FTA Cho Oyu Expedition 2011 - On to C2!

from stu in the usa office
27th April, 2011

Ben dropped this voice dispatch yesterday with the great news that the team had spent a night in C1 and that Sophie and Siddhi were planning on making a run to stay at C2 if all went well! Ben called in from  ABC along with Keith and Ratna and it sounds as if the team is back on schedule with the route being pushed through the first ice fall and perhaps even to C2 by today!

After another short rest Ben will push with Keith to C2 and with nights in C2 the team will be then ready to mount a summit bid.

To see what a windy day looks like at c2 have a look at the FTA Youtube site:
http://www.youtube.com/user/fieldtouringalpine




I am sure in the next day or so we'll have lots more news about the progress of the team so stay tuned!


cheers,


stu

FTA Cho Oyu Expedition 2011 - Member Evac to Kathmandu and all well

From Stu in the USA office
22 April, 2011

Ben called in from IBC late yesterday to let us know that he had just successfully completed evacuating one of our members who had come down with suspected HAPE in the early morning hours of the 21st. She is already at this time back in Kathmandu and feeling much better. The rest of the team in doing well in ABC and waiting for Ben and Siddhi to return.

Evac  recap
At around 4 am Pille awoke with a productive cough and poor presentation and Ben took immediate steps to ensure she got down to CBC as fast as possible. At that time in the morning there are few options and so Ben and Siddhi and Priit put considerable effort into carrying and assisting Pille out of ABC and all the way down through IBC to CBC. From what Ben shared it sounds like Siddhi carried Pille on his shoulder for a considerable portion of the evacuation giving further testament to his enormous strength and endurance. Thanks Siddhi!

Ben said that as Pille descended her condition improved markedly and she was under her own power by the time the reached CBC. After arriving at CBC a 4x4 jeep was arranged and Pille and Priit headed to the border which they reached by the end of the day.

Pille remained on oxygen throughout the evacuation as well as during the drive back to the border. One of the challenges of the drive is that one has to reascend on several passes and with no way to avoid that the best one can do is have oxygen as a precaution.Today they completed the trip back to Kathmandu and are resting up at our team hotel for a few days.

Meanwhile at ABC
Ben and Siddhi will both be back in ABC today and the team will get back to the work of moving gear and tests up to C1. Obviously both Ben and Siddhi will need a bit of rest after the effort to go all the way down to CBC and back to ABC but Keith and Sophie should be able to move on up to C1 with a carry in the morning. We'll have word from ABC in the next 24hours about the re vamped schedule and share that in our next dispatch. 

We are sorry to have Pille and Priit have to leave the team as they were strong and positive members. They have some time ahead of them and our agent Nima will be helping them to arrange an alternative adventure once they have rested up and made a decision about what to do with their time.

About HAPE
High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) is a medical condition in which fluid builds up in the lungs and blocks the body from bringing new oxygen into the blood stream causing a state of hypoxia. In some cases it can be severe enough to be fatal but typically with a rapid descent of several thousand feet the situation resolves and the body begins the process of reabsorbing the fluid that was building up in the lungs.

There are numerous signs and symptoms we look for in a suspected HAPE case and they can include a productive cough (progressing from clear to pink), lack of recovery after resting, cyanosis, breathsounds that have a gurgle or rattle to them and more. HAPE can present much like a chest cold, asthma or pneumonia but at altitude any difficulty breathing is assumed to be HAPE until otherwise proven.

Causes are varied but even a person taking good care to acclimatize on a reasonable schedule can succumb to HAPE. The treatments can included hyperbaric chambers and medications (niphedipine, dexamethasone, diamox and oxygen the most common) but there is nothing that is more important than a rapid descent. For some people this may be as little as 1000-2000ft but for others it may mean 4-5000ft or even a return all the way to see level. In our case the drop from ABC (5700m) to CBC(4900m) was approximately 800m or 2640ft and this was sufficient for symptoms to begin to subside.

