Atanas Skatov

On 20 June 2017, Atanas Skatov ascended solo in alpine style Denali peak in Alaska and became the first Bulgarian and the world's first vegan to climb successfully the Seven Summits.

In 2017, Skatov took part in two expeditions for climbing eight-thousanders in Himalayas before monsoons. On 16 May 2017 he climbed successfully the fourth highest summit on the planet -Lhotse, 8516m. Only 5 days later Skatov climbed successfully on 22 May Everest, 8848 for second time, but now from south side. So Atanas Skatov is the first Bulgarian, who climbed Mount Everest from north and from south ridges.

After Lhotse and Everest, Skatov climbed solo in alpine style on 20 June 2017 his last one of Seven summits-Denali, 6197m.

In 2016, Skatov took part in three expeditions for climbing eight-thousanders in Himalayas before monsoons in spring, which no other Bulgarian had done before and there are just a few similar cases in the world. On 16 April he reached 7700 m. of Annapurna I, 8091 m. with another five mountaineers, but due to the bad weather is forced to went down to the Base Camp. However, on 1 May 2016 he climbed successfully the tenth highest summit on the planet – Annapurna I, which is the deadliest one, possibly being the first vegan to step on the peak of Annapurna. Immediately after Annapurna, he tried to climb Dhaulagiri, 8172 m., reaching 7900 m. in alpine style on 15 May 2016. He didn't have time for second attempt because he had a bigger target in mind, the fifth highest peak in the world – Makalu, 8485 m.

Two weeks after his return from 80-days triple expedition in Nepal, on 15 June 2016 Skatov flew to Pakistan, where he joined in an expedition to Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II. For Skatov, it is important to constantly pursue the limits of his physical and mental strength while on a vegan diet. After almost a month on Base Camp Gasherbrum, time spent for acclimatisation, on 21 July, he headed towards Camp I at Gasherbrum II. On 22 July, a snow started to fall for 26 hours nonstop, so on 23 July, Skatov went down to Base Camp and suspended the expedition.

In conclusion, for 2016, Atanas Skatov participated in four expeditions above 8 000 meters, which hasn't been done by any other known vegan or a Bulgarian. Atanas Skatov considers that examining the vegan diet is the most prominent scientific research, he has ever done. In January 2017, he marked six years of the beginning of his vegan lifestyle which he says he has no intention to change. He is regularly subject to blood tests, checking the important for a human being indices. Additionally, he maintains a diary regarding sport activities and his mental health.

In 2015, he published his first book The Mother Goddess of the Universe. At the same time his first documentary movie: Skatov, The Experiment, Episode 1: The First Vegan on Everest was released. Skatov has published many scientific articles in Bulgaria and abroad, including instructions for the National Service for Plant Protection. He conducts presentations and motivational meetings. He has been interviewed more than 100 times regarding his latest project: Climbing the 14 highest summits on the planet without consumption of food of animal origin.

In 2015, Skatov was awarded a “Honorary Citizen” of Sliven, Bulgaria.

In 2015, he launched his second project: climbing the 14 highest summits on the planet, the "Crown of the Himalaya” without consumption of food of animal origin (including an expedition to the eighth highest peak on the planet – Manaslu, 8163 m., which had not been climbed by a Bulgarian before). Only Skatov, from all the mountaineers present in the autumn of 2015, made three consecutive attempts to attack the peak and on 1 October 2015 at 5:50 am he reached the peak. Only a few hours prior, another Bulgarian mountaineer, Boyan Petrov, had climbed the summit in his first attempt. Skatov then became the second Bulgarian and possibly the second vegan in the world to have climbed Manaslu.

On 24 May 2014 he became the first known vegan to ascend Everest. As of October 2019 he is attempting to become the first known vegan to summit the 14 highest summits on Earth and has successfully reached the top of 10 of them: Everest (north and south routes), Manaslu, Annapurna, Makalu, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Kangchenjunga, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, and Dhaulagiri.

Skatov became a vegan January 2012, and decided to put on test this kind of diet by climbing the highest summits of each continent in the world, testing his physical and mental endurance. He has chosen the high-altitude mountaineering as it allows a human being to put his physical and mental health under intense pressure.

At the end of 2011, he had the idea to become a vegan and to climb the highest peaks on all continents as well as all eight–thousanders as a vegan. In that way, he combined veganism and mountaineering in his first Project: Climbing the highest peaks on all seven continents as a vegan. In less than two years he reached the highest summits of all seven continents.

Skatov says he had never been on a mountain until 2010, and before 2012 had never been an active sports person. Without passing even a basic mountaineering or climbing training program, he became the first known person of the world on a vegan diet who climbed the highest summits on six of the continents in less than two years, climbing four eight – thousanders in a week apiece. He is the first Bulgarian mountaineer taking part in four expeditions to climb eight-thousanders in a single season.

At 14 years of age, as a school boy at the Gymnasium of Electronics and Electrical Engineering in Sliven, he dreamed of completing Bulgaria's longest high-mountain hiking trail from Kom to Emine (650 km). This dream came true 18 years later, in the summer of 2010. In his childhood, until he the age of 18, he had been part of the prominent folklore dance ensemble “Trakiyche”. Until 2012, he had never participated in any sports competitions. He started in the summer of 2010, when for the first time he hiked the Kom-Emine trail. Later in 2011 and 2012 repeated the hike, captivated by the magic of the mountain. In the mountains, he considered what could be done for the safety of the planet. Since 2000, he was concerned that the world's population is constantly growing and that agricultural areas are limited.

Atanas Skatov was born on 11 March 1978 in Sliven, Bulgaria. In 2001, he graduated with distinction from the Agricultural University in Plovdiv, Bulgaria and holds a master's degree in plant protection. During his study he gained two scholarships, allowing him to study for two semesters at Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. From 2001–2004, he was a full-time PhD student, in the departments of both horticulture and phytomedicine (plant protection). In February 2005, he was awarded a Doctorate degree in Agricultural Science after successfully presenting his dissertation on “Integrated Tomato Production (Lycopersicon esculentum) in a glasshouse with an emphasis on integrated and biological pest control against the greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum westwood)”.