Shisha Pangma 2007 Recap Plus a New Climb!
Hello everyone. It has been a little while since I sent an update. I have three announcements: a recap from Shisha, drugstore a new climb and a new opportunity for educators during my 2008 Everest climb. I have posted a full and detailed recap of the 2007 Shisha Pangma climb just completed in October. All in all it was a great climb that I consider a success in spite of not making the summit. Read the recap at this link. I am very excited to announce another climb before Everest. I will be climbing the highest mountain outside the Himalayas in January, 2008. Aconcagua is in Argentina and is 22,841 feet. I summited it in 2005. You can read about that climb at this link. My primary reason to add this climb is for more training and fitness before Everest. The Orizaba climb is still on for January. I am very pleased that my Colorado climbing partners, Patrick and Robert will be joining me on the climb of the 3rd highest mountain in North America and the highest in Mexico at 18,800 feet. I will be posting a few dispatches from both of these climbs. Finally, I have an exciting announcement about my Everest 2008 climb and a joint project with the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund and several schools. This will be a great opportunity for everyone. If you want to know more know before I publish the details, please contact me. Climb On! This is Alan
Back Home!
Well, ed another Himalayan expedition is complete. I was able to change my return flights and got back home a few days ago. The rest of the team should be in transit today or tomorrow from Kathmandu. I have posted on my site many of the almost 2000 pictures I took. They are organized by: Climbing Shisha Pangma Faces of Tibet (my favorite) Scenes of Tibet (a close second) Lhasa My Teammates and I You can navigate to them via this link or the images below. Next will be a trip recap where I will review the entire expedition in some detail. I hope to get it written this week. Climbing Shisha Pangma Faces of Tibet Scenes of Tibet Lhasa My Teammates and I Remember that the fund raising for the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund is not over and you can still give. We are looking for some donations from companies. Many will match your personal gift or make a donation outright. Please contact your HR department. Thanks to those who donated during the Shisha climb – it meant more than you will ever know. Climb On! Alan
The Expedition is over
The weather has turned bad once again. The team at the highest camp was prepared to leave early this morning, > Friday October 5th, but never left camp as clouds shrouded the ridge to the Central Summit. They are returning to ABC. Several others at camp 1 are now preparing to return to ABC. Some may leave early and return to Kathmandu but most will be back there around October 15. To my knowledge no one summitted Shisha Pangma this season. It has been one of the snowiest in recent memory. There is one climber on another team still on the Hill saying he will stay until the weather improves however the forecast is for extremely high winds to start soon with no end in sight. Everyone on our team is safe. Thanks for everyone’s support during this climb. I sincerely appreciate the donations to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. Memories are Everything Climb On! Alan
Summit Time!
The good thing about the weather is that it changes often. After three days of bright sun and moderate winds, click our routes seem in much better shape than previously believed. On the other hand, the Spanish team targeting the Main Summit, have decided to leave all together. Our team is the last of the major expeditions here plus a few independents. We are targeting the Central Summit. The current forecast shows a period of light winds around October 7th and 8th so we are moving into position for a summit bid then. I am leaving ABC (finally) for C1 on Wednesday and will spend two nights at C1 and C2 before getting to C3. There are already three other teammates at C1 and also at C2 plus a few down here at ABC. Here are some pictures of the route: We have been hearing avalanches during the past few days and nights and have a report that the slope to C3 has avalanched so this is good news. The snow has consolidated so it should be safe. The major issue is the winds and if the forecasted light winds bring some type of moisture – this is what the Spanish forecast shows. We are hoping form no moisture (snow) and light winds but this may not develop. If it does not then we will return to ABC and the expedition will break camp from Kathmandu. So off we go – this is the crux. I will try to send audio and simple dispatches from here on out. What more can I say about the support I feel out there? For me, this journey is not necessarily about climbing mountains as you know. However the climbs are a critical part and important to me. This has been a great trip already so reaching the central summit is a true bonus for me. That said I, and my teammates, need your positive energy and thoughts all the way up and down. This will be tough. It will be cold, very cold, as well as dangerous in the steep parts. So I am preparing for a tough physical and mental test. But this is what alpine mountaineering is all about! Please remember: Memories are Everything Climb On! Alan
A Big Thank You and Choices
