Summitclimb Shishapangma Autumn Expeditions: Earthquake Dispatches

Photo: Grace climbing though avalanche debris on September 19th at about 6800m - Max Kausch

20 September, 2011
Hi, this is Max Kausch writing a dispatch for the Shishapangma expedition autumn 2011. This is for September 20th.
Dear families and friends of our climbing members,
Many people probably saw the news of the terrible earthquake that hit the Himalayas on the 18th at 18:00 local time. First of all, we’re all fine and back from our acclimatization mission from 7000m. We are resting at ABC now.

On the 18th we were at Camp 1 which is about 6400m. We had a great day and we were all inside one tent playing music and hydrating. Camp 1 has some pretty big hanging seracs nearby and it is fairly common to hear avalanches collapsing 1 or 2 miles away. At that time we heard something like an avalanche but then the ground started shaking for a few seconds. Camp 1 is at the top of a huge flat glacier and we immediately though that a really big avalanche would be necessary to shake the whole glacier. When we popped our heads out of the tent we could see 3 or 4 avalanches and didn’t really understand what was going on. One of the avalanches was so big that our tents got dusted by some debris which fell from it. At that very same moment we were talking to Jangbu Sherpa who was at camp 2, 7000m. He also felt the same avalanches there.

Grace felt a little scared by the dimensions of the natural disaster but there wasn’t much we could do apart from talking “If this” and “If that”…That was a new experience. The mystery was solved next morning when we talked to our cook at 5600m, who also felt the shake at ABC. This couldn’t be just an avalanche and turned out to be an earthquake which triggered several avalanches on Shishapangma.

In that same morning we left Camp 1 and headed to Camp 2. On the way we saw the damage produced by one single avalanche. The debris extended for more than half mile on the way to camp 2. It started at about 6600m and went all the way to 6800m. On the way we found fridge sized ice blocks, and several thousand smaller blocks. We found a slab that actually broke off with the avalanche and was still hanging at 6650m. Many ropes were taken down with the avalanche and got completely buried. On the left and right hand sides of the route, there was ice walls with many exposed hanging seracs. They also collapsed on the earthquake and started smaller avalanches. At about 6800m, the damage stopped and the route continued towards Camp 2. From that altitude we could really appreciate the damage produced by the earthquake. From up here we unfortunately don’t have knowledge of the earthquake’s epicenter nor how may people got affected (or killed) at the valleys below us. We hope not too many people were injured on this tragedy. After sleeping one night at 7000m, our acclimatization plan is finished and we are waiting for good weather for our summit push.
 

19 September, 2011
Hi, this is Max Kausch calling in a dispatch for the Shishapangma expedition autumn 2011.
We made it to 7000 metres/23,000 feet. Everyone is fine. We had an encounter with quite a big avalanche today about a ½ mile long. It happened yesterday at 6:00 p.m., Nepali time. We found out it was triggered by an earthquake. We don’t what happened lower down on the mountain or in China. We can see the effects up here on Shishapangma and they are quite big.

No one was hit by the avalanche. Everyone one is fine. It happened between camp 1 and camp 2. It was quite massive. We made it to camp 2 about 4 hours ago. We’re rehydrating now and eating as much as we can before we go down to ABC tomorrow. Then we’ll go down to basecamp to rest. We’ll call in again with more details about the climb. Thank you very much. Bye, bye.

18 September, 2011
Hi, this is Max Kausch calling in a dispatch for the Shishapangma expedition autumn 2011.
We're in camp 1 right now at 6400 metres/21,000 feet. Everyone up here is doing fine and acclimatizing well. Tomorrow we’re going to camp 2, which is nearly 7000 metres/23,000 feet and this will finish our acclimatization process.

We’re going down to ABC the day after tomorrow. Our team is great. We just saw a massive avalanche that actually made camp 1 shake, which was pretty cool. Nothing happened. Everyone is fine. It was pretty spectacular.
We’ll ring in tomorrow from camp 2 to let you know how everything is going. Thank you. Bye, bye.
 

16 September, 2011

This is Grace McDonald with a dispatch for the Summit Climb Shishapangma Expedition for September 16, 2011. We've called in a few dispatches over the last few days but here's a bit more detail about our first rotation up to Camp 1.

