Posted: May 15, 2008 03:41 pm EDT
(MountEverest.net) Rodrigo Granzotto Peron reports that according to the Altamontanha Brazilian website, Santiago Quintero has been able to reach Makalu BC today with the help of Hernan, two sherpas and climbers from other expeditions. The climber is now reportedly in stable condition, recovering from HACE.

Climb recap

Santiago reached Makalu summit without oxygen this past Sunday at 11 am Nepal time, 2 hours ahead of his cut-off time, following a 12 hour non-stop ascent from high camp.

The climber had reached camp 3 at 6.30 pm the day before, Saturday. He resumed the climb to the summit 4 hours later, at 11.30 pm, ascending more than 1850 meters in the last day.

Santiago was reportedly helped back down to high camp by Ralf Dujmovits, where he reached at 11.30 pm on Sunday. His Brazilian fellow climbers and summiteers reported that Santiago had developed signs of HACE.

Argentinean climber Hernan stayed behind in camp 3 with Santiago to administer first aid. The following day, the Brazilian team sent up two Sherpas who helped Santiago down.

Santiago lost most of his toes to frostbite during a solo climb on Aconcagua in 2002. He is determined to keep climbing, and would like to go to K2 next year, providing all goes well after his ordeal on Makalu.

Iquito, Ecuador resident and mountain guide Santiago Quintero, 33, started to climb because he had found his joy and believes that we should do what we desire. "I discovered the true purpose of my life in the mountains," he said, "and without them my eyes have no light."

He lost his toes in 2002 when he soloed the 3000 meter wall on the south face of Aconcagua. His second most important climb was a new route (solo) in 2001 on Yeruaja (6634 meters) in Peru. He climbed Broad Peak without oxygen last year, in spite of his frostbite, and did another 4 solos locally, including a new route on Antizana 5740m (5to,90) D+. Santiago climbs with prosthesis, special socks and extra-wide, special made Boreal boots.

His 2009 K2 project is called "K2 sin D2." D2 means toes in Spanish, so the project is "K2 without toes." Santiago always climbs without supplementary oxygen. With his climbs, he wants to show that there are no limits to what humans can do, and says that Claudia, his girlfriend of 6 years, is his big love and greatest support. 10 years from now, Santiago said he hopes to have actively helped in preserving this planet; bagged K2, "and live with Claudia for the rest of my life." And one more thing: "14x8000 my friend."

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