FTA Autumn trip report

From Ben Kane
Brisbane, Australia

Note: Ben is only home for  a few weeks before he heads of to Aconcagua for the Polish Glacier (Jan 10) and False Polish (Feb 2). We still have a few spots left on each trip as well as the Feb 2 Polish Glacier with Stu Remensnyder. See the FTA site for all the details!

Well what an amazing season! I have finally made it back home to Australia. Its been an epic Autumn season in the Himalaya, and we've had so much fun with such a great crew.

Ama Dablam Nov 2011
Ama Dablam was a great success and we topped out on the 24th of Nov in very clear weather. It was great to be back on the mountain that was my introduction to the high Himalaya back in 2007. The upper part of the route seems to have changed dramatically since then, with more hard ice and exposed rock. Having said that, we managed to summit from Camp 2, which involved some incredible night climbing of the Grey Tower and a stellar dawn on the exposed Mushroom Ridge! For lovers of exposure, this is a must do climb.
Ama Dablam 2012 Info

Khumbu Peaks and Passes  Oct 2011
Our Khumbu Peaks and Passes expedition in October was a blast. For those that wish to get to know the Khumbu & Gokyo region and do a bit of climbing along the way, this is a full itinerary jam-packed with four peaks and three high pass crossings. A superb introduction to Himalayan climbing.
Khumbu Peaks and Passes info

Satopanth September 2011
Satopanth is a semi-technical peak in the Garwhal range of Northern India. In September we ran our second expedition to this peak and had great success, summiting from Camp 2. The peak involves an approach from the holy village of Gangotri, past the headwaters of the Ganges river at Gamukh,
establishing base camp at a lake under the awesome west face of Visuki Peak. Climbing on the mountain entails a glacier approach, some amazing mixed climbing to gain Camp 2 and a very exposed ridge to gain the upper face and summit. The exposure and surrounding scenery make for one
incredible climb. Incredible India they say, and it is true.
Satopanth Info

Big Thanks
A big thanks goes out to our local staff, Siddhi, Pemba, Uttara, Ratna, Arun and of course Nima T. Sherpa. Thank you so much. I'd also like to thank our Ama Dablam guide staff Brad Jackson (assistant guide) and Meagan McGrath (guide-in-training) for their great contributions.

Finally, I'd like to thank all of our members that joined our expeditions, Gavin, Scott & Nicole, Veronika, Richard, Seng, Mattias, Colin and Bryson. Thanks for a wonderful Autumn and for all the great memories. All the best for the future and I hope to see you out in the hills one day soon.

Next up - Aconcagua Polish and False Polish

Aconcagua's Polish Glacier

As for me, straight back into training! We've got our Jan 10 Polish Glacier and Feb 2 False Polish and Polish Glacier climbs coming up shortly, and with spaces filling quickly, make sure you jump on as soon as possible!

These trips are about the most fun you can have in the mountains, a great introductory to high altitude with minimal objective danger and the rich cultural experience that Mendoza, Argentina has to offer (and the best Malbec & steak in the world).
Polish Glacier Climb | False Polish Climb

All the best and enjoy the festive season,

Ben

FTA Ama Dablam 2011 - Summits!!

from stu in the usa office
24 Nov, 2011

Ben called in a few minutes ago from camp 2 with Ama Dablam summit news - here goes!

The entire team left at about 2:30am on a clear and calm morning and then made their way up the Grey tower fully in the dark. Ben said that it was a wonderful climb and that he enjoyed it even more than when he has climbed it during the daytime. 
 
There is something about climbing in the dark that is hard to describe but the small pool of light that illuminates your small section of the route give you complete focus on the next step but little more. The sense of scale and danger that can give you vertigo in the daylight are absence and the experience is much more intimate. Mostly just the sound of your crampons scraping on the rock or crunching in the ice and the distant din of other climbers the only hint that anyone else in the world exists.

