In extreme alpinism, you should always be ready to improvise. That’s the wisdom handed down by German climber Jost Kobusch, who’s currently pushing the sport’s boundaries with a long-term project trying to reach the summit of Mount Everest. But wait, you say, don’t hundreds of people climb Everest every year?
Yes, but no one has climbed it like Kobusch. The 32-year-old wants to achieve the summit of the world’s highest mountain in winter, alone and without the benefit of supplemental oxygen. He’s also trying it via the West Ridge, a rarely climbed technical route that’s difficult even in sunny summer months.
Just attempting such a feat requires intense training and preparation, highly technical gear — and a mindset ready to improvise, Kobusch said in an interview with GearJunkie last week.
Case in point: Kobusch was climbing a sheer ice wall on Christmas Eve, testing out a technical section near his first campsite when he realized that he’d accidentally brought old, worn-out crampons. That forced him to put more body weight on his shoulders, as the ice axes were the only points keeping him from a very long fall.
Alpinism is improvisation, Kobusch says — but it’s also about patience. He doesn’t think he’ll complete his project this winter season, his third on the Himalayan mountain in 5 years. But that’s okay with him. He’s more certain than ever that his goal is achievable. Last week, he reached 7,537 m, a new high point above the previous West Ridge record set in 1984. But that was with a full team of French climbers. Kobusch is up there all alone — just the way he likes it.

GearJunkie: How are you feeling after your latest high point? Do you think you’ll go back up again this season?
Kobusch: I’m resting and considering right now. I’ve missed a considerable amount of training, and I’m not in my best shape, and that means more risk that comes with being less fit and, at the same time, missing so much training. I don’t think there’s a real shot at the summit this season.
GJ: How are you feeling compared to your two previous attempts in 2019 and 2021?
Kobusch: I’m missing so much training. I was doing 5,000 steps a day at the beginning of the year. It was a lot of recovery. I’m grateful that I’m here now and I can climb … I wanted to have an attempt last season. I had everything prepared. And a week before the flight to Nepal, I injured my back in training. I did a traverse of Mont Blanc. (I live in Chamonix.) It’s a nice thing for some pre-acclimatization. I experienced strong pain in my leg, and it turned out I herniated a disc.
I thought I was doing everything right. But I guess we all do some mistakes. And later on, I figured out that I wasn’t doing enough strength training. It was a big learning experience. It was so severe I couldn’t walk for some days. I did a rehab process from this. Right now, I’m just basically 90% back to normal. But I’m missing the hours of endurance training.


