He is indifferent to mountains M. Shatkauskas has set himself the goal of someday climbing the 14 highest peaks in the world. The man has already raised the Lithuanian tricolor of Everest, Makalu, Lhotseon the peaks of Annapurna I, Kangchendjanga and Manaslu mountains, M. Šatkauskas’ team says in a press release.
The founder of insurance services business Insurance Bee plans to spend most of the summer in the mountains of Pakistan. M. Šatkauskas, who is leaving at the beginning of June, says that he will try to climb as many of the highest peaks in Pakistan as he can.
According to a mountain lover, there are a lot of unknowns in the mountains, and plans often remain just plans, so it is extremely difficult to predict anything here.
M. Šatkauskas says that he will try to climb as many of the highest peaks in Pakistan as he can.
“It can also happen that you will only be able to reach the top of one mountain. Or you will have to turn around before even starting a more serious climb. This is as God will provide and if the stars align favorably, because a lot depends on weather conditions, feeling of well-being and other circumstances. It probably depends on me the least,” says M. Šatkauskas.
Mindaugas speaks of mountains with great respect, with a good understanding of their majesty and how vulnerable a person is in them, regardless of his mountain climbing experience.
According to him, this will probably be the biggest “mountainous project” of his life. The most difficult and famous mountains in Pakistan, which M. Šatkauskas will try to climb during this expedition, are K2 (8611 m) and Nanga Prabat (8126 m). To date, no Lithuanian has climbed the peak of Nanga Prabat mountain in the Western part of the Himalayas.
Personal archive photo. / Travels of Mindaugas Shatkauskas
Last year, Mindaugas climbed three mountains in Nepal in one season. After each climb, he took some time to recover in Kathmandu, spending about a week there to regain his strength.
“In Nepal you feel closer to civilization, while in Pakistan everything is much harsher, more remote, more complicated logistics, longer transitions between mountains.
If everything went well and after Nanga Parbat we managed to move towards the K2 region, we would have to wait almost a week on foot. There is not much comfort or opportunities to recover physical strength,” says M. Šatkauskas.
Mountains quickly remind us of human limits
In the mountains, Mindaugas also met his best friend, with whom he will go on a new expedition in Pakistan. Ukrainian Tonya Samoilova, who has a great passion for mountain climbing, will climb to the peak of Nanga Parbat together with Mindaug. Together, the couple has already climbed two peaks from the list of the highest mountains in the world.
Personal archive photo. / Mindaugas Šatkauskas with his friend Tonya
“When we climb, she is always faster than me. Twice as small, but very strong,” smiles M. Šatkauskas.
Another very important person in the expedition is the Sherpa. According to Mindaugas, it is very important to go with a Sherpa whom you trust unconditionally, because it may depend on him whether you return home from the mountains.
“Climbing high mountains is teamwork – from decision-making to simple everyday things,” says M. Šatkauskas.
When talking about risk, Mindaugas avoids romanticizing danger or creating a heroic image of mountains. According to him, mountains very quickly remind people of their limits.
Personal archive photo. / Mindaugas Shatkauskas
“There are many such stories. People died because they didn’t turn around when they needed to turn around. Mountains blind people, especially Everest. I saw dead people being lowered from the mountain,” says M. Šatkauskas.
When talking about risk, Mindaugas avoids romanticizing danger or creating a heroic image of mountains.
Mindaugas states that for him, mountains have never been a means to prove something to someone: “Mountains are not a place for selfishness. The most important thing for me has always been to return home from the mountains. Before, maybe I thought more about the goals themselves, but now I appreciate the process itself, people, experience and life in general more and more. I don’t want to look at mountains with suffering, that it’s a climb for the sake of climbing,” says the mountain lover.
This attitude was reinforced by his previous mountain climbing experience. After three difficult climbs in Nepal last year, Mindaugas seriously considered going to Pakistan right away, but in the end decided to take his time and not do it.
“Then I realized: no, I won’t go to Pakistan, because I just don’t want to. I realized that now I don’t feel an inner pull for it. Life is more expensive for me,” he says frankly.
Personal archive photo. / Travels of Mindaugas Shatkauskas
Before the trip – intensive preparation
According to Mindaugas, the mountains of Pakistan are remote and difficult to predict. Last year, the season in the mountains of Pakistan was extremely unfavorable for climbers – due to the high temperature, the snow melted, and there were frequent rockfalls and landslides.
Also, aid is often much harder to come by in Pakistan than in Nepal.
“It’s a very harsh and remote area. There are no villages around. You can’t get in a helicopter anyway because there are no private companies – only the army. When you need to rescue someone, only the army can help,” he says.
Technical climbing conditions also cause additional stress. “Many ropes are old and unreliable. You don’t know which one will hold and which one won’t. This adds additional danger and requires a lot of concentration,” says M. Šatkauskas.
Personal archive photo. / Travels of Mindaugas Shatkauskas
Currently, Mindaugas is actively preparing for the expedition – he runs a lot, does sports in the gym, and strengthens his endurance. However, he says that in the high mountains, even the best physical preparation does not guarantee that you will be able to climb the desired peak.
“In the mountains, the body gets tired even when resting. You can do nothing, but the body still works in a huge mode. Therefore, not only physical form is very important there, but also the ability to make the right decisions when tired, to be able to rest properly in a short time and in unusual conditions,” says M. Šatkauskas.
He also intends to take his camera to Pakistan, which he will have with him at the base camp. Photography is one of Mindaugas’ latest hobbies.
“Wherever I go, I want to take pictures. The nature in Pakistan is very beautiful, so I can’t imagine it any other way,” he says.