The grey tower with the snow ramp visible just above the Brad's red helmet in 2005

The Grey Tower (really a couloir of sorts) is a wonderful mixed section of rock, snow and ice and always requires creative climbing from hooking ice axes on rock to grabbing icy pockets with gloves...anything goes in this couloir! The tower joins a steeply slanting ridge which is climbed to gain an airy traverse which then gives way to the purest climb on the route...2-3 pitches of 50-70° snow and ice. This section is always enjoyable and quite sustained leaving one breathless upon reaching the Mushroom Ridge

As the sun broke and they crested onto the Mushroom Ridge the wind picked up and it was very cold for a few hours but they were already well warmed up from the earlier effort. Ben estimates that they had winds of perhaps 15-20 km/h which was about as good as we had hoped for but this wind still sapped them a bit and it stayed with them for much of the rest of the morning. Ben said that they all climbed with down jackets on when it can be quite usual to only have on a down jacket at rest points.

They encountered very hard blue ice along the side of the "dablam" above the old camp 3 and Ben said it was very difficult climbing and they all enjoyed it thoroughly. As they neared the top the winds died down and Ben said that it was "stinking hot" climbing the last 20 mins or so and that he was really surprised how quickly the temperature moderated. As such they enjoyed a calm and beautiful summit celebration with view to Cho Oyu, Everest, Makalu and of course looking down on Island Peak where they had been just a week ago.

Between 11:30am and noon the following members of our team summited:

Benjamin Kane
Siddhi Bahadur Tamang
Meeagan McGrath
Bryson McLellan
Colin Carnahan

Brad made a prudent decision to abort the push about an hour or so from the top and begin to work back towards C2 and to be ready to support and challenges the summit group might have on the way down. Always good to have level headed climbers who climb within themselves and Brad is a great example. Taking several efforts to summit Everest and with climbs on Ama Dablam, Denali and more in his background Brad follows in the Ed Viesturs model of knowing the hill will be there next time and following gut instincts... good stuff Brad!

Ben noted that the summit area had changed considerably in the last few years and that it is no longer a long flattish top but rather marked by crevasses and a series of minor peaks. It will be interesting to compare images from Ben's last summit and this years. We'll have a great image gallery for the main site put together when the team is back in Kathmandu and post a bunch here.

The team will clear the hill and had back to BC tomorrow for a well earned summit supper! They have already moved up the flights from Lukla and now hope to be back in Kathmandu on the 29th if all goes well.

Next Up - Aconcagua
Ben will then get a well deserved break until the heads off to Argentina in January to lead our Jan 10 Polish Glacier climb and our Feb 5 False Polish Glacier climbs.  We have spaces still on both climbs as well as our Feb 5 Polish Glacier climb (with Stu) so let us know if you want to join Ben and FTA for a trip to the top of the Americas!

Further Ahead - Ama Dablam 2012
We are already taking bookings for Ama Dablam in May 2012 as well as Oct and Nov 2012 and are looking for motivated climbers to join us!

We'll have more updates as the team makes their way out to the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu so stay tuned!

FTA Ama Dablam 2011 - in C1 on summit push!

from stu in the usa office
Nov 22, 2011

Ben called in a few minutes ago to let us know that everyone was feeling great in C1 and they are planning to move up to C2 tomorrow. They had a great weather all day long but for a few clouds in the afternoon. When Ben called they were brewing up tea and and enjoying a beautiful and clear sunset. 

Setting sun along the ridge between C1 and C2 © stu remensnyder

If the winds remain calm they'll aim for the top on the 24th or 25th.The last few days have seen very calm winds but they are unfortunately looking to pick up a bit for the next 4-5 days so our team will have some wind for sure and we hope not too much. The predictions are for winds between 15 and 30kmph at the 7000m level and depending on how much shelter they get from the wind they may not even feel much of it till the summit plateau. 

