The heroes that took the Basque flag to the top of Everest
The heroes that took the Basque flag to the top of Everest
Hernani native Martin Zabaleta and Sherpa Pasang Temba, the first people to place the Basque flag on the summit of Everest, will take a ceremonial kick-off before Saturday's match against RCD Espanyol at San Mames
May 14, 1980 is a date etched in gold in the history of Basque sport. It was the day that Martin Zabaleta and Sherpa Pasang Temba took the Ikurriña (the Basque flag) to the summit of the highest mountain in the world, making it the 16th flag to be flown on Everest's peak.
Without a doubt, it was an outstanding success story that brought pride to a society in need of positive news.
The two legends stayed at the top of the world for 45 minutes, where Zabaleta took an iconic photo of Temba with the ikurriña, thus breaking the invisibility of the Sherpas, before embarking on a very complicated descent to join their companions.
Zabaleta has returned from the USA and Temba is in the Basque Country giving various talks, in which he has reiterated that ‘the Basque people are my family’.
Taking advantage of their reunion, and within the framework of the Basque-Navarre Mountaineering Federation's centenary celebrationa, San Mamés will pay a well-deserved tribute to both figures before this Saturday's match against RCD Espanyol, where they will take a ceremonial kick-off accompanied by Jose Angel Iribar and Basque mountain climber Alex Txikon.
"The success of an entire people"
The group of Basque mountaineers, consisting of Juan Ignacio Lorente, Emilio Hernando, Ángel Rosen, Luis Mari Sáenz de Olazagoitia, Felipe Uriarte, José Urbieta, Kike De Pablos, Ricardo Gallardo, Xabier Garaioa, Xabier Erro, Juan Ramón Arrue and Martin Zabaleta, continued a previous expedition started in 1974, which was aborted before reaching the summit due to poor weather conditions.
Six years later, "an entire people" reached the summit, as journalist Ramón Olasagasti sums up in his book which recounts one of the greatests feats in the long history of Basque mountaineering.
The Basque president of the time, Carlos Garaikoetxea, sent a telegram of congratulations to the expedition and weeks later welcomed them on the tarmac at the old Bilbao airport, surrounded by a swarm of photographers attesting to the excitement that their success had generated in the Basque Country. Hours later, they also received a public tribute in the La Casilla sports pavilion and in their home towns.
The echoes of that May, which also Jose Angel Iribar retire as a player in an homage the then club president, Beti Duñabeitia, described as "the greatest tribute in the history of Athletic", still resound today.
Nearly 45 years after the conquest of Everest, and as part of the Basque-Navarre Mountaineering Federation's centenary celebrations, Martín Zabaleta and Pasang Temba have met up again in the Basque Country, with another Basque mountaineering legend, Alex Txikon, acting as host.
On Saturday 19 October, at 14:00 CEST, Zabaleta and Temba will appear together on the San Mamés pitch, accompanied by Jose Angel Iribar and Alex Txikon, to take a ceremonial kick-off before the LaLiga match between Athletic Club and RCD Espanyol.
The fans, the same ones who 45 years ago were glued to the radio reports and newspaper headlines that broke the news of the Basque success on Everest, will pay tribute to the legends at The Cathedral.
Zorionak eta eskerrik asko!