Manaslu, Thursday, May 14, 2009

ENOUGH

Everything in this life has a limit and we have already reached ours in this expedition. We have been here in this mountain for 40 days. In the last three days it has snowed so much, that we have accumulated almost 2 meters of snow at base camp. The high altitude camps that have been already installed have disappeared under even more of that white element. The ropes, well, there is no sign of them. We have patiently waited inside our buried tents and today, May 14, we got new forecasts that give us 3 good days, then wind and snow. It’s funny… The mountain needs at least 6 good days to clean up, to be safe again. We have to install everything again, because trying to find the stuff under tons of snow is impossible. Well, you can not fight nature. Since that day of April 28 when we were so close to the summit, everything has gone to worst and little by little the situation of the mountain has deteriorated. Our time has run out and so has our spirit. In occasions like this, it is hard to make a decision, but we have to. Enough, we have given Manaslu a lot for this year. Let’s go home. Once this difficult step has been taken, we have to return as soon as possible and start to treat our worn organisms. Javier, with his frostbite, has problems to walk so many days to civilization. Luckily, our guardian angel, in this case our insurer FIATC, is watching close and with diligence has given us the necessary means for a quick return. So, we will soon be home, with a broken soul because of the extreme and empty effort we did and with a broken body because of the light air of the extreme altitude. One more expedition goes by. We know that this is like this, sometimes everything is with you, so that with effort and will you can reach the summit and in other occasions like this one, the mountain marks its limits and owns its domains, rejecting us with determination. We go back, happy because we bravely fought and we faced the situation in every moment. Tired because of the infernal conditions, difficult to explain in these lines. With the illusion to see our loved ones and to return to our wonderful land. And satisfied for our work on a spectacular mountain, beautiful, that for the moment has banned us from its white summit. It will be in other occasion.

Carlos Pauner

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

GOODBYE, MANASLU

Carlos and Javier have decided to finish their expedition. There have been snowfalls of a meter and a half deep in the last two days. Camp 2 and camp 3 have been totally buried. And they got a very bad weather forecast for the next days, with intense snowfalls and winds that will blow beyond 100 km per hour. With all these, they saw it all clear. With pain because of the hard effort they have made, and with satisfaction because they did everything they could, they say goodbye to Manaslu. Well, they say “see you later” because they will come back one day to fight for the conquest of this summit that resisted so much on this occasion.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Monday, May 11, 2009

STILL WAITING

Carlos and Javier are still at base camp. It is snowing hard since 4 days ago, as recent as last night they had one and a half meter of snow. They will have to wait at base until Thursday, when they will study the different weather forecasts. If a little good weather window comes, they will stay there to attempt a last summit attack. They would need four days of good weather, although that has not happened during the almost 40 days they have been at base camp. If they get forecasts of such bad weather as what they have now, they will decide to go back to Katmandu, and the expedition would be finished.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Saturday, May 9, 2009

