Monday, May 24, 2010

Makalu Summit Bid Over

From stu in the usa office
25th May 10:50pm est (gmt -5)

Fabrizio called in from C4 where both he and Joelle were safely back in the tent after their summit bids. After only an hour or so for each of them the intense cold proved too severe and they were unable to keep their feet warm. Wisely they returned to the tent before running the very real and imminent risk of frostbite. After 3 nights at or above 7400m their bodies were simply unable to battle the cold sufficiently in the thin air.

Their plan was to warm up for a few hours and then break camp and head all the way to BC today. They have a few items top clear in C2 but else are going pretty light (not much fuel or food to slow them down!) so should be able to reach camp in time for a HUGE supper. Fabrizio ordered two diet cokes and a double order of fries and we hope they await them there! When they are safely back in BC we'll have more details of the summit push and plans for returning to Kathamndu.

We are really happy for all our team for the effort they made on on of the great peaks of our planet and congratulate them all. It will be hard to depart without a summit after so many weeks of enduring cold, wind and snow but the mountain will be awaiting them all for another day.

More news as we have it from our team!

stu

Makalu 2010 - Summit Bid Under Way!

From Stu in USA office
May 24, 2010 4:30pm EST (GMT - 5)

Just off the phone with Fabrizio and Joelle and they were putting on their boots and getting ready to head out into the inky crisp night at 7650m and make a bid for the top of Makalu. Fabrizio said the temperatures were likely in the -30°C range with no wind and no snow so a bit crispy but great conditions for a try!

At least one other team has begun their push a few hours ahead of them and they hope to catch up along the way. Their ability to move with good speed will be an important part of being able to try for the top in this cold and hypoxic environment.

Good friends of Fabrizio topped out on 8000m peaks this morning - Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner on Everest this morning (for her 13th 8000m Peak) and FTA guide Chris Szymiec on Cho Oyu (for his first) and Fabrizio sends his congratulations to both! The good vibes from their summits will be great inspiration for our team!!

Fabrizio left a few short audio dispatches from the remote world of C4 - enjoy!

Part One


Part Two

Makalu 2010 - C4 Again! Summit Tomorrow??

From Stu in the USA office
May 24, 2010


Fabrizio called in about 3 hours ago (from C4 at 7650m) to let us know that as of 6:30am they were still in C4 waiting out significant snow and trying to decide what to do. After consulting with the home office on weather and logistics they they took another hour or 2 to sift through the complicated combination of safety, fuel, food, oxygen and porters imminent arrival. Joelle was feeling very strongly to try again on the 25th and Fabrizio will remain on the hill to join her for the attempt. Stuart was simply not in a position to sit out another day as he is on an O2 climb and begun to use up O2 resources. Tapchen will join him today to descend to C2 at minimum and hopefully all the way to BC if they feel strongly enough.

Joelle and Fabrizio will try to leave tonight at 11pm local time and make the top as early as they can and ensure they will have significant daylight to work with on descent. They are dealing with limited food resources but sufficient fuel for melting water. No doubt by the time they return to BC they will be ready for a great meal!

For Joelle and Fabrizio they have 12 hours of simply existing to manage...melt water, rest and repeat. Their job, stuck in a high camp, is to do as little as possible so to conserve every bit of water and energy and it is amazing how little one can do in a day if you really try!

Before heading up Fabrizio and the BC crew had called for the porters to arrive on the 25th for a 26th departure. But with the delayed summit bid they will be unable to be down in time to join the first wave of porters coming out and a small group of porters will remain to support their walk out while the bulk of the porters will begin the trek out to Tumlingtar with all the excess gear, food and tents. A sparse BC will await Fabrizio and Joelle but it is a small price to pay for the shot at the top of Makalu! We congratulate Stuart for reaching C4 and for making a prudent choice to head down when the situation dictated. He still has a long ways to go with Tapchen to reach BC so hours of careful down climbing await them.

