Nepal: The speed ascent of Manaslu (8,163 m) was considered an ambitious project by the three Dynafit athletes Benedikt Böhm, Sebastian Haag and mountain guide Nicolas Bonnet.

Speed means: no breaks, maximum pace both uphill and downhill. On Manaslu, speed means 3,263 metres of elevation gain from base camp (4,900 m) to the summit – without high-altitude camps, without a supply station and without a trail laid to the summit! Followed by the descent on skis.

After days of waiting at base camp due to heavy snowfall, the athletes were finally able to start the speed ascent on 3 October 2007. After three hours, the three were already at an altitude of 6,200 metres – in temperatures of -30 degrees, they continued their ascent.

Must-have: a strong will not to give up. At an altitude of 7,400 metres, just 150 metres below the safe shoulder of Manaslu, the speed ascent had to be abandoned by the athletes due to a high risk of avalanches.

The right decision: the ski mountaineers’ common sense prevailed. Successes are a result of human strength.