We left to establish a Depot Camp at 5,900m on September 13th. On the way we got to pass through all the other camps - there's quite a few other teams here actually at varying stages of acclimatization. The walk to depot was fairly straightforward although quite rocky so you really had to focus on your feet. We made it to the lower Depot Camp where some other teams had set up tents in just over 2 hours but pushed on another twenty minutes to our more exclusive Depot Camp just beside a field of ice pinnacles (more on that field later). There was a group of 5 people heading up to Camp 1 at that point and we had an excellent view of their ascent so we sat and watched while tent platforms formed and tents magically went up. In truth there is no magic, just many thanks to our Sherpas and Max who seem to be most comfortable when we're doing absolutely nothing - it sounds horribly lazy but the more rested we are the better for everyone. We settled in for the night and we allowed Max entry into our tent to share in our fantastic company in exchange for him boiling water and keeping our cups filled with tea. He's an excellent tea boy. Although we're just a small group of three we're actually pretty good at chillin' in the tent and passing time. Before we knew it we were off to sleep with some light snowfall.

We woke up to clear skies and glorious sunshine and took our time eating an interesting breakfast called "milk cereal", it's the texture of foam but if you eat it quick it's not too bad. Gary and I were ready a little ahead of the Sherpas so we decided to get a head start and tackle the field of ice pinnacles on our own. What you have to understand is that from Depot Camp, this field of pinnacles doesn't look so big, you tell yourself it's a few ups and downs, a little weaving here and there and you should pop out the other side at the bottom of a gentle slope that leads to a slightly steeper slope up to Camp 1 - not big deal! Two problems with this thinking, the field is way bigger than it looks from Depot Camp and that glorious sunshine has a microwave effect when you're surrounded by snow covered ice pinnacles on all sides. So we started out with the two of us together but quickly got separated between pinnacles. It's quite hard to maintain any sense of pace in this field. At one point I came across a eight metre length of rope that had placed there to assist climbers down a fairly steep pinnacle. Well I made it down although my landing was spectacular - body folded into a V with my butt dangling in a pool of ice water. It really was too bad we'd gotten separated because I know Gary would have enjoyed that. As of a wet bum, believe me, in that heat it was actually welcome. It was so hot it just propelled me forward. I knew I had to get out of there as there was no amount of sunscreen that would protect my skin. We ran into some members from other expedition on the way who we had seen skiing down the clop from Camp 1 earlier in the morning. One of them, Levi, had purchased our friendship at Advanced Base Camp with a can of Pringles and two snickers bars. We're pretty sure his teammates were confused by the greeting "Hey Girlfriend!" from Gary to Levi, but let's just say we all became very familiar with each other over those Pringles and snickers back in ABC. Eventually I came out onto the gentle slope and just kept pushing forward. The sun just would not let up and I actually was feeling worse on the slope than in the pinnacles. I've been a lot of hot places before but have never felt that hot before in my life. I planned to stop just below the steeper slope up to Camp 1 and by that point was joined by one of our Sherpas. Max, Gary and our other Sherpa were heading up towards us and we waited for them to join us before popping some energy gel and heading out for the steady plod up to Camp 1. The hill doesn't look much worse than your average skill hill at home but at this altitude it's hard work. I'm not sure what came over me that day but I found the accelerator and just took off for Camp 1. I think I was telling myself that it was so hot, I just needed to get this done and the less time I spent enduring the heat, the better. Gary took a slower pace but ended up being rewarded with some cloud and mist for the last part of his move into Camp 1.

Up at Camp 1 I walked right up to a group that was camped there and asked if they could spare a cup of tea. Our Sherpas were coming but I knew I had a bit of a wait and was all out of fluids. It turns out they were an american group and they were actually really nice. I passed over my cup and got some hot water quickly in return and then a girl stuck her head out of her tent and said "Would you like some Tiramisu with your tea?". Really - you can't imagine how odd that sounds at 6,400m when you've been contemplating sun stroke for the past 3 hours. Needless to say my wait at Camp 1 was actually quite enjoyable and I even met another Canadian. They're a nice group and our schedules seem to be matching up so we may be crossing paths fairly regularly for the rest of the trip. Our Sherpas arrived about half an hour later and I eventually roused myself from the american camp to see if they would let me help them set up the tents. I fully expected the answer to be no, but to my surprise they let me take a shovel and help dig one of the tent platforms. I think they were amazed and amused that I would have the energy to help out. Make no mistake, this tent platform digging stuff is hard! There were many breaks. Once they got one tent up it was no more funny business and I was firmly directed to get into the tent. I insisted on getting ice and having a stove so I could start getting water ready for me, Gary and Max. I knew they would be arriving very soon but the slope had completely clouded over so we couldn't really see them. Literally seconds after I had got the water going and my boots off, mat laid our and pack inside the tent, Gary popped his head in. Perfect timing. We got him set up just in time to get Max in as well. As usual, Max took over tea duty - standard price for enjoying the company of G&G. We got some music going and managed to enjoy the night before heading off to sleep. I had an OK sleep but Gary had one of his best sleeps yet.

