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Cho
Oyu 2002: Mark
Kosmider
As
a former sufferer of an eating disorder, I propose
to use my forthcoming ascent of "Cho
Oyu"—the sixth highest mountain in the
world—to raise funds for, and awareness of, the
Eating Disorders Association Of Western Australia.
At the height of my suffering in my early
twenties, my weight fluctuated wildly: from a
healthy 80kg down to 56kg.
The
Eating Disorders Association Of Western Australia
is a local organization administered by a
committee, and staffed by unpaid volunteers, run
entirely on donations. Due to the lack of funding,
very limited services are currently available.
Unlike similar associations in other states, the
Eating Disorders Association Of Western Australia
receives no state or federal funding. It is my aim
to raise sufficient funds so that the services
offered could be increased, such as: provide free
or subsidized treatment to people who do not have
private health cover, or are too ill to support
themselves.
About
Myself…I originate from Jersey in the Channel
Islands. I emigrated to Australia in 1993,
becoming an Australian citizen in 1996. I
work as a contract Safety Professional. I would
describe myself as ambitious and adventurous by
nature: I thrive on challenge. I consider myself
to possess a high level of mental and physical
stamina.
I
first became interested in high altitude climbing
after reading about the exploits of the highly
respected New Zealand Climber, the late Rob Hall.
My appetite was further wetted when I read about
Matt Dickinson summiting Mount Everest in 1996 by
the more difficult North Col / North-East Ridge
route, without any prior climbing, let alone high
altitude experience. My previous experience at
altitude includes trips to “El Misti”, a
5885-metre volcano in Peru, and “Huayno
Potosi”, a 6088-metre snow and ice climb in
Bolivia.
The
highest mountain I have summited is
“Aconcagua”, (See below) at 6962-metres it is
the highest elevation outside of Asia. (Aconcagua
is also one of the “Seven Summits”: the
highest elevation on each of the seven
continents). I was a member of an eight-person
expedition led by Ray Brown (Ray is the only West
Australian to summit Mt. Everest). This expedition
was highly successful, seven out of the eight
reaching the summit.
The
mountain I am climbing is Cho Oyu, which is
located approximately 15 miles North-West of Mt.
Everest in the Tibetan Himalaya. At 8201-metres is
the sixth highest mountain in the world. The
Cho Oyu expedition will start (07 April 2002) and
finish (16 May 2002) in Kathmandu, Nepal, lasting
approximately 40 days. A variety of accommodations
will be utilized—from hotels to tents. I have
attached myself to the permit of Windhorse
Trekking, and will climb independently above ABC.
The route up Cho Oyu will be by the classic
“West Face” route.
In
conclusion: I hope that my attempt to climb Cho
Oyu will inspire fellow sufferers to break the
cycle of destructive behavior, and realize the
full potential of their lives. I would like to
thank the following companies for their
contributions:
·
Ardeco Antiques (Western Australia)
·
Australian Geographic
·
Fallright International (Western Australia)
·
Joss Bork at Peregrine Travel (Western Australia)
·
Mike Thompson and Allweather Window Cleaning
(Western Australia)
·
Mike Wood and staff at Mountain Designs (Perth -
Western Australia)
·
Singapore Airlines (Western Australia)
Best
regards,
Mark
Kosmider
The
Trip Report: EVERESTNEWS.COM POST-CLIMB SUMMARY
This
story is testament that not all ascents of 8000 meter
peaks end up at the summit. My own Spring 2002
ascent of Cho Oyu was stopped dead in its tracks
at approximately 6000 meters – at the bottom of
the scree slope leading up-to camp 1…
Over
the preceding 18-months, I had invested much time
and effort organizing this climb. As with many
other climbers, I had worked all the hours under
the sun: often working several jobs, in an effort
to realize my goal. When my training regime—3-4
12km runs per week, and hypoxic swimming on the
off days—was added to this equation, it came as
no surprise that there were never enough hours in
the day. I was convinced that physical and mental
stamina were key elements of my
preparation…especially as I intended to climb
without Sherpa support above ABC, and without
bottled oxygen.
Arriving
in Kathmandu was a cultural shock to me…one of
my everlasting memories of this trip was the
unconcerned way in which people cleared their
throats, then spat the contents into the street
– especially the cooks that prepared our food in
Zhangmau, Nyalam and Tingri. Unthinkable behavior
in a Western kitchen!
The
days prior to leaving Kathmandu for the border
were spent in a whirlwind of last minute shopping
for outstanding equipment and provisions. Ang
Karma of Windhorse Trekking greatly assisted here
(As did Seth), offering advice on where to search
out the best deals in town. His hospitality when
taking me to his home to share a family meal was
greatly appreciated. It always seemed as though
nothing was too much trouble for him.
I
was very honored to meet the redoubtable Miss
Elizabeth Hawley during my stay at the Manang
Hotel. She took great pride in showing me her
1950s VW Beetle – which was kept in pristine
condition by her driver.
The
other two climbing members on the Cho Oyu
"International" permit were Vicente
Lillo and James Milne. Vicente was from Spain, and
James—arrived at ABC 3-days earlier than Vicente
and myself—was born in New Zealand but now lives
in the USA (Conversations with James established
that his climbing CV was indeed very impressive,
as was hi capacity for hard work). BC was left in
the capable hands of Kuma. Dala Bahadur Thakuri
(cook) and Nima Wangdi Sherpa (Who also doubled as
high-altitude Sherpa for Vicente) took care of
ABC.
