Unimogs Reach 21,961 Feet :: World Record

“After the erection of two shelters in 2017 on the highest volcano in the world, the Ojos del Salado/Chile, we wanted to make a further contribution together with our partners to improve the safety of mountaineers. The High Altitude Truck Expedition 2019 pursued several goals: the installation of emergency radio units in the four high camps of the Ojos del Salado used by mountaineers, scientific cooperation with the University of Atacama, vehicle altitude testing for further rescue and altitude operations, and improvement on the high-altitude record for trucks set in 2014. The Extrem Events team onsite succeeded to connect via solar-powered radio units the Refugio Murray (4,500m), Refugio Apatechta/Camp Atacama (5,300m), Refugio Tejos (5,850m), and Refugio Amistad (6,100m). This created a possibility for direct communication between the high-altitude camps, which saves valuable time when requesting help in emergency situations. With two Unimog’s, the Extrem Events team also managed to break the high altitude world record for trucks set in 2014. And even more: with one of the Unimog’s, a new mark was set for the absolute high altitude record for all motorized vehicles, at 6,694m. No other vehicle in the world has driven higher than the Unimog U 5023 did on the Ojos del Salado, on December 13, 2019.” Extrem Events – Matthias Jeschke