In some cases climbers will feel considerably better after a  few days down low and consider ascending again. This is obviously accepting a large degree of risk of contracting HAPE again but there are numerous cases of this happening even on 8000m peaks. For most people it makes best sense to stay where the air is thick and enjoy the Terai in Nepal, the Ganges and Varanassi in India, or the beaches and rock climbing in Thailand!

for more info on HAPE and altitude illness you can see a case study we have from a few years back on our site as well as visit any of the links below

ABC’s of HAPE and HACE – a case study in serious high altitude illness

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_altitude_pulmonary_edema
http://www.altitude.org/altitude_sickness.php
http://www.basecampmd.com/expguide/hape.shtml
http://www.high-altitude-medicine.com/
http://www.ismmed.org/np_altitude_tutorial.htm
http://www.altitudemedicine.org/index.php/altitude-medicine/learn-about-altitude-sickness/what-is-hape

FTA Cho Oyu Expedition 2011 - Update from ABC

C1 on Cho Oyu

from stu in the usa office
20 april, 2011
Ben has dropped a voice dispatch from ABC at 5700m (see below). Everyone is doing well and they are well on schedule at this time!

Sounds like the plan is to make a first carry to C1 tomorrow and officially get the climb under way! C1 is situated in a small bowl and in busy years fills up quite a bit. With a small number of teams this season we shoul have the pick of spots.

As it is very windy there it is often avisable to set the tents down lower in the bowl despite losing the nicer views from the balcony above. In the image above you can see where FTA placed tents in 2008 (lowest group of yellow tents with people hovering about) and where some other teams had tents up higher (farthest away).

In 2008 there were many tents destroyed and even blown off the mountain in the upper sections during a particularly fierce wind storm.  Meanwhile those in the protected area came away with some damage to a few tents. Always a difficult choice between views and safety though as you can see in the image below that our view was still quite nice!

view from C1 on Cho Oyu

Enjoy listening in!



More news as we have it!

FTA Cho Oyu Expedition 2011 - In ABC and all well!

from stu in the usa office
18th april 2011

Ben Kane just called in from ABC where he and the team are all settled in for the night after a good hike up today from IBC. They have made very smooth progress and did not need any additional days in CBC to arrange yaks as they caught the first "train" out of town.

The last soft bed for a month!

Apparently the yaks this year are a bit thin after a long winter and are not carrying the weight they usually do so.... instead of 17 burly yaks with 60kg each we ended up with 32 hungry yaks with 35-40kg each to carry our gear to ABC!

Ben noted that all of the teams loading up yaks were having the same challenge and the upshot is that a lot of money had to change hands from expeditions to yak drivers! After much debate and persuasion Ben was able to reduce our debt by a third but it still amounted to more than 1000usd. Additional expenses are quite routine on a Cho Oyu expedition and we budget for it each time. With fewer teams on the hill this spring we had no option but to bring sufficient rope and gear to fix the route and as such we are a bit heavier than usual. Beyond this our heated ABC tent requires more fuel and all this adds up. At this time we have 1000m of rope in BC and an additional 1000m in IBC (along with additional fuel) ready to come up if we need it.

Ben said everyone is feeling very well and looking forward to  a great rest day tomorrow. They are predicted to have excellent weather at ABC with sun and light wind down low. High on the hill the winds will be raging at over 100 km/h during this clear spell so they are likley to be treated to horizontal plumes of clouds and snow coming off the top.

Our ABC setup this season includes an insulated floor and a heater and the team is enjoying  the warmth and comfort they provide in the mess tent. Our chef Ratna will be serving up great food for them and also providing the right ambiance for a members lounging at BC. Ratna becomes the social center for our trips as there is no better place early in the morning than his cook tent with hot milk coffee, music and conversation. The sherpas and  members from other teams will end up in Ratna's tent during the expedition and it is a place to make friends, get the latest news, talk over strategy and get the day started right. Out of his kitchen will come popcorn, french fries, soups, pastas, pizzas, momos (tibetan dumplings), curries and much more and i have yet to see another expedition eat better food than what Ratna prepares. He takes tremendous pride in making great food and does so with flare and panache. I hope you all get a chance to join Ratna on one of our trips and see it first hand for yourself!