LOOKING AT MANASLU

This morning, sitting by the sun, I was contemplating Manaslu, with its windy top. Majestic, beautiful, proud, dominating the valley and all the tiny points that move around it. It is not going easy, although we didn’t expect it to be any other way. Yesterday, Pemba and I lived a disgusting event at 6,400 m. We arrived, as always, in just one trip to try to take advantage of that micro window I told you about. Wind and an hour to dig up our tent at camp 2, deserted since the last days of April. After that effort, rest, eat and sleep, or at least that was what I thought. The plan was to reach camp 3 on the next day and that same night, around 22:00, leave to the top. It was the only way, if we wanted to take advantage of that little opportunity for the summit. Around 6 in the afternoon everything started to change. Javier calls from base and says there is a strong storm. It looks like it is coming our way, but for the moment it has not arrived. A moment later I get a weather forecast that says that the wind for tomorrow was going from 30 km/h to 45 km/h. Well, it was nothing good, but we went to sleep, just in the moment when it started to snow with a lot of wind. Two hours later we had accumulated almost half a meter of snow and we went out to shovel snow from the tent. However, we went to sleep and when I wake up a singular silence surrounds me. Nothing is heard and curiously I touch the wall of the tent and that is what I feared: a solid wall, hard as a rock. I open the door and I see only snow and I can’t even carve it. No doubt, we are totally buried. The tent is leaning to one side and there is just one little space to breathe. Trying to stay calm, we make a little hole to let our voice be heard outside, at least, and I yell at the Japanese next door asking for a cable. They don’t hesitate and they start to dig until they reach our door, while the tent keeps bending down even more. Finally, Pemba jumps outside and I stay inside trying to rescue boots, cameras, goggles, etc. Impossible, suddenly everything explodes breaking the masts inside and suddenly leaving me with no space. I quickly get out through the hole and the Japanese take us in their tent. It is midnight, a blizzard blows and we have just what we are wearing. Well, that is how we spent the night, without resting much and on the following morning we shovel for 3 hours to rescue boots, essential things and whatever we could rescue. The wind keeps blowing, a new forecast comes saying the wind is getting stronger, so I don’t hesitate. Let’s go down. There is no clear chance and we have to recover from this “bad” night. I have to say that I thank the Japanese, with all my heart, for their great help and courteousness. So here I am, writing about this terrible story that could go to an adventure blog and contemplating Manaslu, blowing away little by little all those who pretended that false weather window. Some come down with breathing problems, others with anxiety problems, with lost of vision, you know, a defeated army, expelled from the kingdom of Manaslu. I keep looking up, sip some coffee and ask myself if there will be another chance or if it is definitively closed. I don’t know but we will have to find out with a little more patience. For the moment more snow is coming, so our time is running out little by little.

Carlos Pauner

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Friday, May 8, 2009

BACK AT BASE CAMP

Carlos, Mario and Phemba are back at base camp. At 9, Nepal time, Carlos called from camp 2 to Javier in base camp. They had a very bad night, with a blizzard and lots of snow. In the middle of the night, the tent where Carlos and Phemba were sleeping was totally covered with snow. They managed to dig a hole where they could call the Japanese that were close to them, and they dug them out. By the morning they rescued their things and since it kept snowing with a blizzard, they decided to go down. Also, Víctor Baia sent a message informing that the wind was getting stronger and that day 9 didn’t look like a possible day for the summit. Now they are recovering from the efforts at base camp. Carlos will tell us about what happened.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Thursday, May 7, 2009

SUMMIT ATTACK: CAMP 2

Carlos has left this morning from base camp, with Phemba, the expedition Sherpa, and Mario Panzeri, the Italian climber. They have reached camp 2, at 6,400 meters, at four in the afternoon. For over an hour they were digging up the snow, because the tent was totally covered. It has been a hard work and they were very tired. At 5 in the afternoon, Nepal time, they were planning to hydrate, eat something and sleep, to leave tomorrow to camp 3, at 7,100 meters, if the weather lets them. They climb with the intention of reaching the summit tomorrow, Saturday, May 9. That day, strong wind is forecasted for the middle of the morning, so they will try to leave camp 3 soon, around 9 or 10 in the evening, to reach the summit before the wind starts to blow too much. We hope the wind doesn’t come, that the weather is good, their strengths to the top and that on Saturday they can step upon the summit of Manaslu.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Wednesday, May 6, 2009

