Atanas Skatov

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Atanas Skatov
Atanas Skatov, Makalu Summit.jpg
Skatov, 23 May 2016, Summit Makalu, 8485m
Born(1978-03-11)11 March 1978
Sliven, Bulgaria
Died5 February 2021(2021-02-05) (aged 42)
K2, Pakistan
Years active2012–2021
Known for
  • Veganism
  • mountaineering
Children1
Websiteatanasskatov.com

Atanas Georgiev Skatov (Bulgarian: Атанас Георгиев Скатов; born Atanas Georgiev Dimitrov;[citation needed] 11 March 1978 – 5 February 2021) was a Bulgarian mountaineer, vegan and agronomist in plant protection.

On 24 May 2014 he claimed to have become the first known vegan to ascend Everest.[1][2] His attempt was later refuted, as he admitted to having consumed honey, and currently the record is held by Kuntal Joisher.[3][4][5] He was attempting to become the first known vegan to summit the 14 highest summits on Earth and successfully reached the top of 10 of them; Everest (north and south routes), Manaslu, Annapurna, Makalu, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Kangchenjunga, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, and Dhaulagiri.[6]

On 20 June 2017, Skatov ascended Mount Denali in Alaska and became the first Bulgarian and the world's first vegan to climb successfully the Seven Summits.[7]

He died on 5th February 2021 while descending from Camp 3 at K2 after his unsuccessful ascent.[8]

Biography[]

Atanas Skatov was born on 11 March 1978 in Sliven, Bulgaria.[citation needed] In 2001, he graduated with distinction from the Agricultural University in Plovdiv, Bulgaria and held a master's degree in plant protection. During his study he gained two scholarships, allowing him to study for two semesters at Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. From 2001–2004, he was a full-time PhD student, in the departments of both horticulture and phytomedicine (plant protection). In February 2005, he received a Doctorate degree in Agricultural Science after successfully presenting his dissertation on “Integrated Tomato Production (Lycopersicon esculentum) in a glasshouse with an emphasis on integrated and biological pest control against the greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum westwood)”.

In 2015, he published his first book The Mother Goddess of the Universe.[9] At the same time his first documentary movie: Skatov, The Experiment, Episode 1: The First Vegan on Everest [10] was released. Skatov has published scientific articles in Bulgaria and abroad.[11][12] He has been generating significant media atention, regarding his latest project: Climbing the 14 highest summits on the planet without consumption of food of animal origin.

Skatov has one son, born in 2009.[citation needed]

Skatov said he had never been on a mountain until 2010, and before 2012 had never been an active sports person. Without passing even a basic mountaineering or climbing training program, he became the first known person of the world on a vegan diet who climbed the highest summits on six of the continents in less than two years, climbing four eight – thousanders in a week apiece. He is the first Bulgarian mountaineer taking part in four expeditions to climb eight-thousanders in a single season.

Skatov became a vegan in January 2012, and decided to test this kind of diet by climbing the highest summits of each continent in the world, testing his physical and mental endurance. He has chosen the high-altitude mountaineering as it allows a human being to put his physical and mental health under intense pressure.

In 2015, Skatov was awarded a “Honorary Citizen” of Sliven, Bulgaria.[13]

In 2018, Skatov who climbed the sixth highest peak on the planet Cho Oyu (8201 m) without supplemental oxygen has received the Golden Bulgaria badge for Best Athlete of May.[14]

In 2019, Skatov was awarded the Green Person of Bulgaria for 2019.[15]

In 2020, he published his first book in English - The First Vegan on Everest.

