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David
Lim: ASCENT 8000
Hi,
EverestNews.com, April 27, 2002: ABC has
been lashed with winds up to 35km/h for the
past 2 days plus a bunch of snow. The
weather forecasts from Met Service Singapore
predict similar weather until tomorrow. It's
been pretty miserable these past two days
here but better than being up high on the
mountain. We got off the high camps just in
time.
But
down here, the winds and snow have made
temperatures drop to -2degrees inside the
tents. This has been the most depressing
spring expedition weather I have seen. It's almost
May but the weather is refusing to understand
this! Huddling around a candle in the evenings and
thinking about the persistent wind slamming our
tent......
Dave
headed for Intermediate Camp (5800m) and
beyond with a very full (20 kg) pack with
sleeping bag, down suit, climbing boots,
food, stove etc. The big hill is over to the
left in the background
We
will most likely be heading for the summit over a
period of 4 days beginning next Tuesday or
Wednesday. It'll be tough. Returning climbers
have reported chest deep snow at the 7000m mark.
There are none of the well-established paths
kicked in by climbers on such peaks simply because
the consistently poor weather has obliterated each
set of footprints every day or every few days.
Compared to the hundreds of climbers on Everest as
well, only about 10% as many are here. The number
of new teams arriving have barely got off making a
trip to Depot/Intermediate Camp, let alone the
higher ones
Apparently
according to the sherpas here, amongst the
non-sherpas, only I have slept at the 6800m / C2
level. This bodes well for acclimatisation. Still,
the summit push will be very daunting and the odds
stacked against us. From C2, I'll be going with MB
to a high pass for Camp 3 and then from there a
knife edge ridge to the Central Summit (8008m). If
conditions look OK, we may try to head to the Main
Summit at 8012m, just 4 meters higher but some
distance away. A combination with the Amical Alpin
team seems most realistic - the two of us can't do
it alone.
To
enable my second climb on Cho Oyu to have a
realistic timetable, I need to make the summit
attempt this coming week and return to ABC by May
8th.
David Lim
ASCENT 8000
Singapore Disabled Ascents of Shishapangma and Cho
Oyu 2002
