Pat’s team successfully topped out on Ama Dablam today with Lakpa, now celebrating his 20th on the Khumbu darling!! They moved from Camp 2.7 and reached the summit at 12pm. They’ll be back at base camp tomorrow.
Independent climber Vivien Jean had a great day yesterday summiting Ama Dablam from Camp 2 and then dropped straight to base camp right after! Awesome effort.
Pat’s Ama Dablam team are on their way to the infamous Camp 2 (i.e. a tiny rock ledge on top of a pillar) for their summit attempt. They acclimatized on Lobuche East and are now making a direct attempt on the summit without the need to rotate multiple times on the mountain. They aim to be on the summit on Nov 17. You can follow Pat’s updates here: http://humanedgetech.com/expedition/pa2/
The Very Best of Everest team are rounding up back to Lukla after a very successful climb of Lobuche East, crossing of Cho La and Renjo La passes, and climb of Gokyo Ri. They have completed a full circuit of the Khumbu, Gokyo and Thame valleys, an all encompassing journey of the Everest region.
Chris and Susan have left Thame today for Parchermo base camp, which includes a crossing of Tashi Lapcha pass (5755m). They plan to summit the mountain on Nov 17.
Both Sumit’s (Very Best of Everest) and Pat’s groups have summited Lobuche East, Pat’s yesterday and Sumit’s the day before. For Sumit’s team, it was their first stab at mountaineering and they all did amazing! After resting an extra day at Lobuche base camp, they are now on their way to the Gokyo valley via Cho La pass. Sumit, however, has had his mountain fix and is now on his way back to Kathmandu to answer emails and meet office demands. He’s left the group in the very capable hands of Jangbu.
Pat’s group are now acclimatised and ready to take on Ama Dablam, their main objective this season. They’re at Ama Dablam base camp now joined by Chris Burke, who has come to hang out as she waits for Susan. The pair will climb Parchermo next week.
After Parchermo, Chris will be back to summit Ama Dablam again! It is understandably, an addictive mountain. You can follow Chris’ climbing adventures here: www.chrisjensenburke.com.
More topouts on Ama Dablam with Garrett successfully leading his team to the top this morning. They moved from Camp 2.7 to reach the summit at 10.30am. Meanwhile Lakpa is enjoying some extended rest time in Ama Dablam base camp waiting for the arrival of Pat Hollingworth’s group who are acclimatising on Lobuche East. Pat’s and Sumit’s groups shared Lobuche East base camp together a few nights ago.
After several days of very cold weather, the groups are excited to finally enjoy some sun and warmth at high camp.
The teams are staggering their summit bids on one of our favourite trekking peaks. Sumit’s group will summit tomorrow and Pat’s the day after. After that, Sumit’s Very Best of Everest team hikes over the Cho La pass towards Gokyo lakes, and Pat’s group begins their Ama Dablam expedition. Chris Burke flew out to Lukla this morning. She’s catching up with Susan Fagoaga who is currently on the Very Best of Everest trip to climb Parchemo (6200m).
Ama Dablam is certainly our favourite mountain, challenging to climb and stunning to look at, the ultimate climber’s mountain. Matt Eaton and Nima Sherpa with Lakpa Sherpa (on his way to summit #19!!!) are at Camp 1 of their summit climb. They aim to summit on Nov 3. Garrett and his team are on their final acclimatisation rotation hoping to summit on Nov 7. Pat has arrived in Phakding today to guide Marguerite Lovegrove (U.K.), Atle Lund (Norway), Jaime McMullan (U.K.) and Steven Pearce (U.K.) also on Ama Dablam. They are acclimatising on Lobuche East first. And due to arrive this evening is Swiss climber, Vivien Jean, who’s climbing independent. Diane and Marty are walking back to Lukla today after their twin peak success on Lobuche and Ama Dablam.
Sumit caught up with Diane and Marty yesterday at Namche, and he reports that they are in great spirits. He and the Best of Everest group are heading up to Lobuche now. Today they spent the afternoon at Tengboche monstery for Mani Rimdu, the most important Buddhist festival in the Khumbu. The group were fortunate to receive blessings from the monastery monks including the head Lama!