When we have more news of the return to BC and the ongoing summit bid we'll let you know!



Fabrizio has left a short audio dispatch from C4 with the update - enjoy!




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Sunday, May 23, 2010

Makalu 2010 - In C4 and Summit Bid Tomorrow!!

from stu in the USA office
May 23, 2010

Our team is settled into their highest camp at 7650m after a great 3 hr climb from C3 and is in great position for a summit bid to begin in 9 hours! I spoke to Fabrizio and he and the entire team is feeling very strong and very well. They were brewing up drinks and supper and planning to get as much rest as they can before leaving at 2am. To leave at 2am they will need to spend at least an hour or two getting set to go with more drinks and food, warming up boots, getting on harnesses & crampons and fighting the urge to stay in the nice warm sleeping bag!

With mixed reports still ahead for how much wind and snow they may have we are all hoping the weather gods smile on not only our team but the other 3-4 groups joining them at C4. No matter what they will certainly have some wind and temps around -25°C so they will need to take great care to protect their faces and digits. While they have a very demanding and serious climb ahead tomorrow, they are a very experienced group of climbers and have been preparing for days like this for many years. Joining them for the summit bid are a few other teams so it will be good to be able to share any final fixing of the route!

Fabrizio also reminded me that they are now in China and spent most of the day out of C3 climbing in Nepal's neighboring company. As with many peaks in the Himalaya as a route nears the top it may travel back and forth between two counties (or at least once you reach the top you'll have one foot in each country. More often then not one of the two countries is China!


Fabrizio has left 2 audio dispatches from c4 - Enjoy!

Part 1



Part 2




Listen to all the Field Touring Alpine Audio Dispatches at Gabcast

Wish all the teams on the hill good luck and gentle winds!

More news as we have it!!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Makalu 2010 - In C3 with great Views! C4 Tomorrow!!

from stu in the USA Office
may 22, 2010

Fabrizio has called in to let us know that all is well in C3 at 7400m after a 6 hour climb from C2. All team members are doing well and looking forward to pushing up to C4 in the morning. The climb from C3 to C4 is just 3-4 hours and a gain of 200m or so but puts them in a great position to summit. With weather reports being reasonable for the 24th they have decided against trying to go directly from C3. They are joined by quite a few other teams with the same plan so they will have good company on the move to C4 and on the summit day!

More news as we have it!

Here are the two audio dispatches from C3 - Enjoy!

Part 1



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Part 2



Listen to all the Field Touring Alpine Audio Dispatches at Gabcast

Friday, May 21, 2010

Makalu Summit Bid - High Winds in C2!

from stu in the usa office
May 21, 2010

Fabrizio called in at about 9am local time from C2 to let us know that all was well but that the winds had picked up considerably. Despite somewhat promising forecasts of moderate winds on the 21st for C2 they were in fact experiencing winds strong enough they could not exit their tents!

To consider moving up later in the day was not an option as the 6 hours it takes to reach C3 in good conditions would have been very demanding and drained our crew too much. Additionally with the forecast having not proven as accurate as we needed the expected afternoon drop at C3 became further suspect. We see from reports on explorersweb.com that crowds on Everest are experiencing the same sort of unexpectedly strong winds so looks to have most forecasters and teams and teams a bit surprised.

Nevertheless the winds are expected to abate considerably for the next 4-5 days so there is still ample time for a bid. The challenge is that the winds are not expected to drop down to a "nice" level and any summit bids are going to be demanding work and cast in the light of making prudent choices at all times. At this point it would seem summit winds will be near 40km/hr. Concurrently we expect an increase in precipitation which may complicate any bids after the 24th. When Fabrizio and I spoke it was still uncertain whether they would set out from C3 on the 23rd or from C4 on the 24th for the top. We'll be watching the weather reports very closely today to help us try to decide.

We expect Fabrzio to call in tonight before they retire to the roar of the tents for a second night at C2 with the latest local forecast! A number of teams are now holed up along side of our Field Touring team and we expect a pretty large movement tomorrow up to C3!

