A German Alpinist has reached a new milestone on his ambitious journey to the top of Mount Everest.
Jost Kobusch, 32, aims to become the first person to climb the world’s tallest mountain in winter, alone and without supplemental oxygen. To prepare for his daunting task, Kobusch has been training by ascending from various points on the mountain, attempting to go further each time to acclimatize his body and mind for the final climb.
At the end of December, he broke a new record, ascending 24,727ft / 7,537m before returning to camp. Only 4,304ft / 1312m away from the summit, Jost’s latest attempt is the highest he, or anyone else has ever gone alone without supplemental oxygen, in the winter season.
Despite coming so close to the summit, Kobusch wasn’t tempted to go all the way. Battling winds upwards of 25mph / 40.2kmph in temperatures below -22°F / -30°C, he stuck to the methodical approach that has taken him so far.
“Ultimately, I’m not interested in breaking any records in the short term, I want to achieve the project in the long term,” Kobusch told German blogger Stefan Nestler, explaining that his body wasn't sufficiently acclimatized to the unforgiving summit yet.
“Spending the night there would have been a risk. I could have become extremely weak in my state of acclimatization,” he continued.
“And that was against the background that I was en route solo and would have to climb everything down again alone.”
Stopping to rest along the way, Kobusch pitched his tent at roughly 22,310ft / 6,800m.
“The most challenging part of the ascent was to dig platforms for the tent when I stopped for a rest,” he told Explorers Web.
“That is why I had reduced my equipment to the very minimum. I carried nothing non-essential, except maybe a bit of spare fuel.”
There’s no set date for Kobusch’s final ascent. Taking his time to acclimatize, the German plans to keep pushing his highest climbs before he’s finally capable of making it safely to the top.
More than 7,000 people have now summited Mount Everest, yet only 15 have ever done so in winter. Of those 15, all but one used supplemental oxygen and none made the climb alone. Should Kobusch successfully fulfil his goal, he will make history, pushing the boundaries of what’s thought to be possible on the world’s tallest peak.
Here at Advnture, we’ll be keeping a keen eye on Kobusch’s progress, issuing updates whenever he makes a fresh attempt.
Crampons are essential for traversing snowy conditions and monstrous peaks. In our expert guide, we ranked the Grivel G12s as this year's best crampons.
- The best snow shoes 2025 for adventures all year round
- The best climbing shoes 2025 get a grip both indoors and out
