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Makalu 2010
Keeping you posted on our journey through the Nepalese Himalaya to the summit of Makalu .
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Reflections - Makalu 2010
Tuesday 01 June 2010
After 11 days on the mountain I finally reached Base Camp at 4pm on 27 May. After frenzied packing we began the walk-out from Base Camp the following morning and over the last 5 days have covered the route from Base Camp to Tumlingtar (the end of our trek).
The rain has fallen incessantly throughout and only today have we been treated to sunshine, hence the reason we have not been able to blog during the trek from Base Camp. Although physically and emotionally tired the trek down the valley has allowed me to try and take stock of those final roller-coaster 11 days on the mountain and to put in to perspective the achievements of the team during the expedition.
Ascents of the alpine peaks and those of the greater ranges provide great challenges and successful ascents are never guaranteed. Naturally, as the altitude and degree of difficulty increases so does the level of uncertainty over whether the summit will be reached, but this is part of the pleasure of mountaineering. On an 8000m peak there are many days, and potentially weeks, of work to be done before thoughts of summiting can be entertained.
Without question our objective, an ascent of Makalu via the South East Ridge (integral), was an extreme challenge. The length of the ridge, technical difficulty, altitude and distance between camps meant that it was always going to be a supreme test. That we were the only team on the ridge simply added to the scale of the challenge. Against a backdrop of exceptionally unsettled weather, but with a climbing strategy developed from the 2 previous attempts (2004 & 2008), we established the lower camps and then the 2 key camps (Camp 2 and Camp 3) that would support our summit bids. All of the team were involved, often battling through extreme winds and snow to provision the respective camps. With the infrastructure and a strong team of climbers in place – all that was needed was 2 days of reasonable weather.
The weather pattern on Makalu had been anything but stable and we hoped that we would receive an indication of improving conditions and reducing winds above 7000m. However, on 23 May the unexpected (not forecast) arrival of many hours of heavy snowfall did not seem just. Our fixed lines beyond Camp 3 were buried deep beneath the fresh snow and Makalu took on a wintery mantle. Still we hoped for an improved forecast but our pressing timeline, limited food and fuel supplies, period of time sat above 7000m and continued poor weather reports meant that descent was the only option. Battling deep snow with heavy loads we stripped our equipment from the mountain as we descended over the next 2 days - the dream was over.
After 3 service expeditions to attempt the route without reaching the summit there will be those who question the feasibility of the route; is it too long and can it ever be climbed? On all 3 occasions a camp has been established above 7300m and in 2008 the team reached 7900m, within striking distance of the summit. The length and difficulty of the South East Ridge (integral) mean that it has a place amongst the most challenging routes on the 8000m peaks, which for many mountaineers is exactly the sort of challenge that draws them to the mountains. The enjoyment is in testing oneself and overcoming the challenge – guaranteed success is not the draw. Within the armed forces climbing community the appetite for a further expedition to Makalu (South East Ridge), except amongst those who have been on it, is likely to be limited. However, through our post expedition report and presentations to the wider mountaineering community we hope to increase awareness of the route and to sew the seed in someone’s mind for the route to be a future objective.
Throughout the course of this expedition the extreme efforts of all team members have been focussed on reaching the summit. We have been a team throughout and return to UK in a few days knowing that on this occasion we could have achieved no more. The weather pattern on Makalu this year was extremely unsettled, with significant snowfall and with the summit winds remaining extremely strong throughout. Indeed, on the far side of the mountain, ‘the normal route’, summit success has also been sporadic with several strong teams and individuals being affected by the same heavy snowfall and extreme winds. Makalu has put up her guard this year and there will be many who must return to attempt the mountain again in the future.
The expedition would like to thank everyone who has supported the Makalu 2010 (South East Ridge) expedition. The website will remain live for the foreseeable future with updates to the gallery and details of expedition presentation dates – so please continue to check at intervals. Weather permitting we will fly to Kathmandu tomorrow and complete the post expedition administration phase before returning home.
Finally, if you are able to support our charity – SOS Children’s Villages – the link is on the home page.