The reality is that Ratna's ability to provide good food to our members is crucial to their ability to do the hard work of the climb ahead. They will be burning upwards of 5000 - 6000  calories a day and lucky if they can jam in 4000 calories a day. The more they can close that gap the stronger they will remain and the better a chance they have up high (where the gap is always widened on a summit push!). Typically members will lose between 5 and 10 KG (10-20lbs) but for members who can maintain a healthy appetite - and avoid GI illness - it is possible to keep that loss to just 2-3 kg.

We'll look forward to watching the progress in the coming days and Ben will be calling in every few days to give us the latest!

Stay tuned for more!

FTA Cho Oyu Expedition 2011 - In Tingri!

from stu in the usa office
16th april, 2010

Ben called in yesterday from Tingri to let the home team know that all is well for our group. They have used the days in Nyalam and Tingri to acclimatize and they have all hiked to 5000m and are feeling well. The hikes on the hills near Tingri are dry and desolate and by this time they are all wearing some sort or protection from the ever present dust.

Nonetheless the views are astounding of Cho Oyu and the valley below and the sensation of nearing the worlds 6th highest peak is no doubt beginning to get everyone very excited. After their last, and mercifully short, drive today our team will finally get under their own leg power and begin the expedition proper.

On the 16th they plan to drive from Tingri to Chinese BC where they will be for one or two nights while the Yaks are arranged to transport the mountain of gear to the Advanced Base Camp. They will have one night on the way in at Intermediate Base Camp and will good luck will arrive at ABC on the 19th or 20th.

Even as our Cho Oyu expedition is getting under way we are making preparations for this summers K2 BC Trek and climbs on Spantik, Broad Peak, K2 and Gasherbrum II.  We have limited spaces available on all 5 trips so let us know if you are interested!

We are also taking applications for trips in the autumn including Island Peak, Everest Base Camp, Satopanth, Cho Oyu, Ama Dablam and Khumbu Peaks and Passes.

Have a look at all of our offerings at www.fieldtouringalpine.com or drop us a note at "info@fieldtouring.com" !

FTA Cho Oyu Expedition 2011 - In Nyalam!

April 13, 2011
Nyalam, Tibet

We're all here in Nyalam, Ratna and Siddhi arrive late this afternoon with all of our luggage that took a bit of time to come through customs. We are heading up to Tingri tomrrow morning and with fingers crossed we will get a great view of Shishapangma. In 2008 we had an amazing view of this mountain, and the fact being it is the lowest of the 8000 metre peaks does not in anyway take away from its grandeur.

Today we all went for a brief hike, just to get a bit of height gain. It has been snowing lightly since we arrived yesterday, so no views, but just good to get out and stretch the legs.

More from higher up,

Ben Kane
Expedition Leader

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!

Cho Oyu Update and Upcoming Expeditions

from stu in the usa office
Oct 13, 2010

Our team from Cho Oyu has made their way back safely to Kathmandu and we now turn our attention to the upcoming November 4 expedition on Ama Dablam and the many trips to come in the year ahead!

Cho Oyu 2010 Ends back in Kathmandu

Our Cho Oyu team did not manage any summit this trip but they gave it every chance possible! Even after many teams packed it up and went home we stuck around in the hopes of a good change in the weather which alas never came. The determination and persistence our team showed was amazing given the very difficult weather and conditions. Seems our crew continued to have fun the whole way and not lose sight of the fact that to climb an 8000m peak one must expect some lousy weather and down time in BC.

We look forward to heading back to Cho Oyu next spring and hope you'll join us!

Ama Dablam - our 6th straight year!

Our upcoming expedition to Ama Dablam is quite different with casual strolls along ancient trade routes and amid pungent rhododendron forests and autumn harvests. They'll be eating apple pie and pizza, sipping capuccinos and enjoying one of the great treks in the world from Lukla to Ama Dablam BC (and for most on to Everest BC after the climb). If the weather socks in a bit our team can pop into a tea house less than an hour from bc for popcorn and beers and recharge their cell phones. With shops all the way from Lukla to Chukung they can pick up fresh snacks and hot teas as they go and even grab a few hot showers along the way.

