March 11th, 2010 by admin

I’ve been mentioning it for weeks, and now it is upon us. The 2010 Himalaya season has begun, with the first teams already arriving in Kathmandu and setting out for the various peaks that they will challenge this spring. Meanwhile, as has become all to common in recent years, it seems that Tibet is once again closed to outside visitors.

ExWeb cited reports from climbers yesterday that the borders into Tibet are once again closed, with no set date for when they’ll reopen again. Rumors are suggesting that the travel restrictions will be lifted on April 10, although climbers may be allowed in sooner than that. As has been the case the past few years, the closure seems to be in conjunction with the anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising, which took place 51 years ago tomorrow. Reportedly, more than 400 people have already been arrested in Lhasa alone as part of a nationwide crackdown by the Chinese, who continue to insist they have nothing to hide in the country.

With Tibet once again sealed off to the outside world, mountaineers are headed to Nepali peaks to get the climbing season underway. Edurne Pasaban, for instance, is on her way to Annapurna. Her and the rest of the team, flew to Pokara today, where they’ll begin the trek to Annapurna Base Camp. They are already prepared to face challenging conditions however, as the snow is said to still be quite deep above 4500 meters.

Korean climber Miss Oh Eun-Sun has arrived in Kathmandu, and will be heading to Annapurna soon as well. She’ll make the famous trek there to acclimatize first, then hopes to set up camp in BC by mid-April. From there, she’ll be concentrating on her final 8000 meter peak, the 26,545 foot main summit of the massif.

Similarly, Joao Garcia of Portugal is going for his final 8000 meter peak as well, on the same mountain. ExWeb says that he has climbed all the previous 13 eight-thousanders without supplementary oxygen, and of course will do the same here. He departs Lisbon for Kathmandu tomorrow, and will spend some time there before moving on to Annapurna too. Check out the video below to learn more about Joao.

Finally, the season is underway. Expect more news in the days to come, with climbers on their way to Everest by the end of the month. It’s about to get very busy in the Himalaya.

December 31st, 2009 by admin

British mountaineering legend Sir Chris Bonington is heading back to Annapurna, the mountain that arguably cemented his reputation as one of the preeminent high altitude climbers of his generation. He’ll go back in 2010, a year of anniversaries for the mountain.

According to this story over at Wide World, which has just relaunched with a new snappy new site design, Bonington will be trekking the Annapurna Circuit with his son Joe. This will be his first trip back since 1970, when he was the expedition leader for a team that made the first successful attempt on the South Face of Annapurna. While Bonington didn’t reach the summit himself, he did plan and orchestrate the expedition that did claim that new route. He did, however, top out on Annapurna II back in 1960 as part of a British Army expedition.

In the article, Sir Chris tells Wide World that the trekking route will be much the same as the one they used back in 1960, although things have obviously changed a lot since then. There was only one main road in the entire country back then, and much of Nepal remained mountain wilderness. Bonington is obviously looking forward to revisiting the place that played a huge role in his mountaineering career.

The Annapurna Massif is actually made up of a series of peaks, with Annapurna I through IV being the most prominent. The jewel of the Massif is Annapurna I, the tenth highest peak in the world at 8091 meters (26,545 feet). It was first climbed by Maurice Herzog back in 1950, making 2010 the 60th anniversary of that first ascent. It’ll also be the 40th anniversary of the Bonington’s team making that first ascent on the South Face, and the 50th anniversary of his first visit to the region.

Hopefully, Sir Chris will share some of his thoughts while trekking or upon his return. It would certainly be an interesting read, especially with his keen sense of history. Better yet, you can join the trek yourself! Head over to BoningtonTreks.com for more info, and pricing.

Also, if you’d like to learn more about Chris, I highly recommend the book The Boys of Everest, which is a great read about Bonington and the elite group of climbers that he climbed with. Great stuff.

October 20th, 2009 by admin

More news from the HImalaya, where it appears that we will continue to wait for the first woman to join the ranks of men who have topped out on all of the 8000 meter peaks, as the Korean team on Annapurna, which includes Oh Eun-Sun, have called off their summit bid, and are now preparing to go home.

ExWeb is reporting that the team got as high as Camp 3 over the weekend, but high winds prevented them from going any higher. They have now returned to Base Camp, and are preparing to depart for the season. They will have another go at the mountain in the Spring of 2010, when Miss Oh will try once again to become the first woman to nab all 14 eight-thousanders. Due to it’s high level of danger due to avalanches, Annapurna is not a mountain to attempt during the winter.

