Trip Reports

Tharpu Chuli 21st Oct - 10th Nov '12

Summit of Tharpu Chuli
Trip Report

Written by Leader Neal Short, November 2012

In summary, the Tharpu Chuli (5,663m) expedition proved to be a splendid all-round mountain experience with trekking-pole jaunts through villages hugging the hillsides to purposeful swings of an axe amongst mighty peaks. 10 out of 12 members summited along with the expedition leader and climbing sherpas. Our expedition began with sorting out and preparing kit in the peaceful surroundings of the Summit Hotel, Lalitpur - a district which is pleasantly out of the ever increasing hustle and bustle of the city of Kathmandu. The following day, our afternoon flight was brought forward which got us into laid-back Pokhara in time for a spot of lunch, some sight-seeing and a wander along the shores of Phewa Tal.

Due to the relatively low altitude, the initial trekking days proved quite hot and also felt much tougher than a casual glance at a map suggests as the route constantly climbs and descends steep valley sides. On the way into and out from our objective, the weaving trail brought us an opportunity to trek through dense forests of rhododendron, oak and bamboo and see local people, mainly Hindi, in their fields harvesting valuable crops. (It was of interest to find out that Annapurna is a Sanskrit name which literally means "full of food" but is normally translated as Goddess of the Harvests and certainly to my eye, the local people seemed to be enjoying a bountiful harvest this year). The early section of the trek gave us an in-sight into Nepali life at an elevation which one would normally miss when flying for example in to Lukla and so it was a bonus of this expedition.

On Day 6 we left camp at 5am to join many other pilgrims of ‘awesome mountain views’ visiting Poon Hill for the impressive panoramic dawn views of Dhaulagiri, the Annapurna massif and over to Machhapuchhare. It was a frosty cold morning and we all tried our luck at getting a great panorama shot – myself & some other members using just an auto ‘point & shoot’ camera but the best results are going to be from Mark, Bala, Jerry and in particular, Will as they had brought large digital SLR’s & crucially a tripod.

The team’s favourite village en-route to the mountain was the Chomrong which is like a mini Namche Bazaar. It was especially so as conveniently close to camp was an excellent bakery in which Roland kindly bought a whole chocolate cake for the team to share. Also the views from our terrace campsite where stupendous; the vista clearly showing the why it is said that Hiunchuli and the majestic Machhapuchhare are the ‘gates’ to the sanctuary.

By Day 8 the team were in to the swing of things but getting keen to see around the corner and up the valley to our objective and the mighty Annapurna 1 - the first 8000’er to be climbed. We followed a gradual trail above the thundering Modi Khola and then popped out of the gorge to a spectacular amphitheatre and Machhapuchhare BC. Like other quintessential mountains, the revered Machhapuchhare had been enthralling us since first sighting back in Pokhara. Its twisting summit ridge offered a new photogenic dimension each day and now we had terrific close up views of its icy features.

The day up to Annapurna BC (4120m) was only 2.5hrs but nevertheless an important step to break through the 4000m barrier. From ABC we could see the route to our peak and gaze almost disbelievingly at the huge south face of Annapurna 1. Upon seeing the face, it was easy to appreciate why the British expedition in 1970 (led by Chris Bonnington) was ahead of its time and defining of a new era in Himalayan climbing. I had a route topo of the face so we were able to trace the line which Haston & Whillans climbed and see the even more committing lines put up during the intervening years. (Had I not had a topo then we’d have still been in luck as Ken had with him a well looked after 1976 Mountain Equipment Annapurna duvet jacket which had the 1970 route line stitched inside!)

Staying two nights at Annapurna BC allowed us to rest and acclimatise and also spend a few hours refreshing or learning high mountain rope skills on a big boulder close to camp. Our porters and climbing Sherpa’s started to carry loads to Tharpu Chuili BC and fix lines on the mountain. The next day we made what were really the first steps proper towards our objective i.e. off the classic teahouse trail. I think that it’s fair to say that up until this point it had been simple trekking on good trails whereas upon starting the descent of the large lateral moraine to the South Annapurna glacier then it became a little more challenging underfoot. We placed a hand line to help the whole team to descend and the walk across the moraine atop the glaciers was fine but certainly rough in comparison to the easy trails we’d probably got too used to on the trek.

