
We interviewed Jost Kobusch exclusively on the last day of 2024, after his first rotation, on his third winter attempt on Everest, via the West Ridge. Many conclusions, about the challenge, but much more importantly, about what he is like, in his delightful exchange of sensations, with the mountain.
By: Carlos Eduardo González | Alpinismonline Magazine | Watch the interview in Spanish from here
All photos credit Jost Kobusch
What can be said about this challenge, which has the vast majority of those of us who admire this very special way of dealing with the mountains in suspense. Without commercial expeditions, without guides, in a solitary exchange with nature, which leaves everything there, at its disposal, for whoever has the drive, the desire, and of course, the courage to face complex challenges, who dares.
And the 32-year-old German climber is daring, for the third time, in short steps, in stages, subtly dealing with the giant, so that he can understand that what he intends to achieve is simply the most sublime of experiences, without leaving any trace, only his name written in the history of the great achievements of mountaineering.
As he says, 7500m was the highest climb that was ever reached in winter on this route in 1984. A route that back in 1963, an American expedition, definitely went down in history, for having achieved this feat. And one man in particular, who left us very recently, with more than 90 years behind him, gave his name to one of the most famous «couloirs» or routes, if you will, and which all great climbers long to overcome. The Hornbein couloir, or simply, the Hornbein couloir.
We talked a few words about the Hornbein couloir with Jost, but find out for yourself. I’ll leave you with him.
Jost, back on Everest for a challenge as interesting as it is complex. Looking back a little on your two previous attempts on this route and this season, what do you think is the best learning that the mountain has left you with in those two attempts, and how will you apply that learning?
My two previous attempts and the learnings, I would argue with every attempt I learned how to minimize things further and further and take only the absolute essentials.
It was like going from this very big expedition style in the beginning with tents and the base camp and so on and then maybe asking myself, do I really need a base camp with tents or could I also just stay in the village?
And on this expedition that I’m doing right now, I’m taking them to the next step. It’s just like you’re questioning every single piece of equipment that you need or not need. And just like perfection is not achieved when there’s nothing more to add but when there’s nothing more to take away perfection is essential and I think that’s what taught me and that’s what I’m striving for.

You have said for some time now that overcoming 8000m would be a great success. What would be your goal for this new attempt?
For the current attempts, my goal is to go higher than 7,500 meters. That is the highest ever achieved altitude on the Westridge in the winter. It was achieved in 1984 by two French men.
Analyzing the West Ridge route, it is difficult to find a section that can be considered the “most accessible”. But let’s go back to the beginning. On the section to Lho La, where would be the location of camps C1 and C2?
Camp one would be around 5,700 meters in the wall in the rocks leading up to Lola. Camp two is on top of Lola, maybe around 6,100, something like that or 6,000. I know those are short distances but then there’s a somewhat technical climbing in the lowest shoulder and so my camp three would be around 6,4, camp 4, 6,8. Those are short distances and in the future I hope to make the distances longer, reduce the amount of camps but to be perfectly honest with you I’m just recovering from a back injury that occurred so last winter to me and I’m not in good shape you know.
It’s like really I miss so much training so yeah I’m there, I’m an experienced alpinist, I’m a librarian of experience but unfortunately I missed a lot of really good training so on this attempt my camp distances are shorter and I have a more conservative approach.
We can see that above Lho La, to access the western shoulder, there would be two routes. A more direct one, more exposed to the Serac, and a longer one that avoids the serac to the left and advances on the shoulder. Your preference was the first option. Are you still with the same plan? Why?
Regarding the two routes in that west shoulder, the left and the right option, there are multiple factors to consider. First of all, there’s a site at the bottom that is very difficult to pass, so you need to find a good passage to pass it. And then if it’s extremely windy, I would argue that the left option is less exposed to that wind than the right option. The CERAC, I haven’t seen so much activity honestly, so I’m not so much concerned about the CERAC, but it’s a winter expedition and winter expeditions in the Himalayas are very wind-intense. And therefore, if it’s extremely windy, I tend more to west to left side. And if we have stable conditions, the right side is

