[8] For these remarkable successes the Bulgarian climber was greeted with a video message by mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner.

[14] During the descent of Gasherbrum II in 2009 he fell in a glacial crevasse and was saved by a group of Spanish climbers.

[14] Despite his injuries, in the following year he achieved a hat-trick by successfully climbing Kangchenjunga, Broad Peak, and K2 with internal fixators in this leg.

[16] After the descent of K2, he suffered a serious hypoglycemic crisis while in base camp, lost consciousness and was able to recover with the help of Polish climbers.

Due to Bulgarian diplomatic efforts, for the first time in 20 years, a Nepalese rescue helicopter was allowed to fly above China.