Now, the expeditions to the big peaks seem to be over for the season, and the action will heat up on some of the other challenging, but lesser mountains. The Field Touring Alpine Team reached Namche Bazaar over the weekend where they took the usual break and spent some time acclimatizing. They’ll now continue on to Ama Dablam this week.

Meanwhile, the Climb With Us team is now in Pumori Base Camp, and according to their latest updates, they will begin shuttling gear up to ABC tomorrow, where they’ll begin carving their tent platforms and start the early stages of acclimatization. The team had its Puja Ceremony earlier today and now have the blessings of Lama Tashi Stundu to begin their climb.

Watch for more updates later this week as more teams arrive on Pumori and Ama Dablam and begin their climbs as well.

October 18th, 2009 by admin

It has been a tumultuous fall season in the Himalaya with some great climbs and disappointing results, mostly due to the wildly unpredictable weather that is common in the region this time of year. That weather has forced many teams to go home, but a few intrepid expeditions are still there, and trekking to some of the lesser known peaks as we speak.

There was tragic news a few days back from Shisha Pangma, where Italian climber Roby Piantoni fell while on a particularly tricky section of the climb. His team descended to find his body, and then buried on the mountain, but his family has requested that it be sent home, so today, a ceremony was held for him on the mountain, and operations are underway to recover his remains. Several climbers, include Edurne Pasaban, and her Sherpas, are helping in the recovery, which will entail taking his body back to Nepal via Yak due to a ban on helicopter use in the area. With this sad news, I send my condolences to Roby’s friends and family in their time of grief.

Australian Andrew Lock finished up his climb on Shisha awhiel back, and in the process, claimed his final 8000 meter peak. That story has been picked up by the mainstream audience back in his homeland, with the media reporting on the expedition and the challenges to his climb. Andrew has already shared his thoughts on his accomplishment, but if you want to read a different account, check out this story over at the Australian Broadcasting Company’s website.

Turning away from that sad news, it appears that the Korean team on Annapurna is getting ready to have a second go at the mountain. Reports seem to indicate that they are on the move and will be heading up over the weekend with an eye on reaching the summit on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. If successful, Oh Eun-Sun will become the first woman to summit all 14 of the 8000 meter peaks, so stay tuned for updates on that.

The Climb With Us Team, led by Jaime Clarke continues their trek to Pumori. I’ve been reminded that you can get updates on the expedition not on from the Climb With Us website but also the Live Out There page too. The expedition is an opportunity for the team to field test some new outdoor gear courtesy of Hanesbrands, before they head to Everest in the spring. It’ll be a few more days before they reach BC yet, and then things will get really interesting.

Expect further updates from teams in the region in the days ahead, as Field Touring Alpine, Adventure Consultants, Peak Freaks, IMG, and others all have climbers en route to Pumori, Ama Dablam, and more.

October 16th, 2009 by admin

More updates from the Himalaya today with some news on the two ladies who have been vying for their place in history on the 8000 meter peaks.

We’ll start on Shisha Pangma, where Edurne Pasaban has announced that her expedition is over and that the team is heading home. She reports that weather forecasts are not good, and that they don’t look to improve any time soon, so rather than extend the climbing permit, she’ll leave the mountain without a summit for the fourth time. Edurne is one of the top female mountaineers who has been working very hard the past few years to become the first woman to summit all 14 8000 meter peaks. She currently stands at 12, with Shisha frustrating her once again.

Meanwhile, over on Annapurna, Korean climber Oh Eun-Sun is about to take another crack at that mountain. Miss Oh has 13 of the eight-thousanders down, and is hoping to claim the title as first woman to summit them all. The only thing that stands in her way is Annapurna and all of it’s very substantial challenges. She hopes to begin another push in the next few days, as a weather window seems imminent.

Pumori continues to be a busy mountain, with teams arriving late in the season to give the 23,494 foot mountain a go. The Peak Freaks have announced that they arrived in BC safely yesterday, and are enjoying a rest today, while they organize camp and take a look at the challenges in front of them.

The Climb With Us team is en route to Pumori as well, and have arrived in Namche where they will spend a day acclimatizing. You can read about their progress and the expedition so far on the latest dispatch from team leader Jamie Clarke, which can be found here.

Other teams are closing in on Ama Dablam, with the IMG team having crossed through Namche a few days back and continuing their trek to BC, while the Field Touring Alpine squad has gathered in Kathmandu and are preparing to depart for the Khumbu region in the next few days.

