May 14, 2011
Our planned summit departure of May 18th has been cancelled due to the current weather situation. This will continue to be a major issue for the next couple of days. As you may imagine, for those up on the mountain that have to retreat back to base camp, this is a major defeat. So, to understand the tricky logistics for a summit attempt, here is a short explanation that hopefully will clear up some questions.
The basic, conservative approach is to leave base camp, and then proceed to camp 1, then to camp 2. It is possible to go from base camp to 2 in one day however this would be a long day. The next step is ascending the Lhotse face to camp 3, a brutal and hard day. Camp 3 is a major stepping stone, and if everything looks good, we then continue to the South Col (camp 4). From camp 4 the real summit attempt will be launched, the round trip from the south col to the summit and back can take anytime from 16 to more than 20 hrs. Most critical is the situation at camp 3 and 4. If the situation does not allow to continue, retreat from camp 3 and 4 is especially devastating and can mean the end of attempting the summit due to the exhaustion, and then a number of days are required (4-5) before a new attempt can even be considered. So, in short, to be in position for a summit attempt from camp 3 or 4, we need a head start of at least 3-4 days from base camp. This is what makes the summit climb so tricky.
At any rate, there is good news. Today, 5 of our climbers were able to get through to the summit. Unfortunately the next ones all had to retreat all the way back to base camp. So, patience is important now and also to continue to stay healthy and acclimatized.
The basic, conservative approach is to leave base camp, and then proceed to camp 1, then to camp 2. It is possible to go from base camp to 2 in one day however this would be a long day. The next step is ascending the Lhotse face to camp 3, a brutal and hard day. Camp 3 is a major stepping stone, and if everything looks good, we then continue to the South Col (camp 4). From camp 4 the real summit attempt will be launched, the round trip from the south col to the summit and back can take anytime from 16 to more than 20 hrs. Most critical is the situation at camp 3 and 4. If the situation does not allow to continue, retreat from camp 3 and 4 is especially devastating and can mean the end of attempting the summit due to the exhaustion, and then a number of days are required (4-5) before a new attempt can even be considered. So, in short, to be in position for a summit attempt from camp 3 or 4, we need a head start of at least 3-4 days from base camp. This is what makes the summit climb so tricky.
At any rate, there is good news. Today, 5 of our climbers were able to get through to the summit. Unfortunately the next ones all had to retreat all the way back to base camp. So, patience is important now and also to continue to stay healthy and acclimatized.
I took a stroll down to Gorakshep in the afternoon, to by some Coke and a few other things I'll take back up to base camp. I'll hope for the best the next few days, all else looks fine at this time.
I'll be in touch.
I'll be in touch.
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