Summitclimb Cho Oyu Expedition Autumn 2006: Tibet

Greetings from Tibet! Yesterday morning we departed Kathmandu and drove to the Tibetan border town of Zhangmu at 2500m. After going through immigration we had lunch and  then continued to the town of Nyalam at 3750m, where we spent the night. Today we are resting and acclimatising in Nyalam. Most members went for a walk in the surrounding hills to an altitude of around 4400m to assist our acclimatisation. From these hills we had excellent views of Shishapangma, the worlds 14th highest mountain. We will stay in Nyalam again tonight and tomorrow we will continue to the village of Tingri at around 4300m. All members are doing well and the weather has been perfect. Lets hope it continues!

For those readers unfamiliar with what 'acclimatisation' means, it basically means that as the human body goes to higher elevations, where each breath contains fewer oxygen molecules, the human body recognizes that it is not getting enough oxygen to supply the brain and other body parts. Being a very smart machine, the human body subconciously begins to produce more oxygen carrying red blood cells to compensate for this deficiency. As oxygen levels return to 'normal' due to this production of red blood cells and hence oxygen carrying capacity, the body is said to have 'acclimatised'. The ability to acclimatise varies with different people. For most people the acclimatisation process continues to around 7000m above which, except in exceptional athletes, the human body is unable to produce enough red blood cells to allow normal body oxygenation. This of course affects climbing performance. Hence many climbers choose to use supplemental oxygen when climbing above this altitude.

More soon,

Philip Ling on behalf of Summitclimb.com

Summitclimb Cho Oyu 2006 Expedition Team:

Dan Mazur. England and USA. Expedition organiser. 

Phil Crampton. England and USA. Expedition Leader.

Arnold Coster. Holland. Expedition Leader. 

Philip Ling.  Australia and St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria. Expedition leader in training.

Philippe Caboche. France.

Alain Denamiel. France.

Martin Holton. England and Belgium.

Samuli Mansikka. Finland.

Jere Pettersson. Finland.

Thomas Sexton. USA.

David Cole. Australia.

Lee Farmer. UK.

Stephen Lawes. UK.

Jason Marsh. USA.

Stephen Marsh. UK.

Stephen Backshall. UK.

Paul Burgess. Canada.

Gianfranco Valente. Italy.

Michael Hsu. USA and China.

Dispatch Index

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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