Colin Scott – Expedition Leader
Return to the Valley
Thursday 27 May 2010
Following almost 2 weeks on the hill we are finally back in Base Camp, unfortunately we haven’t been able to claim the prize of the first successful ascent of the complete South East Ridge and a South to North Traverse of the mountain, although we came very close.
Initially myself and Rob headed up the route way back on Friday 14th with the intention of preparing the way to Camp 3 and then pushing towards the summit, the weather forecasts we had obtained showed that we should have a few days work before the weather closed for 2 days and then open up again.
This did prove to be the case and we managed to fix the ropes up into the diagonal gully approaching Camp 3 – not an easy task in itself as the slopes up from Camp 2 are steep and unrelenting and we had to regain our high point each day before starting to push out the ropes again. A day later than forecast, the wind picked up and we battened down ourselves into Camp 2, we were isolated up here for 2 days; a time to re-fuel and rehydrate before the onslaught re-commenced.
With heavy packs and a clear focus we pushed up towards Camp 3 on the 21st May, after a late start due to the winds still holding their force until mid-morning, we moved up to within one hour’s climb of Camp 3 with Pasang providing even heavier lift than ourselves, in the failing light we made the call to hunker down for the night. After searching for a safe sheltered site away from potential avalanche danger we settled on digging in a snow cave next to the crag that Camp 3 sits atop of. Following some sterling destructive work from Rob’s Crampons and Pasang’s shovel, we soon had a large and secure, if somewhat narrow and low snow cave, fashioned and ready for habitation.
After a warm but slightly cramped night we soon pushed out of the snow hole and cracked on up to the top of the crag and onto the snow dome at just over 7300 metres, Camp 3 had been reached, nearly 2 months after the expedition had left the UK. The Camp was soon established and before long Ongda and Mingma arrived with their loads of oxygen – unfortunately the requirement for ropes and fixings hadn’t been met, which left us with a severe shortfall and would not allow us to fix lines up to the upper ridge. Colin and Matt arrived with very heavy loads and soon set up a third tent. Following the evening weather our plans started to come together for a mass assault on the summit, to maximise our chances we were planning on a classic pincer movement - pushing myself and Rob along the Ridge with Colin leading Matt and Pasang into the Eastern Cwm to give a more likely summit success. All we needed was some more ropes and some decent weather...
Ongda managed a quick up and down the lines and retrieved the ropes stashed between Camp 2 and 3 by 1330, just as the weather started its turn for the afternoon. Later, as the wind and snow started to thin out, I headed up the Ridge to start fixing the ropes across the crevasses above Camp to a position where we could safely launch a summit push the following day. Whilst finishing off at just over 24,000 feet (cruising height for some airline routes) I noticed a strengthening wind and looking West could clearly see a weather front moving in, with thin dark grey lenticularis clouds already streaming off the nearby 7000 metre peaks I estimated a snow laden storm hitting us in the next 6-12 hours; time to drop back down the ropes and check the weather forecast.
The evening forecast came up negative – ‘no storm or weather front due in’. At nearly 2 in the morning the all too familiar sound of snow hitting the tent broke through the gloom, was it blown snow picked up by the wind? Or was it snowfall? The way the weather had gone on this climb so far there was only one conclusion – we had yet another snow storm overhead. By morning over a foot of snow had fallen and it was still coming, this was classic avalanche conditions and made further movement up or down the mountain a matter for Kamikaze’s only.
In the end the weather had put paid to our ambitions, high winds following on from heavy snows made our particular route pretty much un-climbable, any attempt at the final section would have put the climbers at extreme risk, mainly due to the requirement for a high level bivouac up near 8000 metres.
This made for a frustrating finish to yet another attempt on this fabulous route but it was the only sensible option, to push on would have almost certainly come at an unacceptable cost to the expedition. So following 4 nights at 7300 metres as well as the 6 nights spent at 6500 metres the summit team stripped out Camp 3, loaded it up along with the unused oxygen and under very heavy loads started the long hard haul back to Base Camp.