Ama Dablam from just above base camp © stu remensnyder

I recall in 2005 having nearly no wind all the way to the top but just after cresting the ridge with winds were so strong you could not hear another person talk and spending more than 5 mins on the top made no sense. After dropping down just 50 meters it was once again quite calm and nice. We'll hope our team sees such a pattern enabling them to climb with little or no wind for most of the day.

climbing above C2 © stu remensnyder

The teams coming down have mentioned that the mushroom ridge is quite soft and it has been difficult to manage with big packs so our team is looking to summit from C2 to avoid the need for heavy packs to C3. As such they will have to depart at 2am and manage the cold of the early morning before catching and warming rays if sun. Our team in 2010 did this as well so it is something Siddhi is ready for and has good experience doing! 

the awesome traverse just below the mushroom ridge © stu remensnyder

The team has spare days yet so they will be cautious about pushing through cold and wind and if this bid does not go they will rest up a few days and try again.


Ben plans to call in from C2 with the latest on the plan for  a summit bid and we'll have that tomorrow!

FTA Autumn 2011 - Summit push is on!

FTA Ama Dablam 2011 - Island Peak Summits!

from stu in the USA office
17th Nov, 2011

Ben just called in from Dingboche with the great news that all 6 members of the team summited Island Peak today and are all safely back down!

 Island Peak Summits

They left Island Peak BC on a crisp and clear morning at 2am and topped out at 9:30am with perfect views of Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Baruntse, Makalu and more. After many days with clouds and snow they were treated to a great day for a summit push. Ben said they climbed well as a team and were all really happy to make the first of hopefully two summits!

Island Peak summiteers are:
Benjamin Kane
Siddhi Bahadur Tamang
Brad Jackson
Meeagan McGrath
Bryson McLellan
Colin Carnahan

After enjoying a celebratory rest on the top they made their way back to base camp by noon and decided to make a good push towards Ama Dablam BC. The happy team had a well-earned lunch, packed up and tromped for another 5 hours and arrived at Dingboche at 7pm by headtorch! They all really wanted to get back down lower for a good sleep and to make the trek back into Ama Dablam BC tomorrow an easy one.

Looking back to Island Peak from near Dingboche. Everest is lurking somewhere behind the massive Lhotse wall on the left!

Ama Dablam Next Up

Ama Dablam FTA Autumn 2011 - Lukla, Namche and Khunde Ri

From Stu in the USA office
Nov 10, 2011

Ben called in a short while ago from Namche with the latest on the team and it sounds like everyone is doing very well! They had just come down from a good day on Khunde Ri and pizza in Khumjung and are headed off to the rhododendron forests of Tengboche and Deboche tomorrow.

Getting to Lukla 

On Oct 6th, after a day of prep in Kathmandu, our team departed early in the morning for the airport without much optimism in catching a flight to Lukla. The delays due to weather had stranded a large number of trekkers in Lukla and created a huge backlog in Kathmandu  - with estimates of some 1200 or more at each end of the short flight. When it became clear our team would be unable to board one of the regularly scheduled flights, our amazing ground agent Nima pulled a few strings and secured a helicopter. 

Faced with the depressing prospect of returning day after day to the airport, our teams was suddenly in the air and shortly after in Lukla! Due to the limited carrying capacity of the helicopter only half of the bags went up the team and the plan was for Nima to accompany the remaining cargo on a later flight. Nima left shortly after as planned but unfortunately his flight was turned about just before Lukla due to continued bad weather and he returned to Kathmandu.

Thank you to Nima
On the 7th Nima was able to make the full flight to Lukla and arranged the bags to be sent by yak and porter to catch up with our team in Namche. So all in all Nima spent nearly 2 full days just making sure our team and bags made it up to Lukla. Attending to the myriad of small details to ensure a smooth trip is sufficient work in and of itself and it is clear year ofter year that not many teams have such a dedicated and connected person to work with in Nepal. We at FTA are grateful to Nima's personal attention and caring nature and know we have been fortunate to have made his acquaintance more than eight years ago. Thanks again Nima Dai!

On To Namche
After arriving in Lukla and working there way down the valley the team spent the night near Phakding and began going over key topics for the trip which include everything from health and sanitation to altitude medicine and climbing techniques.

