BlackYak Athlete Jost Kobusch Conquers Annapurna Summit

Published by Mountainblog on 05/17/2016.

Jost Kobusch has accomplished it: the 23-year-old extreme mountaineer has conquered the 8091-metre-high Himalayan summit of the Annapurna. On 1st May he succeeded to climb one of the most dangerous mountains in the world via the north route. Kobusch, who went without additional oxygen and without any help from Sherpas throughout his expedition, is the youngest and is one of the first eight German mountaineers to have stood on this summit.

Jost Kobusch’s expedition lasted 48 days. His aim: to climb one of the most dangerous mountains in the world, the 8091-metre-high Annapurna, without additional oxygen and with no extra help. “In particularly it is the extreme cold, the strong winds, the rapid weather changes and the high avalanche risks which make this mountain dangerous”, reports the BlackYak athlete on his climb. On his first summit attempt on 15th April, he had to abandon the climb at 7400 metres high. It had been too cold and too windy. “I was there with no additional oxygen and no Sherpas, so it was better to turn around straight away in order to regroup and save my strength for a second attempt”, says Kobusch.
An opportune weather window opened towards the end of his expedition. On 1st May, Kobusch, who climbed via the north flank, was ecstatic as he became one of the first eight German mountaineers on the summit. “I am very happy with how the climb worked out and for me to be the youngest German so far to be able to stand on the Annapurna summit is incredible”, says Kobusch. The climb however came with some complications along the way. “On the summit the other mountaineers and I were in a whiteout and we had problems finding the right route on the way down. I thought we were in serious trouble as if we had remained up there overnight, it would have meant certain death”, reports Kobusch. Despite the whiteout, dehydration and hallucinations, Kobusch managed to go to the right point in order to be able to safely climb down.

Apart from the the successful climb and descent, Kobusch, who caught people’s attention with his video recordings of the earthquakes in Nepal in 2015, has achieved another record, which has earned him a place in the Guinness Book of Records. He played a game of chess 20 metres under the summit with an Israeli mountaineer.
“The idea came to us whilst we were in base camp. During the long periods of bad weather we spent our time playing chess and we said, if we make it to the summit, we will play a game of chess there”, told Kobusch of what was probably the highest and most dangerous game of chess in the world. On his expedition to Annapurna, Kobusch used the current Autumn-Winter 16/17 collection by BlackYak as well as some prototypes from the winter after next.
“BlackYak places a lot of value on its development, so that the products are innovative and functional. Above all they must stand up to the stresses and high impact of expedition conditions. All products have definitely earned the ‘Expedition proofed’ stamp”, says Kobusch, who, despite the extreme cold weather, suffered no frostbite.

Professional mountaineer Jost Kobusch, who four days after his Annapurna climb was already back in Germany, has still not planned his next expedition. The dream of the young BlackYak athlete, after his first climb up a mountain over 8000 metres, is to also conquer the other 13 mountains over 8000 metres. Kobusch can already cross Annapurna, one of the technically most difficult and dangerous mountains, off his list.

INFO: BlackYak

Powerful and majestic, the Yak moves continuously up the mountain. Fully loaded with expedition material, these animals are used to strain and hard work. Their robust form has enabled them to survive the ice age, continuing under the most arduous conditions. They live in the Himalayan Mountains. Yak’s also benefit people in many ways. They give wool, milk, and meat. They are perfect for riding or transporting large and heavy loads. It is effectively the Sherpa of Sherpa’s. The best friend of the mountain climber. For these reasons, BlackYak has chosen the Yak as a namesake and company logo. It symbolizes the connection with the mountain climbers, the Yaks, the mountains, nature. BlackYak was founded in 1973 in Seoul / South Korea. The company aim was to make the climbing process easier for mountaineers by providing them with the best possible clothing and product. In short, BlackYak seeks to be just as valuable a companion to mountaineers as the Yaks. The development work of BlackYak benefit ambitious mountaineers, ski tourers and hikers. They all value the functional clothing of BlackYak, which offers them protection against cold, wet and wind. South Korea is the second largest outdoor market in the world. As domestic market leader BlackYak’s growth continues. BlackYak will celebrate ist market launch in Europe with a technical and functional collection with a strong focus on European style and body fit. Based in the centre of Munich, BlackYak has established it’s new European headquarters. An in-house European team with extensive global experience in the development and production of high end outdoor clothing takes care of the development of the collection, and a successful launch on the European outdoor market..