Posted: Nov 25, 2008 03:44 pm EST
(K2Climb.net) Up until now only 8 out of all 14 eight-thousanders have been winter climbed. In Nepal, only Makalu remains while in Pakistan, all five 8000er summits are yet untouched by man in winter.

Bagging number 8 of the 14; in 2005 Simone Moro and Piotr Morawski summited Shisha Pangma January 14 at 1.15 pm (local) after a fast 5 hour climb in very strong winds by the Yugoslavian route on the south face.

Before this latest addition of Italian Moro; all first winter accents had been made by Polish climbers in Calendar winter, from Everest in 1980 to Lhotse in 1988 - the last time (before 2005) someone set foot on a virgin summit higher than 8000m during the winter.

This season, Polish Artur Hajzer will lead Robert Szymczak and Canadian Don Bowie (both part of the rescue attempt of Inaki Ochoa this past spring) on Broad Peak.

Artur has five 8000ers under his belt (latest Dhaula in May with Robert), three of them climbed via new routes, and the first winter climb on Annapurna. Arthur and Robert were also members in the Polish winter attempt on Nanga Parbat two years ago (with Szymczak as expedition Doc). A second Polish team led by Jacek Teler will attempt Nanga Parbat.

Both those ascents would mark the first winter climbs of the peaks, while in Nepal Jan Krabec, Milan Wlasák, and Pavel Krupièka hope to bag a Manaslu winter first for the Czech Republic - and Manaslu's winter summit number 12 overall.

As the Polish and Czech winter expeditions kick-off; popular re-runs will be published at ExWeb all week about winter climbing. The history, the classifications - and the BAD chart.

We start today with a 4-part series of short stories published in 2004 about Karakoram and ultimate winter challenges. Click Karakorum and ultimate winter challenges, part 1 and find the other 3 parts in the links section below the image in the story.

Tomorrow: ExWeb series - The meaning of winter in 8000+ climbing.

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