British high-altitude mountaineer Kenton Cool, who has climbed Everest a record 11 times, has announced his plans for a new first: the Himalayan Trilogy, which is an attempt to summit the three highest peaks in the world: Everest, Kanchenjunga and K2 in the space of three months.
Cool first conceived the challenge after he successfully completed the Everest Triple Crown, climbing Everest, Lhoste and Nubtse in one season.: “I began to wonder what more I was capable of,” writes Cool on his website. “Some people said that I had really pushed the boundaries of human endurance… yet although I found it hard, I thought I could go a step further with the The Himalayan Trilogy, which will be one of the ultimate expressions of high altitude mountaineering.”
The expedition will start with an attempt on the 8,848m summit of Everest in May, when Cool will take on the mountain’s South East ridge route for the twelfth time – the same route first won by Hilary and Tenzing in 1953.
Next up will be the 8,586m summit of Kanchenjunga, first climbed by Joe Brown and George Band in 1955. Cool will attempt the climb ‘on sight’ without any prior reconnaissance from the south.
Finally, and hopefully within three months of summiting the highest and the third highest peaks in the world, Cool will take on the second highest – the infamously more difficult and dangerous K2. This mountain has claimed one life for every four who have every reached the summit. Cool will attempt to climb top the 8,611m summit via the Abruzzi Spur route, which is the original first ascent line from the 1954 Italian expedition.
For an insight into what drives Kenton Cool see our interview here and to find out more about the Everest Trilogy see KentonCool.com
