Death of mountaineer Sergi Mingote in K2
Catalan mountaineer Sergi Mingote died on Saturday 16 January at K2. The death of the Vallès resident, apart from what it means for mountaineering and inclusive sports (remember that his Inclusive Catalan Sports Awards were created with his impetus), represents a halt to collaboration which he had maintained with the CAR for nearly three years.
Sergi Mingote’s relationship with the CAR began in the spring of 2018, with the 3×8,000 challenge, in which the climber aimed to crown, without oxygen, the three highest peaks in the world in less than a year. This challenge was followed by the 14X1000 (making 14 eight thousand in less than 1000 days), which was stopped by the pandemic last year.
Since then, CAR has offered Mingote guidance and advice on physical preparation, physiotherapy, physiology and nutritional advice, with the participation of professionals from the center such as Joan Riera, Victòria Pons, Jaume Miralles, Miquel Àngel Cos and, in a most punctual collaboration, Òscar Escalante. The initial starting point was to perform a periodic assessment and monitoring of their physical condition at both aerobic and muscular level, which would allow them to plan a good preparation, and thus face each of the ascents with the best possible physical shape, and also allow a shorter and better recovery between one expedition and the next.
The collaboration has allowed the CAR to investigate and collect data and information on the adaptation of the human body in certain circumstances (in the expeditions, Mingote recorded daily data such as oxygen saturation, heart rate and also sensations), with the intention that all this information can be used to improve preparation in future expeditions, and make the transfer to amateur mountaineering.
The CAR professionals who worked there agreed to highlight the good understanding, on a professional and personal level, the enthusiasm they conveyed in their challenges, and the desire to learn and contribute in all phases of the projects.
In this last expedition, the winter of the K2, Mingote asked in addition to what had already been worked previously, support to maintain mobility, with the intention of carrying out some physical preparation at 5,500 and 6,000 m altitude, that all and that no rigorous studies are available on the subject, it is known that the organism suffers from high psychophysical and psychophysiological stress. For this reason, an attempt is made to propose a playful training, which was tested on the CAR with all the climbing equipment to see if it could keep it in place during the ascent.
Unfortunately, Sergi Mingote had an accident in K2, when he was going down to base camp from camp 3, which cost him his life, causing consternation in the world of sports, mountaineering, politics and inclusion in Catalonia, and also in our Center.
Sergi Mingote’s presence at the CAR also fostered his relationship with some sports groups, such as the women’s water polo team, with whom Mingote did some joint activities.
Rest in peace.
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