The cross through Nepal

Crossing Nepal from south to north and east to west

Because of its 8 tops, which in these parts of Nepal reach a height of over 8000m, and one of them being the famous and biggest – Everest, Nepal is the most recognizable country in the world. With its shapes it kind of reminds you of a really thin and smaller sized, no-longer-existing, Yugoslavia. In the west direction – east lays about 900 km air-distance away, in the north direction – south lays about 200 km air-distance away. It stands on the same parallel line as the upper part of Africa, just a few thousand kilometers more to the west.

In 1975 I managed to come to this wondrous country for the first time. Today, after more than 50 trips, it is still as wondrous as it was the very first time. It was there that I managed to celebrate most of my climbing successes and most tragedies alike. I am therefore very deeply connected to Nepal, its amazing nature, but mostly with its people. In 2012, I decided to link all of my previous trips to Nepal and sum them up in a logical whole. And so I came up with my plan to climb the whole Himalayan Mountains, from north to south and east to west, in a cross. The most challenging parts of these undertakings, the tops which start on a height of over 6000 m, 7000m and 8000 m I already conquered. I reached the most south side on 10th October 1975, 8481m high, on mountain Makalu, which borders Tibet and/or China. The most south point of which I climbed was in March 2017, where I managed to walk the last few kilometers to the city Jogbani, which lies on the Indian border and is only 110 m high.

During my trip from east to west, I managed to climb the over 8000m high Manaslu, Cho Oyu, Everest and Lhotse, and some other, a bit lower mountain tops. The most western part of Nepal I reached on 1st May 1991 on a top reaching 8586m, on the mountain peak Kangchenjunga, on the Indian border. On the next trips that followed and will follow to the west, are therefore only a few minor-challenging tops left, tops which don’t reach over 6000m. That is why I believe that I will succeed in my undertaking in the next few years to come. And I am also preparing a movie and a book about all of these as well.

All the time, from start to finish, I will also still support my humanitarian action to help the Nepal people after the catastrophic earthquake, which devastated Nepal in 2015. I was witness to a great tragedy that time. I was especially shook about the most destroyed region – Langtang, where I started one of my climbing expeditions at that time. My friends and I were saving countless people of that region and came to see the devastation, tragedy and despair all too closely. It was at that time that I swore to myself that I will continue to try to help these affected people with all means necessary. After the earthquake, I returned 4-times already and brought some means gathered and donated in Slovenia to help the ones in need. The idea of crossing Nepal therefore found its true and logical meaning and place with the ongoing humanitarian action I am continuing, so it may be of some benefit to those who truly need it.