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Veikka came to the YLE interview looking very slim, he had lost 8kg while climbing Gasherbrum 1 and also hiking  back from BC through Baltoro to Askole in 2½ days took it’s toll. They started hiking at 3 o’clock everyday and did 15h days.

veikka

Photo courtesy of Haglöfs

“It’s good to be back home. Somehow, after traveling and being abroad again, as I come back to home country I appreciate it more. Finland is cubby birds nest compared to some more or less unstable countries as Pakistan.”

“It feels good after the 8K project is done and finished. I feel as I was free, free to target and concentrate to something else. That does not mean that I leave climbing, but I want look other options, do other work. I really won’t miss and need the dangers and risks of  8K mountain climbing.”

VEIKKA´S 8000 METERS CLIMBING CV.

“Climbing the 8000ers was as it was my PhD”, Veikka @ YLE interview.

Notable ascents in the Himalayas:

  • Mount Everest (8846m), Spring 93 (with oxygen)
  • Pik Kommunisma (7495m) and Pik Korsenevskaja (7105m), Spring 93.
  • Dhaulagiri (8167m), Autumn 93.
  • K2 (8611m) Summer 94, Abruzzi ridge.
  • Lhotse (8501m), Spring 95,
  • Makalu (8483m), Spring 95, alpine.
  • Pik Korsenevskaja (7105m),Pik Kommunisma (7495m) 36 hours up and down, Autumn 95.
  • Mount Everest (8846m), Spring 96. Reached 8600 metres.
  • Mount Everest (8846m), Spring 97. First Finn to the summit without extra oxygen.
  • Broad Peak (8047m), Summer 97. To the false summit.
  • Dhaulagiri (8167m), Spring 98. Reached 7500 m.
  • Manaslu (8163 m), Spring 99.
  • Dhaulagiri (8167m), Spring 99.
  • Annapurna (8091 m), 2000. The top wasn´t reached.
  • Shishapangma (8046 m), Spring 2001
  • Nanga Parbat (8125 m), Spring 2001
  • Annapurna (8091 m), 2002. Reached 7300 m.
  • Kangchenjunga, spring 2003. Reached 7300m.
  • Mount Everest 2004. Universal filming project.
  • Cho Oyu and Annapurna, (8210 m, 8091 m) spring 2005
  • Kanchenjunga (8586 m) , spring 2006
  • Gasherbrum 2 (8035 m), summer 2008
  • Gasherbrum 1 (8068 m), summer 2008. Reached 50m from the top
  • Broad Peak (8047 m), summer 2008.
  • Gasherbrum 1 (8068 m), summer 2009.

Other notable ascents:

  • Mount Vinson (5140m) and Mount Shinn, Winter 96. Mount Vinson is the highest peak on Antarctica. “Not the highest, not the most difficult but the coldest”.
  • 4 first-time conquests in Antartica, Winter 97. Two of the peaks were previously unnamed. Ascent of Mount Gardner (4587m). One of the peaks was named Mount Sisu

CV courtesy of Häglöfs