November 2020 saw the release of Skatov's 7th book which is dedicated to SE7EN SUMMITS VEGAN project.[16] It has over 650 pages and author's only images.[17]

Scientific research[]

Skatov has conducted scientific researches in areas such as:

  • Morphology; bio ecology and controlling horticultural pests on crops (Trialeurodes vaporariorum westwood, Tetranychus urticae koch, Bradysia difformis frey, Myzus persicae sulzer, Aphis gossypi glover, etc.);
  • Insecticidal effect of certain plant extracts, such as: pine oil, castor oil, lavender oil, quasi (Quassia amara), pyrethrum, azadirachtine, etc.;
  • Beneficial insects: Encarsia formosa Gahan, Macrolophus pygmaeus Rambur, Dacnusa sibirica Telenga, Lysiphlebus testacepies Cresson, Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot, etc.;
  • Entomopathogenic fungi - Verticillium lecanii (Zimmerman) Viegas;
  • Pests in stored products;
  • Hydroponic methods of growing crops in greenhouses.

Mountaineering career[]

At 14 years of age, as a school boy at the Gymnasium of Electronics and Electrical Engineering in Sliven, Skatov dreamed of completing Bulgaria's longest high-mountain hiking trail from Kom to Emine (650 km). This dream came true 18 years later, in the summer of 2010. In his childhood, until the age of 18, he had been part of the prominent folklore dance ensemble “Trakiyche”. Until 2012, he had never participated in any sports competitions.[18] He started in the summer of 2010, when for the first time he hiked the Kom-Emine trail. Later in 2011 and 2012 he repeated the hike, captivated by the magic of the mountain. In the mountains, he considered what could be done for the safety of the planet. Since 2000, he was concerned that the world's population is constantly growing and that agricultural areas are limited.

At the end of 2011, he had the idea to become a vegan and to climb the highest peaks on all continents as well as all eight–thousanders as one. In that way, he combined veganism and mountaineering in his first Project: Climbing the highest peaks on all seven continents as a vegan.[19] In less than two years he reached the highest summits of all seven continents.

Skatov was self-educated in the subject of climbing and mountaineering. He did not conduct preliminary research on a given peak prior to the expedition, in order to feel the spirit of the pioneers who hadn't known what to expect while climbing.

In 2015, he launched his second project: climbing the 14 highest summits on the planet, the "Crown of the Himalaya” without consumption of food of animal origin (including an expedition to the eighth highest peak on the planet – Manaslu, 8163 m., which had not been climbed by a Bulgarian before). Only Skatov, from all the mountaineers present in the autumn of 2015, made three consecutive attempts to attack the peak and on 1 October 2015 at 5:50 am he reached the peak.[20] Only a few hours prior, another Bulgarian mountaineer, Boyan Petrov, had climbed the summit in his first attempt. Skatov then became the second Bulgarian and possibly the second vegan in the world to have climbed Manaslu.

In 2016, Skatov took part in three expeditions for climbing eight-thousanders in Himalayas before monsoons in spring, which no other Bulgarian had done before and there are just a few similar cases in the world. On 16 April he reached 7700 m. of Annapurna I, 8091 m. with another five mountaineers, but due to the bad weather he was forced down to the Base Camp. However, on 1 May 2016 he climbed successfully the tenth highest summit on the planet – Annapurna I, which is the deadliest one, possibly being the first vegan to step on the peak of Annapurna.[21] Immediately after Annapurna, he tried to climb Dhaulagiri, 8172 m., reaching 7900 m. in alpine style on 15 May 2016. He didn't have time for second attempt because he had a bigger target in mind, the fifth highest peak in the world – Makalu, 8485 m.

Having only one day to rest, after Dhaulagiri he aimed at Makalu and after only one night at Base Camp, started his climb at Makalu, in alpine style. On 23 May, at 12:00 pm, Skatov became the first known vegan to climb Makalu for just 96 hours with only one night at the Base Camp before the attack. Thus, for 23 days he participated in three expeditions on eight-thousanders, two of them in alpine style in less than a week, for the first time in the world from a Bulgarian and a known vegan.

