Sung Taek Hong: "There is a Goddess at the top. She is terrifying and unpredictable"

By Fernanda Insua and Carlos Eduardo González | Alpinismonline Magazine

He is known to have stepped on what is known as the «three poles»: the north pole, the south pole, and the summit of Everest. But as if this were not enough, we must add two more extreme points: having crossed the Bering Strait on foot and Greenland, from end to end on a sled. He is a complete explorer. He reached the top of Everest in 1995, skied to the South Pole in 1994, and hiked to the North Pole in 2005. He also crossed the Bering Strait on foot in 2012 and crossed Greenland on a dog sled in 2011. He was thus the first to the world to reach the five poles (Everest, North and South, Bering Strait, Greenland).

Within the world of mountaineering it is known for a very particular objective, which has been underway for seven attempts, and which has had very few successes throughout history: the south face of the Lhotse. A very complex slope, which has Tomo Cessen as the first climber to achieve it, although not without controversy. A path that took the life of the unforgettable Jerzy Kukuczka in 1989.

We talked to him about different topics and of course about the latter, of which he told us several very interesting details.

Born in South Korea on March 13, 1966, and one of the most important representatives of his country, he has a long mountain history. We leave you with Hong:

-What has been your favorite expedition so far?

It was North Pole Expedition in 2007. At the time, I was with Korean explorer Park Young-Suk. The North Pole expedition was his last goal to achieve the Grand Slam (14 eight thousands plus three poles).

And there was also Bering Straits expedition in 2012. I walked on ice across the Bering strait from Russia to Alaska. That expedition was also one of the best.

-What will be your next expedition?

Next expedition will be my 7th challenge to the Lhotse south face. If this time I couldn´t achieve, I think my luck is just end up here and I won´t challenge the Lhotse south face anymore. And then, my next plan after the Lhotse SF is crossing from the North Pole to the South Pole. I would like to cross our earth only by human power without any vehicles.

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-How do you currently see the climbing of the eight thousands?

It seems that eight thousands of nowadays are quite different with those of 27 years ago when I first met eight thousands. The equipment and the environment are better than the past. So, the mind pressure towards the eight thousands or dangers of challenging 8 thousands has been greatly reduced. It seems that the risk of frostbite and the risk of accidents have gone down markedly.

-You have been at both poles, how do you remember those expeditions? How do you think we can protect Antarctica?

Polar expeditions (NP, SP, Bering strait, Greenland) are very different from Himalayan climbing. Both foods and equipment are completely different. So far, there are not many people who are exploring polar regions than Himalayan mountains, so many people do not know how difficult, painful, cold, and hungry the polar expedition is. Climbing is a vertical movement and polar expedition is a horizontal movement. The polar expedition needs to walk and walk constantly like a marathon for more than 50 days. It is a fight against long patience and cold, a fight against nature, and a fight against ourselves. To good at polar expedition, many experiences are the most important. Success and failure vary greatly depending on whether there are experienced members or not.

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-What have you learned by going to the mountains?

28 years have passed since I started climbing the Himalayas. Now I just have learned how to withstand cold and hunger and how to overcome hardship and suffering in climbing. And I came to know climbing safely from accidents like an animal instinct.

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-How do you choose your expeditions / adventures and how do you plan them?

I decide where to climb just by following my heart. I plan my climbing and prepare it when I feel like I want to and I worth the climbing. I plan it at least two years before, find sponsors, see possibilities and announce those plans. All the expeditions are not enforced by anyone or not determined by social interests.

-Have you fulfilled your dreams?

So far, all my dreams have come true. However, there is one that has not been achieved. It is to climb the Lhotse South Face. I am dreaming it right now. And I would like to add another dream on my list later. The dream of walking across from the North Pole to the South Pole.

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-We leave for the end a very attractive topic: The Lhotse. We go to the south of the Lhotse. What is it about southern Lhotse that makes you go there practically every year?

First of all, the Lhotse South Face is a huge mountain, and a mountain worth climbing obviously. I think it is very different from other mountains in the Himalayas.

It is a mountain that requires a lot of physical strength, climbing skills, danger, and experience, so I think it is a mountain of the mountains. And the higher the height, the more overwhelmed by the vertical wall. Many climbers give up at this point.

When you leave Camp 1, there are very few places where you can put your feet on the ground. Therefore, the risk of falling and the fear that `one mistake can make you fall to the ground´ will undermine confidence to the climbing.

One of the interesting facts that I always feel is that this mountain is sacred. There are gods lives at 7,000 meters and 8,000 meters high. And there is a goddess at the top. And she is very scary and unpredictable. I believe that to climb this mountain permission of the goddess and god is needed. The more I climb, the more I feel the presence of god and hear the sound.

Secondly, through my entire climbing career, I have never felt impossible to climb. So far, even though I tried several times, I think I have not been able to climb the Lhotse South Face with full of my abilities. One of the main reasons was the weather. It didn´t give me enough chance to climb. In my previous climbing, I could not have one good weather window that lasts for more than two days. All I need was good weather for more than 2 days.

The Lhotse South Face is capricious with wind and snow. Wind and snow always stay at the Lhotse South Face while they cannot pass over the Everest.

If the mountain allows me just small weather window that last more than two days, I want to try my best and do all what could be done. Even though I fail, I want to give up after that. I am waiting and preparing the opportunity now.

-What is your greatest difficulty?

My greatest difficulty is that it has become more difficult to find sponsorship because I have failed on the same mountain many times. It is difficult to avoid criticism of failure.

-He has already gone several times with Jorge Egocheaga. What makes you always choose him as a partner?

Jorge is the strongest and most technical mountaineer. Adding his humility, I think he is the best climber in the world now. He is humble and always considers the crew. I think it would be Jorge if there is one person has a full of ability to stand on the top of the Lhotse South Face. He is just the all-time greats on climbing.

During the last climb, in the morning at the Camp 2, Jorge told me that he might have to go down. I said that I respect your decision without asking why and asked him to go down carefully. And we parted. However, even pass the time might Jorge arrived at the base camp, he did not arrive, and I was worried a lot. After several hours long he arrived at the base camp finally. I later found out why he went down quietly alone during the climb and arrived the base camp late. He was injured with a big toe. When he climbs from Camp 1 to Camp 2 at that dawn, His toe was hit by a rockfall and fractured and bruised. However, Jorge did not say anything to our crew and went down to the base camp quietly by himself to avoid any bad effects to our team. He is a great climber.

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-Last season they were with a great group. Finally, when everything seemed finished, he made a fleeting attempt with Jorge that could not materialize. Wasn´t it too many people, and perhaps you could have had a better chance starting with a smaller group?

At that time, there were six climbers, but it was not many. Based on my experience, six seems to be good. For about last time, the wind, snow, and blizzard did not allow us to climb the mountain. The wind there was so strong that the wind sounds like the sounds of an airport runway.

-Six of his seven attempts were in post-monsoon. Is it the best season to face the south of Lhotse?

I thought autumn weather was good before 2000. But after that, the weather seems to be very warm and good in spring. So, I prefer spring and I wanted to climb in the spring. But I could not do in spring and climb in the autumn seasons more times because of the other facts (mostly with sponsorship) than climbing environment.

Will it return to the south of the Lhotse? How?

I will go back again. Now I have one more chance. However, because of the COVID-19, I don´t know when I could get the permit and return to the mountain. I will make a plan depends on situation in Nepal.

Thank you very much Hong for this wonderful testimony.

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