TENSE WAIT

As expected, it is now the moment when the weather forecasts are the ones who gather all the attention. Everybody agrees that this situation is not good and that instability rules around here. We exchange them between the teams and we find coincidences, although several grave differences. We have a friend, a good one, friend of Joao García’s and now a friend of ours too, named Vitor Baia. He sends his forecasts for this mountain and everyday I get a nice message from him. He is not very optimist for the moment and says that there is a little chance of a so so day for the 9th. I thank him from here, with all my heart, his long nights and I am going to asses that chance. That would mean to leave in the morning and although that day doesn’t promise to be a glory, it could be our little chance. The Swiss and Austrians have similar forecasts, but they predict an improvement in a long term. So, I am still with the mess of the forecasts and without finding those damned two days of good weather that we need to climb with optimism and energy. It is always the same, the psychological war that drills your loins has started, the one that makes you say “I leave tomorrow” and five minutes later you say the contrary. I don’t know, I have to gather myself together tonight and I have to take a decision, difficult one, that demands a lot of effort and risk and whatever it is, it is not going to be 100% the desired one. Try and burn a very important shell or wait more time and hope that a good window comes, if it does come. Frankly I tell you that I don’t know and my body tingles for climbing, for fighting, for finishing, but I also know that burning up there and then not being able to reach the top because of the wind, is something that I know and that destroys your spirit. So, anyway I will soon have to decide, so the kind of anguish will soon change, I suppose. I have to thank my friend Pérez and his invaluable collaboration and friendship. I feel that he can’t climb with me anymore, but his toes come first. He will support me from here, he will push and hold with me if we have to do it longer. Take care of those feet, Javier, because pedicure is not good later, believe me…

Carlos Pauner

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

THE LAST BOOTS A MAN WEARS

It was 2005 and we were attempting Everest, the highest mountain in the world. Pauner, very serious, tied the high altitude boots (let’s call them One Sport to avoid advertising). Tafalla, a good friend and singer, who went with us up to Base Camp, asked Pauner what he was doing with so much attention. Carlos, with a very serious face said: “Tie up the One Sport: one has to do it very good, because they are the last boots a man wears”. Tafalla was very impressed by that comment… Luckily, that time we came down and nothing happened. It’s been a few years since then and now we were at Camp 3, at 7,100 m in Manaslu, on April 28, early morning, when we attempted the summit. I also wear One Sport, and every time I tie them, I think of 2005 and that famous phrase, like a repetitive Tibetan mantra. The day of the summit, which usually starts around 1 AM, to have a whole day ahead, is normally the most dangerous day on an 8,000 meters mountain. While I was carefully tying my inner boot, I doubted, as each time I put these boots on in the Himalayas or in Karakorum, if I should also wear a thick interior sole to isolate the frozen floor of these heights. Since it is worst for frostbite to have a compressed foot, I left the soles outside the tent, while I adjusted the zippers of the boot. Leaving the tent in the early morning, completely at night, at this extreme altitude, would send home 99% of the people who try. The sensation of being at -30°C with wind is difficult to explain. One feels the brutal cold that slips through the clothing and boots, no matter if it is all grade A quality. The day went slowly and it was hard to gain altitude because of the difficult climbing, and because we had to fix rope to secure the descent. In the dark I thought to shoot some film of the frozen place for the movie we are making, but I thought that to take out one of the mittens would mean to risk a frostbitten finger. I did not film until the sun rose. I did not want to rush to the summit as Carlos and others did that day. I estimated the hours ahead while I was at 7,500 meters, and my strength, and decided to turn around. I don’t want to make it to the summit at 4 in the afternoon and force a dark descent or a frozen one, because of the exhaustion. Even so, unexpectedly, I was frostbitten, for the moment it doesn’t look serious, but I have frostbite in several toes. Oh those boots and those dear soles! For the moment I am healing in base camp letting the days go by, although I am afraid there will be no second attempt for me and my boots. A second exposure to that extreme cold up there, could really hurt my toes, “profound pedicure”, and would make Dr. Morandeira and Dr. Nerin and their team work extra. In these days of rest, after the summit attempt, just in case, I carefully repair the little defects in my boots, and meanwhile I think about the repeated phrases in the prayer: “Man in born alone, grows alone and dies… with One Sport” (heard in another expedition with Pauner) None of us expects that to happen!

Javier Pérez

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Thursday, April 30, 2009

LIKE SAND BETWEEN MY FINGERS 

Like sand between my fingers, the summit of Manaslu has slipped away from me.  At 4 in the afternoon, with enormous exhaustion accumulated because of the hard days we lived, I was watching the last meters swept by the wind and I took the difficult decision to turn around.

