Hungarian climbers are the first to conquer a 6,000-metre peak
The Hungarian National Mountaineering Team has become the first in the world to climb the 5,984 m high Bondit Peak in Pakistan. It took great sacrifice for the determined alpinists to reach the top, some of them completed the superhuman expedition with four amputated fingers.
The Hungarian National Mountaineering Team was established three years ago, but due to the coronavirus epidemic, no expeditions could be organised until this spring. The team set off from Pakistan in July to hunt unclimbed peaks and routes in the unexplored Nangma Valley. The determined Hungarian mountaineers visited peaks that did not even have names, so some of them were named by them. Such was the 5,400m peak above the K6 base camp. Soon after, they started their journey to be the first to conquer the 5,984m Bondit Peak.
The Hungarian climbing team includes Viktor Ágoston who is a resident doctor, László Száz who works as a veterinarian and Bence Kerekes, a design engineer, living in Switzerland. All three are obsessed with mountains. However, Bence’s climbing career was in danger last March when he had to have four fingers amputated after a climb – reported by rtl.hu.
While climbing the Mönch summit, his pass iron broke at 3,711 metres. During a rest, his thick gloves fell out of his jacket and he rolled down the mountainside. The Hungarian alpinist continued climbing and descended the other side of the mountain, but Bence’s hand froze at the end of the 28-hour climb, after which he had to have four fingers amputated. In Geneva, the doctors tried to save as many of his fingers as possible. Since then, he has had seven more corrective surgeries.
This summer’s expedition was a big return for him. The team was overwhelmed with euphoria when they finally reached Bondit Peak. The climbing companions hugged each other in joy, and Bence buried his face in the snow with tears of happiness on his face – reported by Szeretlek Magyarország.
Nowadays, Pakistan and the unconquered peaks in the Karakoram range, at 5,000 to 6,000 metres, have become extremely popular among professional climbers. These peaks are climbed without any assistance, without sherpas, fixed ropes or ready-made base camps.
Read also: The first Hungarian just climbed the world’s toughest mountain without an Oxygen tank
Professional climbing to such heights can be extremely risky, causing several fatal accidents. This is the reason why the mayor of a French town proposed the introduction of a funeral deposit at the beginning of August. The amount is no less than a deposit of EUR 15,000. The town’s leader, Jean-Marc Peillex, has had enough of the municipality having to pay the rescue costs of every climber in trouble, so he prefers to ask for the money upfront, including the cost of the funeral in case of an unfortunate accident. According to the mayor of the most popular route to Mont Blanc, the French town of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, the rescue is estimated at EUR 10,000 and the funeral at EUR 5,000, bringing the total to EUR 15,000.
According to the Hungarian news portal Világgazdaság, the route has been suspended indefinitely, as there have been several reports of rockfalls in the area. Locals try to draw attention to the dangers. Nevertheless, many people are reportedly trying to reach the summit.