Our BC set up at Ama Dablam is on a grassy field with a stream running down the middle. While a bit bumpy for a game of football, it is nonetheless a far cry from the moving glacier BC of Broad Peak, or the very rocky and steep slope of the Cho Oyu base camp.

This will be our 6th year on the hill and we have a confirmed Nov 4 trip and are already taking signup for next spring and autumn!

Zangrilli - Busiest guide in 2010?

I am sure that Fabrizio will enjoy a change after nearly 6 months which have included Makalu, Broad Peak, K2 and Cho Oyu. I am sure it would be hard to find a guide who has strung together guiding 4 8000m peaks in less than 6 months and we are glad that he is off enjoying a well earned 3 week vacation! He'll come back to guide Ama Dablam and then head off to Aconcagua to guide the Polish Glacier (Dec 18 start) and then the False Polish Climb (Jan 10 start) before heading home for steep ice in Colorado!

Ahead later in the year will hopefully be a return for Fabrizio to Makalu, a summer on Nanga Parbat and possibly a return visit to K2!

Rematches with 8000 and 7000m peaks?

Chris has had abusy year as well with Cho Oyu, Broad Peak and K2 and still has Aconcagua ahead in February! He'll be back in Nepal in the spring likley for Cholatse or Ama Dablam and then back to Pakistan for Broad Peak & possibly Spantik. After that he'll be off to India for a second trip to Satopanth! He will also likley be leading a new trip to either Stok Kangri (august) or a High Peaks Traverse in the Khumbu (oct).

We are already taking signups for Broad Peak and Satopanth with Chris Szymiec and looking forward to a return to both peaks under his leadership!

2010 & 2011 Schedule
Join Ben, Brad, Chris, Fabrizio, Matt, Sean, Stu and all our FTA guides for upcoming trips in 2010 & 2011

• Ama Dablam (Oct, Nov & May)
• Aconcagua (Dec, Jan & Feb)
• Broad Peak (June/July)
• Cho Oyu (April/May & Sept/Oct
• Cholatse (May, Oct)
• Denali (May/June)
• Ecuador Volcanoes (Jan & feb)
• Elbrus (June, July & Aug)
• Everest BC Trek (April, May, Sept, Oct & Nov)
• G2 (June/July)
• Island Peak (April, May, Sept, Oct & Nov)
• K2 (June-Aug)
• K2 BC Trek (June, Aug & Sept)
• Kilimanjaro & Meru (March, Aug & Sept)
• Makalu (April/May)
• Nanga Parbat (June/July)
• Pumori (Sept/Oct)
• Satopanth (Sept)
• Spantik (Aug)
• Tharpu Chuli (April, Sept & Oct)

Many of our guides are already confirmed on upcoming trips so join your favorite guide - Ben is set for Aconcagua and Tharpu Chuli, Chris for Broad Peak and Satopanth, Fabrizio for Ama Dablam, Aconcagua and Nanga Parbat, Brad for Ecuador, Sean for Kili and G2, Stu & Matt for Denali and more trips confirming all the time!

We have an exciting year ahead and hope you'll join us!

FTA Cho Oyu 2010 - Lonely in C1!

from stu in the usa office
30 Sept, 2010

FTA Cho Oyu Team update
Our team is enjoying a nice evening in C1 where there remain just 15 tents in a place which only a few days ago was crowded with 100+ tents. In the morning they will move up to C2, complete their acclimatization, and descend to ABC on the 2nd. They are all feeling strong and hopeful that there will be some dramatic change in the snow conditions in the week ahead. A period of lower winds if being forecast for around the 6th or 7th of october and they will position themselves for summit bid at that time.

A few well respected and strong climbers have been higher on the hill (upwards of 7800m) and continue report conditions that do not allow for a safe summit bid at this time. One climber dug a snow pit near C3 revealing a 10cm crust over 30cm of unconsolidated snow along with several other shifting layers - not a pretty sight!

With the time running out for many other teams most have had to pack it up and head home. We still have 10 days until we need to leave the mountain and will hope that the winds and sun work on the snow pack to allow a possible summit bid. Stay tuned for more news ahead!

Audio Dispatch from C1
Fabrizio has left a dispatch from C1 with the latest news inlcuding the latest on the team, the conditions and the big BC party hosted by the TMA!