Possibly due to the extreme unseasonable cold this season, our Putha Hiunchuli climbers, Leif and Erick have ended their climb on the 7246m mountain in Dolpo. They managed to get to Camp 1 (5400m) and 2 (6000m) before deciding to call it a day. Deciding to end an expedition early is always a difficult decision, but often a wise decision if the mountain conditions aren’t favourable or if you are harbouring the smallest seed of doubt. The journey to Putha Hiunchuli is remote, wild and long…even on the mountain the camps are widely spaced so the going is always tough. So despite the missed summit, Leif and Erick have still had an awesome wild trip in a region that is yet to be fully explored.
The Very Best of Everest expedition 2012 has begun with an early morning flight to Lukla today. The team consists of Australians, Susan (fresh of a Mera peak expedition), Colleen and Zoe, and Brits, Katie, Kate and Rory being led by Sumit, Dendi (fondly known as ‘Long man’ due to his lofty height for a Sherpa) and Pasang Sherpa.
Sumit commented that the team is fit and that they were practically flying to Monjo today, leaving behind their guides (mind you they are carrying gear loaded packs). The expedition will head to Lobuche East via stops at Ama Dablam base camp and Everest base camp to climb the trekking peak.
Then they will drop to the other side of the valley and cross the first high pass of Cho La. After summiting Gokyo Ri, it’s then onto Renjo La pass (offering quite possibly the best views of the Khumbu from the pass).
At Ama Dablam base camp, Diane and Marty are back in camp after their successful summit of the mountain yesterday. Garrett and his team have just arrived and will be preparing for rotations in the next few days. Jonathan and Stephen are flying back to Kathmandu tomorrow. They are tired but happy after 3 weeks of awesome climbing and trekking.
Marie Helene Rougeron has just scored a hat trick of summits with Himalayan Ascent after successfully summiting Ama dablam yesterday at 11.50am (Oct 18) with Gaylgen and Jangbu.
Marie Helene’s previous summits includes Cho Oyu last year and Lobuche East. She’s resting at base camp and will begin her return tomorrow.
It’s been an emotional and exhausting last few days. Lapka and Anjkaji spent most of yesterday on the rescue team looking for survivors or bodies. Unfortunately no one was recovered. The mountain is not safe this season. It’s received too much snow, and even though it’s unlikely for history to repeat itself during a single season, this mountain is just not meant to be climbed this year.
After much thought and debate through the emotion that can cloud such a decision, the team have decided to pack up and head home. As climbers, you have to question your reasons for climbing sometimes. Avalanches are a reality of climbing as is death in extreme cases.
The reward of a summit this season on Manaslu does not outweigh the losses from the recent event, further risk to our climbers who now may be struggling to find mental commitment to the climb, and the less than optimal conditions presently on the mountain. Today the mountain will be stripped of our remaining gear from the higher camps.
Tomorrow we walk back to Samagoan, leaving behind our fallen fellow climbers to rest in peace.
A sad turn of events today had our team making a quiet descent to Manaslu base camp from Camp 2 where they were for the night. An avalanche occurred early before 5am this morning which wiped out Camp 3.
The slide also partly affected Camp 2 and the team woke up finding themselves snowed in. Lapka and Angkaji immediately informed base camp, and assisted in rescue efforts. Chris and Anders are fine. Rescue efforts still continue.
We are still unsure how many friends we have lost due to this act of nature. The team will rest in base camp and assist where they can for the next few days.
As expected, the storm passed quietly after dumping meters of snow at base camp and higher on Manaslu. The team waited out an extra day to let the snow safely settle and compact, before beginning their 3rd and last rotation on the mountain.
They will reach Camp 2 today and sleep overnight, and then head up to Camp 3 for the next night. Then it will be back to base camp for a final rest and fuel up, for the summit push. The golden date at the moment is Sept 29 if the weather holds. Other teams who arrived earlier to base camp are aiming for this weekend (23/24) to summit, the first for the season.
They are excited to be finally moving again after being stuck in rainy/snowy base camp. Go team!!!
