Alpine Ascents Cho Oyu 2005: Gyantse, Tibet  Tashi Delek everyone!

Gyantse, Tibet  Tashi Delek everyone!

We are here at just under 13,000 ft. in the town of Gyantse. This morning we are heading out to see yet another monastery as well as the Gyantse Dzong - or fortress. It was here that Younghusband had advanced the British in the early part of the century and encountered a strong resistance from the Tibetans.

Our team is all healthy and doing well. The drive from Lhasa to Gyantse took about 7 1/2 hours thanks to the newly paved roads that nearly span the entire distance of around 280 km. In years past this route has taken up to 14 hours. Everyone was impressed by the beautiful scenery and high passes. One of these photos is taken at around 16,000 ft. at the base of one of the many 7,000 meter peaks in Tibet. Gorgeous lakes as well as old Tibetan villages with only subsitence based communities were all part of the journey. Everyone got a bit of sleep plus some time to zone out with some music on the headphones.

Last night we had a nice dinner and then the first of our "DVD entertainment" evenings. We made it through the first 3 episodes of 'Arrested Development' which no one had seen but we all loved. Quite a contrast to the world we are traveling through.

This afternoon we're off to Shigatse- the historic seat of the Panchen Lama. It's only a 90 km drive on good roads so today is sort of our day off of the long driving. Tomorrow we'll make the long trip to Tingri which is nearly all dirt roads.

For those family and friends emailing our computer it looks as though we won't be able to access those until ABC around the first of September. We'll update that info as things change- it could be earlier.

We'll be in touch.

All the best,
Dave

Updates

Built to handle a myriad of different climbing pursuits, the Ultralight Universal is our best selling crampon. This crampon lives for trekking, glacier travel, or steep couloirs and snowfields. Totally adjustable Zytel straps make this crampon durable and easy to use. Fits everything from moon boots to flip-flops, our lightest crampon available. Weight: 590g Points: 10. See more here.

   Ascenders

   Atlas snowshoes

   Atomic

   Black Diamond

   Botas

   Brunton

   Carabiners

   CaVa Climbing Shoes

   Chaco

   Clearance

   Clif Bar

   Cloudveil

   CMI

   Crampons

   Edelweiss ropes
   Eureka Tents

   Exofficio

   Featured

   FoxRiver

   Garmin

   Granite Gear

   Harnesses
   Headlamps

   Hestra
   Helmets

   HighGear

   HornyToad
   Ice Axes

   Julbo

   Kavu Eyewear

   Katadyn

   Kelty

   Kong

   Lekisport

   Life is Good

   Lowa

   Lowe Alpine

   Lowepro

   Millet

   Motorola

   Mountain Hardwear

   Mountainsmith

   MSR

   Nalgene

   New England Ropes

   Nikwax

   Omega

   Patagonia

   Pelican

   Petzl

   PowerBar

   Princeton Tec

   Prescription Glacier

   Glasses

   Primus

   Rope Bags

   Salomon

   Scarpa

   Seattle Sports

   Serius
   Sleeping Bags

   Stubai

   Suunto

   Tents

   Teva

   Thermarest

   Trango

   Tool Logic

   Trekking Poles
   Yaktrax
   and more here