Boyan Petrov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Boyan Petrov
During the presentation of his book "The First Seven", February 6, 2017.
Born	(1973-02-07)7 February 1973 Sofia, Bulgaria
Disappeared	5 May 2018 (aged 45) Shishapangma, Tibet, China
Status	Missing for 7 years, 1 month and 23 days
Nationality	Bulgarian
Occupation	Mountaineer, zoologist
Known for	Climbing 10 out of the 14 eight-thousanders without supplementary oxygen

Boyan Petrov (Bulgarian: Боян Петров) was a famous Bulgarian mountaineer and zoologist. He was born on February 7, 1973. Boyan worked at the National Museum of Natural History in Sofia.

He was married to Radoslava Nenova. They had a child named Yavor Petrov. Boyan was known for his amazing climbing skills. He climbed very tall mountains without extra oxygen.

At the time he went missing, Boyan had climbed 10 of the 14 highest mountains in the world. These mountains are called eight-thousanders because they are over 8,000 meters (about 26,247 feet) tall. He climbed all of them without using extra oxygen. This was a huge achievement. He was the first Bulgarian to reach the top of four of these giant mountains. These were Gasherbrum I (in 2009), Kangchenjunga (in 2014), K2 (in 2014), and Manaslu (in 2015).

Boyan's Amazing Climbs

Boyan Petrov achieved many incredible things. On May 20, 2014, he became the first Bulgarian to climb Kangchenjunga. This is the third highest mountain on Earth, standing at 8,586 meters (28,169 feet). He was also the first person with diabetes to climb so high without extra oxygen.

Just a few months later, on July 23, he climbed Broad Peak (8,047 meters or 26,401 feet). Then, on July 31, 2014, he made history again. He became the first Bulgarian to climb K2, the second highest mountain in the world. K2 is 8,611 meters (28,251 feet) tall.

Climbing three eight-thousanders in less than 100 days was a huge feat. Boyan also set a world record by climbing Broad Peak and K2 in just 8 days! The famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner even sent him a video message. Boyan made a film about his climbs called "3x8000." It was shown on Bulgarian National Television. In 2017, he also reached the top of Dhaulagiri (8,167 meters or 26,795 feet) without oxygen.

Overcoming Challenges

Boyan Petrov faced many challenges in his life. He had survived cancer. He also lived with diabetes. This meant his body had to work harder to climb.

He had some serious accidents too. In 2008, he broke his leg while climbing in the Alps. In 2009, he fell into a deep crack in the ice, called a crevasse, on Gasherbrum II. Luckily, Spanish climbers saved him. In 2013, he broke his leg again in a car accident.

Despite these injuries, Boyan kept climbing. The very next year, he climbed Kangchenjunga, Broad Peak, and K2. He even had metal plates in his leg from the surgery. After climbing K2, he had a serious low blood sugar event. This is called a hypoglycemic crisis. He passed out at base camp but Polish climbers helped him recover.

His Disappearance

Boyan Petrov was reported missing on May 5, 2018. He was climbing Shishapangma in the Himalayas. This mountain is 8,027 meters (26,335 feet) tall. The search for him continued until May 16, but he was not found. Other climbers believe he might have fallen into a crevasse on his way to the top.

Mountains Boyan Climbed

Boyan Petrov climbed many high peaks. Here is a list of some of his ascents:

Year	Peak	Height	Mountain	State	Notes
2001	Broad Peak	8047 m	Karakoram	Pakistan	Altitude reached 7300 m
2003	Lenin Peak	7134 m	Pamir	Kyrgyzstan
2004	Aconcagua	6962 m	Andes	Argentina
2004	Denali	6195 m	American Cordillera	USA
2005	K2	8611 m	Karakoram	Pakistan	Altitude reached 8200 m
2007	Khan Tengri	6995 m	Tian Shan	Kazakhstan
2009	Gasherbrum I	8080 m	Karakoram	Pakistan	First Bulgarian ascent. Without oxygen
2009	Gasherbrum II	8035 m	Karakoram	Pakistan	Altitude reached 8030 m
2010	Peak Korzhenevskaya	7105 m	Pamir	Tajikistan
2010	Ismoil Somoni Peak	7495 m	Pamir	Tajikistan
2014	Kangchenjunga	8586 m	Himalayas	Nepal	First Bulgarian ascent. Without oxygen
2014	Broad Peak	8047 m	Karakoram	Pakistan	Without oxygen
2014	K2	8611 m	Karakoram	Pakistan	First Bulgarian ascent. Without oxygen
2015	Manaslu	8163 m	Himalayas	Nepal	First Bulgarian ascent. Without oxygen
2016	Annapurna I	8091 m	Himalayas	Nepal	Without oxygen
2016	Makalu	8485 m	Himalayas	Nepal	Without oxygen
2016	Nanga Parbat	8126 m	Himalayas	Pakistan	Without oxygen
2017	Gasherbrum II	8035 m	Karakoram	Pakistan	Without oxygen
2017	Dhaulagiri	8167 m	Himalayas	Nepal	Without oxygen
2018	Shishapangma	8027 m	Himalayas	China	Reached Camp 3 at 7,500 m before disappearing

     Eight-thousanders climbed.

Source:

See also

• Hristo Prodanov
• List of deaths on eight-thousanders
• List of people who disappeared