The next morning we got ready and headed down to ABC. I was fine though to Depot Camp but it turns out my speedy ascent to Camp 1 and tent platform digging came with a price - I was completely toasted the rest of the way to ABC. Gary seemed fine and kept a decent, steady pace back. I had to stop every ten minutes just to let my muscles recover and establish communications between my brain and muscles. I was dehydrated and hungry - not a great way to be. Max hung back to lead me to ABC and we made in back in the warily afternoon. That left just enough time for me to curl up in the fetal position in my tent before collecting myself for a well-deserved shower and then returning to my tent to resume the fetal position. There was a bit of hydrating and eating that went on as well, but for the most part I was mush for the rest of the day. Gary seemed to fare much better - a testament to slower steady pace although it was a long hard slog for both of us.

We both seem to be doing better today - feeling rehydrated and more nourished. That's the great thing about being back in ABC, you get to eat, drink, relax and recover for the next round. We really are doing quite well given the short amount of time we've been here. We've got another rest day tomorrow but will probably head to Depot Camp in the late afternoon so we're better positioned for our push to Camp 1 and then Camp 2.

Thanks again to everyone who is following our expedition


Hi this is Grace McDonald calling with the dispatch for September 14th, 2011. I’m sitting with Gary and Max in Camp 1 of ShishaPangma. We’ve had a pretty good day, a long day, a hot day; the sun was beating down on us as we traveled from Advanced Base Camp to camp one. Everyone did really well and now we’re all hydrating and feeling pretty good. Tomorrow we’re going back down to ABC for some rest days and then head back up to camp one and camp two.

So anyway everything is good, I’m just going to pass the phone over to Gary to add a few little words.

Hi this is Gary Kellund continuing the ShishaPangma dispatch for September 14th I just want to wish my wife Eva a happy anniversary, sorry I couldn’t be there but I wish you all the best and send my love, talk to you guys later bye


Hi, this is Max Kaush calling with the dispatch for the ShishaPangma expedition for 2011. We have made it to 5900m and we’re at the bottom of a glacier right now and should be on our way to camp one tomorrow. We have spent the last three days acclimatising at base camp and we had a puja yesterday so we hope that changes the weather a bit.

Everyone’s doing really well here. Nobody’s even had a headache yet so we’re going to push to camp one and try to sleep there, which is a bit early but we haven’t had any problems yet.

So I’ll call again tomorrow from camp one and let you guys know how everything is going.

Thank you

 

11 September, 2011
Hi, sorry we couldn’t send a dispatch yesterday. We had a few problems with our solar charger but we are back now. Right now the weather is pretty bad and there’s not much sunlight to charge our electronics.
We finally got to our ABC at 5650m. Its perfect here! We can see a glacial lake with many ice blocks floating. We are not too far from Shishapangma.
The team made it really fast to ABC, only 2 hours from mid camp and still no one is suffering from any altitude problems. We should have a puja (Buddhist ceremony) tomorrow and then start climbing the day after tomorrow. Our plan is to set a half camp between here and camp 1, then reach camp 1 with some good acclimatization behind us.
Here at ABC we have an amazing shower, however we are in the middle of a snow storm and showers are the last thing on our minds.
9 September, 2011
Hi, this is Max Kausch writing a dispatch for the Shishapangma expedition Autumn 2011. This is for September 9th.
We left BC this morning and trekked for about 9km to a very nice spot at 5400m, our Mid Camp. We have amazing views of the valley below from here but we couldn’t see Shishapangma today. The weather seems pretty bad and covered with clouds. These are probably monsoon clouds and we hope they clear in 1or 2 weeks.
Our sirdar Jangbu Sherpa and our kitchen boy Chimmy kept walking to set up ABC at 5800m together with our 16 yaks. We’ll meet them again tomorrow afternoon. Gary and Grace are doing very well and acclimatizing with no problems at all.
8 September, 2011
Hi, this is Max Kausch writing a short dispatch for the Shishapangma Expedition Autumn 2011. This is for September 8th.
Today, after 1 week, we finally saw the route above camp 3 to the top of Shishapangma. We are in our second day of acclimatization at BC, 5000m. Grace and Gary went trekking to the nearby peaks and described amazing views from the top.
We’ll leave BC tomorrow morning with 15 yaks towards advanced basecamp, but we’ll stop for 1 night on the way. The idea is to gain only 300m to help with the acclimatization and cut the 15km walk in half. ABC is fairly high, 5800m, so we have to take it really easy to make sure we are healthy when we get there.
Today we had a very quiet day so there isn’t much to say.

