About the EVERST4K Expedition

Everest4K is not only a expedition project, campaign and TV production but the fulfillment of a dream of two friends facing their chance of a lifetime. Working on Everest!

Expedition / Team / Route / Partners
Hannes Künkel

Hannes Künkel

Hannes, Managing Director of Third Pole, is an adventurer and high mountain geographer. Since the early 2000s he’s been hiking and researching all over the Himalayas. He has already produced a map of the Khumbu side of Mt. Everest and is excited to explore the Tibetan side of the mountain as well. If the conditions are good Hannes will be joining the team on their way to the summit together with Nima. As Hannes’ main job is to make quality pictures in thin air rather than achieving certain mountaineering goals there is no question that he will be using oxygen during the ascent.

Nils Peuse

Nils Peuse

Nils, Head of Film at Third Pole, is a photographer, film-maker and outdoor lover. He loves traveling to remote areas in the Himalayas and pitching his tent out in the open. After summiting a 6000m peak close to Everest in 2011 he has been dreaming of going there as well one day. Nils is looking forward to joining the team up to North Col at around 7050m.

FEATURED PROTAGONISTS
Alix von Melle Luis Stitzinger

Alix von Melle & Luis Stitzinger

Alix von Melle and Luis Stitzinger are two of the most active expedition climbers in Germany. During the last two decades they have climbed numerous six and seven-thousand-meter peaks and summited six eight-thousand-meter peaks (Cho Oyu, Gasherbrum II, Nanga Parbat, Dhaulagiri, Broad Peak, Shisha Pangma) without using artificial oxygen. That makes Alix the most successful female German high altitude climber to date. Luis is one of the strongest big mountain skiers worlwide with six partial and full ski descents on 8000m-peaks (Gasherbrum II, Nanga Parbat, Broad Peak, K2, Manaslu, Shisha Pangma). Together they form an effective, well-rehearsed team on the high mountains.

Dominik Müller

Dominik Müller

Dominik is a professional mountain guide and owner of leading German expedition agency Amical Alpin. He’s responsible for the expedition logistics and safe guiding of his clients. Besides that he is also attempting to climb Everest by fair means.

Pemba Sherpa

Pemba Sherpa

Pemba is 39 years old and has been on four Everest expeditions, summiting twice. He was born in the Khumbu-region in the southern part of the Himalayas.

Expedition will not be continued

DISPATCH #9 April 27,  Base Camp at 5150m 
This morning Alix von Melle and Luis Stitzinger, Alexander Brutscher (BR) as well as Nils Peuse and Hannes Künkel (Third Pole) decided to cancel their Everest 2015 expedition in light of the tragic events that have occurred and are still occurring on Mt. Everest and in Nepal.

Earth quake in Nepal

DISPATCH #8 April 25,  Base Camp at 5150m 
As we were waiting for lunch at around 12am the Himalaya was hit by a massive earthquake. The earth was shaking heavily for at least 30 seconds followed by rockfall from the debris flanks.

Into the ice of Everest

DISPATCH #7 April 22,  Base Camp at 5150m 
We left Base Camp for the first time to hike up to an intermediate Camp at 5750m. We followed the glacier tongue of Rongbuk glacier before climbing up into the right tributary of the Eastern Rongbuk glacier which will lead us up to the North Col (7050m).

Adapting to high altitude

DISPATCH #6 April 21,  Base Camp at 5150m 
When we got out of the bus three days ago our single tents had been already pitched by the Sherpa crew so we only had to pitch our production tent. What sounds easy is really hard work when you are not acclimatized and by now we definitely are not.