SummitClimb Pumori 2004

We are also attempting a World First by placing the first Nepalese woman, Maya Sherpa, on the summit! In a fantastic season of record breaking we believe to have set three in October 2003 on 6856m Mt Ama Dablam, by placing the first Nepalese woman, the youngest woman, and the first Finnish climbers on the summit.

Kathmandu is a crazy place! From the minute you step out of the relative “organization” of the airport, it’s pure pandemonium! People shouting at you to take their taxi cabs, young boys appearing out of nowhere offering to carry your bags – then carrying them anyway, no matter how much you insist! Then demanding money for their service! And all this in the first 5 minutes! The atmosphere – busy as it is – is certainly not threatening. Nepalis are very friendly to foreigners, and are willing to help in any way. It’s a lot of fun to ride in the taxi to the hotel. The speed limit is 40kph – good thing really, seeing as the roads are choked with cars, buses, trucks, people, bicycles, motorcycles, dogs, chickens and the occasional cow! Oh and there doesn’t seem to be any road rules!

If you haven’t yet made it to Nepal, you really must!

Our preparations for Mt Pumori have started with a slight hiccup, being that there is currently a 5 day “Bandh”. This is a strike called by Nepalese University Student Unions and it affects the entire country. Student Unions are quite politically powerful in Nepal, and when a Bandh is called, many businesses will close and public transport will not run, for fear of retribution from the students. The good news for us though, is that although this is a 5 day Bandh, most people take it seriously only for the first day. So, our purchase of 1000kg of food, 3000m of rope, 40 ice screws, 80 snow stakes, and several hundred batteries and gas canisters will go ahead without problem. So for today, it’s relax, get over the jet-lag and explore Kathmandu!

More news tomorrow! Thank you from Jay Reilly and all of us at Summitclimb.com

Dispatches

 

Altitech2: Digital Altimeter, Barometer, Compass and Thermometer. Time/Date/Alarms. Chronograph with 24 hour working range. Timer with stop, repeat and up function. Rotating Bezel. Leveling bubble. Carabiner latch. E.L. 3 second backlight. Water resistant. 4" x 2-1/4" x 3/4" 2 oz. Requires 1 CR2032 battery. See more here.

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