Without
our sponsors, you wouldn't see this site, please visit our
sponsors.
Winter
Makalu 2000/2001
12-12-2000 Dispatch
Krzysztof
Wielicki's decision
Change
of Route
The
Alpinists are climbing the western leg of Makalu
visible from the upper right side of the
picture. The advanced base was set up at the
foot of the leg, on the copper rocks. It is 7-8
hours away from the main base. One can see
Lhotse and Mount Everest in the background, in
the "steam" of snow. The wind is so
strong that the blown snow covers the summits.
Camp
1, photo by Dariusz Zaluski
On
Sunday evening, after the comeback to the main base,
Krzysztof Wielicki, the head of the expedition, had
the courage to announce his decision to everyone:
After the examination of the existing weather
conditions we have to change plans and climb Makalu
using a different route.
About
1000 meters of ropes carried into the advanced base
(5100m) on the glacier at the foot of the Western Leg
of Makalu, tents needed to set up upper camps,
sleeping bags, mattresses, food, climbing equipment,
installing handrails along the way to camp no.1 which
was set up yesterday at the height of 5800 meters -
all this in vain. "I do not want to exceed the
effort of the group unnecessarily - said Wielicki -
This season is extremely dry with high line of snow.
In order to get from the base to the foot of the
Western Leg of Makalu we would have to march on the
Barun glacier covered with rocks, moving talus and a
labyrinth of stones which would take us 6 to 8 hours.
We loose all our energy to march in the clouds of dust
instead of going up. I calculated that during the
whole mountain operation it would take our four teams
24 days only to walk the bed of the valley."
The
advanced base lost on the glacier covered with
talus. Photo: Dariusz Zaluski
Climber
climbs up to the camp set up at the height of
5800 meters. Photo by Krzysztof Wielicki
Krzysztof
Wielicki proposed a four-kilometer climb up the
south-east ridge first ascended by Japanese Alpinists
in 1970. Here we have a border between Nepal and Tibet
(China). It is clearly visible over the base. "I
want to increase our chances - says the head of the
expedition - we have little time, the days are short.
Leaving our base (4900m), which we called The Makalu
Hotel" may mean immediate climb up the south -
east ridge. Until this moment we had to go around the
mountain in order to reach the Western Leg."
The
members of the expedition peacefully accepted
Wielicki's decision. This included the ones who have
just carried another part of the equipment onto the
camp no.1 at the leg and who will have to pack and
take to pieces everything they built with such great
effort.
Monika
Rogozinska from the base at the foot of Makalu
Snow
in the Kingdom : My Storm Years on Everest by
Ed Webster, Peter Williams (Editor),
(Illustrator) This item will be published in
November 2000. You may order it now and we will
ship it to you when it arrives.
