The Eight Bulgarian Mountaineers Remained Forever in the Himalayas

Eight Bulgarian climbers stayed forever in the Himalayan snow embrace.

The "Snow House" is a mountain range that separates the Indo-Ganges Plain from the Tibet Plateau. It has sheltered nine of the highest peaks on the ground (out of 10), and the one with the highest altitude - Everest.

Many of the Himalayan peaks are sacred in Buddhism and Hinduism. The mountain has deeply shaped the cultures of South Asia.

The first Bulgarian mountaineer is Hristo Prodanov. In 1984 he became the first Bulgarian to conquer Everest. He was alone, without an oxygen apparatus. Prodanov climbed the peak by taking on the longest and most difficult western slope of the mountain - The Cruel Way.

This event has been stirring up people today, especially since they heart the words that the climber Radoslav from the First Bulgarian expedition repeated to Prodanov on the radio: "Do not fall asleep, you are a Bulgarian! Everything is fine, people run on you, please do not fall asleep!"

A strong emotion carries the sacrifice of his friend - alpinist Lyudmil Yankov, who joins the rescue mission to seek Hristo. He does not give up, despite the difficulties.

Later Yankov said: "He stayed forever, at the peak, fused with his dream!"

From the last words of Prodanov, transmitted on the radio, his body is supposed to be above the Great Gray Tower, at about 8,700 meters above sea level.

Photo:Thinkstock

October 1994, Bulgarian mountaineers Yordanka Dimitrova and Borislav Dimitrov head for Kangchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world.

On the way up, Borislav is forced to return because of frost. Yordanka chooses to finish the expedition and goes on.