Trip Reports

Khumbu Climber - 7 Oct to 3 Nov '16

Climbing the headwall on Island Peak, October 2016

Written by Leader Rob Wymer, November 2016

Bakeries. Perhaps not usually at or near the top of the equipment list for mountaineering expeditions, but on this occasion it seems that oven-cooked confectionery was vital for Himalayan success for the Khumbu Climber and Island Peak teams. Oh, and exceptionally fine weather helped too.

With a quick overnight stop in Kathmandu before the exciting flight into Lukla, there was no time initially for baked goods. The remnants of some poor weather made us anxious that our flight might be delayed but thankfully we made it out ok and were soon trekking off up the Khumbu valley. Some rain on our first afternoon£s walk gave us a good soaking but that was to be the very last precipitation for our 23 days in the mountains. Before long we£d arrived in Namche Bazar, the Sherpa capital, and my team had keenly sought out purveyors of fine pastry delights. Two nights there not only gave us Chocolate Carrot Cake but also a good opportunity to gain some acclimatisation before heading up further.

The weather was amazing: clear azure skies, endless views and striking mountains to feast our eyes upon. First objective on the list was Pokalde; at 5806m this was to be our warm-up! It was with great relief that the team found more than one bakery in Dingboche to fortify themselves before the climb. Making use of both a Base Camp and a High camp, we launched ourselves into the night towards the summit. Some late snow lingered low down, but soon we were into rocky scrambling for the remainder of the climb. A stunning sunrise greeted us as we made the final shoulder of the ridge, and we gazed down onto an incredible cloud inversion far down below. Our Sherpa crew fixed a rope for us around the back of the summit cone and up the final steep gully, and then we were there! Wow, incredible 360 degree views, and just ourselves to see it. All the Khumbu Climber team, and Paul and Nick from the Island Peak gang had made it in fine time, and all were none too shabby in the descent either, making for a competent climb all round. That£s not to say there weren't a few weary souls amongst us though, and with no prospect of another bakery before the next mountain, it was fortunate that we had our excellent cook crew to fortify us magnificently.

Off we went to Island Peak Base Camp. This was a biggie; at 6189m it was to be the highest point on the trip and we gave it the respect it deserved. Again making use of a High Camp as well as a BC, we gained a leg-up on the climb, and we were the only team to do so as well. Another middle-of-the-night start beckoned and the Khumbu Climber team plus Paul from Island Peak set off steeply upwards once more into the darkness. It was tough going but seeing head-torches from other teams below spurred us on somewhat! Eventually, as the skies began to brighten ever so slightly, we reached the end of the rocky section and onto the glacier. I remembered this glacial snout as fairly straightforward when I£d been here before but this year it was far from that! Twisting and turning, rising and falling, and even with some Everest-style ladders across crevasses to negotiate, we were in for a challenge! As we reached the final steep headwall and clipped into the fixed lines, the sun peeked over the horizon at last, bringing some welcome warmth. We were still the first ones on the climb but not by much! Up the ropes we puffed and then onto the crest of the summit ridge, before reaching the top itself. Tremendous! Staggering views of Lhotse, Nuptse, Makalu and Ama Dablam amongst many others, stretching away before us. A couple of days later back in Dingboche, we said farewell to Paul, Nick and James as their Island Peak expedition had come to an end. To console ourselves, and reinvigorate us too, we£.er£may just have taken in a bakery or 2.

Thanks to the brilliant weather, we hadn£t needed to use our spare summit day on Island Peak so we gratefully had a rest day instead before setting off further up the Khumbu valley towards our next objective - Louche East. The trail was busy for a few hours as we mingled with trekkers heading towards Everest Base Camp. But we were climbers, and we struck off the trail at Dugla and set eyes upon our testing final climbing objective - all 6156m of it. I£d previously checked the forecast and unfortunately found that on both our scheduled and spare summit days the winds were predicted to be very strong indeed. A cunning plan was called for and I had one that was more cunning than a fox. Thanks to being acclimatised from our previous 2 summits, and being rested thanks to a rest-day of bakery-action in Dingboche, I decided to forego a night at Base Camp and move directly to High Camp, and push for the summit a day early, thus hopefully sneaking in before the wind increased. The fully-committed team were up for it, as were our support crew and before we knew it, we were roused once more in the small hours for our last climb. A similar height to our previous summit, but steeper and spending more time on fixed ropes, this one was to be our most technical yet. By this time though, we were fit, fully acclimatised and totally £in the groove£ of high altitude climbing. So much so that we caught up with another team above us, and even overtook them to be first on the summit once again! Standing there with Nick & Sandra, Arron and Rob P was a fabulous moment indeed. The whole of the upper Khumbu was beneath us and we looked down on the site of Everest Base Camp on the glacier way down below. All around us towering peaks of Pumo Ri, Nuptse and Cholatse jostled for position alongside our own summit, and of course we had a ringside seat for admiring Everest too.

Apart from the incredible hit-list of peaks on this trip, a big plus for me is the final section where we cross the amazing Cho La into the picturesque Gokyo valley. A whole new world opens up, with another glacier to cross, views of Cho Oyu on the Tibetan border seemingly close enough to touch, not to mention the stunning beauty of Gokyo village and its adjoining lake too. We ended our visit there with a sunset walk up to the top of Gokyo Ri to watch the last pinky-orange rays of sun disappear from Everest while the valley filled with cloud below. Did I mention Gokyo has a bakery too?

Thereafter we headed south again and over a few days reached Namche Bazar once more, checked its bakeries were still up to scratch, before comparing them to the ones in Lukla prior to our flight back to Kathmandu. Plenty of time then for sightseeing at various cultural sites, shopping for souvenirs, before some great meals completed an extremely memorable expedition. What a trip, what a team, what summits and what sights! Happy days.

Rob Wymer Jagged Globe Expedition Leader

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