It is very difficult to express what I felt when I saw the email from Katie at the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. She told me that we had a record number of donations this week. I read the words and the names of some the donors: Paula, Troy, Nicki, Paul, Renee. I put the PDA down and sat crossed leg in my tent. I re-read the message. My eyes took on the thousand yard stare towards the snow covered hillsides. What is the emotion beyond appreciation? What is the feeling beyond satisfaction? How do you describe motivation and encouragement? How can two words be so insufficient? Thank You. The snow continued to fall during the night. I woke around midnight to high winds and flapping tent flaps. Having no other real choice, I slipped deeper into my sleeping bag and resolved to address the schedule in the light of the morning. As expected the heavy snow during the night was not only at our ABC but also higher up on the Hill. Our previous plan has been scrapped. Reports came in the British Army, after eight weeks at ABC and on the Hill, were calling it quits. The found their tents destroyed at Camp 1 and the route to Camp 2 dangerous with deep snow. They had oxygen and gear cached below Camp 3 so I assume it will stay there until next season. Another very experienced team, the Spanish – several with multiple 8000m summits – returned to ABC after encountering deep snow also above camp 1. They will try again. One of our own members, Mark, spent two nights at camp 1 and reported high winds and deep snows. So, conditions are without doubt – poor. Our team is growing anxious. We have now been down from Camp 2 for a week. The weather each day is different but has the common themes of snow, wind, cold, cloud and sometimes bright sun. You can see it each person’s eyes that they need or want something more concrete than an abstract arm waving of future weather. But that is as good as it gets. According to our US based weather forecast, the multiple models rarely agree thus not allowing for something more firm. But the forecast is not encouraging for the time period we have left. So we wait and stare towards Shisha Pangma. This is what we know. There is deep snow from Camp 1 higher. Perhaps two to six feet of new powder in some areas. The winds have not been consistent or strong enough to clear the areas where we need to climb. The sun has not be out consistently to cause consolidation. The slopes we climb to C1 are perfect for avalanches – 25 to 30 degrees. The deep crevasses that were previously visible are probably covered at this point thus hiding yet another danger. On clear days, plumes are visible from the summit. We have three basic choices: stay focused on Shisha, attempt some lesser 7000m peaks or go home. Advanced Base Camp has become as comfortable a home as we can make it. We have a main street and a couple of sides. The town center is where the dining and kitchen tents reside. The Sherpas have their tents however they usually jam into one tent for their afternoon gambling. When there is snow on the ground our streets are safe albeit slippery but when the sun comes out it is muddy and rocky. And we are living at 18,500 feet! Our technology lives and dies by the rays of the sun. Our two large solar panels are constantly moved to give direct access to the sun but is a futile effort on snowy days. They charge two deep cell car batteries but with all the iPods, computers, satellite gear and rechargeable batteries it is a full time job to stay ahead. But life is comfortable and choices need to be made. Today, Sunday, the majority of the team left for a night at Depot Camp and then Camp 1. The objective is to stay active. They intend on returning to ABC on Tuesday. If a summit window appears they will return to C1 within days. Two members, James and Paul left for home. They are fine, other factors came into their decisions. A few other members will leave directly for Camp 1 tomorrow. I have given my plan a lot of thought and here is the latest. I am staying in ABC for a few more days. I don’t like the danger on the mountain. The snow has not avalanched and I don’t like snow covered crevasses. I know my body well and as great as I feel, I don’t want to spend precious energy going all the way to C1 only to have to return and perhaps make a quick climb back. I am staying active by climbing to just under 20,000′ on nearby hills each afternoon. It is enough to get my heart going and lungs gasping so I feel i will be ready when I need to be. So just as before, I plan to climb to Camp 1 and wait. If a window appears, I will be ready. If it does not, I will return to ABC and prepare to come home. Basically we have about a week for a good window to develop. But honestly, there is not a lot of optimism at this point. Each day we move closer to winter. The days are shorter and the sun is less intense. It is colder by the hour. However, weather is funny in that it often stops the normal parade and allows a side show to develop. Our hope is that our show will be five days of sun and calm winds. Will it happen? So I am now a little out of step with the others. That is OK. Again, I like my plan for me. If I need to adjust, I can. But it feels
Random Thoughts and a Plan