Regards to all,
Dick Gale
Retrieval Day
Wednesday 26 May 2010
As I type this Colin, Dick, Rob, Matt, Pasang and Ongda are pushing back along the ridge from Camp 2 to Camp 1 with the aim of making it all the way back to Base Camp today. Along the way they will be stripping out as much kit as possible and piling it into their bergans which will already be bursting with tents, oxygen bottles, gas canisters, sleeping bags etc. To aid them with their loads Paul and Dawa climbed up to Camp 1 yesterday and will push out along the ridge in the opposite direction today to meet the guys heading towards Camp 1. Hopefully they’ll meet halfway and divide the loads up to speed up progress over the 6800m high point.
Steve, Phyl, Ben, Lakpah and Mingma have left BC for Camp 1 and aim to arrive before the guys travelling along the ridge. They will then take down the tent and wait for the others to arrive so that their loads can be further divided up making the journey down progressively easier for the Camp 2 team. I will depart BC before midday with 2 or 3 porters and head to ABC where we strip out the remaining kit and provide hot drinks for the guys when they arrive before the final 2 hours of descent.
As you can appreciate this is the final big effort for everyone in the team and it’s crucial that we retrieve as much kit as possible from the mountain. Everyone will be physically and mentally tired after an exhausting 8 weeks in the mountains. Minds will already be switching to the trek out, to getting back to Kathmandu and ultimately the UK, but it’s vitally important for everyone to remain focused on the job in hand. Despite the disappointment of not summiting we can hold our heads high in the knowledge that as a team we have functioned to the best of our ability and factors beyond our control have brought an end to this expedition.
I'm left wondering whether we’ll ever be out here again; whether anyone will ever conquer the SE Ridge of Makalu; and whether there is a future for large British Services Mountaineering Expeditions? I hope the answer to all three is ‘Yes’ but only time will tell. One thing’s for certain – the British Services Makalu Expedition 2010 gave it their all and developed Expedition Leaders of the future along the way.
Simon
Let me tell you a story......
Tuesday 25 May 2010
Once upon a time there were nine very ordinary blokes. They all came from very different backgrounds and very different walks of life but they shared two interests; a passion for adventure and love of the mountains. Somehow they came together and looked for a challenge that would allow them to combine their mutual passions.
They looked at Everest but saw that she had fallen prey to commercial opportunism. Hundreds, literally hundreds of people, old and young, were clutching onto ropes and shunting up the mountain. Where once the mountain had been a monument to intrepid exploration, now it was a monument to personal wealth and affordability. The ordinary blokes understood why some people paid huge amounts to clutch into the prepared ropes and be escorted to the top of the world, but to them this wasn’t adventure. So they looked a little further afield and saw another mountain called Makalu. Some people were also paying to be helped to climb this mountain, but they saw that the south of the mountain was special.
The south of the mountain was free of any commercial activity because the challenges it posed were so difficult no amount of money could buy you a ticket to the top. The ordinary blokes spied an untouched ridge leading to the summit that was like a knife edge through the sky; one foot too far to the left and there was a several thousand foot fall into Nepal, one foot too far to the right and it was thousands of feet to fall into Tibet. They would have to stand tall on the ridge, but in doing so they would be exposed to the full fury of the elements and face whatever the weather gods threw at them. The men began to look at this ridge with deep interest and speculate whether they were capable of undertaking such a challenge.
Obviously these men had their detractors; some said it would be too difficult, others said it would be pointless because others had already been to the summit, still others said “why bother?” The nine ordinary men; fathers, brothers, sons, considered what the detractors said. Then they considered the words of Eleanor Roosevelt who said ‘You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, “I lived through this terror. I can take the next thing that comes along.” You must do the thing you think you cannot do.’
The men thought long and hard and then they decided to give it a try..................
The Ridge of Terror continues.......
About nine days ago I wrote the blog letting you know we were going back onto the mountain in a last effort to try to summit – in short we were staying on the mountain until we achieved our objective or until it became clear we had no chance of making it happen. Since then so much has happened it will be hard to describe it all. When we arrived here there was only one hard reality to our expedition – that was we would need to be leaving the Base Camp on or around the 28th May. We knew we had about six weeks to acclimatise and make our ascent of the mountain along the S.E. Ridge and this seemed like a reasonable amount of time. We had vectored into our plans an element of bad weather but nothing could account for the weather we have had.
