Where, in the shadow of mighty mountains, human arrogance fades away …

In October 2025, it will be exactly 50 years since Slovenian alpinists first summited a Slovenian eight-thousander. They reached Makalu (8,481 m) not via the route of the first ascent or any previously climbed line, but by opening a new route in the mountain’s imposing 2,500-metre-high south face.

That year marked Viki Grošelj’s first expedition to the Himalayas. As the youngest member of the team, the experience left an indelible mark on him. As he reflects:
“In the presence of such a mighty mountain, all human arrogance fades.”

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Slovenia’s first eight-thousander, this outstanding Slovenian alpinist will invite us beneath the formidable south face of Makalu—where Slovenian climbers wrote a chapter of mountaineering history that astonished even Reinhold Messner.

Through a lecture and the presentation of his latest book, Makalu 8481 m – The First Slovenian Eight-Thousander and the Time That Followed, Viki Grošelj will, through memories and reflection, reveal what this extraordinary achievement meant for the development of Slovenian alpinism and its lasting legacy.