Simonson

Everything had been going really smoothly for us until we got down from our last carry/overnight to Camp II (23,000ft). Then we had a succession of storm days which laid in some snow up high. This stuff is going to take a few days to consolidate, and we have no alternative but to wait.

Fortunately, our itinerary gives us some extra days just for this contingency. It is amazing how many teams you see over here that show up with totally unrealistic schedules. They rush to Base Camp from Kathmandu. (We’ve already seen a number of people on other teams who have been forced to go home within a day or two of reaching Base Camp or Advanced Base Camp (ABC) because they were seriously sick.) Then they rush on up the mountain, because they have to catch a plane in a couple weeks. It is hard for me to imagine spending all the time, money, and effort to come over here to climb without giving yourself a little extra time for bad weather!

Our International Mountain Guides (IMG) Cho Oyu team is working with the other commercial teams on the mountain to get set for the final phase of our expedition. While we all compete like crazy for clientele back home, when we are together on an expedition we do the best we can to work together and support each other. This year the other commercial teams at Cho Oyu (in addition to IMG) are Adventure Consultants (New Zealand); Himalayan Guides (U.K.); and Himalayan Experience (France). I have worked alongside these companies for years and we are all founding members of the high-altitude guides association, IGO 8000 (International Guiding Operators 8000).

Today we each sent our Sherpas up to Camp II, and tomorrow they are all going to work together to break the trail into Camp III, then fix ropes above Camp III in the Yellow Band. This way, the hard work gets shared among the four expeditions and we get the route prepared for our summit attempt.

This morning was quite interesting. We woke up to a beautiful morning, and soon had our telescope set up to follow the progress of several French climbers. This was the famous French speed climber Marc Batard, his female client, and their two Sherpas. While our IMG team and the other commercial groups had been waiting down here at ABC for several days for conditions to improve, Batard decided to "go for it." He and his clients spent last night at Camp II and this morning went straight up to the summit — a route that is considerably steeper than the route we will try, which takes us off to the left to Camp III, then weaves through the Yellow Band further left.

As we stood around before breakfast drinking coffee and taking turns at the telescope, we watched the four climbers make slow progress as they climbed up to below the Yellow Band. They were planning on skipping the normal Camp III and going all the way up and down from Camp II in one direct shot. Their progress, however, was dismally slow and they were plowing quite a trail. The word on the "street" (here at ABC) was that the female client was using oxygen, and that she had promised the two Sherpas each a $500 bonus if they were the first team to the summit. For the life of me I couldn't imagine why the hell the French were going where they were...up the steepest part of the face in an attempt to be the first to the summit, especially given the fact that there was obviously avalanche hazard. After a while, Pemba rang the breakfast bell and we all went inside our big Mountain Hardwear Dome tent for scrambled eggs and hash browns.

While we were eating there was a cry from outside the tent. Avalanche!! Kami (one of our Sherpas) had been on the telescope at the time and had seen the whole thing. Just below the Yellow Band the lead climber of the four had triggered a soft slab about 20 meters across which had come down and engulfed the rest of the climbers. Several of them had been carried quite a distance, nearly over the rock band below.

We rushed out to take turns on the telescope. Soon climbers from other camps joined us (including members of the French team). A close scan revealed that everyone was moving. After a while the climbers up high (who had just been grazed, but not swept down) climbed down to the two below who had been carried down. After a few more minutes everyone got together and then started moving slowly to the left, out of the slide path, moving diagonally across the face towards Camp III and the Standard Route. After a while they cut down through the rock band (which is below the Yellow Band) and then made their way back to Camp II.

Wow! That was quite an eye opener for everyone. I had a talk with the Sherpas before they left for Camp II. We are quite sure that the Standard Route to Camp III poses no unreasonable hazard. The question will come above Camp III in the Yellow Band. The standard route is not nearly as steep as the way the French were going, and the Sherpas will be putting in fixed rope above Camp III (they have over 500 meters with them for the Yellow Band and above) which will provide a lot more security.

Also, I made it perfectly clear to Ang Pasang and Panuru (our two most experienced Sherpas) to make sure they understood that it was okay with me if they turned back if the conditions were dangerous. These guys are both rock solid (they've done over 20 8000-meter expeditions each) and I have a lot of confidence in their street smarts.

So...that is the story from ABC right now. A close shave for the French. Our route to Camp III will hopefully go in over the next couple days. Then our summit bids. The weather seems to be getting a bit better again, and it is definitely getting colder at night. It feels like the season is finally starting to change. Maybe this is the beginning of the good weather that we are waiting for at the end of the monsoon. I hope so!

Everyone is doing well and we still have plenty of time, so we’ll keep hanging if that’s what it takes to get the good summit shot!

— Eric Simonson, MountainZone.com Correspondent

EXPEDITION DISPATCHES