My eyes lock onto my heavy boots and sharp crampons as I take another step up the steep snow slope towards camp 2 on Shisha Pangma. Then another and another. The pattern continues. My breathing is controlled yet sounds like a steam engine. My stare is unbroken. Then something changes, the snow underfoot becomes less steep, the angle lessens, I feel the relief of the mountain on my gait. I look up. The tents look tiny yet they are very close. Out tents sit in a small depression on a blanket of snow. The valley is defined by a 7000m mountain on my left and Shisha Pangma on my right. But this is not what catches my eye. It is nothing specific, nothing stands out. It is everything in total. The scene is complete alpine serenity. A small single track of footprints reveal the depth of the snow cover. Climbers follow one another not willing to step off into the unknown. My boot and crampon stare is now replaced by a constant scan left to right, down to up. I cannot take it all in. My eyes simply scan. My brain processes as fast as it can. I walk a calculated pace, designed to maintain my breathing, maintain my strength. Even at my pedantic pace, I make steady progress. Soon I arrive at the single tent already erected. I help set the other five up and soon have snow melting. Once again, I allow myself to look around. Shisha is behind me. I hesitate to look too closely. Instead I choose to look out over the Tibetan plains. The brown tundra is a sharp contrast to the deep snow in my foreground. I can see a lake hundreds of miles away. It must be huge to appear so big this far away. Natural, I assume, no dams. Fed by glacier melt and rains? Perhaps one day the snow I am sitting on will be there. Or perhaps it will feed the growing clouds I watch build in front of me. I feel like I have been transported back thousands of years and am witnessing the Earth as it once was. Unchanged by humans. A natural process of natural forces. A Raven flys by and calls out. Is he talking to me? No, another follows closely. What are they doing at 23,000 feet? They enjoy the updrafts. I enjoy watching them. This is what I remember today, stuck at ABC for day five. Memories are a relief given that hope fluctuates for our summit bid. The weather forecasts moves more than the Ravens. The team energy moves in proportion with the daily weather. Day one was nice, day two it snowed, day three it snowed more and became extremely cold, day four warmer but more snow, day five bright and sunny, that night however it was brutally cold. Hot water bucket showers were popular on the sunny days, cocooning in the sleeping bags the popular options on cold ones. The ever-present dining tent serves a meeting place three times a day. Some arrive early for a seat by the heater, other arrive late in order to finish a chapter. The conversation ranges from mind-numbing to challenging. The different nationalities bring a texture to the conversation and a unique personality to the team. I sit at the table this evening not all there. I am at low ebb tonight. Not sure why. Perhaps lethargy due to inactivity. But with the cold days, deep snow and my technical gear at higher camps, I have no choice. I listen to the conversation with half attention. Someone calls my name. I respond as needed nothing more. They understand. Each of us goes through this. It is not personal. I think about the fund raising efforts for Alzheimer’s. I am disappointed. Only $110 since I left in late August. What else can I do? Is anyone reading these dispatches? Does it matter? I go through the emotions. I try to think it through. How do I get across the urgency of the need for research without alienating people or worse – pissing them off. I know the two people who made the donations – Larry and Pam. Both have gone through hells of their own recently. They are not rich but yet they gave. I think about my friendship with them and what it means for them to give. If only I had 10,000 friends like them… Finally I let the conundrum go since I cannot do a lot about it up here. I can only do my to my commitment. The sun is out today. Smiles are on faces. The Sherpas work like there is no tomorrow. The kitchen crew seems to be on 7 by 24 duty. Yet they always smile. Serke, the main cook, personally stands by watching us eat each meal. He cares. If a plate is not finished he looks hurt. He pushes fluids and deserts. He knows what is important. Pizza, pasta and broccoli were on the main menu last night. Serke smiled a quiet grin as we wolfed it downed. He barked an order for more thermoses of hot water. The conversation ran the gauntlet once again. Nothing resolved, easy jousting and friendly shots – all go to bed with a light smile but an unknown of what tomorrow will bring. Time to go back up, I think as I toss in my sleeping bag. The sun hits the tent at 5:30 AM. But as I crawl out like a wet puppy of out a rushing stream, I look at the Hill and see it covered with clouds. An artistic scene but not what I want to see. The winds were strong last night. Were they also strong on the loaded slopes to Camp 3? Blowing away the deep loft that could avalanche on us as we make our way towards the summit? Other teams have come down, some have left for good. One of our team has
Resending Alan’s Last Dispatch of September 25 – The Waiting Begins
There was an error in the link for Alan’s latest dispatch. I have been able to go in and grab it and get it posted. You will just need to look to the right where there is a blue box called ABOUT and click on the underlined – The Waiting Begins. That should take you to Alan’s latest dispatch. You can also view it by going directly to the website.
