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IMG Cho Oyu Expedition Autumn 2002
Update #1 August 27, 2002: The IMG Cho Oyu team, led by Assistant Guide Mike Hamill, left the USA on August 23 and arrived in Kathmandu on the 25th, where they were met by Expedition Leader Ben Marshall, who had arrived a couple days earlier to finish the food and equipment packing with the Sherpas. The team spent one free day in Kathmandu getting the Chinese visas, doing last minute preparations, and taking part in a special Puja with the Sherpas at the monastery near Boudhanath Stupa. All total the team is comprised of 2 guides, 10 climbers (3 guided and 7 non guided), 2 trekkers, 5 high altitude Sherpas, and 2 Sherpa cooks. Here's the team roster as it appears on the official permit:
On the 27th the team split into two groups, with all the Sherpas along with most of the equipment heading by truck to the border. Their plan was to cross the Friendship Bridge at Kodari on the 28th, then proceed to Zhangmu, Nyalam, and Tingri, where they are scheduled to meet the members. The Sherpas' trip was expected to be complicated by the numerous landslides that have occurred recently, which have blocked the road in places. It is likely that they will have to hire porters in several different spots to carry all the food, fuel, equipment, and other gear past the landslides, and then hire different trucks to take them to the next landslide! Meanwhile, the rest of the team members left on the morning of the 27th to fly to Lhasa, where they will spend several days as tourists, as they start to acclimatize to the high altitude of the Tibet Plateau. Their goal is to travel from Lhasa by jeep, via Xegatse, and meet the Sherpas in Tingri. Leader Ben Marshall reported this morning from Lhasa that all is well there and that the team is in good shape.
We'll keep you posted as we hear from
them! Expedition Organizer
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