At 8,100 meters of altitude it all depends on you, of your strength, the condition of the route, the wind and your own sensations.  You are free, like the blowing wind itself and you are a slave of your own destiny.  It is all or nothing.  Glory or death.  Everything is decided in a few eternal seconds and yesterday, the decision I took 60 meters away from the summit was to turn around.  Nothing is free in

this world and our story on this mount has been long and hard.  We climbed on the 25th to camp 2 at 6,300 m of altitude.  No news, we

left on the next day to camp 3 at 7,100 m (in our case).  We climbed light, without much equipment, with the conviction of leaving for the summit on the next day.  We did so, but a vertical zone complicated our lives and along with the Italians and Joao, the Portuguese, we decided to work a little there and leave the attack for the summit for the 28th.  That forced us to stay one day that high, with cold and pain.  That night, at 2 in the morning, we left, we passed the most difficult zone which we had already equipped and we continued with cold and wind.  We kept progressing, finding difficult zones which we conveniently equipped, but we lose a lot of time, reaching the Col at 7,400 m at 8 in the morning.  The effort was worth, because the return back down was safe, but the cost of time and strength was enormous.

From there, Joao, who had great acclimatization because of the 7 weeks in this place with previous attempts, escaped to the summit.  The Italians and I, very worn out because of the 3 days of work and less acclimatization, left too.  Javier considered the distance to the summit and his strength and decided to stay and wait for the events at 7,400.  Little by little and with great effort we went gaining altitude.  One hour, two, 7 hours and the Italians turn around.  It is very windy up there, says Mario and we were very worn out.  I tell him that I believe I will do the same, but I continue a little more.  I see the summit already, I can touch it with my fingers, but in fact, the wind is very very strong.  Joao has already come down from the summit, he said it started to blow when he was coming down.  I’ve been climbing for 14 hours, I’ve been 48 hours above 7,000 meters, the wind is trying to pry me from my boots.  I think, I doubt, it is just a little more, but at the end I see it all clearly.  I climbed here doing a great job.  The route is open, I have time and sincerely, I would like to make it to the summit with power, enjoy the summit and not risk it all in just one card.  So without thinking it twice, once I took the decision I go down.  I joined Javier who was waiting in camp 3 and we arrived to base camp during the night, broken, but happy of the decision we took.  It’s been a few very hard days, but the truth is that I am physically sound and there is no damage.  I have all the necessary and possible acclimatization, and now I am going to recover with rest and calm.  I just hope that there is no excessive snow storm these days that may cover the ropes and so, in a few days, I can go back up to look for what belongs to me, the summit of Manaslu, which I winked and told in a low voice, we will see each other again in a few days, don’t forget.  As always, the swords are higher than ever and renouncement, well the truth is that it is a word I still don’t know.  Maybe when I am older. 

Carlos Pauner 

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Wednesday, April 29, 2009

BASE CAMP

Yesterday Carlos and Javier used all their strength and went down directly to base camp. Now they have to recover from the great effort they made in the last days. They are find, very animated and wanting to make a second attack to the summit of Manaslu, when they are recovered and when the weather permits.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Tuesday, April 28, 2009

CLOSE TO CAMP 2

At 15:40, Spain time, almost 19:30 in Nepal, Carlos called. Javier was waiting for him in camp 3 and they were going down together. When they called they were half an hour away from camp 2. Since there is no good signal at that camp, they called before they got there. They wanted to go down to base camp, but it is late and they were thinking of staying in camp 2 to sleep. If they do, they will call us again when they get to base camp tomorrow. If they finally decide to go down to base, which they don’t think so, they would call tonight. They were exhausted, but they were both fine.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Tuesday, April 28, 2009