Field Touring Alpine Audio Dispatches #111


C1 on Cho Oyu in the busy season

Upcoming expedition update

• Nanga Parbat with Fabrizio Zangrilli
We are now confirmed for Nanga Parbat 2011 June/July expedition with Fabrizio Zangrilli and accepting applications for fully guided, full mountain support and bc support options.

• Broad Peak with Chris Szymiec
We are nearing confirmation for Broad Peak for 2011 June/July with Chris Szymiec and expect to confirm well ahead of the end of the year. This will be our 7th trip to Broad Peak (and Chris's 3rd!) and we invite you to join Chris and FTA for a great 8000m climb!

• K2 2011
We have had so much interest in K2 due to our great trips there in 2009 and 2010 that we are working out the details to offer it again for 2011. It will be as an extension to Broad Peak or Nanga Parbat. Interested climbers can contact us at info@fieldtouring.com

• Ama Dablam Nov 4
We still have a few spaces on our confirmed Nov 4 Ama Dablam Expedition!

• Aconcagua Summer trips - Confirmed with spaces available:
False Polish 11 Dec
Polish Glacier 18 Dec
False Polish 10 Jan

see our site www.fieldtouring.com for more!

FTA Cho Oyu 2010 En Route to BC!

From Stu in the USA office
10 September, 2010

Our Autumn 2010 Cho Oyu trip is well under way and has already reached CBC. Fabrizio called to check in and said that the trip to CBC was one of the easiest trips he has had in the mountains and must seem quite simple compared to the ride to Askole in Pakistan. The road is now fully (and beautifully) paved from lower Zhangmu all the way to Lhasa and the drive time was 1.5 hours from Zhangmu to Nyalam, 2 hours from Nyalam to Tingri and 45 minutes to Chinese BC.

These numbers are almost unthinkable to anyone who travelled this road in the 80s or 90s when spending nights by the road side awaiting cleared landslides was not uncommon and even in good conditions these times were at least 5-10 times longer. As recently as 2008 when our last FTA expedition drove this route our times were still 3-4 times longer.

The most difficult part of the drive was on the Nepal side where the road is still in very rough shape. Our Nepal agent, Nima, took two full days (normally 5-6 hours) to return to Kathmandu due to landslides and is now safely back in his office.

The team spent one night in Kodari on the Nepal side of the border, crossed the next day and spent the night in Zhangmu before coming up to Nyalam the next day. The team then enjoyed two nights in Tingri (which they have nicknamed “the town of dogs” given the all night howling they encountered!) before the short ride up to CBC today.

Along the way they have acclimatized well and are in good spirits as they finally get out of the car seats and onto their feet! The trek up from CBC is quite gentle and mostly along a road for two days until just a few hours from the Cho Oyu BC (ABC). We expect a gabcast disapatch on the 12th or 13th when they are safely ensconced in their rocky home looking out over the Nangpa La.

Accompanying our team are two crucial staff members Ratna and Mama who have both been to Cho Oyu with FTA in 2008. Ratna has been a head cook on at least 8 FTA expeditions and is widely held as the best disco dancer in the Himalaya and in the top elite as a cook. Mama (Siddhi) has made the full growth on FTA trips from cook assistant to Sherpa guide over the last 5 years and we are very proud of his achievements and progress. In 2008 he was an assistant Sherpa on Cho Oyu and acquitted himself very well working the route up to C3. He is the best nepali teacher on our staff and our members are sure to be ready to gab it up in the shops back in Thamel at the end of the trip!

Fabrizio has left a gabcast audio dispatch and we invite you to listen in on life at near 5000m in the Himalaya looking up at Tibetan Stars and across at Nepalese Lightning!

Gabcast! Field Touring Alpine Audio Dispatches #105 - FTA Cho Oyu 2010 Autumn - Team in CBC!

Fabrizio calls in from Chinese Base Camp (CBC) to let us know that all is well! The team has been acclimatizing well and they are leaving on the 11th for IBC and then hope to reach Cho Oyu BC (ABC) on the 12th. Great weather with views to lightning storms have added lots of ambience!