Ben, Brad and Meagan will be covering a large list of topics and will share with the members everything they have learned from their collective climbs, expeditions and adventures. Given where these three have been this is a not inconsequential list. Between them the have been to the seven summits and both poles and the list of expeditions is rather daunting: Aconcagua (Polish, Falso and Normal), Ama Dablam,  Broad Peak, Cho Oyu, Denali, Everest, Island Peak, Kilimanjaro,  K2,  Lobuche, Lhotse, North Pole, Tharpu Chuli, Satopanth, South Pole, Vinson, and on and on!

You can see mini bios for all the members on the FTA Ama Dablam 2011 team page

Namche Days
Since arriving in Namche on the 8th the members have been working on good acclimatization with an easy day on the 9th (including a dry run on fixed rope technique) and a more full day on the 10th which included summiting Khunde Ri (4500m) and the all important traditional pizza and in the Everest Bakery in Khumjung.

Brad Jackson is the designated photographer and he has sent the following images to give a sense of the journey so far...enjoy!

Waiting it out in the airport in Kathmandu! © brad jackson

Sorting gear in Lukla © brad jackson

Megan, Bryson, Ben and Colin in Phakding © brad jackson

Acclimatizing in Namche © brad jackson

High on Khunde Ri with Ama Dablam behind © brad jackson

View from Khunde Ri during our crucial second acclimatization day in Namche.
Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam in the background and the two towns below
are Khunde (3850) and Khumjung

Ben heading into the world's highest bakery in Khumjung © brad jackson

We'll  have more from the team in the days ahead!

FTA Spantik 2011 - Back in BC!

Aug 23, 2011

Spantik Update - Safe and Sound in BC and Celebrating the Summit!
Tim called in to let us know that the entire team was back in BC today and already enjoying 10 year-old whiskey! After sitting out some weather in C2 they had two perfect days of clear and calm weather for the summit push. Time said the route was in great shape and they had an excellent climb to the top. He added that the view they had for those days were as good as any he's had in the hills - and that is from one who has been to the top of Everest!

They will have a good celebration tonight and, for the first time in a while, have almost nothing to do tomorrow except relax and enjoy the afterglow of a successful summit.

They have ordered up the porters and will be heading out on the morning of the 26th to complete the quick two day exit to Arandu. If all goes well they plan to be in Skardu on the afternoon of the 27th and enjoying hot showers and soft beds!

This will leave them the next 2 days to leisurely sort, clean and dry gear from the climb, play cards, sleep and simply enjoy the magnificent vistas from base camp.

Tim will check in with another update tomorrow and then we should have much more once they are back in Skardu and Islamabad!

View to Spantik BC © Sean James

Spantik C3 © Veronika Bartova

Next up for FTA - Satopanth
Tim will be flying over to Nepal with a bunch of gear for our autumn trips in Nepal and India and is looking forward to eating pizza at the Fire and Ice when he gets there!

High on Satopanth © Chris Szymiec

He'll be handing over our Goal Zero power system to Ben who will bring it along on our Satopanth expedition which begins on Sept 3. The Goal Zero setup has worked very well for us and it is a nice integrated system of panels, batteries and ports. Highly recommended!


Upcoming Trips with spaces:

• Ama Dablam/Island Peak Oct 1 -31 *
• Khumbu Peaks and Passes Oct 5-31**
• Everest BC trek Nov 4 - 25 
• Ama Dablam/Island Peak  Nov 4 - Dec 4*
• Ecuador Jan 5-14 with Cotopaxi
• Aconcagua False Polish Jan 10-Jan 31 & Feb 5-25
• Aconcagua Polish Jan 10 -31 & Feb 5-25

*You can join our Ama Dablam/Island Peak trip for both peaks or for just Island Peak!
**The Peaks and Passes trip can be joined by trekkers or climbers. Climbs include Island Peak, Pokalde, Lobuche E and Gokyo Ri. Passes include Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La 

FTA 2011 Trip updates: K2, Spantik, Satopanth, Nepal, Argentina Ecuador and more!

