Trip Reports

Lhakpa Ri - 29 Apr to 25 May '06

Written by Leader Mic Rofe, July 2006

To be in Tibet, what a treat! With this season’s drama in Nepal, it looked likely a few days out that an expedition to the local video shop for a copy of Seven Years in Tibet might be as close to the Himalaya as I would be getting this year. But the Jagged Globe office team worked miracles and re-routed the group’s flights through Beijing and Chengdu to arrive in Lhasa and I grabbed a paper copy of Seven Years from the bookshop at the airport.

We took it easy for a few days in Lhasa while we acclimatised to the sudden jump to 3,600m. It’s a delightful city full of Buddhist-Tibetan colour, supported by the exponential expansion of Chinese infrastructure. We puffed our way to the top of the Potala Palace and explored room after room of relics, murals and stupas in this amazing 1000 room building.

From Lhasa we piled into Land Cruisers for our journey to Everest. Initially, the road was better than any in Birkenhead, according to the North Col’s Expedition Leader, Andy Chapman. Then, as the mountains grew around us it gradually declined. (The North Col and Lhakpa Ri Expeditions ran parallel except for our summit days.)

The approach to Everest from the north side is a little brutal as you gain height very quickly through the flights and driving all the way to Base Camp. But its unobstructed views of Everest make it worthwhile and we were treated to perfect conditions for our first view of Everest at the Pang La (5,100m). From this high pass, those who had not been trekking in Nepal before had their first view of Everest and Cho Oyo.

In the shadow of Everest we paused at the Rongbuk Monastery. For many of us this felt, I think, quite significant because it meant we had finally really reached Everest. It is a destination from childhood dreaming, the ultimate icon of one’s love for the mountains. The Land Cruisers dropped us directly outside our tents at Base Camp and our Nepalese support team, led by Sangee B, our Sirdar, were quick to welcome us with a cup of tea.

We spent the next few days waking up to the view of Everest and bed-tea, taking it easy whilst our bodies acclimatised. Sadly, during this period we said farewell to Jon, who returned home for medical reasons. Hopefully, this small taste of the big mountains having whetted his appetite for more.

After five nights at 5,200m it was time to move higher. We broke the walk to Advance Base Camp (ABC) into three short days. We started up the main Rongbuk Glacier across the moraine and then swung up and left into the East Rongbuk. The trail through here has been dubbed the ‘Magic Highway’. Trains of hairy yaks jingle and jangle their way through the medial moraine, dwarfed by huge needles of ice up to four stories high. These giants make the penitentes of Aconcagua look like toothpicks. Andy’s trip to ABC was slowed considerably by Koreans wanting to take his photograph. Apparently he is a folk hero in Korea famous for an ascent of Rum Doodle!

Our ABC was gouged out of the moraine at the bottom end of the main Everest ABC village, positioned perfectly for us to stop onto the glacier and head for Lhakpa Ri. First though, we needed a few days to settle in to being at over 6,000m. On one of our acclimatisation days we played like kids on a jungle-gym set. Andy had set up a circuit of fixed ropes on which to practice our jumaring, abseiling and cramponing. Everyone performed well and possessed greater skills than we needed to ascend the relatively simple slopes of Lhakpa Ri. In the evenings Denise inspired us, and educated us on how to approach expeditions in the Greater Ranges, by reading to us from Rum Doodle.

Mild conditions, blessed as we were throughout the expedition, persisted for summit morning and we were away by 6.30am. We left Lucy and Venetia in their sleeping bags, both sleeping higher than they had climbed to before, as we forced down as much yummy porridge as possible.

We moved steadily across the glacier, slowed by nearly a foot of snow, which had yet to consolidate. Pemba Sherpa led one rope and I the other, whilst Namgel Sherpa and Ang Geljen Sherpa (A.G.) pushed ahead to fix some ropes. From the bowl in front of Lhakpa Ri we cut left up a ramp and onto the shoulder, the top 150m of which we used a fixed rope. Though not particularly steep, maybe thirty degrees, the loose snow on top of a hard icy base was more efficiently climbed with rope in place. From halfway up the fixed ropes at approximately 6,700m Eddie decided to return to camp with Pemba. The rest of the group took the opportunity to get out their cameras to take some pictures of Everest, and played ‘Spotto’, wondering which dots were our Jagged Globe team mates and how they were going on the fixed ropes up to the North Col.

From the shoulder we went up the spur, over and beside the rocks. The wind puffed on and off making it difficulty to get comfy. One minute you were too hot in a fleece, the next too cold in thermals. At 6,800m Eddie made the courageous decision to turn around. With the summit nearly in his grasp wisdom shone through, he knew in his calculations that he needed some steam to get back down as well as up.

We continued though the going was heavy and the weather was turning crossing the slope below Mallory’s footsteps on the Lhakpa La. We left our bags and donned an extra layer for the final push up the snow-covered rocks to the summit. Whilst Jeremy zipped ahead with Namgel, Karyn and Denise’s determination drove us steadily onwards. With conditions gradually worsening and the day getting on I alluded subtly to turning around, both having reached personal highpoints. However, they were having none of it! And with the group’s safety not an issue, snow conditions were fine and we could navigate back to camp through darkness or whiteout, I decided we could go on.

As well we did for as we took our final steps to the top the clouds parted and what a view. A late summit, just on 4.30pm, we looked across to the North Col hoping Andy’s team had had a successful day. Then up and up to the top of Everest, with the mighty Northeast Face and Kangshung Face falling away so dramatically. And around to Baruntse, Cho Oyo, Makalu and so many other peaks of the Himalaya - what a treat!

The peak itself was more spectacular than expected with three of its sides dropping sheer away. Its fourth side, where we had come up, was the only one giving easy access to the summit. Between where we came up and the highest point to the south was a delightful knife-edge ridge. I am sure Jeremy who took the high road across here had taken into account possible cornicing when he chose his line!

Down was a slow trudge, though far easier than on the way up as we had a good trench to follow through the snow. On the shoulder above the fixed rope Karyn and I did a little crevasse depthsounding, though in general Lhakpa Ri is a friendly peak when it comes to crevasses. Down on the glacier in fading light we were very happy to meet A.G. and Pemba who had come out to energise us with hot lemon, tea and their enthusiasm. And when we arrived back at ABC Kaji’s soup went down a treat. In our fifteen-hour summit day we had nearly clocked up more walking time than in the previous couple of weeks. We slept until late.

With everyone having achieved so much and been treated to some amazing views, all wanted to descend as quickly as possible so that our appetites would grow and we could celebrate in style. We weren’t disappointed down at Base Camp where our Nepalese team put on a feast capped by cake, before we jumped back in the Land Cruisers for the bouncy ride back to Lhasa. At one point a truck that had skewed off the road owing to the fresh snow delayed us. The consistency of which seemed just perfect to Jeremy and me for making snowballs. Though some from colder climes, arguably wiser and more mature, differed in their opinion on this, sorry!

Back in Lhasa for a day and a half we took the opportunity for some last minute shopping and a couple more celebratory dinners at our favourite restaurant the Dunya Bar.

It was a fantastic journey through Tibet and up Everest as far as Advance Base Camp before branching off to Lhakpa Ri (7,045m). My thanks to our support team, both on the mountain and back in Sheffield, for making the trip a success, and to the climbers on the trip for making it so memorable and enjoyable for all.

Mic Rofe, Expedition Leader, 29th May, 2006 « | »

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