DIFFICULT RENOUNCE AT 8,100 METERS, 60 METERS AWAY FROM THE SUMMIT

Carlos called at 11:30 (Spain time). He was at that moment at 7,500 meters. The Italians turned around before him, he reached 8,100 meters, just 60 meters away from the summit. Because of the intense wind, he could not continue. According to him, it was like walking into death. As you can imagine, besides being exhausted and totally tired, he was morally sunk. So much effort to renounce just 60 meters away. But we all know that those decisions are what make Carlos an excellent mountain climber, who knows when to quit, no matter how difficult it is. Now he has to go back down from that wall and try to get to camp 2 before the night falls, and if possible, to base camp, because he said he was really worn out because of the exhaustion and the altitude. We hope he has a good descent and we will keep you posted.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Tuesday, April 28, 2009

BREAKING NEWS: SUMMIT ATTACK

At seven in the morning, Spain time, Carlos called. He was exhausted. They found the route in bad conditions, nothing like what they expected. They had to fix lines in a lot of parts and the ascent has been really slow. Around 9 in the morning, Nepal time, Pérez and other people who were attacking the summit turned around. Carlos continued with some Italian climbers, and when they called they were 400 meters from the summit, around three hours away. He said that he was going to try but he didn’t know if he had the strength to make it. We will continue reporting when we have more news.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Monday, April 27, 2009

SUMMIT ATTACK!

Carlos called at 8 in the morning, Spain time.  The summit attack is
still on!  Lines have been fixed in the most complicated parts of the
wall.  Tonight Carlos and Javier will sleep in the same camp 3 that
they installed yesterday, and around midnight they will leave towards
the summit.  The two of them have very high spirits, a little tired
after two nights in the high altitudes, but they feel strong to face
the long journey they have left to step upon the 8,163 meters of
Manaslu.  Let's hope the weather is good and that the next call from
Javier and Carlos. can be from the summit!

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Sunday, April 26, 2009

DIFFICULTIES AT 7,100 METERS

Carlos called at one in the afternoon, Spain time. He and Javier were a little higher than 7,100 meters, with the Italians who are around 15, and the Portuguese Joao García, so around 20 people in total. Alberto has decided to go down and he was resting in camp 2. The weather, except for a little snowfall during the ascent, has been good along the way. But when they got to the place where they are now, they found a wall of around 200 meters, with no equipment at all and very dangerous. They knew what they would find but they thought it was going to be in better conditions and with some equipment, but it wasn’t so. All the climbers agreed that on this wall, with those conditions, they have to fix rope, because of the danger and it can be done by night (it is 5 in the afternoon there now). So they will spend the night there, they installed a tent under a serac, and tomorrow they will fix the wall and they will attempt to spend the night at 7,500 meters. So, the summit day is delayed for a day, until Tuesday 28, when, if the weather is fine, they will try to crown the summit of Manaslu. We will report when we have more news.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Saturday, April 25, 2009

AT CAMP 2

Today at noon, Spain time, 4 in the afternoon in Nepal, Carlos called from Camp 2. The three of them have just arrived, Javier, Alberto and him. Now they had to hydrate and eat something. He was excited, happy to tell that the day had been really good, not a cloud in the sky, the best day of the whole expedition. Although a little wind began to blow, the forecasts say it will stop on the 27, which is the day they plan to make it to the summit.

Along with our climbers, the Italians, Koreans and Portuguese Joao Garcia were at camp 2. They will all spend the night there. Carlos, Javier and Alberto plan to leave to camp 3 at 6 in the morning. They said it will be a hard day, because they have to cover 1000 meters of difference in altitude, from the 6,400 meters where they are today, up to 7,400 meters, where they want to install camp 3. They also have to climb there with all the necessary materials to install this camp, and the trail is not open.

Let’s hope that they can climb tomorrow to camp 3 and that they call us from there. If that is so, their plan is to sleep there tomorrow, and leave for the summit on the next day, on Monday, April 27. We wish them the best of lucks… We will be counting their steps!