Two weeks after his return from 80-day triple expedition in Nepal, on 15 June 2016 Skatov flew to Pakistan, where he joined in an expedition to Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II. For Skatov, it was important to constantly pursue the limits of his physical and mental strength while on a vegan diet. After almost a month on Base Camp Gasherbrum, time spent for acclimatisation, on 21 July, he headed towards Camp I at Gasherbrum II. On 22 July, snow started to fall for 26 hours nonstop, so on 23 July, Skatov went down to Base Camp and suspended the expedition.

For 2016, Skatov participated in four expeditions above 8000 meters, which hadn't been done by any other known vegan or a Bulgarian.[citation needed] Skatov considered that examining the vegan diet is the most prominent scientific research he has ever done. In January 2017, he marked six years of the beginning of his vegan lifestyle which he said he has no intention to change. He was regularly subject to blood tests, checking the importance of human being indices. Additionally, he maintained a diary regarding sport activities and his mental health.

In 2017, Skatov took part in two expeditions for climbing eight-thousanders in Himalayas before monsoons. On 16 May 2017 he climbed successfully the fourth highest summit on the planet -Lhotse, 8516m. Only 5 days later Skatov climbed successfully on 22 May Everest, 8848m. for second time, but now from south side. Skatov is the first Bulgarian, who climbed Mount Everest from north and from south ridges.[citation needed]

After Lhotse and Everest, Skatov climbed solo in alpine style on 20 June 2017 his last one of Seven summits-Denali, 6197m.

In 2018, Atanas Skatov summited Mt. Cho Oyu (8188m) without the help of supplemental oxygen or Sherpa help on 13 May at 16:20pm (Chinese time). He is the first Bulgarian to have done so. After having climbed continuously for 13 hours without drinking or eating anything Atanas was extremely exhausted. He had not slept for 2 nights.[22]

In 2019, Skatov summited four eight-thousanders Kangchenjunga, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II and now Dhaulagiri.[23]

Death[]

Skatov died on 5 February 2021 due to a fall while descending K2 in Pakistan.[8][24][25]

Expeditions[]

Year Summit Altitude Mountain Country Results
2013 Uhuru 5895 m Kilimanjaro Tanzania [26]
2013 Elbrus 5642 m Caucasus Russia [26]
2013 Lenin Peak 7134 m Pamir Kyrgyzstan Reached 6,900m [27]
2013 Aconcagua 6961 m Andes Argentina Reached 6,600m [28]
2014 Aconcagua 6961 m Andes Argentina [26] Three-day expedition.
2014 Everest 8848 m Himalayas China [26] Ascent via the north route.
2014 Carstensz Pyramid 4884 m Maoke Indonesia [26]
2014 Vinson Massif 4892 m Ellsworth Antarctica [26]
2015 Manaslu 8163 m Himalayas Nepal [29]
2016 Annapurna I 8091 m Himalayas Nepal [29]
2016 Dhaulagiri 8167 m Himalayas Nepal [30] Reached 7,900m
2016 Makalu 8463 m Himalayas Nepal [29] Four-day expedition.
2016 Gasherbrum II 8035 m Karakoram Pakistan [31] Reached 6,350m
2017 Lhotse 8516 m Himalayas Nepal [29]
2017 Everest 8848 m Himalayas Nepal [29] Ascent via the south route.
2017 Denali 6190 m Denali USA Seven Summits completed[7]
2018 Cho Oyu 8188 m Himalayas Nepal [22] Without Sherpa and without oxygen
2019 Kangchenjunga 8586 m Himalayas Nepal [6]
2019 Gasherbrum I 8080 m Karakoram Pakistan [6] Without Sherpa
2019 Gasherbrum II 8035 m Karakoram Pakistan [6] Without Sherpa
2019 Dhaulagiri 8167 m Himalayas Nepal [32] Fourth eight-thousander in 140 days

References[]

