Manaslu 2012 – The Eighth-Highest Mountain in Just 15 Hours

In mid-August, Benedikt Böhm and Sebastian Haag set off with Canadian extreme skier and filmmaker Greg Hill for the world’s sixth-highest mountain – Cho Oyu in Tibet. The team’s goal: a speed ascent followed by a ski descent back to base camp. But then everything changes…

Benedikt Böhm and Basti Haag plan to allow just 24 hours for the ascent from base camp to the summit of Cho Oyu (8,188 m) and the subsequent ski descent. To acclimatise for their ambitious project, they have set their sights on another mountain: Mera Peak (6,461 m) in Nepal. The monsoon is still in full swing there, so they battle their way through seemingly endless torrents of water together with seventeen friends. But in the end, luck is on their side. The planned ‘summit day’ is the only one on which it doesn’t rain, and so in the end all the friends stand together on the summit of Mera Peak!

But then everything turns out differently than planned. Cho Oyu becomes Manaslu (8,163 m). The reason: the Chinese authorities are not allowing the expedition team to enter Tibet. Benedikt Böhm and Basti Haag return to the mountain where they had already failed in 2007: Manaslu in Nepal.

Back then, they had to turn back at 7,300 metres due to the risk of avalanches. This makes their desire to attempt the speed ascent they’ve been planning for years all the stronger. In doing so, they’re deliberately foregoing artificial oxygen and the assistance of high-altitude porters. They’re travelling with only minimal luggage. Two to three litres of water and 20–30 energy gels must last for 24 hours. No tent can serve as a refuge in an emergency. The absolute advantage of a speed ascent, however, is the relatively short time spent in the death zone!

After weeks of acclimatisation and days of bad weather, the time has finally come. The sky clears, the summit comes within reach. Benedikt Böhm’s team and several other expeditions leave base camp for the high camp…