With each passing week, the bad weather has significantly reduced our chances of getting to the top of mountain. Where we originally intended putting at least six of us on the top, as we have moved towards the 28th May we have had to alter that intention to one of putting ‘someone’ on top. So it was when we last went up the mountain that we knew there was only a realistic chance of putting two people on the top. As a team we decided that the two people who should act as the lead pair for the summit should be Rob and Dick. We decided this on the basis that Dick had intimate knowledge of the route above Camp 3 and Rob has just finished a season leading climbing in Antarctica and had the most current experience of cold weather climbing. The rest of us agreed to support Dick and Rob in whatever capacity would serve them best in getting to the top, while also being ready to step into their shoes should the need arise. This would only happen if Dick or Rob ran out of steam and it would be totally dependent on where the rest of us were on the mountain in terms of being able to reach the forward position.
This was the position nine or so days ago; we knew we would probably only get one chance to make a summit bid and we knew the task we were setting ourselves was an unenviable one. To get to our Camp 2 alone, fully laden with equipment, normally takes 3 days. Taking 4 days of food supplies forward meant that the lead pair had one day of working food before they needed a resupply. This meant that the people load carrying food forward needed to take not only the food forward for the lead pair but also enough food for themselves to get there and back. On top of this, everyone was carrying their own personal safety equipment, plus various assortments of sleeping bags, tents, sleeping mats, gas for cookers, cookers, oxygen, ropes, mountain hardware and medical supplies amongst other things.
In all, the movement of all the necessary equipment along the ridge to support the front pair has been a logistical nightmare. Shortly after leaving Base Camp nine days ago, a bout of diarrhoea and vomiting (D&V) swept through the team. D&V is bad enough when you are in the comfort of your own home with a toilet on hand, but when you are 20,000ft+ up a mountain in a tiny tent being battered by storm winds and where the temperature ranges from freezing to boiling depending upon if the sun shining on your tent is obscured by a cloud or not (a bit like going continually from the oven to the deep freeze and back again), it is excruciatingly painful. We have also had to contend with the Jet-stream moving directly over the mountain and 3 days of ferocious winds working to try and prevent us from moving.
Against all of this we have had some extraordinary feats of mental and physical endurance and fortitude. In order to make up for lost time and to make sure the front pair have been fully supported, people have had to undertake immense load carries in absolutely horrendous conditions. In one instance, one team member made the journey all the way from Base Camp to Camp 2 in one day, just to resupply essential batteries for radios to the front team – a phenomenal feat of physical endurance. This said every team member has worked tirelessly towards the common goal.
The end result was that by the 24th, we had managed to place not just two, but four of the team in position in which to make a summit bid. Dick and Rob had been joined by Colin and Matt. The idea was that if Rob and Dick didn’t have the strength left to go to the summit after all the effort of pushing the route out, then Colin and Matt could step up to the mark. If Rob and Dick were to go for the summit then Colin and Matt would strip the mountain down from the top camp. So our plan was laid and all of us were on the mountain yesterday hoping for a summit push from early yesterday morning with us stripping the mountain after the lead pair had made their bid........the plan was perfect and the weather forecast for yesterday was good, and so it was yesterday morning we woke to ½ meter of snow....
The snow was totally unexpected and totally unwelcome – for all of us. The conditions were absolutely horrendous and the summit bid was impossible. By yesterday afternoon, the weather forecast had caught up with reality on the mountain and the prediction is for heavy snow today and tomorrow, followed by strong winds from the 27th onwards. We have given it much thought and although the lead team want to stay on the mountain and try again for a summit bid, the likely weather means that a successful summit bid is highly improbably via our route within the time frame we have.
