EVEREST BASE CAMP, MAY 11
Renowned Ukrainian climber Valentyn Sypavin became the first foreigner to scale the world's highest mountain this morning after a team of rope-fixing Nepali climbers stood atop Mt Everest yesterday.
Guided by the legendary climber Sanu Sherpa, the Ukrainian guide and decorated World Cup ice climber reached the summit point at around 4:00 am with the Ukrainian flag, Lakpa Sherpa, Expedition Director at 8K Expeditions, told THT from the base camp.
"The Guinness World Record holder Valentyn, 41, along with double fourteen peaks ascender Sanu Sherpa, 49, reached the summit point and they have been descending to Camp II," Lakpa said.
Valentyn has made his sixth summit of Mt Everest while he has already scaled K2 and Mt Lhotse, according to Lakpa.
Valentyn is from Kharkiv, the war-torn city in Ukraine's east that has been under constant Russian attacks since Russian started its invasion in February 2022. According to sources, if everything goes as per the plan, Valentyn aims to climb Everest thrice this season. "This season, he has become the first foreigner to scale Mt Everest," Sherpa said. Valentyn is a multiple champion and prize-winner of the Ukrainian mountaineering championships.
Sanu Sherpa, a renowned climber from Sankhuwasabha, is the first climber in the world to make double ascent of all 14 peaks above 8,000m in 2022.