Then lastly, the rock gully leading up off the glacier had a small scramble section which we also used a knotted hand line on. It was impressive to see the team members on ascent and later in descent working with surefootedness and moving excellently together through this zone. Beyond this we followed a superb narrow trail up and across steep grassy slopes to arrive at Tharpu Chuli BC (4450m) without another team in sight – one of the benefits in comparison to an often busier Khumbu region.

Myself and few members sort a little more acclimatisation by heading up the trail above camp before descending for our usual afternoon tea and biscuits at 4pm. On Day 13 the whole team moved up to High Camp (5035m), again over grassy trails and then rock and scree. Once camp had been sorted, myself and few members took a short acclimatisation wander up the initial rocky summit trail. This also proved a useful opportunity to note the tiny cairns indicating the route which we’d follow to the crampon point during the hours of darkness on our summit bid.

Summit day arrived and the weather continued to be absolutely amazing with clear skies and not a breath of wind. Under a magical star-scape we left camp at 3am with the aim to ascend the initial rock section and cross the glacier to the foot of the headwall for sunrise. The first team out (Hugh, Jerry, Bjorn & Roland) went with the climbing Sherpa’s Rinchen and Pemba, who would also be finishing off fixing the summit ridge - both have numerous ascents of 8000m peaks to their name and proved to be major assets for our ascent. It was also clear that having a super strong Everest climbing sirdar boosted our fire power on the hill even further. We hit the bottom of 45° headwall slopes as dawn was gradually illuminating the surrounding peaks however, it remained pretty cold as the slope was in the shade.

Team members made their way up the fixed line with aplomb and then from the col, which was now bathed in warming sunshine, across to the slightly steeper summit ridge. The 360° views were spectacular and for my team immensely pleasing and encouraging to see fellow members in the first team nearly at the summit. For some members it was brute strength that got them up the steeper section on the upper summit ridge and for others, their Scottish and alpine ice climbing experience was a benefit. For everyone though, upon reaching our goal it was a feeling of joy, awe of our surroundings and gratefulness to be on the mountain with such brilliant in-country staff; in particular, Pemba who stayed on the summit for a couple of hours to welcome up and organise team members in their descent.

The descent was swift for the speedier team (Hugh, Roland, Bjorn) who were accompanied down by Rinchen to reach HC by 11am. More members (Mark, Jerry, Ken & Sue) got to camp not much after that with Pemba. Myself and Bala, Christine & Will took a bit longer and helped Phunuru to clear the mountain of snow anchors and fixed line.

Unfortunately two members, Pete and Robin, didn’t summit having decided against carrying on any further at the first headwall which in itself is a great effort.

Due to having had such perfect weather throughout the expedition, we ended the high mountain phase with our ‘spare weather day’ unused. In discussion the team decided to walk out in the same time as per itinerary and therefore spend our extra night in Pokhara before flying back to Kathmandu. Along the way, Robin passed on some pens to a local school in Chomrong which were gratefully received (super image on the website) and a few of the boys ‘helped’ the local economy by having a few beers in Syauli Bajar. One highlight of the route down was visiting the hot springs. As the itinerary says it was truly ‘worth the effort’. !

Almost immediately upon getting back to the hotel in Pokhara, Robin amazingly had enough energy to go for a run and a number of the chaps went for a close ‘cut throat’ shave and a seemingly obligatory (enforced) head massage. That evening we had an enjoyable meal at the Moondance Restaurant.

Upon arrival back in the Summit Hotel we had plenty of time to relax and tick off a few of the many sights in Kathmandu. Team members enjoyed catching up with JG leaders Adele P & Andy C who were also just back (Kyajo Ri and Khumbu Climber respectively); and also having an evening meal with Simon, the Managing Director of Jagged Globe. The end of expedition dinner was in the company of our fantastic Sherpa’s at the Rum Doodle restaurant where the team also wrote out a Yeti foot board.

Lastly, well done and thank you to the team members for their company and generous donations of equipment/clothing to the local staff; and a big thank you to our tremendous in-country staff for their hard work and dedication, in particular our excellent sirdar, Phunuru Sherpa.

Neal Short, Leader.

Further reading: Maps for the expedition are available at the local shop 2 minutes from the Summit Hotel and in Pokhara for around 400RS (approx. $5). Chris Bonington’s Annapurna South Face.« | »

Jagged Globe Newsletter

We publish an email newsletter with trip reports and latest availability, plus features, competitions and general news of our climbing, trekking & skiing activities.

Categories
Archives
 
Follow Us:
1