The Iron Winter: Simone Moro and Denis Urubko Conquer Makalu

Among the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter giants, Makalu (8,485m)—the black granite pyramid rising along the border of Nepal and Tibet—stood as one of the most stubborn fortresses in winter. Over nearly thirty years, sixteen separate international winter expeditions led by some of the greatest alpinists on Earth, including Jean-Christophe Lafaille who perished on the peak in 2006, had been systematically shattered by the ferocious Makalu wind. The jet stream over Makalu regularly generates hurricane winds of over 120 km/h, stripping snow down to bullet-hard blue ice and dropping effective wind chill below -60°C.

In January 2009, Italian winter veteran Simone Moro and Kazakh high-altitude machine Denis Urubko decided to attempt the mountain. Rather than relying on a massive siege expedition with miles of fixed rope, they chose a minimalist, lightweight approach: just two climbers, minimal gear, and strictly zero supplemental bottled oxygen.

The War Against the Makalu Wind

Arriving at Base Camp at 5,700 meters in the desolate Barun Valley, Moro and Urubko faced immediate adversity. The jet stream roared overhead like an uninterrupted freight train. Setting up lightweight tents at Camp II (6,900m), they spent nights leaning their bodies against the bending aluminum poles to prevent the fabric from ripping to shreds.

Every step on the lower French Route required supreme concentration. The mountain was locked in winter armor—brittle blue ice where crampon points barely scratched the surface. To avoid debilitating frostbite, the pair carried specialized multi-layered high-altitude boots and insulated down suits, yet ambient temperatures inside their tents rarely rose above -25°C.

The Window of Steel

In early February, meteorologist Karl Gabl in Innsbruck, Austria, sent a critical satellite forecast: a brief, 36-hour drop in jet stream velocity was approaching. Moro and Urubko seized the opportunity immediately. Moving swiftly, they climbed up to the Makalu La at 7,400 meters on February 7, pitching their assault tent on a razor-sharp col exposed to the gale.

The night before the summit was a trial of endurance. Water froze solid within minutes of boiling. Sleep was impossible as sub-zero frost formed thick layers across their faces and sleeping bags. At 6:00 AM on February 9, 2009, in darkness and temperatures hovering near -40°C, the two men stepped out into the frozen wind.

Conquering the Black Pyramid

Climbing without artificial oxygen, every breath was an excruciating struggle for air in the hypoxic atmosphere. Denis Urubko led through the steep French Couloir, navigating technical rock slabs and hard ice with surgical precision. Simone Moro followed closely, maintaining a relentless pace to prevent hypothermia from setting in.

By midday, they breached the final rock band beneath the summit ridge. Negotiating the knife-edge crest above immense vertical drops into Tibet, Moro and Urubko stepped onto the highest point of Makalu at 2:00 PM local time. On top, wind gusted fiercely, whipping the Tibetan prayer flags into ribbons.

They embraced in silent triumph: Makalu, the last of the four Nepalese eight-thousander giants to resist winter, had finally been climbed. Their rapid, oxygen-free alpine ascent proved that extreme high-altitude winter mountaineering could be accomplished cleanly by two partners through pure speed, fitness, and brotherhood.