  1. ^ Mendis, Dishan (16 August 2018). "The Story of Atanas Skatov–First Vegan to Climb Mount Everest". Vegan Universal. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Meet The First Vegan Ever To Climb Mount Everest (And Conquer The 6 Highest Continental Summits In Record Time) -". inourishgently.com. March 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  3. ^ "The first vegan to summit Everest". The Vegan Society. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  4. ^ "The Vegan That Climbed Everest - an Interview with Kuntal Joisher". Veggie Vagabonds. 28 April 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  5. ^ "ALAN ARNETTE: Can a Vegan Summit Everest?". Kuntal Joisher. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Bulgarian Atanas Skatov Successfully Climbed his 10th Eight-Thousander - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency". www.novinite.com. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "Bulgarian Atanas Skatov Climbed the Highest Mounts on Each of the 7 Continents". BNT News. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Bulgarian alpinist Skatov dies during K2 expedition". The Nation. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  9. ^ Богинята Майка на Вселената. Дневникът на един веган. София: Кибеа. 2015. ISBN 978-954-474-714-5.
  10. ^ "The SKATOV experiment". Vimeo. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  11. ^ Dimitrov, Atanas Georgiev (2005). Integrierte Produktion von Tomaten (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) im Gewächshaus unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der integrierten Bekämpfung der Weissen Fliege (Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood) (in German). Tenea Verlag Ltd. ISBN 978-3-86504-116-6.
  12. ^ Böhme, Michael H.; Dimitrov-Skatov, Atanas G. (20 December 2018). "Investigations to biological and organic treatments against pests in vegetable cultivation". IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 215: 012012. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/215/1/012012. ISSN 1755-1315.
  13. ^ Прес, Сливен. "ПЕТИМА ПОЧЕТНИ ГРАЖДАНИ НА СЛИВЕН". slivenpress.bg (in Bulgarian). Archived from the original on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  14. ^ "Alpine climber Atanas Skatov on vicissitudes and choices in life". bnr.bg. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  15. ^ "TEDxVitosha | TED". www.ted.com. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  16. ^ Skatov, Atanas. "Project". Atanas Skatov.
  17. ^ Седемте Континентални Първенци https://atanasskatov.com/knigi/
  18. ^ "Д-р Скатов по скатовете - Списание Осем". Списание Осем. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  19. ^ "Д-р Скатов: След време всички ще се срамуваме, че сме яли месо - Списание Осем". Списание Осем. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  20. ^ "Веганът Скатов покорил Манаслу от трети опит". Веганът Скатов покорил Манаслу от трети опит - Общество - Стандарт Нюз. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  21. ^ "Атанас Скатов също изкачи Анапурна". www.dnevnik.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b "Bulgarian Atanas Skatov summited Cho Oyu without oxygen or Sherpa help". www.dreamwanderlust.com. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  23. ^ Nestler, Stefan (3 October 2019). "Summit successes on Dhaulagiri". Adventure Mountain. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  24. ^ "Bulgarian Climber Dies On K2 Expedition". International Business Times. AFP News. 5 February 2021.
  25. ^ "Bulgarian climber dies during expedition on Pakistan's K2". The Express Tribune. AFP. 5 February 2021.
  26. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Атанас Скатов покори най-високите върхове на всички континенти". bTV Новините. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  27. ^ "Да покориш Еверест - Атанас Скатов на върха". БНТ (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  28. ^ "Атанас Скатов покори и Андите - Сливен". dariknews.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  29. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Atanas Skatov Climbed his Ninth Eight-Thousander and Is Looking Forward to the "Crown of the Himalaya" - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency". www.novinite.com. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  30. ^ "Атанас Скатов се е отказал от изкачването на Дхаулагири 167 м под върха". www.dnevnik.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  31. ^ "Лошо време и лавини попречиха на Атанас Скатов да изкачи връх Гашербрум 2". www.actualno.com (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  32. ^ "Atanas Skatov and Sergi Mingote summitted Dhaulagiri". www.explorersweb.com. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
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