28 May 2014 | 21:01

Kazakh mountain conquerer to try out Alaska

Photo © Maksat Zhumayev.

Famous mountain climber from Kazakhstan Maksut Zhumayev is setting off to climb North America’s highest mountain peak ‪Mount McKinley‬‬, Tengrinews reports.

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Maksut Zhumayev starts Mount McKinley conquest

04 June 2014, 10:23

Zhumayev boarded a plane to Alaska on May 22nd to make a solo climb of the Denali peak also known as Mount McKinley. “I am flying to New York and then connecting a flight to Anchorage, Alaska from there. Then I am stocking up on food (in Anchorage) and travelling to Talkeetna. From the small town I am flying to the glaciers. We will land on the glaciers and unload our gear. From there we will begin crossing the glaciers towards the summit camp. It is going to be a very interesting climb. I have never made a climb involving skiing long distances across glaciers before,” the mountain climber said.

Other mountain climbers are going to Mount McKinley along with Zhumayev. They are going to be climbing separately not far from each other and everyone will be carrying their own tents. “I’m going on my own. Everyone has their own tens and gear. It is more difficult because you have to carry your stuff yourself and there is no way to distribute the gear weight among the participants. You have to rely on yourself. I am going to ski and pull a sledge with all the necessities and equipment such as camera, solar batteries and other things,” Zhumayev added.

This summit is a part of Zhumayev’s project of climbing 14 eight-thousanders without bottled oxygen, which he has already achieved, conquering the Seven Summits that are the highest mountains of each of the seven continents, and reaching the North and South poles on skis. Zhumaev added that once he succeeds with his ambitious project there would be a good chance of making into the Guinness World Records for him.

The mountain climber said that the ascent to McKinely would be very exciting and dangerous because of the ever-changing weather beyond the Arctic circle. The trip to the peak should take little over two week.

“You see, the mountain is beyond the Arctic Circle. The temperature is low, it is windy and the weather changes rapidly because of the Pacific Ocean. It is a very difficult climate. Well, as the saying goes if you're afraid of wolves, don't go into the woods,” he said.

Zhumayev has recently conquered Russia’s highest peak Mount Elbrus (5642 meters) with Vasiliy Pivtsov. Despite harsh weather conditions the two mountain climbers, who have conquiered all 14 eight-thousanders together, put a flag of the Universiade on the peak of Elbrus.

“Elbrus was difficult. But a share miraculously caught a weather opening and ascended. We were just lucky. Others climbing after us were stuck in a hurricane and got lost. There were causalities too. It was icy and I could not descend on skis. But I am glad and Vasiliy is all the more so. He climbed the peak for the first time,” Zhumayev said.

Reporting by Vladimir Prokopenko, writing by Gyuzel Kamalova, editing by Tatyana Kuzmina

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