Álex Txikon

Born

1981-12-12

Birthplace

Lemoa, Basque Country, Spain

Biography

Álex Txikon is a Basque mountaineer and Himalayan climber from Spain, born on December 12, 1981, in Lemoa, Biscay, where he grew up as the youngest of thirteen children. Deeply affected by the mountains from a young age, his passion for heights was quickly coupled with a taste for adventure and teamwork, an aspect that remains central to his approach to exploration, whether it involves extreme expeditions or filmed projects in the remote reaches of the Himalayas. In the early 2000s, Txikon traveled to the Himalayas for the first time as a cameraman with Edurne Pasaban's team, which was then engaged in the project to climb fourteen eight-thousanders. In 2003, at just 21 years old, he climbed his first eight-thousander, Broad Peak, in the Karakoram range, which truly launched his career as a high-level Himalayan mountaineer. In the following years, he climbed Makalu, Cho Oyu, and other major peaks, while also participating in several TV expeditions and documentaries, notably those related to the series "Al filo de lo imposible" (On the Edge of the Impossible), which helped bring him to the attention of the general public. Throughout his career, Álex Txikon became one of the world's leading specialists in winter expeditions, distinguished by his ability to endure extreme cold and long periods of isolation at high altitude. He participated in more than thirty expeditions and managed to climb eleven of the fourteen eight-thousanders, including Shishapangma twice, bringing his total number of 8,000-meter peaks to twelve. In 2013, he achieved the first winter ascent of Laila Peak in Pakistan, and then, in the same year, successfully climbed Lhotse, confirming his reputation as a fast and versatile high-altitude mountaineer. One of the major turning points in his career came in 2016 when he achieved the first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat, "the killer mountain," alongside Simone Moro and Muhammad Ali Sadpara. The expedition took place in extreme conditions, with temperatures plummeting to -55°C, and established Txikon as one of the leading figures in contemporary Himalayan mountaineering. Subsequently, he dedicated several seasons to winter attempts on Everest and K2, notably a 2019 expedition to K2 marked by the use of igloos at base camp and high-altitude camps—an innovative, cleaner approach designed to improve comfort and safety compared to traditional tents. Beyond his role as a mountaineer, Txikon is also a multidisciplinary athlete, an aizkolari (traditional Basque lumberjack) and a former BASE jumper, a discipline in which he set a Spanish record in 2013 by jumping from the summit of Veleta, at an altitude of over 3,200 meters. He readily defines himself as a man of the land, committed to discovering local cultures and the human dimension of expeditions, believing that the mountains only have meaning when shared with his climbing partners and the inhabitants of the valleys he traverses. A tireless explorer, he continues to prepare new expeditions, often in winter, confirming his place among the most seasoned Himalayan climbers of his generation.