Hidden Peak Winter Expedition 2011, February 10

When we arrived last Friday for the first time the base of the wall of the Hidden Peak, we had the whole weekend including Monday to fight for our base camp. Severe winter storms well over 100km / h ripped away most of our tents. Only by specific, lengthy additional security measures we could the existence of the base camp safe. After a good weather forecast for Tuesday by Dr. Karl Gabl we broke yesterday (8.2.) On a first serious attempt. In painstaking work we fixed the route up to 5600m where we left a bag with 500m rope and fixing material. Among other things, we worked around the central couloir of the south wall very tricky, a vertical 10m high rock wall. Pleased we reached after about 9 hours of work in the dark, the base camp.

It's a great feeling once again to enter new territory on an eight-meter peaks. The technical difficulties at the bottom of our route on Hidden Peak are comparable with the British route on the south wall of Shisha Pangma or Kinshofer route on Nanga Parbat. overcome such difficulties in the winter is again another dimension of high altitude mountaineering. In the upper part uMorgen Thursday, according to Charles Gable a good day, like Louis, Alex and I drive the route up to 6100m, our planned camp 1.

Earlier

Gerfried and his comrade Berg are fine. They are after a stormy night at base camp. Wind speeds around the 120 km / h they could not sleep. Although bad weather was forecast that the storm would sweep but in such a violence on the tents, so that no one expected. Today, Gerfried and co failed to make up the sleep and mainly determine whether important material is missing

Earlier

The first two stages of the trek towards base camp are done. The Trio (Louis Rousseau, Alex and Gerfried Txikon) this afternoon (local time) both with 26 carriers and two cooks Payu. Already, it is extremely cold, so we sleep together in the large kitchen tent. Thursday morning the troops marched on to Urdukas (4050m). Am 31.1., After three stops, want to be the climbers at Base Camp of the Hidden Peak at 5100m.

Louis Rousseau celebrates the way in a tent with a sip of brandy his 34th Birthday, well then "Happy Birthday"

Earlier

Thursday morning began my long and arduous journey. Is to separate me from my family very hard for me. However, I am looking forward, this difficult project on which I worked so long and hard to implement at last. For love of adventure, but also from environmental and financial reasons, I would march with my friends walk to the base camp of the Hidden Peak (8080m) and not fly by helicopter. Never before has an expedition in the winter has imposed such a strain. This is already a sensation when we, in these arctic conditions at all the wall foot of the mountain at 5100 meters. Then we will tackle the still tougher: a new route will allow us the first winter ascent of Hidden Peak.