Catalan mountaineer Sergi Mingote (48) announced his new project "14X1000 Catalonia Project", in which he wants to summit 14 eight-thousanders of the planet in a record time of 1000 days and without supplemental oxygen. Mingote will do it as an ambassador of the Olympic candidacy "Pirineus Barcelona 2030". Mingote has started his project on 14th September. He wants to surpass the world record of Korean Kim Chang-Ho, who took 7 years, 10 months and 6 days to complete the summit of 14 eight-thousanders without the use of supplemental oxygen. Mingote's intention is to achieve it in half the time, in about a thousand days.
Sergi Mingote has already completed his previous project "3x2x8000" where he climbed 6 eight-thousanders (Gasherbrum II, Nanga Parbat, K2, Manaslu, Broad Peak and Lhotse) in only 367 days without the use of supplemental oxygen. To achieve this historic milestone, the ascension of the remaining eight peaks has to be completed in 600 days.
The first will be Dhaulagiri (8167m), the seventh highest mountain in the world and one of the most difficult due to its location and meteorology. Next, Annapurna (8091m - March 2020), Kangchenjunga (8596m - May 2020), Gasherbrum I (8068m - July 2020), Cho Oyu (8201m - September 2020), Shishapangma (8027m - October 2020), Makalu (8463m - April 2021) and Everest (8848m - May 2021).
For Mingote, "14x1000 Catalonia Project - Pirineus Barcelona 2030" is a "great opportunity to showcase our country to the world, and to show the virtues of our beloved Pyrenees as the future headquarters of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games." He also pointed out: "to do so from the highest peaks in the world, in an alpinistic project of these dimensions, but so respectful of nature and the environment, is the perfect fusion of the Olympic spirit."
The new project will also allow the medical team of the CAR (CENTRE D'ALT RENDIMENT) of Sant Cugat to get the new data on performance and height, which will serve as a reference to apply workout parameters with oxygen deficit to resistance sports. The director of the CAR, Ramon Terrassa, said that "it is a gift for the center to work with Sergi Mingote because we learnt a lot. With his experience in height, we can study various fields of physiology, establish links between preparation and performance and create protocols for future expeditions."
Photo Courtesy: Sergi Mingote