Presentations: “240 Years of Modern Mountaineering – From the First Ascent of Mont Blanc” and “Peter Aufschnaiter”
Lesser-known details from the life and work of a man with an extraordinary destiny, who always lived by the motto: “SEIN ohne zu SCHEINEN” (“To be, without appearing to be”).
Kiril Doskov is a distinguished Bulgarian mountaineer and geologist, as well as a long-time specialist in special construction and refractory materials. He has been actively involved in sport and mountaineering for more than 50 years, with numerous ascents in Bulgaria, the Alps, the Tatras, the Pamirs and the Himalayas.
In 1984, he was a member of the legendary Bulgarian national expedition Everest ’84. Together with Nikolay Petkov, he climbed Mount Everest (8,848 m) via the West Ridge—the so-called “Cruel Way”—before descending via the Southeast Ridge, completing the historic Bulgarian Traverse of Everest.
That same year, Doskov and Petkov made a speed ascent of the American Direct on the Petit Dru in the Alps. His other major high-altitude achievements include ascents of the seven-thousanders Lenin Peak and Communism Peak, as well as the North Face of the Eiger via the classic Heckmair Route.
Doskov holds a Master’s degree in Geology and Earth Sciences from the University of Erlangen in Bavaria. For more than 35 years, he has worked on the development and application of specialised construction and refractory materials for major European companies, contributing to projects at industrial plants, mines and large-scale construction sites around the world.
Major Ascents and Achievements
Himalayas
- 1984 – Mount Everest (8,848 m) – ascent via the West Ridge, the so-called “Cruel Way”
- 1984 – Bulgarian Traverse of Everest – ascent via the West Ridge and descent via the Southeast Ridge, together with Nikolay Petkov
Pamirs
- Lenin Peak (7,134 m)
- Communism Peak (7,495 m)
Alps
- 1984 – Petit Dru – speed ascent of the American Direct with Nikolay Petkov
- Eiger – ascent of the North Face via the classic Heckmair Route
Other Achievements
- Multiple-time Bulgarian rock-climbing champion
- Numerous summer and winter ascents in the Bulgarian mountains, the Alps and the Tatras
- Participation in a Bulgarian Antarctic expedition as a field assistant on a geological research project
- Remains actively involved in mountaineering while researching and presenting lesser-known stories, personalities and events from the history of mountaineering worldwide