American Autumn Shishapangma Expedition 2005: Lessons from Lhasa

Sunset on Shishapangma from Base Camp

Lessons from Lhasa --

1. Never pay more than 50% of the asking price in Tibet.

2. You've never really lived until you've been yelled at by a monk. So make sure you don't take any photos of a room in the Norbulinka summer palace when you're not allowed.

3. Don't count your eggs (or fixed lines) until they are in hand. So if your porter or the mountain guide association contact are charging you an order of magnitude higher than you expected to pay for fixed lines, try and think of alternatives--even if it is 6:30 pm on the night before you are leaving town for seven weeks. For example, grab your local guide Mima and driver Tsering and head down to Barkor Square to scour the mountaineering shops (all two) for inexpensive fixed line. If you have no luck there, try one of the smaller local alleyways that will contain perhaps 3 sellers per ten feet and look for inexpensive rope. If the first one you see has only a limited supply, try the next seller across the way. Once they offer you a price that is an order of magnitude less than that of your mountain association, refer to lesson #1. Then smile as you put 600 meters of fixed line into a huge plastic sack and go have dinner.

4. Meditation rooms, bedrooms, and throne rooms can be independent or the same room. Just ensure that you have offered wheat or money to the protective diety and added butter to the burning butter lamps before heading out on a two month expedition.

5. Excessive standardization will very quickly destroy culture.

6. Stairs inside palaces can be very steep. So if you are touring the Potala Palace, you might want to use the hand rail.

7. Don't forget your hand sanitizer and Kleenex, and don't forget your pen and paper for negotiations.

8. Buddhas appearing naturally out of sandalwood are very important.

9. When designing a summer palace, make sure to include funds for gardening and ground upkeep, and don't just focus on putting in bathrooms.

10. Watch out for electric motorcycles zooming through the small aisle when looking through the squid, beef tongue, squirming eels, or pigs feet at the local market.

11. When you find something you appreciate and value, remember that, communicate that, and act on it.

Tomorrow we leave Lhasa and head to Shigatse!

-Val

Updates

Millet One Sport Everest Boot  has made some minor changes by adding more Kevlar. USES Expeditions / High altitude / Mountaineering in extremely cold conditions / Isothermal to -75°F Gore-Tex® Top dry / Evazote Reinforcements with aramid threads. Avg. Weight: 5 lbs 13 oz Sizes: 5 - 14 DESCRIPTION Boot with semi-rigid shell and built-in Gore-Tex® gaiter reinforced by aramid threads, and removable inner slipper Automatic crampon attachment Non-compressive fastening Double zip, so easier to put on Microcellular midsole to increase insulation Removable inner slipper in aluminized alveolate Fiberglass and carbon footbed Cordura + Evazote upper Elasticated collar. Expedition footwear for mountaineering in conditions of extreme cold.  NOTE US SIZES LISTED. See more here.

A cold weather, high altitude double boot for extreme conditions The Olympus Mons is the perfect choice for 8000-meter peaks. This super lightweight double boot has a PE thermal insulating inner boot that is coupled with a thermo-reflective outer boot with an integrated gaiter. We used a super insulating lightweight PE outsole to keep the weight down and the TPU midsole is excellent for crampon compatibility and stability on steep terrain. WEIGHT: 39.86 oz • 1130 g LAST: Olympus Mons CONSTRUCTION: Inner: Slip lasted Outer: Board Lasted OUTER BOOT: Cordura® upper lined with dual-density PE micro-cellular thermal insulating closed cell foam and thermo-reflective aluminium facing/ Insulated removable footbed/ Vibram® rubber rand See more here.

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