K2 update - back in Skardu
Chris has dropped us a note from Skardu to let us know that he, sophie, lakpa and the entire staff are back in town and done with the long trekking days to come out. the treks are typically 8-10 hours a day and are a bit of a grind after already being so tired from the climb but no one wants to extend the trek much as soft beds, hot showers and fresh food beckon! Chris will check in again from Islamabad with a general trip report and update. They are hoping to fly today to Islamabad if the weather cooperates!

It looks like Wim Smets has become the first Belgian to top out on Broad Peak so we congratulate him for that! Sophie has made the shortest triple 8000m summits with Cho Oyu, Lhotse and Broad Peak in less than three months - not to mention an attempt on K2 to boot! There may be other firsts or interesting facts ahead and we'll post them here as we learn about them.

Spantik Update - back in BC
Tim called in to let us know there was considerable rain and poor weather but his transmission was quite garbled. They were back in BC again after the first push up to C1. We have had a number of periods this summer where the Thuraya connections have been quite bad and we'll expect a full report when the satellites allow!

Satopanth
Our team will be assembling in Delhi in early September and we'll begin dispatches at that time. A remote and challenging 7000m peak, it will be the second time FTA has tacked it with a successful trip in 2009 our first.

Ama Dablam
We have two trips this autumn that will be getting under way in early October and early November respectively. We have spaces available on both so let us know if you are interested! Our November 4 trip is filling fast so spaces are limited!

Khumbu Peaks and Passes
4 peaks and 3 passes in 24 days in the heart of the Khumbu is hard to beat! Island Peak, Lobuche E, Pokalde and Gokyo Ri for climbers and we welcome trekkers to join us as well. During the climbing days the trekkers will have great side trips or relaxing days looking out at the great peaks. Spaces for cliombers and trekkers available still.

Farther ahead...

Aconcagua and Ecuador
We have quite a few trips from November through to the end of February on Aconcagua's False Polish, Polish Glacier and normal routes as well as Cotopaxi, Cayambe and other great peaks in Ecuador.

New Trips: Stok Kankri and Noshaq
Join us in India or Afghanistan in 2012... contact us for the pilot programs. We plan  on Noshaq in July and Stok Kangri in September. We'll be setting the exact dates in the next few months but both trips will run about 24 days.

Check out our site for all the details!

Mountain Photography - hints and help!

from stu in the USA office
March 2, 1011

In the coming months our members will be heading head off on climbs and treks to Cho Oyu, Broad Peak, K2, Spantik, Satopanth, Ama Dablam, Aconcagua and more. When they come home they'll all enjoy sharing images with other members of the trips, with family & friends. For some it may even be more serious with quality photos needed for slide shows, talks, sponsors, fundraisers and magazines.

It can be a real challenge to even have a functioning camera when it is -20°C.  You have it accessible and be able to manipulate the tiny knobs and dials with your thick gloves - all the while on steep terrain!  Keeping the camera accessible with battery power and a clean lens takes often all you can muster in difficult conditions and a great deal of planning, practice and forethought is required to just reach this stage.

C2 on Spantik © chris szymiec

 Given the bewildering array of options available on the market today it begins with a lot of questions for most of us. What camera, what lens (or lenses!) and what filters? Where and how to carry it? Given that you can even turn your favorite digital camera on and take a photo, what more do you need to know to get the best images possible? What aperture, shutter speed, ISO, lens and white balance? How do these things affect the depth of field, sharpness and exposure of my image? How to frame, focus and pan? Flash, fill flash or no flash? Raw or JPG or both? Moons, stars and night time exposures? When you get home...then what? Sizing, resolution, sharpening, stitching panoramas, high dynamic range image processing and more to consider!

To understand and master the process of getting and showing great images requires practice and research and will continue to do so with the ever changing marketplace of technology. Fortunately the gear today is great and with a little effort you can get yourself on the path to taking great photos that you'll be proud to share when you get home!

