26 May New Ukrainian Route on Makalu SW wall

 
On May 23, the Ukrainians Serguey Bublik, Dmitry Venslavovsky and Vladimir Roshko reached the summit of Makalu 8,484 meters for a new road on SW wall of the mountain. 
 
The expedition, consisting of twelve climbers and directed by Yuri Kruglov, began March 27th with arrival in Nepal from Kiev;  April 7th all members arrived at Base Camp to the Barun Glacier and there split into three teams that spell in installing fields ever higher, until the last at 7800 meters, in a real siege to the mountain lasted about 50 days. 
 
Andrew Kijko, Maxim Perevalov and  Vladimir Klebansky reached camp 4 at 7500 meters after two days of effort and in two other days climbed  300 vertical meters up to camp 5, then Kijko – suffered frostbite to the feet – and Perevalov  from acute bronchitis – started the descent, replaced by other teammates who had joined them in the meantime.
 
After the failed attempt to the summit of May 21st by  Sasha Zakolodny and  Serguey Pugachev, on May 23 Bublik,  Roshko and Venslavovsky took advantage of (finally) good weather and rising temperatures for the summit push.
 
Between 8300 and 8400 m altitude,  the Ukrainians had to overcome a challenging rocky part, to reach the summit ridge, where they were further slowed by deep snow accumulated by the strong winds of the previous days.
 
During the climb was found the body of Jay Sieger, who died on the mountain with Vladislav Terzyul in 2004.
 
At 18:00 the three have reached the top, from where descended following the normal route, which had previously been fully equipped with fixed ropes by the Sherpas of a commercial expedition.
 
Makalu is the fifth highest mountain on earth, located about 22 km east of Everest. Its summit was first reached in 1955 by Lionel Terray and Jean Couzy, and was the last of 8000ers to be scaled winter, in February of 2009, by Simone Moro and Denis Urubko. Three years before  French alpinist Jean Christophe Lafaille died attempting the first winter ascent.
 
Source : Russianclimb (english) desnivel (spanish)
Ph: Russianclimb