The Waiting Begins
Everyone is back at Advanced Base Camp except for Jamie who wanted to stay at Camp 1 and monitor the snow conditions. Every other team has also returned to ABC. The snow and low cloud moved in on Sunday night and we have experienced light to moderate snow since then. So with our acclimatization climb complete to 7000 meters, search we are ready for our summit bid but …. The climbs to Camp 1 and 2 were excellent. We left Advanced Base Camp last Tuesday for the interim camp called Depot Camp. The nicest feature is it’s location next to the glacier and the Penanenties marking the divide to Shisha Pangma. It took us an hour and a half to cross the glacier since the route was quite circuitous and involved some ice climbing and rappelling or down climbing. Actually is was quite fun but hot. The climb to Camp 1 was straight forward but still tiring since the sun was very bright and it was difficult to stay hydrated. The slope went from gentle to about 20 degrees, nothing too bad but we climbed from 19,200ft to 21,000ft. Once we topped out onto a flat plateau there were two of our tents already set up and several others nearby for Jagged Globe. One by one we all arrived at our site and set up tents and started brewing hot drinks. The clouds moved in and it went from brutal hot to bone chilling cold in a matter of minutes. We spent two nights at Camp 1 and them moved to a camp just below 7000 meters or 23,000ft. This climb was shorter but steeper and the sun was once again quite hot. Most everyone was tired arriving at C2 but in good spirits. The view was absolutely stunning. ShishaPangma was in clear view for the first time. I was very confused that it was still 1000m or 3000ft to the summit since it just didn’t look that high. We could now see the route to Camp 3 on the ridge. I climbed on to 7000m with a few teammates the next day and stayed behind to post an audio dispatch. The view was astounding. I looked out over the Tibetan Steps and a huge pair of lakes. Snow covered peaks surrounded me. A French team tried three times to summit without success due to snow conditions. As we sit here in ABC, listening to the snow fall, we consider the climb ahead. The weather forecasts are coming in regularly and we are fortunate to have a lot of experience with us on ShishaPangma. Jamie has been here four times, Clive, one of my teammates, three times and Andrew Locke four times. So it becomes a matter of waiting for the right conditions to return up the mountain. Patience is required by everyone at this point. Please remember: Memories are Eveything. Climb On! Alan
Update
I spoke to Alan this morning (Monday) and he has asked me to post an update since he is unable to send out any dispatches. There is a problem with the communication equipment at advanced base camp and they are not sure when it will get fixed. They are unable to send or receive any emails. Alan wanted all of the family and friends of the climbers to be aware of this problem so you would not be worried when you did not hear anything. Everyone is safely back to ABC. It is snowing heavily and the temperatures have dropped. This is the beginning of a planned three to four day rest period. I will continue to post updates whenever I have any news from Alan.
Shisha Pangma Audio Dispatch – at 7000m!
Alan describes what it is likea t 7000m on Shisha Pangma. To hear this Shisha Pangma 2007 audio dispatch, just click on the play button. Thanks for listening and following Alan on The Road Back to Mt. Everest: Memories are Everything. This is about more than just climbing mountains…. Climb On! Alan