After
acclimatisation visits in Zhangmau, Nyalam,
Tingri, and BC, we finally arrived at ABC.
Once
at ABC, the usual chores had to be seen to:
setting up the mess, kitchen, toilet and personal
tents etc. It was at this point that one of the
Western members of our expedition showed an
aversion to any kind of work that would benefit
the community, preferring instead to handball it
onto the Sherpa staff. Although it often seemed
foreign to them, I tried at all times to treat the
Sherpa staff as equals: in reality their capacity
for work far outweighs that of all but the elite
climbers. I remember sharing with Nima and Dala
Bahadur some of my personal stash of sweets
brought from Australia – they both seemed very
embarrassed and kept refusing, almost as if it was
foreign to them that they should be treated in
this fashion.
At
ABC my intuition began to tell me that all was not
right. The headaches and dehydration seemed to be
more extreme than normal. The dehydration began to
worry me greatly: my body – to the point where
my kidneys were beginning to hurt, was ejecting
all the fluids I was consuming.
However,
after 3-nights and 2-days at acclimatisation at
ABC, we were to embark on our first sortie up the
mountain: a carry up-to C1. Nima had suggested an
early start, so I set my alarm for 06.30.
The
dream worried me greatly, I did not leave my
sleeping bag until well after 07.00 thinking about
the hidden meaning!?!? In the dream I cracked open
a vial of Dexamethasone, to offer to a fellow
climber in distress. Rather than giving the vial
to the climber in distress, I ended up taking the
medicine myself: I can still remember clearly, the
cold fluid running down my throat. Thinking
rationally, how could I not go up the mountain on
the strength of a dream? I could just imagine the
ridicule of my friends (And sponsors) when I told
them "I had this dream…so I decided to
pack-up and come home". The doubt about the
dream notwithstanding, I resolved to pay
particular attention to my performance that day.
I
started out feeling strong and enthusiastic, or as
enthusiastic as one can be at altitude. About one
and a half hours into the sortie, I began to
develop shortness of breath, a headache, a cough
and lethargy. As I continued up the mountain, my
headache was becoming more severe and my cough
"wet". Not long after, I decided it
would be propitious to turn myself around. I
hesitated "Was I giving up too easy?",
"Yes I was!" I continued up the
mountain. My breathing was becoming very labored,
my headache was now impairing my vision, my cough
wetter and now, I was becoming decidedly unsteady
on my feet. Survival mode kicked in…I decided to
turn myself around once more. Every so many steps
I would collapse into the snow, continuing my
journey when I had regained my composure. At this
stage I feared HAPE and HACE. Somewhere along the
route I was overtaken by Jochen Haase (Leader of
the German expedition), on his way down from C1.
Concerned for my wellbeing, Jochen offered to help
me down to ABC. I remember Jochen asking several
passing climbers if they had any "dex",
they all replied in the negative. So whacked out
of my brain was I, I completely forgot about the
dex I was carrying in my medical kit. On the way
to ABC we also passed Richard Dougan (Leader of
the Northern Ireland expedition), who kindly put
his emergency oxygen at my disposal. Jochen stayed
with me all the way to ABC.
At
ABC I collapsed – exhausted and hypoxic. Peter
Fessler, doctor to the German expedition) took
charge here, and after administering dex tablets,
soon had me in their "Hyperbaric
Chamber". My altitude was lowered to
approximately 3500-metres. I was advised to
descend immediately.
After
hastily packing away all my equipment, and organizing
a Tibetan porter to carry my rucksack, we arrived
at BC about 7-hours later. A jeep evacuation to
Kathmandu was organized for the next day. Suffice
it to say, I had a sleepless night.
Two
days later I arrived in Kathmandu, after first
negotiating the Maoist terrorist strike: Ang Karma
organized transport – at great risk to the
driver.
After
several medical appointments, I arrived back in
Perth - Western Australia three days later. My
girlfriend Ann was greatly relieved to see me back
in one piece, as were my family and friends.
From
the German expedition I would like to thank Dr.
Peter Fessler, Elio Schylen and Jochen Haase for
their care and assistance. I would also like to
thank Richard Dougan from the Northern Ireland
expedition, for putting his emergency oxygen and
medical supplies at my disposal. He also offered
to descend with me, as did James Milne: I refused
their offer, as I did not want to interrupt their
acclimatisation process.
In
hindsight I am very lucky, I could just as easily
become another statistic…
Am
I disappointed? No, not at all, there are plenty
of positives to focus on from this trip!!!! I am
reminded of a quote I once read:
Don't chide those who try and fail, but chide
those who fail to try!
Will
I have another try at an 8000-metre peak? I think
it is inevitable that I will try again!?!?!?
Once
again, I would like to thank the following
companies for their contributions:
·
Ardeco Antiques (Western Australia)
·
Australian Geographic
·
Fallright International (Western Australia)
·
Joss Bork at Peregrine Travel (Western Australia)
·
Mike Thompson and Allweather Window Cleaning
(Western Australia)
·
Mike Wood and staff at Mountain Designs (Perth -
Western Australia)
·
Singapore
Airlines (Western Australia)
Best
regards
Mark
Kosmider
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