EKSPEDICIJE HRVATA NA MOUNT EVEREST
U proljeće 1979. godine organizirana je prva jugoslavenska ekspedicija na najviši vrh svijeta. Vođa ekspedicije je bio Tone Škarja, a jezgru su činili uglavnom slovenski alpinisti. No, u ekspediciju su uvrštena i po dva alpinista iz Bosne i Hercegovine, te iz Hrvatske. Hrvatski članovi ekspedicije su bili Stipe Božić i Vladimir Mesarić. Cilj ekspedicije je, osim uspona na najviši vrh svijeta, bio ispenjati i novi smjer po dugom, tehnički iznimno zahtjevnom i snažnim vjetrovima izloženom zapadnom grebenu.
U tome je ekspedicija i uspjela 13. svibnja 1979. kada su novi smjer usponom na vrh zaključili slovenski alpinisti Andrej Štremfelj i Nejc Zaplotnik. Iako u početku ekspedicije nije bio u prvom planu, zahvaljujući dobrom snalaženju prilikom aklimatizacijskih uspona na planinu, Stipe Božić postao je partner u navezi Stanetu Belaku-Šraufu, koji je već u to vrijeme bio jedan od najistaknutijih slovenskih penjača i slovio je kao jedan od favorita za uspon na vrh. Zahvaljujući tome, Belak, Božić i šerpa Ang Phu činili su drugi navez koji se 15. svibnja uspio kao drugi popeti na vrh. Drugo jutro, pred sam kraj silaska s težeg dijela, Ang Phu se poskliznuo i poginuo nakon pada.
Uspješan uspon prvenstvenim smjerom uvrstio je Stipu Božoća u red vodećih svjetskih alpinista, živućih legendi i svojevrsnog sinonima za hrvatski alpinizam.
Stipe Božić i Viki Grošelj priključili su se 1989. godine prvoj makedonskoj ekspediciji na Mount Everest. Grošelj i Božić su prvenstveno imali cilj popeti se na Lhotse, u čemu je Grošelj uspio 30. travnja. Stipe Božić je morao odustati na 8200 m zbog ozeblina. Svega desetak dana poslije, uz Makedonca Dimitara Ilijevskog, uspio je i uspon na Everest, po normalnom smjeru. Na silasku je Dimitar Ilijevski zalutao i smrznuo se na planini. Bio je to drugi Božićev uspon na najviši vrh svijeta, i po drugom smjeru, po čemu je prvi Europljanin, nakon Reinholda Messnera, kome je to uspjelo.
/ENG/
CROATIAN EXPEDITIONS TO MOUNT EVEREST
In the spring of 1979, the first Yugoslav expedition to the highest peak of the world was organized. The leader of the expedition was Tone Škarja, and the core consisted mainly of Slovenian alpinists. However, two alpinists from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia were also included in the expedition. The Croatian members of the expedition were Stipe Božić and Vladimir Mesarić. The goal of the expedition, in addition to the ascent to the highest peak in the world, was to climb a new route along the long, technically extremely demanding west ridge exposed to strong winds.
The expedition succeeded in this on 13 May 1979, when Slovenian alpinists Andrej Štremfelj and Nejc Zaplotnik concluded a new direction by climbing to the top. Although he was not in the foreground at the beginning of the expedition, thanks to his good coping skills during the acclimatization ascents to the mountain, Stipe Božić became a partner of with Stane Belak-Šrauf, who had already been one of the most prominent Slovenian climbers at that time and was known as one of the frontrunners to climb to the top. Thanks to that, Belak, Božić and Ang Phu made up the second group that managed to reach the top as the second one on May 15. On the second morning, at the end of the descent from the hardest part, Ang Phu slipped and died after falling.
The successful ascent in the first route included Stipa Božić among the world’s leading alpinists, living legends and a synonym for Croatian alpinism.
Stipe Božić and Viki Grošelj joined the first Macedonian expedition to Mount Everest in 1989. Grošelj and Božić primarily had the goal of climbing Lhotse, which Grošelj succeeded in doing on April 30. Stipe Božić had to give up at 8200 m due to frostbite. Only ten days later, along with the Macedonian Dimitar Ilijevski, he also managed to climb Everest, following the regular route.
On the way down, Dimitar Ilijevski lost his way and froze to death on the mountain. It was Božić’s second ascent to the highest peak in the world, and in a different direction, making him the first European, after Reinhold Messner, to do so.
