Reinhold Messner meets Alex Txikon at Everest base camp

KATHMANDU: Legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner flew to the Mt Everest base camp in north-eastern Nepal from Kathmandu to meet Spanish climber Alex Txikon on Monday morning.

Messner hailed the Spaniard, who is on a second attempt to climb the world's highest peak without supplemental oxygen in the winter climbing season, for taking up one of the toughest challenges in life and extended him good wishes for the mission, according to Mingma Sherpa, Managing Director at

Seven Summit Treks.

Adhering to the Italian legend's mantra on traditional alpinism, Txikon along with six Sherpa climbers is currently at the base camp.

“Life gives you surprises!” the Spaniard alpinist commented after meeting Messner at the base camp.

“In that moment of happiness in which I thought that the greatest experience of my life couldn’t be overcome, Reinhold Messner my greatest idol and inspiration, comes to the Base Camp, to support me in my challenge of trying to ascend Everest in winter and without bottled oxygen,” he wrote on Facebook.

"The god of the mountains" was the first mountaineer with Peter Habeler to ascend the top of the world without bottled oxygen, and then crowned him alone, he shared on his Facebook page, "The support he has given us is indescribable; an energy kick from the hand of the greatest. Thank you, Messner, your steps are our way!"

The alpinist has a plan to set the world record becoming the first foreigner to climb Mt Everest without supplemental oxygen in the winter climbing season, according to Sherpa.

Txikon has obtained a climbing permit for a 75-day winter expedition on Mt Everest from the Department of Tourism but the DoT officials claimed that the winter season has run till February end.

If Txikon wants to continue climbing in the Spring season, which begins from March 1, his team must pay a royalty of USD 11,000 per member to the government as per the country’s mountaineering Regulations, the officials claimed.