Winter Annapurna Expedition Led by Alex Txikon
Alex Txikon is presently trekking into the wintry heart of Annapurna, accompanied by a diverse team that includes Italian climber Mattia Conte.
While Alex Txikon has chosen to keep specific team strategies and climbing styles under wraps, his leadership involves guiding a group of Italian climbers up a trekking peak on the way to Annapurna Base Camp. Among this team stands Mattia Conte, gearing up to take on the formidable Annapurna alongside Txikon and a skilled Sherpa team.
Team Composition and Objectives
Txikon’s Sherpa team comprises renowned climbers such as Chhepal, Ang Gyalu, Magkpa, Ming Temba, and Lakpa. This expedition, coordinated by Txikon in collaboration with Seven Summit Treks, is designed to lead Conte, Domenico Perri, and Llona Mesits to the Chulus—an array of four trekking peaks located just north of Annapurna, close to the Manang village. The group’s primary target is to conquer Chulu East/Far East, as stated by the Italian Alpine Club (CAI).
However, the Chulus present a puzzle due to inconsistencies in their elevations and the varying categorizations across different sources. Expert mountaineer Jamie McGuinness has highlighted discrepancies between the altitudes of Chulu Central and Chulu East, emphasizing the need for cross-referencing with the Nepal Mountaineering Association’s list of trekking peaks.
Despite meticulous measurements of 8,000-meter peaks, trekking peak altitudes receive less rigorous scrutiny. As a result, the expedition’s precise goal—whether targeting the Far East summit, the East summit, or both—remains undisclosed.
In recent social media updates, Txikon shared that the group has ascended beyond the 5,000-meter mark on an unnamed peak within the mountain range. Typically, the route to the Chulus follows the iconic Annapurna circuit, crossing the Thorong La pass and eventually arriving in Manang.
This dual-peak winter strategy echoes Txikon’s past endeavors. In the winter of 2020, he led a team to conquer Ama Dablam before setting his sights on winter Everest, successfully summiting Ama Dablam during both meteorological and astronomical winter. Whether the team will initiate the summit push on the trekking peak before December 21 remains uncertain. While the Chulu peak doesn’t present a historical milestone due to its lower elevation, the climbers anticipate confronting full-fledged winter conditions.
Mattia Conte: A Return to Winter Peaks After K2 Tragedy
For Mattia Conte, this expedition marks his second attempt at conquering an 8,000-meter peak in winter, once again partnering with Seven Summit Treks following the tragic events on K2 in January 2021. After the loss of his friend and expedition partner Sergi Mingote in a fatal fall, Conte decided against a second summit push on Winter K2, a decision that preceded the tragic deaths of four others. Conte’s climbing history includes successful climbs on Manaslu, Gasherbrum II, and Broad Peak, all achieved without supplementary oxygen.
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Julieta Pennington