According to reports around the Himalaya, signs of early onset of the monsoon abound including clouds and storms in the lower valleys. Perhaps as early as the 27th the season may close so for our team it is really now or never! No "easy" summits this year on Makalu (are there ever any!!).

more news as we have it!


stu

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Makalu 2010 Summit Push Under Way!

From Stu in the USA office
May 20, 2010

Our team has begun the summit push today and already reached C2 in good shape. Fabrzio called in from his tent where he was brewing up supper and making plans for the big day to C3 tomorrow. Everyone in our team is feeling very well and moving strongly so we are hopeful that the winds will allow them a good chance to summit.

The hope is to move to C3 (6400m) on the 21st and then C4 (7600m) on the 22nd with hopes of topping out on the 23rd. Unfortunately the very latest weather reports indicate higher winds on 23 than hoped for so our team will consider a summit bid from C3 on the 22nd. There are teams with plans for summiting on 22, 23 and 24 so no matter what day they go they are likely to have some company!

Fabrizio has left a few audio dispatches but there seems to be a glitch with Gabcast just now and they are being cut short. I have added audio dispatch below and you can enjoy at least the start of a good dispatch! Fabrizio will try to put a few shorter ones up as they make there way so check in often!

Wish our team luck and gentle winds!!

Makalu 2010 Summit Push Under Way!

From Stu in the USA office
May 20, 2010

Our team has begun the summit push today and already reached C2 in good shape. Fabrzio called in from his tent where he was brewing up supper and making plans for the big day to C3 tomorrow. Everyone in our team is feeling very well and moving strongly so we are hopeful that the winds will allow them a good chance to summit.

The hope is to move to C3 (6400m) on the 21st and then C4 (7600m) on the 22nd with hopes of topping out on the 23rd. Unfortunately the very latest weather reports indicate higher winds on 23 than hoped for so our team will consider a summit bid from C3 on the 22nd. There are teams with plans for summiting on 22, 23 and 24 so no matter what day they go they are likely to have some company!

Fabrizio has left a few audio dispatches but there seems to be a glitch with Gabcast just now and they are being cut short. I have added audio dispatch below and you can enjoy at least the start of a good dispatch! Fabrizio will try to put a few shorter ones up as they make there way so check in often!

Wish our team luck and gentle winds!!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Makalu Update - Back in BC!

from stu in the usa office
17 May, 2010

Our team is back in BC safe and sound and will use the next 3 days to rest up before a definitive summit push to come starting around the 21st. They returned from a run up to C2 at 6700m where they got in some good additional acclimatization but did not waste energy or reserves trying to gain height in very strong winds. As predicted by Meteotest the winds rose quite a bit on the 16th as our team made their way back to BC and more nights up high would certainly have been very demanding if not dangerous.

They were greeted at BC by a well deserved and highly anticipated reinforcement of fresh food and Fabrizio noted that the improvement in the variety of the meals has done wonders to the moral of our entire team! This is certainly the time in an expedition when one begins to have dreams of great feasts back in Kathmandu at the Everest Steak House, Fire & Ice Pizza, Third Eye Indian food and the countless cuisines represented around Thamel!

A large number of teams are holding up in BC now all looking to the large window of lower winds expected to arrive shortly and it looks as though it will be a strong contingent headed for the top in the week ahead.

Fabrizio has left a voice dispatch from BC - enjoy!




Listen to all the Field Touring Alpine Audio Dispatches at Gabcast

Friday, May 14, 2010

Makalu 2010 - Summit Chances Ahead?

from Stu in the USA office
May 14, 2010

Our team has been sitting tight in BC awaiting the 15th when they will make their way to C2 in hopes that the subsequent days will allow a summit bid. With a brief window of moderate winds forecasted may have enough time to try for the top from C3 at 7400m but it appears a long shot at this point. In the worst case scenario they will at least get a few more days up high and be even better positioned for the next weather window.

