KATHMANDU: Spanish climber Alex Txikon today said that strong winds forced his team to abandon their attempt to climb Mt Everest without supplemental oxygen from Nepal side in the winter season.

The 36-year-old along with his climbing partner Muhammad Ali Sadpara and climbing Sherpas arrived in Kathmandu from the Mt Everest region calling off their only winter expedition on the world’s highest peak due to high winds.

“We have waited for long to find a fair window but weather condition was not in our favour this time,” the mountaineer told THT. According to him, the team had, however, made it to near camp four to make a final summit push.

“This time, we could not make it but will certainly return to Mt Everest next winter to achieve our goal,” he said, adding that they had a strong and dedicated team.

According to him, he along with Ali Sadpara, Temba Bhote Sherpa and Nuri Sherpa successfully stood atop Mt Pumori (7,161 m) on January 20 without using supplemental oxygen becoming the only team to scale a peak above 7,000 m in the winter climbing season, according to Chhang Dawa Sherpa, Board Director at Seven Summit Treks, the local organiser of the expedition.

The Txikon-led two member team was the only expedition on Mt Everest this winter as the mountaineer planned to set the world record becoming the first foreigner to climb Mt Everest without supplemental oxygen in the winter climbing season.

The mountaineer had also abandoned his bid on Mt Everest in the last winter season citing a bad weather condition.

Only Nepali mountaineer Ang Rita Sherpa made it to the top of the world’s highest peak without O2 in 1987. According to a record, only 15 successful winter ascents were made on the Mt Everest till date since Polish climber Leszek Cichy first reached the top of the world in February 1979.