7 September, 2011

Hi, this is Max Kausch writing a dispatch for the Shishapangma Expedition Autumn 2011.This dispatch is for September 7th.
We finally made it to basecamp, at 5000m. The place is beautiful! There’s a grass field where we are and crystal clear river only 20m away from us.
Today was a fairly sad day as we had to say goodbye to the Cho Oyu team. They are heading to Cho Oyu BC right now and we’ll probably see them in Kathmandu after we summit Shishapangma. After the adventures we had together (like the pellet gun war yesterday), we all became good friends and will miss them very much.
After leaving Tingri, the CTMA drove us for about 2 hours and left us here. We set basecamp and will leave this place in the day after tomorrow. >From here on, we are on foot.

6 September, 2011

This is Grace McDonald writing a dispatch for the Shishapangma Expedition Autumn 2011. This is for September 6, 2011.
Battle for Ha Hoo Hotel:
Had an interesting day today in Tingri. It started out innocently enough with breakfast and members heading out for short acclimatization hikes. Some headed out to the old fort in Tingri and others headed up a local hill. Everyone reunited for lunch and then we had an afternoon on our hands. Richie entertained us with some cockney rhyming slang and then me and Gary headed out to grab some last minute items from the local shop. Yesterday we'd done a recon mission and discovered they stocked a healthy supply of plastic weaponry - pellet guns of various design (AK47s, MP5s, Leugers, Shotguns, Berettas etc.). We had pondered the long rest days at ABC that were ahead of us and thought it would be a fun idea to buy a couple of these to pass time. So we decided to go ahead with the plan.
We got back to the room to test out our weapons and fired a few "innocent" shots at the post outside the window. Of course we also took a few shots at each other inside the room. All good fun. So there we were in the room with the window open when pellets started flying through the window. The local shopkeeper, decided it was time for a turf war. We happily returned pellet fire as other members got equipped and joined in the fun. The shopkeeper was joined by friends and we responded from our rooms above. While we had previously been chasing each other around exchanging pellet fire, this surge from the shopkeeper and friends really united the team and a full response was mounted. Paul took the award for the most ingenious combat gear - a garbage can over his head and sunglasses for eye protection. Max stuck to to the puffy down jacket and sunglasses and other donned buffs and hid behind curtains. Protection was essential as the pellets were innocent enough but did leave a bit of a mark that disappeared after an hour or so. Various hits were taken, in the nose, between the eyes, behind the ear, torso, legs, etc. The shopkeeper and friends below us would pop out and take a few shots only to be bombarded with pellets from above. The battle ensued for hours and we laughed non stop - so did the shopkeeper and friends.
In order to capture the action on film I took a short assignment embedded with the enemy on the street. People respected my status as a photo journalist and I was able to avoid an all out assault. The pics were priceless. By this point the locals had gathered to watch, women, children, men on motorcycles and other expedition teams. It was actually quite the event in town. Everyone seemed to get a kick out of it.Things got a bit complicated when we needed to restock on ammo as the shopkeeper who was sending pellets through our window with his friends was our supplier. I was able to safely make a trip down under a cease fire that was only broken by one of the young friends of the local shopkeeper. Paul unfortunately was held for a short while on his ammo run and forced to turn against us in order to gain his freedom. We literally only ceased fire when dinner time arrived.
We gathered in the dining room, shared photos, compared welts and laughed again about how the day had transpired. I guess it's safe to say the team is generally well acclimatized and in good spirits. We're all looking forward to moving to our base camps tomorrow.
Thanks again for following our dispatches.
Grace McDonald

Hi, this is Max Kausch writing a dispatch for the Shishapangma and Cho Oyu expeditions autumn 2011.

We're currently in Nyalam, 3400m. Today was our 2nd acclimatization day and our members trekked to a 4300m ridge nearby. It is quite amazing considering that we only left Kathmandu yesterday. Everyone is feeling amazingly well and the team is getting on very well.

Unfortunately our Brazilian member, Bruno dos Anjos, had to leave Tibet early. He has reached Kathmandu today and will be flying to Brazil very soon. We will miss him very much. Take good care Bruno!

Both teams will move to Tingri tomorrow, which is at 4300m. We will spend 2 nights there and then the 2 teams will split up. Our Shishapangma staff is already on the way to BC and will set up our tents there.

We'll cross a 5200m pass tomorrow and will hopefully see Shishapangma for the first time. Also tomorrow, our teams will be able to see Cho Oyu from near Tingri. The views from there are amazing.

We will keep you updated as much as we can.

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