Yesterday, Phyl, Ben, Steve and I all did a load carry off the mountain as part of the process of stripping the mountain. At the time we didn’t know what the weather was likely to be and coming down the mountain in the atrocious conditions was feat of endurance in itself. We, as a team, have decided that it is more important to get the remaining team off the mountain safely. This will be a massive challenge because of the conditions and the snowfall on the ridge – avalanche, rock fall and ridge collapse remain major factors. Over the next two days the summit team will descend down the mountain, all of us down here are heading up to meet them and help assist them down. We expect to be all safely down by the 27th. Some people will consider that we have failed but I would say that if we have failed we have done so in the spirit of Scott – our tale is one of heroic endurance battling against overwhelming odds – the only difference is that we hope to have brought everyone back safely and in good order.
As an aside, in the four days leading up to our summit bid, some 400 people summitted Mt Everest via the normal route. The youngest person was a 13 year old American boy. We could have chosen an alternative and easier challenge and guaranteed our success, but where would have been the challenge in that? We remain true to our original intent of finding a mountain challenge with a real spirit of adventure. We haven’t conquered the mountain but it hasn’t conquered us. In ‘football’ parlance we think we have a ‘score draw’ with the mountain. Perhaps the real winner in this competition has been the weather but we believe we have acquitted ourselves honourably. The most important thing now is to go back up the mountain and make sure we come back down together as a team safely.......to those ends, I’ll wrap up this blog and join the rest of the team heading up to Camp 1 and above.....Simon will keep you informed of our progress...
I'd like to end with a quote: “Some people see things as they are and say why; I dream things that never were and say why not.”
Out for now.................Paul Hart
And on the funny side....see today’s photo for the weight watchers guide to Himalayan climbing! The photo will give you some idea of the physical tribulations of working a mountain like Makalu and the immense effort our team have put into this venture....Also, today we launched an early retaliatory snowball strike on the Porters on the basis it is always best to get your retribution in first – given the fact there was so much snow around at Base Camp it seemed a waste not to use it for a sensible purpose so we arranged a snowball fight with the Porters. As the odds were largely stacked in their favour it was no surprise that they won! It was great fun though and helped relieve the tension in BC.....As the team have now all headed off to mountain I’ll provide an update on their progress tomorrow..
Bye for now.....Simon
Unexpected Snowfall!!
Monday 24 May 2010
After last night’s radio call things were looking up for the team at Camp 3. They’d managed to find and release a number of the old ropes between Camp 3 and 4 and fix the crevasse section. Today was supposed to bring about the move to Camp 4 and then allow for the next big push to the overnight bivvi and the summit. That’s where all of our best laid plans came crashing down! The cause of this was once again the dreaded weather........ 50cm of fresh snow overnight at Camp 3 and 40cm at Base Camp! So another winter wonderland greeted us this morning but it was entirely un-forecast and massively unwelcome!! It seems that there is an external force working against us on the mountain!
So yet another day zipped up in the tents for Colin, Dick, Rob and Matt at Camp 3. Phyl decided to take a load from Camp 2 and battle across the ridge to Camp 1 despite the snowfall. Ben has remained in the tent at Camp 1 and awaits Phyl’s arrival. Paul and Steve who had been to Camp 1 yesterday and descended to ABC with loads made the move back down to BC with their loads. I’ve remained at BC and sat in the tent showing holiday photos from my external hard drive to Dawa, Jenina and the cook boys!
There is some good news to report on however....... the Ukranian team managed to get 3 guys on the summit yesterday at 1830. They were just visible from our BC for about 2 minutes and they then headed down the normal route to get as low as possible before complete darkness. I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate the whole Ukranian team on their outstanding effort. This afternoon we’ll visit their Expedition Leader at their Camp to pass on our congratulations.
So where now for the British Services team on the SE Ridge? Well......... the guys at Camp 3 will wait for 24 hours and see what happens with the weather. I’ll get the next forecast from the internet and relay this to the team. Then it’s decision time. Do we sit out the snow and wait for the precipitation to drop or do we call it a day and begin to strip the mountain as a team and let Makalu slip through our grasp probably for the final time. It is make or break time and the next 24 hours are critical. In the meantime I’ll be praying for sunshine!