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Friday, April 24, 2009

THE FANFARES OF GLORY

The tugs of war sound far away. We will start our peculiar odyssey in the high altitudes tomorrow. The forecasts promise 3 days of good weather and then it will be disastrous, so we had not many options. We have to try, we have to fight for the first time face to face with the mountain and try our luck. Tomorrow we will cover a difference of 1,600 m of altitude up to camp 2, to continue day after tomorrow carrying everything with us to install camp 3 at 7,400 m of altitude. The next day will be the definitive day, when we will face high altitude and when we will use the last drop of energy from our bodies. If everything goes well we will reach the summit in the first hours of the morning and if not, well, each one will live his particular adventure. We have a nice group of people, because the situation doesn’t offer many alternatives. The sun shines on us and it has started to blow a wind from China, a sign of good weather. We celebrated with a good codfish a la pil pil, which tasted like glory, although it has made us think of how weak our situation is and that in a few hours we will be in a different place, a much hostile one and embellished by the sounds of the summit which will occupy all our senses. There we go, with illusion, with strength, convinced and with enough energy to climb up to the 8,163 m of Manaslu. Let’s hope all the winds in Asia are favorable in this occasion.

Carlos Pauner

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Wednesday, April 22, 2009

SEEN AND UNSEEN

That’s how our departure to camp 2 on this mountain was, seen and unseen. We left at 6 in the morning and at 2 we were in camp 2 at 6,400 m of altitude. A lot of difference of altitude, yes, but also the satisfaction of avoiding one more day at camp 1 and this way we suffered one day less in the high altitude. Next day at 12 in the morning we were resting again at base camp. It was a quick and effective incursion. There are different styles about that. There are people who prefer to wander a lot of time in the high altitude, having their body adapt by suffering in the altitude and others like us who like to make specific incursions, very concrete, so that they stimulate the organism and after some rest and good feeding at base, such stimulus turns into acclimatization. In fact, I am happy to be a part of this system, because there has been an unexpected change in the weather and a lot of people were still around camp 1 and 2, they were surprised by the weather and they should be coming down right now with an important risk because of the large amount of snow accumulated during the night. The truth is that these mountains are dangerous and the less time you are on them, the better, because that reduces the possibilities that something would go wrong. Javier and I have made our objective of sleeping at camp 2 and we have all the materials there to install camp 3 on the next attack and even attempt the summit, depending how we are. So, now we are going to rest quietly for 4 or 5 days, letting our organism adapt to the new proposed situation and when we have favorable weather, we will go to camp 2 again, we will try to install camp 3 and we will consider the coveted summit. There is much left to do yet, but the truth is that it is all going ok so far, despite the large amount of snow that this mountain has this season. Not in vain there are a lot of people in this expedition and that forces the opening of the trail to be a constant job, because otherwise, it would have been very very hard to get to where we have been. Koreans, Italians, Andalucians, Japanese, etc. are swarming around base camp and with their daily traffic to the high altitude camps, the trail is well marked, although it is also truth that with a snowfall like the one we had last night, of almost 40 cm, everything is covered and a lot of work is spoiled. Well, that is how the mountain is. Short periods of good weather seasoned by nightly snowfalls, which are the main difficulty with which we are going to fight on this Manaslu of 2009.

For the moment, and according to the conditions, the plan is going fine so far.

Carlos Pauner

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Monday, April 20, 2009

CAMP 2: Today at five in the morning, Carlos, Javier and Alberto left base camp.  Alberto stayed at camp 1, and Carlos and Javier climbed to install camp 2 at 6,400 meters of altitude.  They will spend the night there and tomorrow morning they will start their descent to go back to base camp.  There was a lot of snow and they were tired, but they were fine and the weather was good.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Saturday, April 18, 2009: THE SUN SHINES AGAIN  