Fabrizio and I have been speaking nearly every day to try and make the best decision about when to try for the summit based on the weather, route and member considerations. It appears that the 16th and 17th are the only feasible days and given that the preceding days are still very windy (as high as 30-40km/hr) at C3. Based on the winds they will need to be down to C3 BC by the end of day on the 17th and into BC by the 18th as winds pick up considerably on the 19th.

Our members are doing well with the spare days resting and eating and preparing for the serious endeavor which faces them in the days ahead. If this window does not give them a chance for the summit they will try again in a much larger window predicted to begin around the 22nd or 23rd of the month. As such they have ordered more food and fuel from down the valley to enable them to stay a bit longer!

We'll hear from the team from C2 tomorrow and let you know how they are getting on. Wish them calm winds and warm temps!

Fabrizio has left an audio disapatch below - enjoy!




Listen to all the Field Touring Alpine Audio Dispatches at Gabcast

Friday, May 7, 2010

Makalu Team touches C3

From Stu in the USA Office
May 7, 2010

On the 5th our team managed to reach camp 2 at 6700m and after a cold night took a load up to the Makalu La at 7400m and descended back to C2 for the night. With serious winds and cold predicted for at least the next 3-4 days our team will be descending to BC to eat, rest and prepare for a weather window allowing them to be high up again. This wind is affecting every major peak in the area with teams on Everest and Cho Oyu all heading down and avoiding the high camps.

We had not heard at our normal time yesterday from Fabrizio and he called early in the morning today (Makalu time) to let us know all was well. In spite of carrying the batteries inside his outfit they got so cold they would not function and it was after sleeping in the sleeping bag they had warmed up enough again to use them....very cold indeed up there!

Quite consistently between -17°C and -25°C according to Meteotest. With winds on the summit heading towards 90-100km/hr on monday this will be no place for a human! Our team will enjoy mother natures best efforts to scour the rock clean from the comforts of BC!

Here is Fabrizio's latest audio dispatch recounting the day's effort on the 6th!




Listen to all the Field Touring Alpine Audio Dispatches at gabcast

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Makalu Team in C2 Again!

Field Touring Alpine Audio Dispatches #53 - Makalu update - in C2 with great views!

Fabrizio called in from C2 a few hours ago to let us know that they are settled into their tents in on a clear and cold evening. After a very snowy day of climbing from BC around 5pm the skies cleared and the temperatures dropped quickly.
While retreating to the relative warmth of their tents they were also treated to spectacualr views of the entire Khumbu mountain scape including Everest, Gaurishankar, Lhotse, Ama Dablam a list too long to cover in one disptach!

The team is planning to head to C3 at 7400m tomorrow if possible and spend the night there before descending to BC on Friday (ahead of the expected higher winds of the weekend). With the increased cold they will have without the blanket of clouds they will be watching winds very careully at this time and we thank Meteotest for their great forecasts which have been very important in helping our team to make good decisions.

Fabrizio also left an audio dispatch from C2 - enjoy!




Gabcast! Listen to all the Field Touring Alpine Audio Dispatches 2 at Gabcast

Makalu Update - Headed to C2 again!

Audio Dispatch from Makalu BC
April 5th, 2010


Fabrizio calls in from BC on a snowy day with the latest plan to head to C2 today!



Listen to all the Field Touring Alpine Audio Dispatches at gabcast

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Makalu Team in C2 at 6700m!

From stu in the usa office
may 2, 2010

Fabrizio has left an audio disaptch from sunny C2 where all is well! Everyone is going strongly enjoying the fine views of Everest!

Meteotest has predicted high winds with strong gusts above 7000m so plans to push to C3 will hold until middle of the week when gentler winds are expected. They will descend to BC today and we'll expect a report in the next 24hours on the plan for the next climb on the hill!





Listen to all the Field Touring Alpine Audio Dispatches at Gabcast