Simon
Unpromising Developments
Sunday 23 May 2010
The last 24 hours have seen some unpromising developments. Yesterday two of the Sherpas were supposed to do a load carry from Camp 2 to 3 with three oxygen bottles, ropes, fixings and a sleeping bag each. This was given as an explicit instruction from Dick to allow him and Rob to fix the route from Camp 3 to 4 today. When the Sherpas arrived at Camp 3 and emptied their load of five oxygen bottles and a Trango tent, Dick was not very impressed to say the least! I'm not exactly sure how the mix up happened but in true Military style we have to make the best out of a bad situation and not point the finger of blame at any one person! That being said the team have effectively lost a full day on the ridge and this may compromise our summit ambitions. The SE ridge of Makalu remains one of the World’s hardest high altitude routes, encompassing all mountaineering techniques and you also need a good dose of ‘lady luck’ to conquer the ridge – it appears ours may be deserting us at a critical time!
Colin and Matt arrived at Camp 3 yesterday night hungry, thirsty and exhausted after a hard day on the ridge. They were supplied with a hot meal and drinks and got horizontal almost immediately. Today they are attempting to find the old ropes fixed in 2008 to aid Dick and Rob on their ascent in the absence of new ropes. Phyl remains at Camp 2 anxiously waiting for a call up into one of the summit groups. If this doesn’t happen then he’ll have an integral role in stripping the mountain and, like all other members not summiting, will once again show his true spirit as a team player. Ben has altered his focus from summiting to helping with the stripping and today he has done a big load carry from Camp 2 to 1. This morning Ben and Phyl also did a VISLINK transmission of live video footage from Camp 2 to Base Camp (3km as the crow flies) – once again confirming the durability of this excellent technology. Unfortunately due to the poor weather and the need for essential supplies further forward on the mountain, the VISLINK equipment will remain behind the summit teams and therefore we will not be able to get live footage from the summit.
Paul, Steve and Dawa left Base Camp this morning and headed for Camp 1 to continue with the stripping of the mountain lower down. Paul and Steve intend to get some quality footage from the ridge tomorrow so expect to see more clips on youtube in due course.
That leaves me at Base Camp....... on my own for the first time!! Yuri from the Ukranian team visited this morning to get a better view of their team pushing for the summit today. Unfortunately cloud from mid-morning hampered this view and we must wait out until later to confirm if they summited. Jenina (Marty’s wife) has moved into one of our Cosmos tents at Base Camp as their Base Camp has been dismantled, packed away and loaded onto the porters heading back to Kathmandu. Marty intends to summit tomorrow via the normal route and he will leave his high camp at 3am to make the most of the low winds.
As we enter the final stages of the Expedition we can look back at a memorable 8 weeks. Whether we make the summit or not we will leave here with a sense of achievement of pushing the boundaries of human endeavour and capability. We’ve certainly not had everything go to plan but that is the cold hard truth about climbing big mountains – try as we might but at the end of the day, the mountain rules!
Simon
A Perfect Day
Saturday 22 May 2010
Check out the new gallery and video today with more to come over the next few days!
Yesterday evening had us worried at Base Camp as we had lost communications with everyone except Paul and Ben at Camp 1. Paul got in touch in the afternoon requesting a weather update as it wasn’t the picture post card mountain that the forecast may have led us to believe (the joys of trying to tackle an 8463m mountain!). There was more snow falling than expected making Paul’s progress along the ridge with a heavy load very arduous and far from fun! He managed to get back to the safety of Camp 1 by late afternoon and reunite with Ben who was feeling much better.
Dick and Rob’s progress turned out to be slow and painstaking due to the gradient of the snow fields leading up to Camp 3 and tricky crevasse sections to negotiate. Consequently they were not able to get into a position to hold up for the night until around 1930 where they radioed in to confirm they were safe and were spending the night in the ‘Hotel Snow Cave’!
As for Colin and Matt who had communication problems (they had none!), Dick had reported seeing light at Camp 2 which is where we expected them to be. We had to assume all was well there and the team were all safe and sound after a somewhat disjointed but constructive day.
Today started perfectly, at least as far as the weather is concerned anyway. Again I woke at 0500 (a habit that I’ll be pleased to drop!) and clock watched until the radio started yelling at me at 0600 on the button. Paul performing a radio check and confirming the plans for the day!