In fact, it stopped snowing today and a shy sun has shown, which turned into a crushing sun as the day went by.  Our spirits, a little down because of the recent events, were reinforced as the sun went on shining. We suffered a little delay, when we could not keep our objective of sleeping at camp 2, but really, the decision of going down was good.  We don’t have to goof with this mountain and even less when it is loaded with snow. All day today there have been endless little avalanches on the slopes that surround our base camp, because of the heat on the layers of fresh snow.  It is not hard to see that the same thing is happening all over the mountain.  According to the forecasts, which we don’t trust much lately, there are going to be 3 more days of good weather.  We’ll see if that is true and if we can install our camp two in this period of weather bonanza.  Besides, there is not much news.  We poked our heads out from the snow and we watch the sun with happiness and hope.  We also celebrated the arrival of the doctors from Zaragoza, José Ramón Morandeira and Doctor María Antonia Nerín, good friends who are going to share our base camp with us for quite a while.  They had work on their way and now they check our health and that of the 12 members of our expedition.  They are fine, ready to go and sure that we will enjoy good moments on these snowy slopes of Manaslu.  It looks that calm is coming to an end and action comes again.  It’s good, because it is known that too much rest softens the muscles and the spirit, and that way we keep in a certain state of activity which is better for us.  Let’s hope that we reach our objectives in the next days. 

Carlos Pauner 

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Friday, April 10, 2009

UNDER THE WHITE RAGE OF MANASLU

The worst that I feared in these days has happened.  From the last
chants of the Puja, the snow has been our constant companion during day and night.  It has fallen hard, heavily and we could hardly get it off our tents.  As I say, this situation resulted in what could have been our end.  Yesterday at mid afternoon, without seeing anything, we felt as if a tremendous explosion of wind and snow reached us.  A great avalanche of powder snow, probably the front end of another much larger one which stopped on the way, surprised us at our base camp, involving us in 1 or 2 minutes of a hell of wind and snow.  The mess tent exploded and threw the kitchen aid flying.  We could grab the mast of the tent, holding for the tremendous impact and feeling during that eternal lapse of time how the snow went into our lungs and prevented us from breathing.  Suddenly everything ended and we could confirm that everything was swept.  We yelled to find out the luck of each one of us, but Minma specially worried me, because I couldn’t see or hear him.  In the beginning I thought that he was buried after flying and I began to dig in the snow like crazy.  Finally I could hear his voice, far, coming to us from the place where he was thrown. What a tremendous happiness to see him and finally know that everybody without exception had survived such a wild hit.  The view of the place was daunting.  Several ripped tents, everything covered by snow, even tent masts broken in pieces.  But that didn’t matter now.  We had to do something, because it was still snowing and we feared another deadly avalanche.  I didn’t think it twice.  I called Mario, my Italian friend who is camping nearby in a zone that was not affected by this avalanche and I told him what had happened.  He didn’t hesitate and he took us all for this sad night.  We could not stay in the same place waiting for another hit.  It was a tense night, listening for the rumor of other avalanches, thinking about the luck we have of being still alive on this mean mountain.

At sunrise, it stopped snowing.  We went down to our camp and during a few hours we dug everything out.  In the end, the balance is not as bad as we expected and we could recover almost all the important things.  Some tents will not work anymore and we have some damaged equipment, but this morning, under the sun, we could be happy again. We are going to rest calmly, without giving up to Manaslu, conscious that the situation has turned very dangerous and that we have to take a lot of precautions.  Manaslu has showed us its strength, its rage and we can only be happy of having survived again in a situation which was not only unexpected but dangerous.  The scare will fade out, beautiful climbing days will come I hope and from here my gratitude and the gratitude of my people to the Italians, directed by Mario Merelli, for his hospitality and friendship.  Grazie mille.

