On April 20, 1984 at 6:15 p.m. Hristo Prodanov climbed Mount Everest. Thus, he became the first Bulgarian climber to climb Mount Everest. He was posthumously awarded the Order of “Hero of the People's Republic of Bulgaria”.
He managed to reach the summit alone without an oxygen apparatus along the most difficult and longest route - the western (Nepalese) slope, also called the “Cruel Route”, climbing the peak from the base camp in 33 days - a record for this route. He is also the first person to climb Everest back in April (too early for the usual summit assaults) and the fourth person to climb alone.
6:15 p.m. A slight crackle in the radio station and a voice: "I'm at the top, I'm at the top — Hristo!"
Hurray! — I hear it next to me. I see Kancho Dolapchiev jump out of the tent and continue shouting outside. People, many people, are coming towards me — our climbers, Sherpas, Indian climbers, the liaison officer of the Indian expedition, the leader of the Indian expedition... and hands, hands, outstretched in greeting. I only remember that I also shook hands with Colonel Kular and simply flew into the tent with the radio station to Stefcho.
Hristo reports: "There is nothing here at the top. There is only a small pyramid built of four Soviet oxygen cylinders and the Soviet flag. I am trying to take pictures, but I don't know if the camera is working and that is why I stop."
This is how Avram Avramov, the leader of the second national expedition to the Himalayas, describes one of the historic moments in the history of Bulgarian sports, which combined moments of triumph and tragedy.
He stayed at the top for too long - 33 minutes. From the conversations from then on, it becomes clear that he forgot the Bulgarian flag in his backpack on the slope, that he is wondering what to do with the camera (which he leaves at the top), that his signal flares are not working. He tries to tear off a piece of the Soviet flag.
"I'm trying to untie the flag and take it with me, but I can't. There's a small piece here, I'll take it", he says.
His descent from the summit along the same dangerous route becomes one of the great tragedies in Bulgarian sports. He has to spend the night outdoors in the "Death Zone", without a sleeping bag and tent, as it gets too dark and the descent is impossible. On April 21/22, he dies at about 8700 m near the so-called. Gray Tower.
The lines on the radio station: "Itse, you're a big man, don't fall asleep! You're Bulgarian! Everything's okay, people are running towards you. Please, don't fall asleep! Don't fall asleep!" in the radio operator's attempt to keep Prodanov awake until support arrives from below, recreate the drama of those tense hours in the Himalayas to the fullest.
Before realizing his life's dream, Prodanov says: "My greatest wish is for our expedition to end successfully, to end successfully not only with the ascent of any of our climbers, but for all of us to return to Bulgaria alive and well. This will be my greatest success, everything else is ashes".
Ironically, it was he who did not manage to return alive.
Two weeks later - on May 8, 1984, Ivan Valchev and Metodi Savov climbed to the top, and a day after them, Kiril Doskov and Nikolay Petkov. To this day, this is the last ascent of the Western Ridge.
In 1997, Doychin Vassilev also reached the highest point, and in 2004, Petko Totev, Doychin Boyanov and Nikolay Petkov managed to do this for the second time. Then the peak was also climbed by Hristo Hristov, who, however, died on the way back.
The last two Bulgarians to set foot on Everest were Petya and Kamen Kolchevi in 2009.
The list of Bulgarians who died at the summit includes another Bulgarian woman - three days after Hristo Hristov's death, Mariana Maslarova lost her life there.