (11, 8000ers)
Vasiliy Pivtsov (11, 8000ers)
Sergey Samoilov (5, 8000ers)

Evgeniy Shutov (Dhaula 2007 and Makalu winter attempt with Urubko/Samoilov)
Alexander Sofrygin (K2 North Ridge attempt 2007)

Kirill Belotserkovsky (several 7000+ in Central Asia)
Ildar Gabbasov (several 7000+ in Central Asia)

While Max, Serg and Vaso are all well-known to ExWeb readers; only Sergey Samoilov (Denis Urubko's regular climbing buddy) actually belongs to the old guard, that is Boukreev's era. (Denis has already been on both Everest and Lhotse).

Coach Ervand Iljinsky first went to the peak in 1982 as a member of the South West Pillar expedition, and knows Everest well, from both sides and including its summit.

Astana Motors main sponsor

All candidates will train in Almaty's CSKA training camp Tuyuk-Su, placed at 2500 m and the start of most nearby 4000+ routes.

As usual for the national team, the Central Sport Club of Army (CSKA) is the main organizer and all 2008 expedition team members are members of CSKA.

Astana Motors is the general sponsor. The company latest sponsored last year's K2 North Ridge attempt and this winter's Kazakh Makalu attempt. Astana Motors is headed by Nurlan Smagulov; an amateur climber and ardent supporter of high altitude alpinism in Kazakhstan.

Lhotse is the final mountain in the Kazakh National Team's quest to climb the highest mountains in the world (the 14, 8000ers).

The program started in 1991 and initially aimed to finish December 2006, at the 15th Anniversary of Kazakhstan's Independence. The program's implementation can be divided into two main phases -- [1991-1997] and [2001-today].

The first stage was mostly done by the old guard - the climbers that started mountaineering in 1970s and 1980s and participated, as the Kazakhstani part, in the first Soviet Himalayan expeditions. Among them most prominent were Valeriy Khrishchatyi, Anatoly Boukreev, Kazbek Valiev, Vladimir Suviga, Rinat Khaibulin, Yuri Moiseev and other Kazakh climbers. They made the first 8000+ summits in the framework of the program:

1) Dhaulagiri, in 1991, via new route
2) Manaslu, in 1995, in winter
3) Cho Oyu, in 1996
4) Everest, in 1997

In 2001, a new, young and ambitious generation arrived. They started a new phase of the old program - still driven though by the team's coach, Ervand Iljinsky. Some of them are now famous climbers: Denis Urubko, Max Zhumaev, Vassiliy Pivtsov, Damir Molgachev, Sergey Lavrov, Alexei Raspopov, Vassiliy Litvinov, Alex Rudakov and others.

Says Max: "We made summits and gained experience. For each summit we chose more and more difficult routes and targets."

The climbers did the following summits (all without supplementary O2):

5) Hidden Peak, 2001
6) Gasherbrum, 2001
7) Kanchenjunga, 2002
8) Shisha Pangma, 2002
9) Nanga Parbat, 2003
10) Broad Peak, 2003
11) Makalu, 2004
12) Annapurna, 2006
13) K2, 2007

By 2003 the team had become mature enough for really ambitious aims. It reached very good form and had probably its strongest composition ever. That year they targeted a hat trick in Karakoram -- Nanga Parbat, Broad Peak and then the crown - K2. The year would bring success but also mark the start of the Kazakhs long battle with the "mountaineers' mountain".

In 2004 some of the climbers (including one of the strongest climbers, Denis Urubko) left the National Team, but the project and its coach continued the program.

In 2005, a second attempt on K2 failed.

In 2006, Max and Vaso bagged the summits of Anna and Dhaula, both in remarkable single push (alpine style) attempts, but only Anna was in the National Team's unchecked summits list.

2007 was a dramatic year. The main team did not manage to get to the summit of K2 and only when Denis Urubko and Sergey Samoilov arrived, did the duo manage to finish the K2 North Ridge route - started and fixed up to 8000 by the main team before the duo's arrival.

By 2008, only Lhotse remains unclimbed by the National Team who’s Captain, Max Zhumaev told ExWeb, "we plan to make a traverse from Lhotse to Everest the final dot in the Kazakh National Team's quest for the highest mountains in the world."

Through it all, the National Team was always headed by coach Ervand Iljinsky; one of the most experienced and distinguished mountain coaches of the ex-Soviet Union.

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