On your first attempt, I understand you were able to reach 7300m, already over the western shoulder, although without being able to progress too much. What is the route like from there on, if you can get past that point?
On my first attempt in 2020, I think in February, I reached 7,366 meters, which took me a full 64 days of expedition plus acclimatization. And so I was a long journey. I believe it could easily have taken five months or something to get there. From there on, why didn’t continue back then? It’s just like a long ridge that goes up and down. It’s a bit wavy structure leading towards the mountain, where you then traverse into the north-west face.
It’s really like a ridge walk. And if it’s windy, you’re fully hit by the wind up there.
We know that in winter conditions, many factors come into play on an expedition of this kind. If you were to reach 8,000m, you would already be at the door of the Hornbein Couloir. What would be the plan from then on, in case “all the planets aligned”, as they say?
Well, in case the stars align and I would be able to sleep one night at the Hornbein Couloir bottom, which is 8,000, our descent and recover, rehydrate, wait for the perfect weather window and then to a push because I believe it needs at least a night and 8,000 to be acclimatized enough to go to the summit.
So yeah, I guess in case the stars would align the night at the Hornbein Couloir previously is a key factor in order to have a successful summit attempt.

What is the deadline?
regarding your questions of the deadline. I believe in the tightest possible winter definition, which is beginning with the calendar winter at the winter solstice, which in this year was I think at the 21st of December.
And it ends with the metrological winter, the 28th of February. I believe in this definition, because first of December, our summit is not really the winter in my opinion.
And on the 22nd of March, neither. And those are the other outside definitions. If you take the other edges of metrological and calendar winter.
These types of challenges that you do, alone, on complex routes, like this one for example. What does it awaken in you? Why do you do it?
Why am I there alone doing this very difficult stuff? I think I heard in a movie, I think it was in Seve, and they say the Tibetans believe that the journey is purification.
In the heart of the journey, the greater the purification, I guess it all started out with me not finding climbing partners and then coming from an area without mountains and then going alone out of these adventures and realizing that it’s helping me a lot to answer essential questions of life.
Now it just turned into a way of life. I would say I enjoy difficult challenges, the more difficult, the more rewarding. Being alone there helps me to enter a very deep flow experience.
I’m just observing, I’m just existing, I’m seeing the wellness facts. It’s like a meditation and it’s very rewarding and it gives meaning to my life because I’m curious about what I can achieve as an athlete, what I’m capable of as a human being and obviously very curious about what’s up there because we don’t know so much about it.
That drives me, the curiosity really drives me, gives meaning, gives direction to my life and obviously the greater the challenge, the greater the experience.
Estimating that you can achieve a goal in this attempt, any one, it doesn’t matter which one, where the summit is not involved, would you continue next year?
Yeah, so the goal question, I would say, I mean, ultimately the goal is not to do something very like short term here, break some records and so on.
The goal is long term to climb errors. So yeah, I’ll be back. I’ll be back to climb that peak again and again and again.
It’s about the journey, you know, and I know people always say it’s the journey. It’s the journey. I genuinely enjoy the transformation and I know right now I’m not the alpinist. That’s ready to summit.
I need to build skill to become someone who can summit in winter solo without oxygen. And that’s the beauty of the journey.
And well, if you are willing to listen to that very painful feedback that maybe some of my mentors give me, that some of the root gives me that my body gives me and I can take that feedback and build skill to become somebody who is ready, who is ready to do it. So I enjoy that transformation and I’ll be back.
Thank you very much Jost.

What an amazing achievement it shall be for the climbing world to have made the ascent of what most people could dream of doing. Placing that last step in a solo winter expedition to the summit of Mt. Everest. I have to say I’m not a climber to extremes by any use of the word, but that takes alot of heart to do what your doing and paying attention to every move every step up that mountain w/o oxygen has to be incredibly humbling. When we see that selfie on the summit it will surely put a smile to my face. Be safe.
What a disaster this is going to be . He will end up on youtube on a 20 minute post telling his story and how his life came to a tragic ending. Anyone with half a brain should know this is suicide and he should never be granted a permit. This guy is two bricks short of a load when it comes to intelligence and zero common sense