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- The Opel flag at 8,848 meters above sea level – on the top of the world: Our French colleague Laurent Butaye conquered Mount Everest in May, where he…
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- …hoisted the flag with the Opel-bolt. This was a special thank-you to his employer, since Opel gave him time off to go on this extraordinary adventure, explains the Training and Quality Manager. The 37-year-old, who was accompanied by a four-man Nepalese expedition team, opted for the northern route to the summit.
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- 4,980 meters/Rongbuk monastery: The northern route passes by the complex. It is the highest situated monastery in the world.
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- In the Rongpu Valley: The adventurers’ base camp was not far from the monastery, at an altitude of around 5,200 meters.
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- The summit in sight and dressed for the occasion: Laurent Butaye looks on at the world’s highest mountain. Here, it is still several kilometers away as the crow flies.
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- 6,400 meters high: A two-day trek brought the team to ABC (Advanced Base Camp) on a moraine landscape that gently slopes upward towards the skies.
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- At this altitude it is already difficult to linger for any length of time – the cold, the wind, and the very thin air can be life threatening if you stay put for too long. Following a short stop to rest and eat, Butaye returns to the trail…
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- …at a height of 7,000 meters: The route to the Northern Col leads across a perilous wall of ice.
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- Now the expedition is on the last few meters to…
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- …Camp 1, at an altitude of 7,100 meters. From this point on, things will really start to get tough for all those involved.
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- A Sherpa guide checks the equipment for the stretch that lies ahead.
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- At around 8,000 meters above sea level, the landscape is as barren as it is majestic. Following a break…
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- …the tents are taken down. As you would expect, the panoramic view is truly one-of-a-kind. But they are not there quite yet.
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- The climbers painstakingly make their way to Station Camp 3, at 8,300 meters; it is their last pit stop. There is no level ground here on which to pitch their tents.
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- Time to enjoy one last sunset before making the final ascent to the summit the next day.
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- The summit of Mount Everest: The group worked for two months so that they could enjoy this view.
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- What remains are the memories, a sense of elation, and also an official certificate from the Chinese government documenting his ascent of Mount Everest.
Opel has reached the top of the world. There are clear blue skies, and it is hard to tell the ice and snow from the sea of clouds that drifts between the rocks. Laurent Butaye is standing at the peak of the tallest mountain on earth, standing a mighty 8,848 meters tall. There is a bright yellow flag flapping on his chest, emblazoned with the Opel lightning bolt and the slogan ‘Wir leben Autos.’ The French Training and Quality Manager waited to take the Opel flag out of his backpack until he reached the highest point on earth. “It was important for me to thank my employer for giving me time off to go on this extraordinary adventure,” says Butaye, 37. Not many companies would do that for their employees, of that he is sure.
Laurent Butaye
He reached the peak of Mount Everest on 24 May with a four-man Nepalese expedition team. The group was traveling for two months. Following a month of preparations, during which members of the expedition adjusted to the altitude and cold temperatures, the trek got underway in stormy conditions of snow and ice. “It was extremely dangerous, especially during the ascent of the Northern Col when we had to climb a steep wall of ice,” recalls Butaye. Just like the final ascent to the peak, in which he and his companions had to traverse the three famous cliffs, the second of which involved climbing 40 meters, the last five of which were nearly vertical. “I am thrilled that I was able to scale the tallest and most majestic mountain on earth,” says Butaye. One thing that worked to his advantage was the fact that his body adapts easily to the conditions at extreme altitudes. The expedition to Mount Everest was the fifth time he had climbed one of the world’s highest peaks – all this in the span of two years. And what mountain is next on his list? “Good question,” says Butaye, who is leaving his options open for his next adventure. 
Laurent Butaye has climbed five of the world’s tallest mountains.
He has scaled Kilimanjaro (the highest peak in Africa (Tanzania, 5,895 m)),
Aconcagua (the highest peak in the Americas (Argentina, 6,962 m)), Mont Blanc (the highest peak in Europe (France, 4,810 m)), and Cho Oyu (Himalayas, 8,201 m)).