Igor Svergun

Igor's passion for mountaineering sparked during his school years under the guidance of his mentor, Georgiy Kardash...,[3] a dedicated physical education teacher. At the age of 18, Igor wholeheartedly embraced mountaineering as his lifelong pursuit. He began his journey by conquering Semenov-Bashi, a peak of 3602m, and went on to achieve remarkable ascents of numerous eight-thousanders.

In his student years in 1990, he became a member of the Kharkiv Mountaineering Club and began training under the guidance of Sergey Bershov (Master of Sports of the USSR, Snow Leopard). Bershov and Svergun became friends and climbing partners, together they made many ascents, including the eight-thousanders Lhotse in 1990, Everest and Kangchenjunga.[4] From Bershov's memoirs:

"With Igor Svergun we were 23 years (!) were a climbing pair."[4]

"The guy had a character to spare, he wanted to be the first, to achieve more."[4]

"What distinguished him? Well, first of all, he was the youngest – 24 years old. Like me once, he also engaged in mountaineering and rock climbing, which always gives an advantage on ascents. He stood out for his determination. And he also played the guitar, knew many beautiful songs – mountaineering, bard, folk. And the guitarist is always the soul of the company."[4]

"Igor set a goal for himself: to become a high-class, successful, in-demand mountain guide – and he did. He learned English, graduated from the master's program of the Kharkiv Academy of Physical Culture in the specialty "Olympic and professional sports". He could not live without mountains, without travel. He loved it. He, like me, did not work, but was engaged in his favorite thing. Very professionally, thoughtfully, focusing on safety. How many times on the same Elbrus we turned clients down, not agreeing, understanding each other with a half-glance. Nothing surprising. When you have been walking in a climbing pair for 23 years, decisions are made the same without any words. Just as we have long been bypassing words, securing each other. You just know – there is no more reliable."[5]

Igor Svergun's best ascent include:[6]

• 1990: marking a significant milestone in his mountaineering career-ports achievements – as part of Sergey Bershov's team in the most severe weather conditions – the first ascent of the South Face of Lhotse (8,516m) up to an altitude of 8,200m. Numerous climbers attempted this route unsuccessfully, including Reinhold Messner who had to retreat three times. It was one of those ascents that Igor cherished the most and took immense pride in.
• 1991: Completed the traverse of Manaslu with Viktor Pastukh and Alexey Makarov.
• 1992: Summited Everest's South Peak at 8790 meters.
• 1994: Conquered Dhaulagiri.
• 1996: Ascended Annapurna via Bonington Route, alongside Sergey Bershov and Sergey Kovalev, as part of the Ukrainian State Sports Committee expedition led by Mstyslav Gorbenko.
• Shishapangma (alpine style).
• Other notable ascents include:
  • 1998: Ama Dablam.
  • 1998: Pumori.
  • 2004: Cho Oyu.
  • 2005, 2006: Everest via the Northeast Ridge.[7]

In 1999, during the "Ukraine – Everest-99" expedition, Igor took part in one of the most challenging rescue operations, transporting climber V. Horbach from an altitude of 8600m to the summit.[8]

In 2008, as part of an expedition organized by the Kharkiv Regional Mountaineering Club, Svergun successfully climbed Gasherbrum II (with Sergey Bershov and Alexey Bokov) via the classic route. Before the ascent, they erected a memorial plaque at the mountain's base to honor two Ukrainian climbers: Viktor Pastukh from Kharkiv and Gennadiy Vasilenko from Crimea, who perished in 1996 during an attempt to conquer Shishapangma.

Igor Svergun twice summited Everest[7] and reached many of the world's eight-thousanders. In 1990, he participated in the Soviet expedition led by A. Shevchenko, climbing Lhotse's Main Peak via the South Face, a route hailed by Reinhold Messner as the route of the 21st century. According to Igor:[9]

"This ascent became my calling card. Whenever I meet fellow climbers, mentioning 'Lhotse' elicits genuine admiration. The climb was incredibly challenging. We weren't prepared for everything we encountered. The books tell a different story."[9]

Among his other achievements are 25 routes of the 6th category of difficulty.[10] Igor Svergun's attitude towards mountains is best illustrated by his words:

"For a mountaineer, the mountains are the only place on Earth where they feel comfortable and a sense of their own purpose on this planet..."[11]

Igor Svergun also worked with youth at the Kharkiv Alpсlub, served as a coach for various expeditions, and led commercial expeditions. In his later years, he held the position of senior coach at the Ukrainian Mountaineering Federation's Kharkiv branch.

In June 2013, Igor Svergun led an international expedition to Nanga Parbat[7]. The expedition began on June 6 and was scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2013. However, on the night of June 23, terrorists attacked the base camp located at an altitude of approximately 4200m in Gilgit-Baltistan,[12][13] Pakistan.[2][6] The attackers forced two local guides to take them to the base camp. Once they reached their destination, they rounded up the climbers and staff, took passports and money, destroyed mobile phones, blindfolded them and forced them to kneel[14] and ruthlessly shot them. A total of 10 mountaineers from different countries lost their lives, including Igor Svergun and two other climbers from Kharkiv[15]

The responsibility for the killings was claimed by the Pakistani militant group Jundullah. Later, an affiliated movement called Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan also claimed involvement.

The funerals took place on June 30, 2013, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, at Cemetery No.13 (Pushkins'ka St, 108, Kharkiv, Kharkivs'ka oblast, Ukraine). More than 5000 people attended the farewell ceremony, including mountaineers from around the world[16]

• Memorial album "Igor Svergun: We don't conquer the mountains, just ascend into them" – Publisher "Golden Pages", Kharkiv, 2013. The publication features photographs from the archives of the Kharkiv Alpine Club and the family.
• The annual Ukraine Cup in mountaineering (discipline: mountaineering technique) in memory of Igor Svergun invites boys, girls, adults, and veterans to participate. The prize fund of the Cup is formed from sponsorship contributions by Igor Svergun's friends. Years of the competition: 2013, 2014,[17] 2015,[18] 2016..,[19] 2017,[20] 2018,[21] 2019,[22] 2020,[23] 2021.[24] In 2022 not held due to Russia's military invasion of Ukraine.
• An expedition to Mount Elbrus in August 2013, in memory of Kharkiv residents who tragically died on June 23, 2013,[25] in Pakistan, with the participation of Igor Svergun's spouse Tamara and their son Yegor Svergun.[26][27]
• Mention in the book "South Face of Lhotse" – S.I. Bershov, Snow, 2022.
• A memorial plaque in honor of I.N. Svergun was installed on September 29, 2014, on the building of Dmitry Kromsky Secondary School (Korocha, Proletarskaya Street, 39, Belgorod, Russia). The opening ceremony was attended by the mountaineer's mother, Valentina Anisimova (Svergun), and the plaque was unveiled by Igor Svergun's friend, Vasily Simonov.[1]

• The Order "For Courage", USSR (1990).
• The Order "For merits" 3-d grade, Ukraine(1996)[28]
• The Order "For Courage" 3-d class. Ukraine (1999)[29]