More to come soon I’m sure. Keep an eye on Annapurna for word on the Korean team and Miss Oh’s chance to make history.

October 14th, 2009 by admin

The season appears to be over on a number of big peaks in the Himalaya after high winds and bad weather put an end to a number of climbs over the weekend, sending teams home without reaching the summits of their target mountains.

ExWeb reported yesterday that the Basque Team on Everest have abandoned their attempt on the Hornbein Couloir and are now headed home. The team only had one real shot at the summit along that route, but dangerous avalanches denied them on that occasion, and while they waited for another weather window, it became apparent that it wasn’t going to happen.

Meanwhile, the story was a bit different on Shisha Pangama, where on the North Side, Nicholas Rice reported in that they climbed up to C1 on Saturday, only to find that their tents and other equipment they had stashed there. They suspect that it was a Sherpa team with a Chinese squad who have already left the mountain, but aren’t positive of that fact. They also suspect that Camps 2 and 3 have been raided, and are disheartened by the fact that they not only had to give up on their summit bid, but have lost thousands of dollars of gear in the process. Two months worth of toil down the drain thanks to another selfish team.

On the South Side of Shisha, Edurne Pasaban and her crew attempted a summit bid over the weekend, but found their camps were missing as well, but for a completely different reason. The high winds swept them off the mountain completely, leaving them with little gear to proceed up. The team is back in BC and looking to borrow gear from some of the teams that are preparing to go home.

Over on Cho Oyu, a similar story is told by the Adventure Consultants, who wanted to make their bid starting on Sunday, but were also turned back due to high winds. With their weather window closed, they’re also headed home.

No word from Annapurna as of yet. The Korean team was hoping to wait out the weather and make another go at the summit, hoping to put Miss Oh on top and get her the coveted spot of the first woman to climb all 8000 meter peaks. At this time we don’t know if that is still a reality or if the window is closed there as well.

October 10th, 2009 by admin

Two of the big name climbers in the Himalaya this fall have posted updates to their websites filling us in on the details of their climbs. Both reached the summit of their respective 8000 meter peaks after some struggles along the way.

First up, Andrew Lock has updated his blog with the details on his summit of Shisha Pangma, which happened to be his 14th, and final, 8000 meter mountain. His tale is a good one, and well worth the read, as he lets us in on the scary nature of climbing up to the true summit amidst weather that was getting worse by the minute, and than played havoc with the descent. Harrowing stuff!

The other update comes from Ueli Steck, who is now home, safe and sound, after his climb on Makalu. Ueli had intended to make a solo, alpine style ascent along the West Pillar, but ended up going after the normal route and claiming a successful summit along the way. Ueli is back in Switzerland now, and starting to return to the routine of his normal life, but is also dealing with frostbite and exhaustion. He says that he has never been tested by a mountain like this one before, and that it was only through his strength of will that he actually stood on top. More good stuff.

While these two amazing climbers are safely down and sharing thoughts on their climbs, others are still preparing to make summit bids as the weather begins to shift in the region. ExWeb is reporting all of the weekend plans for teams looking to get into position for early next week, including Edurne Pasaban who is still hoping to become the first woman to join the list of the 8000 meter club.

ExWeb is also reporting that there is no change in status at this time for teams on Annapurna or Everest. On the former, Miss Oh is hoping to get another crack at the summit as well, so she can stake her claim at 8000 meter history, while on Everest, the Basque team is hoping at another shot at the Hornbein Couloir.

October 8th, 2009 by admin

While many teams have already packed up and gone home for the season and others are just now finishing up their expeditions, the Climb With Us Team, which is sponsored by Hanesbrands, is just setting off for their climb on Pumori, the 7161 meter (23,494 foot) Himalayan peak located on the border between Nepal and Tibet. The mountain, which is known as “Everest’s Daughter” sits just five miles to the west of the Big Hill itself, and is a popular destination for mountaineers looking for a Himalayan climb.

For the Climb With Us team, they’ll be making a trial run with the new gear that was recently announced from Hanes, ahead of an Everest climb scheduled to take place next spring. You’ll be able to follow along with the expedition, which is led by Jaime Clarke, on the Expeditions Update page, which already has a nice story about Pumori from Stephanie Pearson, who is a contributor to Outside Magazine. Good luck to the whole team!