The sky was crystal clear with no sign of cloud or a breath of wind, exactly what was forecast which allowed the guys to move as planned. Phyl made his way back up the hill to Camp 1 where he will link up with Paul (who has a minor twisted ankle and will stay at Camp 1 for a few days). Ben moved successfully along the ridge to Camp 2, while Colin and Matt moved up to Camp 3 to link up with Dick and Rob for a Birthday hot chocolate! Then possibly a welcome Birthday treat in the ‘Hotel Snow Cave’ (dependant on availability!)! This also puts Colin and Matt in a good position to reach the summit possibly on the 25th.
At the moment I can see two people making their way from C2 to C3 which should be Ongda and Mingma the Sherpa’s with some oxygen, or ‘O’s to those in the know! This will allow Dick and Rob to push forward at first light tomorrow and work on oxygen all day as they will cross into the ‘death zone’ above 7000m altitude.
We are just praying that the team as a whole are able to make the most of this weather that was predicted. Dick and Rob are confident of a summit bid on the 24th which is definitely achievable provided the weather does its bit.
Earlier Si went up to ABC to confirm what stores are still required for the hill and what can come down. It’s my job really but I reckon he had a bet going with Lakpah the cook boy to see who could get to the top first - Si lost! Either way, another job well done.
Those who are not intending to push for the summit need to start thinking about stripping the mountain and reversing the process of getting equipment back down to Base Camp. This will probably seem premature to most as we have not yet reached our objective, however when the weather window closes on the 25th -26th the wind will pick up to approximately 30 – 40 knots at all altitudes. This will render the ridge unworkable between C2, interim and C1. This could effectively trap team members on the mountain with minimal rations for a short period of time. Once again we find ourselves up against the clock and the elements. No one said any of this was going to be easy or straight forward!
Steve
Hidden Progress
Friday 21 May 2010
Today starts for me at 0500, not because it needs to but because of the anticipation of the first of four and possibly five days of low wind and good weather!
0600 is the first radio correspondence with Dick relaying the weather forecast from his location (C2) to Colin (C1). Not surprising he mentioned the storm that hit us last night without warning! Si and I were sat playing cards (an evening ritual) when the whole tent lit up for about 3 secs, then came the clap of thunder, followed by the wind and horizontal snow all within about two to three minutes, the storm stayed with us for the majority of the night. I immediately switched the radio on to listen out in case anybody had any dramas (not that we’d be able to do anything). I think a tent blowing away at 6500m would induce a sense of humour failure!
The last few days have seen the team locked down eating and drinking some very nutritious but in all honesty repetitive meals. So much so in fact that there was a request for some locally purchased noodles to supplement the ever dwindling supply of main meals on the hill.
The weather forecast today is for the wind to drop mid morning down to variable 10 knots. This will massively assist Dick and Rob in completing Camp 3. Si and I were hoping to be able monitor their progress but unfortunately the visibility has been too inconsistent to see them on the hill, although we know they’re making progress from the few glimpses that we have had.
Colin and Matt are aiming to push from Camp 1 to 2 to give them an opportunity to move to Camp 3 once Dick and Rob move up to Camp 4 tomorrow all being well. Paul is moving oxygen and food from Camp 1 to Interim whilst Ben remains at Camp 1 as he was feeling poorly. Phyl has had problems with his thermarest at Interim and consequently has slept on the ice for the last 3 nights! He made the decision to move down to Base Camp today for some good food and sleep and then will return up the mountain tomorrow.
The team continue to juggle into their relevant positions and provided Dick and Rob have been successful today they’re still are in a good position for a summit bid within the weather window forecast.
No pressure fellas!!
Steve
Equipment Co-ordinator
The Eve of the Big Push
Thursday 20 May 2010
So we’ve now on the eve of the weather window and the team seems to be in a good position for the summit push. Dick and Rob, with Pasang and Ongda, are raring to go as the front pair and Dick’s knowledge of the route (from earlier expeditions) will prove extremely valuable over the next few days. Knowing that the last people to set foot on the SE ridge above Camp 3 was the British Services team in 2008, and before that 2004 just adds to the drama. Marty Schmitt one member of the American pair dubbed the SE ridge the ‘British Route’ for this reason!
