Alpine Ascents Cho Oyu 2005: It’s quite a beautiful

Update: August 8- ABC: It’s quite a beautiful Thursday morning here at ABC. I’m enjoying a steaming cup of real filter coffee along with a bit of Coltrane on our battery powered speakers. The weather turned on the 6th from dark scattered clouds with precip on and off to very clear skies with some wind. That provided us a very nice day yesterday to make our way up to Camp I at 21,000’. It was a long 9 hour round trip journey but the spectacular day made for incredible views out east towards Melungtse, Guari Shankar, and Shishapangma plus the 7,000 meter peaks in the immediate area. It was a treat.

Lakpa, Mingma, and Tshering stayed up at Camp I last night in order to work on fixing rope to Camp II. That responsibility has fallen on our shoulders due to our early arrival yet all of the teams pitch together gear and man power. I spoke to Lakpa last night after we returned and he had already fixed 200 meters of line between the time we left him at Camp I and made it back to ABC. I’ll be speaking to the ‘boys’ at 8 am this morning as well to get an update and find out how the winds are this a.m.

After returning last night wiped out from the long day we turned on ‘Pulp Fiction’ for some mindless entertainment. Lhakchung and Gopal joined us for the movie and are permanently disturbed I’m sure from enduring the foreigners’ ‘sick’ film.

Today we’ll enjoy the clear skies and warm sun. Laundry, reading and naps are the mostly likely activities.

We’ll be in touch soon.

All the best,  Dave

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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