Ama Dablam C2 © stu remensnyder

Where to begin? To help you out we have some great articles and links for you to look over...enjoy.

FTA AlumniOne of our Ama Dablam '05 alumni Brad Jackson has been taking ripping good pics from the mountains for quite a few years and claims as one of his favorite articles on taking great pics in the harsh conditions of the cold, high or cold & high mountains to be an article by Alexandre Buisse. Here is the link to a very extensive tutorial!
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/mountain-climbing.shtml

Another of Brad's favorite sites focuses on the technical aspects of the camera and is very easy to understand. It is by Jon Griffiths and can be found at:
http://www.alpineexposures.com/pages/mountain-landscape-climbing-photo-tips

Brad also like 10 tips for better photos from Jake Norton at:
http://blog.mountainworldproductions.com/2007/11/picture-perfect.html

Brad has a series of his own excellent set recommendations and general reflections at:
http://hobyjackson.info/category/photography







Veronika Bartova has been on quite a few trips with Field Touring and has great images of Satopanth, Tharpu Chuli,  Spantik, Snow Lake Trek and Cho Oyu and we can't wait to see her pictures of the upcoming Khumbu Peaks and High Passes in October (spaces still available!). Here are the links to the image galleries from her 5 times with FTA!
Satopanth 2009
Tharpu Chuli 2008
Cho Oyu 2007
Spantik 2006
Snowlake 2005

Veronika has a really nice eye for composition and making the viewer be transported into her image

s

Many of our alumni have outstanding images from trips and if there is a particular trip you are interested in please contact us at info@fieldtouring.com and we'll pass you on to some of the best!

FTA's Resident Expert
FTA founder Dave Hancock has been taking images for more than 2 decades in the mountains and on adventure. He offers his own high valuable tips at the following link on the FTA site. In the series he walks you though some of the basics of exposure, night photography and more.  We'll be adding to his series so come back often!
http://www.fieldtouringalpine.com/trip-resources/mountain-talk/photography-tips

Be sure to click to see the full image and the stunning stars and fire trails
in "Bonfire in the Outback" by dave hancock. High ISO for this one!

Its not about your camera
For a truly exhaustive resource on gear, techniques and more have a look at Ken Rockwell's site
http://www.kenrockwell.com

He has an article called "Its Not About Your Camera" which is a great read and a reminder that we can take great pics or bad pics with nearly any type of gear.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/not-about-your-camera.htm

camera in a plastic baggie keeps the lens snow free!

FTA Gallery
We have a select set of images from trips and treks on our site and more coming all the time. If you are an FTA alum and have pics you think would be nice additions let us know!
http://www.fieldtouringalpine.com/fta-news-and-dispatches/trip-galleries

I have tossed a few in below for some ideas and fodder for conversation!

To get "Ribas Hut on Cotopaxi" Brad Boehringer
had to get out of the warm hut and suffer a bit!

Long exposures can really sap the battery power but they yield often such unexpected results!

having your camera ready for the right moment is key!

A momento of Merv's summit rappel on Ama Dablam  - nothing wrong with asking people to pose!

Climbing to C2 on Ama Dablam with a few thousand feet of air below

high f-stop to get the sun star... i could have gone a few more even!

a little punch in saturation can have a tremendous impact

If you have a great image, article or link lets us know!


Enjoy all of the articles and happy photo hunting!

FTA Ama Dablam 2010 – Summits!

from stu in the usa office

November 26th, 2010

AMA DABLAM SUMMITS!

Fabrizio called in from C2 to let us know that he and the team had just returned from a successful summit bid!

Summiters included Roger, Ruud, Michael, Siddhi and Fabrizio and they topped out on a clear day at noon and returned to C2 at 6:45pm. Fabrizio said they had fantastic views of all the peaks from Everest to Cholatse and that they made the top despite strong winds.

Special thanks goes to our sherpa guide "super" Siddhi who has worked tirelessly all expedition to ensure a safe and successful summit for the members. Between Siddhi and Fabrizio there have been a lot of extra loads, runs, carries and work that goes into guiding an expedition. Well done lads!