Waiting in the wings are Phyl and Mingma who form the second group currently at the Interim Camp between 1 and 2 with Colin, Paul, Ben and Matt making up a strong rear party at Camp 1. There was no movement along the ridge from any of the guys yesterday or today due to the forecasted high winds (40-60knots). In these winds and a still air temperature of -17oC the combined wind chill is approximately -45oC so it’s a no-brainer why they chose to stay in the shelter of the tents rather than risk hypothermia and frostbite!
Steve took a bimble up to ABC with a load of Mountain Fuel and Complan drinks and a resupply of noodles to satisfy the hunger of the guys pushing forward. Concurrently, Paul dropped down from Camp 1 with a load of kit which is not required for the remained of the Expedition and will make the exchange with Steve.
I’ve been busy cleaning and packing away the surplus Cosmos tent from Camp 1 and liaising with teams on the North (normal route) side of Makalu to confirm proposed summit attempt dates. From the summit we plan to head down the North side and bunk down with members of other teams heading up this route. Dawa our Sirdar has already cleared this plan with the other Sirdar’s and Colin discussed this with Team Leaders on their trek in, so it’s my job to make sure that they haven’t forgotten that we’ll be appearing at some point after the 22nd!
As things stand at present we will be looking to summit on 24th May so please keep everything crossed back in the UK and we’ll hopefully do our part out here and finish what was started back in 2004!
Simon
The Storm Before the Calm!
Wednesday 19 May 2010
The storm before the calm is what best describes what the region is expecting and the teams are preparing themselves prior to springing out of their tents on the afternoon of the 21st and leaping like demented lemmings up to the top of their respective objectives!
The clock is counting down and the weather waits for no one, ready or not the preparations rapidly come to a close as do the last minute tweaks to routes and lines! Once the wind next gets up (an estimated 45 to 65 knots this afternoon with a temp of -17 before wind chill!) all there is to do is fill up the snow bag to capacity, ensure all kit and equipment is secure, zip the tent up and stick the cooker on for a hot drink or ten!
Dick, Rob and the Sherpas had a good day yesterday mainly due to the good fortune of the forecast being incorrect and allowing the guys more time than expected on the hill, they are now a stone’s throw away from establishing Camp 3 but would have ideally preferred to get it in before the winds!
Today Phyl and Mingma the Sherpa are aiming to push from Intermediate Camp to Camp 2 with another load, Colin and Matt are hoping to push along the ridge to Intermediate Camp from Camp 1 - provided they don’t get pushed back by the winds. Paul and Ben will remain on call back at Camp 1 ready to push to whatever area they may be required to go.
Now the team is spread out along the route in this configuration, as soon as the lead pair move forward either into Camp 3 or 4 the other teams are ideally situated to push to their next Camp. If the lead team require a rest at the front, there is another team or pair ready to leap frog past and carry on with the task.
Dick and Rob sounded very up-beat and positive during last night’s schedule and were confident that it would not take long to finish off Camp 3’s location, lines are fixed further up from 3 (thanks to Marty and Chris our American friends) which will assist and speed up the progress to 4. From 4 it’s foot down all the way to the summit weather permitting, although there is scope for Camp 5 - more of a bivvi on the rocks if necessary!
Everyone’s in as good as position as we can hope for at this stage, we now have pray for the forecast to be correct, the weather window to be longer than expected, the gradient to be easier than it looks and anything else just to make life that little bit easier to reach the top!
Today, although it’s hot down at Base Camp and getting increasingly hotter by the day, the cloud base is low and we’ve not been able to monitor any of the progress of the team so we will have to wait until our 1800 schedule to see what sort of position we are in! Hopefully all the objectives have been met and it’s a case of wait out! Watch this space.
Steve
Equipment Co-ordinator
Finally - I'd like to apologise for missing Ben out of yesterday's blog! He was safely with the group at Camp 1. Simon
Tri-service expedition 2010
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