Six Ukrainian men and women reached the summit of Everest on May 14 — marking the most massive ascent in the history of Ukrainian mountaineering. This was reported to Ukrinform by Kharkiv native Valentyn Sypavin, who summited the peak for the eighth time, according to “Dim.”
“The next day, four Ukrainians summited Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest peak, which lies nearby. This was also the most massive ascent for Ukraine in its history. One of the participants even set a record — she climbed both peaks within 12 hours. Normally, these ascents are done separately: Everest on one day, Lhotse on the next. But this time — what a pace! No Ukrainian had ever done that before,” said Valentyn Sypavin.
According to him, the Ukrainian climbers are now back at base camp.
“They’ve descended. They’re feeling well. There are some minor voice issues, but that’s typical — a result of the cold wind,” the Kharkiv native explained.
In addition to Valentyn Sypavin, two other Kharkiv residents took part in the expedition — Vyacheslav Kalashnikov and Margarita Dyachenko.
“With the start of the full-scale invasion, Vyacheslav returned from abroad and joined the defense of the country. He served for nearly three years and was discharged due to injury. And now, he has summited Everest. Margarita became the first woman from Kharkiv to climb both Everest and Lhotse,” he emphasized.
It is noted that Sypavin himself has now reached the summit of Everest for the eighth time since 2017, including twice last year.
