KATHMANDU: With the start of this year’s main climbing season, a few record holding climbers are going to attempt two different mountains without using supplemental oxygen in an alpine style, according to the expedition organiser.

Slovakian climber Peter Hámor, 53, and Romanian alpinist Horia Dan Colibasanu, 42, have already reached the base camp of Mt Dhaulagiri to attempt to climb the mountain via the still unclimbed Northwest Ridge, according to Beni Hyoju, Expedition Director at Cho Oyu Treks.

“They are now at the Japanese base camp to open the route via Northwest Ridge on Mt Dhaulagiri,” she said adding that the three-member team also includes another Romanian alpinist 52-year-old Marius Gane.

“They will attempt to climb the seventh highest peak in the world without supplemental oxygen and Sherpa support,” she said. In 2017, Hámor, the only climber in the world who climbed Mt Annapurna twice, had successfully climbed Mt Dhaulagiri becoming the first Slovak climber to complete all 14 mountains above 8,000 m without using supplemental oxygen while Colibasanu had also stood atop the roof of the world from Tibet side becoming the first Romanian climber to Mt Everest, his eighth 8000er, without using the bottled oxygen.

An Italian couple will also be arriving here on Monday to attempt to climb Mt Khambachen (7,784 m) in the Kanchenjunga region in an alpine style, according to Hyoju.

“Italian alpinist Nives Meroi, 58, along with her Slovenian husband Romano Benet, 58, aims to explore a new route avoiding the Southeast Ridge on Mt Khambachen,” she said, adding that the couple wouldn’t be using supplemental oxygen and Sherpa support. The duo had climbed Mt Annapurna (8,091 m) becoming the first couple to successfully summit all 14 peaks above 8,000m in 2017. Also, Meroi is the second woman climber in the world to complete all 14 eight-thousanders without oxygen support.

“The couple will leave for Taplejung to set up their base camp on Wednesday,” she informed.