6828m – Oct 2013

After Cho Oyu I had about three weeks where I would be in Nepal before my next expedition began.  After talking with Phunuru (the IMG sirdar), I decided to take up his suggestion of attempting Ama Dablam.  This is an incredibly beautiful mountain in the vicinity of Mt Everest.  Phu had organised that we use Himalayan Ascent for our logistics, and this gave us a base camp to hang out in, as well as good food and company.

It was here that I first met Chris Burke and Lakpa sherpa, the owners of Expedition Base.  These guys will very soon have completed their mission of climbing all 14 8000ers!

Also in camp were Alan and Sharon Cohrs, fellow Brisbanites who run the adventure company Everest One.

My diary of the trip reads as follows:

Thurs 24/10.  Sun hits tent at 7.30am.  Water partially frozen and still tastes like kerosene.  Apparently a yak dropped a barrel of the stuff in the river, and now everything is contaminated.  Hot flannel brought at 7.40.  All the hair has rubbed off my knees!  -6c last night.

Fri 25/10.  Had a hot water bottle last night and slept much better.  Heading up to camp one.  8.35am – 11.40 to yak camp.  12.30 – 2.15pm to camp 1.  The route from base to yak camp is a moderate slope along a ridgeline.  Not fun (especially coming down) as it is rutted to a single foot width and icy.

From Yak camp up is the boulder field.  Tough!  Should not have been carry heavy pack.  I took an ipad and a book… maybe 25kg?!

Sat 26/10.  Left camp 1 about 7.50am and hit camp 2 in about 2 hrs.  Not carrying anything, and feeling great with the pre-acclimatisation of Cho Oyu.  Up to camp 2 was rock (without fixed lines it would be moderately technical rock climbing), so we didn’t have crampons on.  After camp 2 we donned crampons and proceeded to the bottom of the grey tower.  From here we took photos back towards camp 2.  This is an absolutely stunning camp site situated on the top of a huge rock spire with just enough room for one or two tents. This was our highpoint as the rope fixes hadn’t made it beyond here yet.  Going back down it was maybe an hr to camp one, then the evil boulder field to yak camp.  At camp one it was -10!  My watch froze and reset.

All of the descending had been arm wrapping, and my forearms were exhausted from this.  It is also really hard wearing on your gloves and jacket.  Yak to base felt like a long haul!  Arrived back with Alan at 5pm after plenty of slips on the ice.  Nothing says mountaineer like falling on your ass on ice!

Back in camp I chatted with Mel from Alpine guides, then Lydia Brady and Matt from AC.  They were using Yak camp, whereas we were skipping it and going straight to camp one.  Apparently route was fixed to a point called the mushroom.

Tonight Alan and Raul got smashed.  Drinking with sherpas till 2am!

Sun 27/10.  Thought my flight out was 7th Nov.  Now not sure and waiting for confirmation.  Also waiting on news about rope fixing.

Mon 28/10.  Took dawn pictures then saw the guys off after breaky.  No flights confirmed, but tentatively looking at the 3rd.  4 days lost!  Bad weather coming in, so decided to hit up Kalla Patthar rather than sit around base camp.  Took about 2.5hrs to Dingboche (with bush bashing!), then maybe another hr to Duhkla.

Tue 29/10 Dukhla to Lobuche in an hr (8.10 – 9.10).  10.30 at Gorak Shep.  Then about 50mins up Kalla Patthar.  Took heaps of photos then jogged down in about 20 mins.  As sunset approached I decided to head back up again for more photos!

After dinner I spoke to Phunuru.  We are walking out, and the expedition is over.  The only available flight is Nov 3, and there is high wind until then.

Wed 30/10.  Tired today!  Did about 1300m of ascent yesterday at a balls out pace.  Breaky 8.30, then pack, then photo of Rob Hall’s memorial.  Left maybe 10.30?  Lobuche then Duhkla then Pherice for lunch at 1.  Windy.  Pangboche for the night.  Leaving a duffel with Da Jangbu, the AC expedition sirdar.

Thur 31.  Pangboche for a belated Pujah at the old monastery, then Phortse (Phunuru’s village).  Short day, shower then beer!  Played durak (card game) with intrepid group.

Fri 1st.  Phortse to Namche Bazar in 2.5hrs!  Caramel latte at Cafe 8848 at 11.11.  Had a beer with a random then an afternoon of reading and watching the everest documentary playing at the cafe.

Sat 2nd.  Left Namche around 8.15.  Arrived Monju at 9.30 – only about 1/3 the way to Lukla.  Lunch at Phakding at 11.  12-1.30 to Lukla.

Sun 3rd.  Flight at 9.30.  Make sure you sit on the right wing leaving lukla (for the best views).  (And the left side when you are leaving Kathmandu).

A very expensive week for only a day of climbing, but it was a pretty epic day.  This is a mountain I really want to return to.  The summit pictures look amazing – like a runway sitting on top of a knife blade!