I hope it goes well

Jost Kobusch has big plans: After Christmas 2019, the 27-year-old wants to climb Mount Everest solo and without additional oxygen via the challenging Hornbein Couloir. This is part 2 of our "Instaview" with Jost Kobusch. It is now mid-December, Kobusch has climbed the Amotsang, Kobusch's girlfriend, a successful trail runner, has visited and he is about to set off to Everest base camp.

In the first part of our instaview with Jost Kobusch the mountaineer explains why he doesn't want to arrive at all.

OutDoor Society: How are you now? What is the status of the preparations?
Jost Kobusch: The training was great, I went trailrunning a bit. Once my girlfriend and I managed a distance of just over 30 kilometers and almost 1000 meters in altitude - we ran from 3800 to 4700 meters. It went constantly up and down. We did a lot of altitude work and I felt super. I've just caught a bit of a cold and a little cough. It is already fading away, but such small things can remain long-term problems at great heights. I hope it goes well.

Speaking of hope: Do you sometimes doubt your daring solo expedition on Mount Everest?
It's a bit like failure: If you don't get your backside kicked, you haven't set your sights high enough. I have no doubts about the goal and the methodology, I only have doubts that it will be successful at the first attempt. I don't think that's likely. But in itself I am very convinced of the whole strategy. (Editor's note: Kobusch has been in the Himalayas since early autumn and relies on a very pronounced, long acclimatization phase.)

So what's it gonna be like for you till Christmas?
Tomorrow we get up at 4am, at 4.30am the driver picks us up and we, my photographer Daniel Hug and I, fly to Lukla. From there we continue to Everest Base Camp. We'll film something and take some pictures. Daniel and I will spend some time at the base camp and then take everything we have up there with us again. And then my super expedition starts, probably around Christmas, maybe shortly afterwards. Maybe there will be a Christmas party at Base Camp - the highest Christmas party I've ever had.