Carlos Pauner

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Thursday, April 9, 2009

AVALANCHE AT BASE CAMP IN MANASLU

This afternoon at three thirty (Spain time) Carlos called from his
satellite phone.  His first words were: be calm, the three of us are
OK, in perfect shape, there has been an avalanche at base camp.
Carlos, Pérez and Alberto were in the tent where they have the
computers, trying to send a piece of video to Aragón Televisión, when they were surprised by the avalanche.  They were really scared, because it all happens in a second, and then chaos comes.  The first thing to do was to see that they were all ok, the three of them, the two French, the cook and the porters...  They were all ok.  Running, with fear of a second avalanche they climbed to the zone where the Italians are located, which was not affected.  The leader of this Italian expedition is Mario Merelli, friend of Carlos’ and a teammate in previous expeditions, among them Kanchenjunga.  He received everybody, and they will spend the night anyway they can.  Tomorrow they will go to their camp and see what they can recover, because everything was covered by the avalanche and they think that part of their materials and things have been damaged.

Carlos called today, around noon here, and he told me of his worries,
because since they arrived to base camp last Sunday, it hadn’t stopped snowing heavily.  They had to shovel snow around their tents for several nights, because if they didn’t, they would be totally covered. Manaslu is a very dangerous mountain when it snows a lot, and that is what is happening now.  That’s why they are unhappy and now with a big scare.  Let’s hope that the weather conditions of the next few hours
are more favorable.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Wednesday, April 15, 2009

SNOWING IN CAMP 1

Carlos, Javier and Alberto are in Camp 1. They climbed with the idea of sleeping there and climb tomorrow morning up to camp 2, mount it, and depending on the weather, spend the night for another notch on their acclimatization. But against what the forecasts said, it started to snow a lot this afternoon. Depending on the weather, they will decide if they climb tomorrow to camp 2, or if they go down to the safety of base camp. Let’s hope it stops snowing so that they can continue.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Manaslu, Tuesday, April 7, 2009

PUJA, SNOW AND MORE SNOW

I wake up lazily inside my sleeping bag. It takes a little time to see where I am. Let’s see, oh, ok, it is true, I am at base camp in Manaslu. Once this spiritual thing is surpassed, another doubt comes to me. Why is there no light, now that the day has arrived? Oh, that’s what I was afraid of, we are covered by a nice layer of fresh snow. I shake the tent and a dim morning light appears. I exit little by little and I dedicate my first efforts to dig our tent out from the snow that fell during the night. There is more than a meter and a half and it looks like the day is going to continue like this.

When we arrived to base camp, a couple of days ago, the weather was splendid and we could see the whole figure of Manaslu. From Sama, we climbed the 1,400 m of altitude difference that separated us from this place which is located at 4,900 m of altitude, in a little more than 4 hours. We installed everything provisionally and we decided to spend that first night in the high altitude. Yesterday, a proper day according to the lamas of the Samagon monastery, we had the Puja ceremony. It all went normally. A lama and his assistant came up from the monastery at daybreak, with all the paraphernalia that is needed for the ceremony, mantras, dishes, recipients, incense and tsampa. On our part, we had already built an altar of stones decorated with prayer flags and we had prepared the offering of food and drinks. Sitting in front of the altar and after the figures that are made with tsampa and butter are placed there, and the offering, the ritual chants started and then the deaf sounds of the prayers. They pray for protection on the mountain, so that there are no accidents, and for the gods that live in these high places so that they are benevolent and let us reach the summit and come back safe from up there. The different phases of the ceremony went by and at the end, all standing up, we threw rice and flour to the air as an offering. Then the meal of the good food concluded this ceremony which was one of the longest I have ever seen in my life. Almost four hours. However, it looks like the correlation between duration and effectiveness, for the moment and with reserves, is not totally lineal. With the last compasses of the Puja, it started to snow, at first it was imperceptible, but then it was heavy and hard. So we had our first hours at base camp this way. We have accumulated a lot of snow and we suppose it will be the same up there. So for now, tranquility. It has to stop snowing and then all that amount of snow has to be purged little by little. Manaslu is a very dangerous mountain with snow, so we have to watch this closely. We will use this medicine which is so much used in these places and which we sadly know too well, patience.

Carlos Pauner

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera