Mountaineer Aivars Bojārs’s Jacket

The jacket of alpinist Aivars Bojārs (1959—1993) is a very special new acquisition for the museum, both because the jacket, along with its owner, reached an altitude of over 8,000 meters on the way to the world’s highest peak, Everest, and because it is connected to events that several Latvian newspapers followed closely in the early 90s.

The jacket came to the museum as a donation from Voldemārs Eihe, the former director of Ogres Commercial Bank. It was given to the Eihe family by their neighbor and family friend, the mountaineer’s mother, Lūcija Bojāre.

Aivars Bojārs was a well-known and experienced alpinist, president of the Latvian Youth Mountaineering Association, a doctor, and a coach for many young Latvian rock climbers in the 80s. The alpinist wore the simple warm sports jacket on his first and only ascent of Everest (8848 m), when in November 1992, he embarked on his journey towards his dream — conquering the world’s highest peak. The jacket is adorned on the chest with an emblem featuring a stylized Lithuanian flag and the inscription “EVEREST ‘92 LIETUVA”, as the Baltic alpinist expedition was organized by the Lithuanian Alpinist Federation. The alpinists had acquired the necessary physical fitness and equipment, but in an interview before the climb, Bojārs admitted that everything would depend on the weather conditions. The alpinist proved to be right, and the 1992 Everest expedition at an altitude of over 8,000 meters was forced to capitulate due to severe weather, when a snowstorm and menacing gusts surprised the climbers. However, the passionate alpinist did not give up on the idea of Everest and planned to climb again. In an interview, Aivars Bojārs spoke about his longing for the mountains:

“The Himalayas are the “white islands” for alpinists. It is the spiritual pole of the entire world. I go there without knowing what attracts me — the high peaks or the spirituality. After all, if I weren’t an alpinist, I would arrive there as a traveler. Alpinism is my path to enter this world of spirituality. In life, everything is directed towards a peak. Upon reaching it, we choose the next one. All of life is an ascent — sometimes successful, sometimes not. Every person in life must find their own “white islands”, but the Himalayas are a universal place for everyone. Everyone should go there to gain strength to live. I can only wish for everyone to find their own “white islands”.”

To plan a new ascent of Everest, in February 1993, Aivars Bojārs, accompanied by several of his students, went to the Caucasus, where he climbed Elbrus (5642 m) in a training ascent. Unfortunately, this became the 33-year-old alpinist’s last climb, and the dream of carrying the flag of the Republic of Latvia to Everest remained unfulfilled. Aivars Bojārs tragically died, slipping on a mirrored ice surface. A member of the alpinist group recounts: “Halfway up, Aivars slipped, and we couldn’t help him on the 50-degree slope.” Later, many compared the death of this experienced alpinist to a high-class pilot crashing while riding a bicycle.

It should be noted that in 1992, when Aivars Bojārs, together with the Lithuanian expedition, was preparing to “conquer” Everest, no alpinist from the newly independent Baltic states had yet ascended it. Only in May 1993 did newspapers report that on May 10, the first alpinist from the Baltic states, Lithuanian Vladis Vitkauskas, reached Everest, carrying his country’s flag to the summit, as well as the Latvian flag, which Aivars Bojārs had been unable to do during the 1992 expedition.

Santa Šustere, former history specialist at the Ogre History and Art Museum