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Update:
Hi, this is Ben Stuckey
reporting live from Nylam, Tibet for the 2005 Summitclimb Cho Oyu expedition.
We arrived in Nylam today after a slight delay in crossing over from Nepal to
China yesterday afternoon. We had to stay an extra night in the Chinese border
town of Zangmu in order to clear up some permit issues with the CTMA.
The border town of Zangmu is
quite interesting. It is only a one street hamlet built on the side of the
mountains. The constant truck traffic coming in each direction to\from the
border makes for some interesting sights.
This morning we left Zangmu
and completed the drive to Nylam. The drive between towns is not without some
high stress on the part of the climbers. The road is mainly wide enough for
one vehicle and yet the are always trucks crawling down the mountainside in an
effort to reach the Chinese border. Oh, did I mention the drop-off on one side
is close to 1000 feet straight down and there is not much in the way of
guardrails. Although, all said and done, the magnificent views of the rolling
mountains, the steep mountainside, and the monsoon fed waterfalls make for a
unique memory.
Upon arrival in Nylam, we
quickly found a place to eat and enjoyed the wonderful Tibetan food. The town
is under-going an extensive clean up making for a more relaxing stay not
having to breath the unique aromas found in other towns we have gone through.
About half of the members went on a small hike this afternoon while the rest
caught up on some sleep and prepared their gear for the climbing ahead in days
to come. We will be spending a total of 2 nights in this town and then we move
onto Tingri where we should get our first views of our objective, Cho Oyu.
From the town of Tingri we will begin calling in our dispatches via sat phone
because internet access is not available.
Thanks for following our
climb and we will give more updates in the near future.
Tashi Delek, Ben Stuckey
This is our
team:
Arnold
Coster, the Netherlands- Leader
Phil
Crampton, UK -Expedition Manager
Thierry
Auberson, Switzerland
Guntis
Brands, Switzerland
Edward
Buckingham, UK
Ray Butler,
UK
Herve Coron,
France
Doug Cote,
USA
Dominic
Faulkner, UK
Tunc
Findik, Turkey
Johan
Franlelius, Sweden
Gernot
Gessinger, Austria
Richard
Lindskold, Sweden
Ulrica
Lindskold, Sweden
Mark
Little, USA
Francois
Niering, Switzerland
Maya
Sherpa, Nepal
Andrew
Sloan, UK
Jon David
Stewart, USA
Ben
Stuckey, USA
Matt Ward,
UK
Nick
Williams, UK
Introduction to Cho Oyu: 4
September to 10 October
Cho-Oyu has only recently
become a popular mountain to climb. It is now known to be one of the most
accessible of the world’s fourteen 8,000 metre mountains. This is because the
ascent to the summit is short and direct, with a few small technical sections,
less than 6 metres high, climbed in safety using fixed lines. Additionally,
the mountain can be easily reached by four-wheel-drive vehicle, and the trail
to Camp 1 at 6,400 metres, is basically a steep walk on talus slopes, often
done in hiking boots. This expedition to Cho-Oyu maximizes our previous
successful ascents on the peak itself, plus many years of accumulated wisdom
of the high Himalaya, a strong record of reaching 8,000 metre summits in all
safety, along with an intimate knowledge of the Tibetan and Chinese officials
who regulate the permit system. We must also give credit to the highly
experienced and hard-working leaders, sherpas and staff here at
SummitClimb.com
Leader: Arnold Coster, an accomplished and friendly leader who has led
successful expeditions to the summit of Cho Oyu and Everest. Arnold's last
expedition placed 9 of 11 members and 4 Sherpas on the summit of Cho Oyu;
Organizer: Jon Christian Otto, fluent Chinese speaker, Tibet and China Expert,
with 10 years experience organizing Himalayan climbs.
Cho Oyu - the "Turquoise
Goddess" in Tibetan - is located at the frontier of Tibet and Nepal. At a
height of 8201 meters, it belongs to the Himalayan range, about 30 km west of
Everest. It is the sixth highest mountain in the world and was first climbed
on October 19th 1954 by the Austrian Herbert Tichy, with Sepp Jochler and
Pasang Dava Lama.
"Finally, the peak is
reached, the infinite hardships are ended. The last nine hours fighting with
the mountain; the time in the death zone above 24,000 foot, the weeks of
privations and hardships, even the risk of one's life - is this reward itself
really? Yes, certainly! Not because of fame but inner satisfaction: To have
found the mountain as friend and have been so near to the sky." Sepp Jochler.
Updates
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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. |
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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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