Meanwhile, ExWeb is reporting in that storms have moved into the region, and that is preventing many teams from moving up their mountains at all. Most climbers are hunkered down in base camp, waiting out the weather and hoping for a window to open soon.

On Annapurna, the Korean team, which includes Oh Eun-Sun, is holding fast for now, despite the fact that the heavy snow has collapsed tents and made life very difficult. Their weather forecasters tell them this storm will hold in place until the Friday at the very least, and after that they’ll have to decide if they can make another go at the summit or if they’ll come home. Annapurna is notorious for its dangerous avalanches, and this new blanket of snow won’t help their cause much. Miss Oh is hoping to become the first woman to nab all of the 8000 meter peaks, and has just this lone mountain to go.

Similar reports are coming in from Cho Oyu, Shisha Pangma, and Dhaulagiri as well. Teams on each mountain say that heavy snows have left them stranded in BC with near arctic conditions raging around them. Of course, if conditions are this bad in the base camps, how bad will they be further up the mountain, where the high camps have already been established? Some teams will no doubt face the task of having to re-establish those camps once the storm clears.

October 6th, 2009 by admin

The weekend news from the Himalaya begins with Andrew Lock, who reached the summit of Shisha Pangma last Friday, claiming his final 8000 meter peak, and becoming the the 15th person to summit all 14. The details on the climb are still a bit thin, but judging from his latest dispatch, it sounds like things were a bit treacherous on the descent. Andrew reached the true summit on Shisha, along with Neil Ward, but on their way down they were forced to camp, without gear, at 7600 meters. They did return to BC eventually, but have yet to share the details of their harrowing climb. I sense there is a good story here. Congrats Andrew! Well done.

Also on Shisha Pangma is the Summit Climb Team, which I reported last week were having some drama high on the mountain. One of the members of the team, Bart Dirven, had collapsed on the descent, and was having a difficult time making his way down after a successful climb to the Central Summit. Bart was suffering from exhaustion and altitude sickness, but in their latest update, it was reported that the entire team, including Bar, were down safe and sound. Crisis averted!

Meanwhile, over on Annapurna, the Korean team was turned back this weekend due to bad weather conditions high on the mountain. They are all back in base camp now, and plotting another attempt. ExWeb is reporting that they hope to make their next summit bid sometime next week, with an eye on being on top by October 15th, provided they get a weather window to proceed. This has temporarily put a halt to Oh Eun-Sun’s attempt to become the first woman to summit each of the 8000 meter peaks.

Over on Dhaulagiri, we have word that there is an Italian team making an attempt on that mountain. There hasn’t been a lot of news from Dhaula this fall, but that doesn’t mean it is deserted. The Italians went up as high as C3 over the weekend, but were also forced back down due to inclement weather. They hope to make another attempt, weather permitting, later this week.

Finally, teams are clearing out of the Himalaya and heading home. Alpenglow Expeditions returned to Kathmandu on Saturday, and Field Touring Alpine has already vacated the region, but they still found time to post an excellent trip report from their recent climb on Satopanth.

Clearly, the days are numbered on the Fall Season. Winter is not far off, but there are very few climbs during that season.

October 2nd, 2009 by admin

I know that I already posted an update on the Himalaya today, but ExWeb has posted news from Annapurna, where Korean climber Miss Oh Eun-sun has set off on her summit bid. The story indicates that she is behind her projected schedule, but has gone up to Camp 1 today, and hopes to go to C3 tomorrow with the hopes of topping out this weekend, most likely on Sunday. If she is successful, she’ll become the first woman to climb all 8000 meter peaks, knocking off five this year alone.

I want to wish Miss Oh the best of luck. I hope she is taking every precaution in her Annapurna climb, as many consider it the toughest of all the 8000m peaks to summit. She’s had a very ambitious hear in the Himalaya, and hopefully discretion will win out over ambition should conditions become dangerous.

ExWeb also reports that the Basque Team on Everest have regained their strength in Base Camp and are now prepared to make another attempt on that mountain. They have been going after the Hornbein Couloir, and were forced down by avalanches earlier in the week, but now feel confident to give it another go. They’ll be going to the summit in an alpine style push, and may top out this weekend as well, but more likely it’ll be next week.

Finally, the ExWeb article also does a good job of explaining the difference between the Central and Main Summits on Shisha Pangma, both of which I mentioned in my earlier post. The Central is lower than the Main, but many don’t make it to the top, as it is a very treacherous climb, especially with snowy conditions. It is an interesting read on the topography of the mountain.