Ueli Steck and Don Bowie have topped out on Cho Oyu, reaching the summit yesterday and nabbing the second 8000 meter peak in just 18 days for Steck. Details remain a bit light at the moment, and the home teams for both men say that they are still returning to Base Camp, where we are likely to get more information, and possibly summit photos this time out.
Back on April 18th, Ueli made a speed climb of Shisha Pangma (8013 m/26,289 ft), going tent-to-tent in under 20 hours. That was just the warm-up for the Swiss climber however, as he immediately left that mountain for Cho Oyu, where he and Don have apparently made another light and fast alpine style ascent. Standing 8201 meters (26,906 ft) in height, Cho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain in the world.
Up next, the duo will head over to Everest to try their luck on the tallest of the 8000 meter peaks. They'll likely arrive just in time as well. With the route to the summit in place, most teams are waiting for a weather window to begin their climb. I'm guessing Don and Ueli will wait out the crowds and rest up in Base Camp, before making another ascent. They'll probably want everyone out of their way once they get moving.
Congrats to Ueli and Don on a job well done. Two 8000 meter peaks in the span of less than three weeks is pretty impressive stuff.
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