It sounds like Erika and Jack were not feeling strong on the way to C2 the previous day and decided to not join the push and left the hill for another day. With experience on Everest for Jack and the Polish Glacier on Aconcagua for Erika, they certainly have a good background for making wise choices and we applaud their decision!

We'll look forward to more reports and images in the days and weeks ahead!

Now on to upcoming trips to Aconcagua, Ecuador and even farther ahead to Nanga Parbat, Broad Peak and K2! We have spaces on all of these trips ad more so check out the main site for trips and dates. www.fieldtouringalpine.com

Here is Fabrizio's dispatch from c2 - enjoy!

Field Touring Alpine Audio Dispatches

View from the dablam on the descent with the world below!

FTA Ama Dablam - Summit bid tomorrow!

from stu in the usa office
November 25, 2010

Ama Dablam Update

Fabrizio has left an audio dispatch from C1 with the latest on the team's efforts on Ama Dablam and the news is excellent! Fabrizio and Siddhi are in C1 with half the team and the other half is resting in C2. Tomorrow morning at 1am the group in C1 will leave, join the group in C2 and push for the summit!

We should have news from the top or from when they are back in camp. Stay tuned for more!

Listen to the dispatch below!



please note: with some challenges in the website over the last month the automatic loading of the audio dispatches was disabled. To hear this and more dispatches please visit the

FTA audio dispatch center at Gabcast

A few images of the terrain the team is about to cover....

View from C1 on a beautiful afternoon!

The awesome traverse just below the Mushroom Ridge!

Heading up the fixed lines on the side of the dablam

View from the top to Everest on a clear day in 2005!

View from just below the summit down the Khumbu Valley

FTA member Merv Rowland Rappelling from the summit ridge in 2007

When they get back to BC they will hopefully have a great treat in store!

FTA Ama Dablam - C2 established and summit bid ahead!

from stu in the usa office

November 24, 2010

Ama Dablam Update

Our team has established a high camp and we expect news of summit bids in the next few days!

The weather has been clear but windy and looks to remain so through the 27th. Winds in the 40-50km/hr level are expected at the 7000m level so they will have high winds for sure on the summit. The climb is often in the lee of the wind and on 2 of the 3 times i have been to the top we had little or now winds on the slopes from C3 to the summit but were buffeted by very strong winds on the top itself. The last 100 meters can be simply a fight to get the top when minutes before all was calm.

Audio Dispatch from Fabrizio
Fabrizio checks in from C1 to lets us know that the team is well positioned for a summit bid and they hope to move to C2 tomorrow and summit on the 26th!

Field Touring Alpine Audio Dispatches

As soon as we have any word on the summit attempts we'll post them here!

pic: summit panorama on Ama Dablam from 2007

FTA Ama Dablam 2010 Autumn - Island Peak Summits!

from stu in the usa office

17th Nov, 2010

Our team has already topped out on Island Peak and is back safely at Ama Dablam BC! We are waiting on all the details and hope to have them shortly!

Our group arrived back in Ama Dablam BC yesterday and tomorrow plan to head up to C1. After a night in C1 they will either return to rest in BC a few days or make a move to C2 if everyone is feeling well.

More news soon!

Audio Dispatches #1 from high camp before the summit

Fabrizio calls in from high camp at 2:15am to let us know the team is about to set off for the summit! He reports that the weather is perfect - pretty warm and clear skies above. Fabrizio adds that this is what he loves about night climbing...to see "headlamps dotted along the slope and lots of stars dance"!

Audio Dispatches #2 from BC after the summit!

Fabrizio checks back in from BC at 12:30pm on 14th to let us know the entire team had a successful summit day on Island Peak! The team arrived at the top around 8am in peefect conditions and enjoyed views of the north face of Ama Dablam and the south face of Lhotse! They will head back to Ama Dablam tomorrow for a few well deserved rest days!

Field Touring Alpine Audio Dispatches