Manaslu is not conquered only by preparation, ambition and desire. Sometimes a person reaches 6700 meters, sees the goal in front of him and despite everything has to come down. This is exactly what happens to Hristo Kopchev from Dabene, who has been preparing for the expedition to the eighth highest peak in the world for more than a year. The group makes the necessary rotations and reaches Camp 3. Then comes the waiting for a suitable time to attack. Instead, a cyclone comes and heavy snowfall begins, accumulating over two meters of snow in places... To see the peak, but fate says: “stop“… Hristo Kopchev speaks in front of FACT.
– Mr. Kopchev, how long have you been preparing to go to Mount Manaslu (8163 meters)?
– I had the idea for a long time. Last year I was looking for someone to go with, but I couldn't find one. A friend misled me and in the end it didn't work out. When I found out he wouldn't go, I gave up. This year, however, we managed to organize the expedition.
– Who were you on the expedition with?
– With the mayor of Rakovski Municipality Pavel Gudzherov and his wife Anelia Gudzherova. There were about 30 of us. The expedition was large and there were people from different places.
– You spent a lot of time preparing for Manaslu and managed to do rotations up to Camp 3. What happens to a person at this altitude and how different the mountain looks then?
– At this altitude, the air is very thin. Everything is different.
– That's why people spend time at base camp and do rotations so that the body can gradually adapt…
– That's right. To prepare for the extreme climb and for the air that you will breathe at high altitude. This is very important. We did the rotation to Camp 3, which is about 6700 meters, and then we went back down. Then we started to monitor the weather and the forecasts.
– And then you realized that a serious deterioration in the weather was coming?
– Yes. They told us that a cyclone was expected, which could bring between one and two meters of snow, and in some places even more. Then we had to decide what to do. They offered us to go down by helicopter to Kathmandu. It was about 1200 dollars one way per person. I talked to an acquaintance then who had been to Everest, and she said: “Don't worry about the money. Catch the helicopter, go to Kathmandu, there you will bathe, warm up, rest, eat like people, breathe air. This will then give you strength that others will not have“. We thought about it and decided to do this. We went down by helicopter, and then they held a briefing and closed the summit.
– So, while you are going down, it is already clear that the climb is ending?
– Yes. All the expeditions and all the companies began to close. When we went down, we saw one of the most famous Italian climbers, Simone Moro. He had also ended his expedition. When I saw that he was giving up too, I said to myself: “It won't work this time“. If one of the most famous climbers in Italy is ending the expedition, then the situation is serious.
– Was it at that moment that the mountain showed that it would not let you attack the summit?
– I felt that it would happen. After everyone started ending the expeditions, it was already clear that there was no point in waiting.
– How hard is it for a climber to say “I'm stopping“, after having come so far and invested so much time and effort?
– It wasn't that difficult for us, because the conditions were categorical. It wasn't a question of just waiting another day or two. There was a lot of snow - two and a half meters in places. The ropes that were prepared for our expedition were buried. In such conditions, the expedition simply ends. This doesn't mean that the dream is over. It's just that this time the mountain said "no".
– During the expedition, you witnessed both avalanches and serious accidents. When a person encounters such things, what do you say to yourself?
– We saw a lot of things. There were people who were injured, there were evacuations. One of the climbers, as far as I understand, died in an avalanche. They were pulling him down with ropes. It's not easy to see such a picture. The mountain is no joke. In the evening, when we went to bed in the tents, there were a few nights when you could hear an avalanche falling every five or ten minutes. Within the two or three hours that I was awake in the tent, I heard about 20-30 avalanches falling.
– You lie in your tent and every few minutes you hear an avalanche. What thoughts go through your mind at such a moment?
– It's not pleasant. You realize how small you are in front of this mountain. However, the base camp itself was located in such a way that it had natural protection. It was on a kind of ridge, which more or less protected from avalanches. Not that it's 100% safe. The place is well chosen. But the sound remains. You hear the sound of the mountain constantly and you understand that it is much stronger than you.
– Where is the line between courage and ambition to climb an eight-thousander?
– For me, nothing is ever at any price. I've always told myself that if I feel that things won't work out or that something is wrong, I won't continue. I wouldn't risk my life at any cost for a peak.
– How high did you actually get below the peak of Manaslu?
– About 6650-6700 meters. There was Camp 3. We reached it, walking there for about an hour and a half. We were also at Camp 2, where we slept.
– How was the night at Camp 2?
– It snowed a lot there and there were times when we were worried that the tents wouldn't be buried. The snow continued to fall at night. In such a situation, you just trust the people who lead you. Several times I heard how the guides of our group passed by the tents and cleared them of snow so that the tent wouldn't collapse under the weight of the snow. Our group was about 30 people and was divided into several smaller groups - maybe three or four. There were 11-12 of us. The guy who led us had climbed Everest seven times, Manaslu three or four times, and many other peaks. He had a lot of experience.
– You have experience, but you rely on the professionals, right?
– Yes. I am driven by ambition and the desire to climb, but I don't have their experience. So when they say something, we do it. They know what needs to be done and when.
– According to the plan, the summit attack was supposed to happen in groups so that we wouldn't get caught in traffic if everyone left at the same time?
– Yes. The idea was not for all the groups to leave at the same time, so that one group could move ahead of the other. In this way, to get ahead and make better use of the time. But all that changed when it started to snow so much. The change in the weather changed everything, unfortunately.
– How many climbers in total had permits to climb Manaslu this year?
– About 466 people had permits. These are international climbers. And yet none of them managed to climb the peak. Only the nine Sherpas from the group that was sent to prepare the route and the ropes were on the summit this year.
– Manaslu is the “ticket” to Everest. What happens now?
– Nepal is currently discussing new rules for climbers who want to climb Everest. Nepal is discussing a law according to which people who want to climb Everest must first have climbed a higher peak, but in Nepal, over 7000 meters. Our idea with Manaslu was exactly that – to make an eight-thousander and then be able to apply for Everest. However, now we have reached about 6700 meters, after which the mountain was closed due to the weather. As far as I understand, the company we are traveling with will talk to the authorities in Nepal about this issue. We have completed the rotation at 6700 meters and were actually waiting for the weather to improve so that we can continue to the summit. Instead, the mountain was closed. I wrote to the head of the company, who has sent a request to the Nepalese government, whether our climb to 6700 meters can be considered an achieved goal for Everest. I am still waiting for an answer, but I hope to receive a positive one. We were ready to attack the summit, but the weather and conditions did not allow us. We will see what happens. I could not plant the flag of the village of Dubene on the summit, but the dream of Manaslu and Everest remains.