Everest 2014: Henry Todd – The Small Quiet Guide, today
There are many names associated with Everest from climbers to guides. If you are a long time follower of Everest, mind one name that is very familiar is Henry Todd. Henry has, sick well, let’s just say a reputation for his Everest activities and some would say, for activities outside of Everest. But that is an old, tired story and not something I wanted to rehash. I wanted to understand what he was doing today because each year his name comes up, albeit quietly. Even though everyone I asked told me that Henry doesn’t do interviews preferring to stay under the parapet, I reached out to him anyway and he was gracious enough to give me a few words. I also contacted his long time friend and climbing associate, Rob Casserley plus recent member Brandon Chalk. I met Henry in 2003 at Everest Base Camp. We visited his private tent. I felt like I was meeting royalty as Henry was sitting behind a desk aka table, where he pointed out route features on a large map taking pride in talking about the history of Everest. He was generous with his time, knowledge and scotch! Henry has been involved with over 60 major expeditions. At age 69 he no longer climbs, but has had some impressive climbs including Everest in 1989 via the West Ridge and summits on Cho Oyu, Manaslu, Pumori and Ama Dablam. On Everest he has seen it all from the early summits to the 1996 disaster to the recent crowds and fights. Henry has been organizing climbs for over 25 years. Today his company ICE8000, runs the logistics for very independent climbers wanting to share the $70,000 permit fee each season. He is also on other large mountains including Manaslu where I saw him in 2013. He says on his site that he has run 44 8000m expeditions, 39 of which have had members on the summit. He has run expeditions on 10 of the 14 8000m peaks in Tibet, Nepal and Pakistan. Henry also helps other expeditions obtain and refill their oxygen bottles. It is clear he is still heavily involved with Everest. He has little overhead thus keeps his costs low and passes that on to his members. While in the past he ran teams with a large number of climbers, today he stays somewhat small by modern Everest standards. As he has done for over a decade, he and his long time, very loyal Sherpa team set up Base Camp at the base of the Khumbu Icefall; he only runs on the south side. Brandon and Kristine Chalk climbed with Henry in 2010. The Chalks recently summited Vinson making them the youngest couple to climb all of the 7 Summits together. Brandon said the food was basic and simple but good enough to get them to the summit. He was very impressed with Henry’s Sherpa team, and base camp facilities. But more than anything, Brandon was impressed with Henry’s knowledge of the mountain, weather and how he ran the expedition. Overall, we had a really good experience with Henry. Yes, at first he can be a bit abrupt, but once you get to know him, he is a fantastic guy who cares more for his climbers and Sherpas than most. He keeps to himself a lot but if you need something, advice, whatever, he is there for you. I remember when I first got to base camp, he knew I was an engineer so employed me essentially to go fix the microwave in the cook tent. It took me all day, but I succeeded which got me in his good graces. Like he said, he is not a guide, but an expedition manager. He is good at it. We have kept in touch over the years due to the friendship garnered on Everest and I cherish his continued friendship. A times, sure there were frustrations with the ” not knowing” and maybe him keeping to himself, but as a climber I learned to appreciate that. Many times he entrusts you to make your own decisions – something that I think climbers come to appreciate since they are used to making their own decisions in the mountains. I asked Brandon about Henry’s style and Sherpa team He is simply there to provide logistics, manage the climbers from base camp, and provide guidance and support. He gives you a lot of comfort on the mountain knowing he is behind you and there for you. I found his Sherpa team top-notch. Really super fellows who have multiple summits under their belts and with whom we became friends. All very supportive and there for you if you should need them. We had a 1:1 climber to Sherpa ratio on summit day like most everyone else. All other days on the mountain, us climbers would basically climb by ourselves with guidance from Henry and the Sherpas would be going back and forth between camps shuttling gear and providing support. Specifically, Thundu and Namgel Sherpa were fantastic, who went onto work for our friend Mike Kobold (who was on Henry’s 2009 and 2010) climbs making watches and opened a shop in Kathmandu. I did a more extensive interview with Rob Casserley who is a guide (Trek8848), climber and a physician in Canada. He has eight summits of Everest including summiting twice in each of two seasons (2007 and 2010) plus climbs on other 8000m peaks. In 2008 he was a high-altitude cameraman for Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ Everest Challenge expedition. In 2010, following the 1st summit, he was credited for saving the life of one of his teammates who had an episode of tracheitis, a life-threatening closure of the airway. Oh, by the way, Rob’s other passion involves rowing across oceans as he did in the annual Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race. Rob describes his relationship with Henry as family. He has a long association with him and credits Henry for help in building his climbing career. Q: With 8 summits