OTHER Trip Report 10/16/2011

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Manaslu - 26781
Date Posted	10/16/2011
Date Climbed	10/05/2011
Author	RobertKay

First successful 8,000 meter peak
I left for Nepal on August 30, 2011 and arrived in Kathmandu the following day. I was joining an expedition to Manaslu, the 8th highest peak in the world, led by Phil Crampton of Altitude Junkies. Phil did an exceptional job for us - the best base camp and food I've had on any of my climbs. On September 2 we drove for about 4 hours in a small van and then another 7 hours in the back of a large Indian 4x4 dump truck over a very rutted and muddy road. Manaslu from Sama Goan Driving to Arughet Once we arrived in Arughet (1,500' elevation) there was some last minute loading of the last of our 175 porters and then we headed north to Sama Goan on a six day trek. The scenery was varied and beautiful, but the weather was oppressively hot. I found I couldn't drink enough to keep up with the losses through sweating and was pretty dehydrated much of the time. Once at Sama Goan (11,500') and the weather was cooler, I felt much better. We spent three days in Sama Goan for safe acclimatizing before ascending to base camp at 15,900'. Trekking to Sama Goan Local kids on the trek Porters choosing their loads Base camp Manaslu, from base camp. The true summit is hidden from here. The local lama blessing our climb at the puja ceremony Preparing to ski from Camp 1, early in the trip. We made a few acclimatization climbs to crampon point at 16,800', Camp 1 at 18,700' and Camp 2 at 20,700' before making our first unsuccessful summit bid on September 23/24. We were forced to cut this short due to too much snow and we sat at base camp in miserable weather for several days. Things finally cleared up, but we needed to both wait for the new snow to consolidate and for an appropriate good weather window. Camp 1 on failed first attempt after big snowfall. View down-valley from base camp Manaslu from crampon point Phil decided things were good for an October 1 departure with an October 5 summit. Eight of the team members left on 10/1, but I and Anne-Marie (a professional marathoner from Finland and prior Everest summiteer) waited to the 2nd and went directly to Camp 2, thus avoiding an extra night up high with it's associated lack of sleep and food. Leaving for the summit push The tradeoff is that you are pushing yourself harder. Fortunately the plan paid off and we spent a total of 6 hours and 50 minutes climbing vs 12 hours total when we weren't very acclimated two weeks prior. The weather was quite warm and I climbed in shirt sleeves. I slept pretty well at Camp 2, but food was a big problem and I lost most of my breakfast. The climb on 10/3 to C3 only took 2:20. The snow looked ripe for skiing! Looking towards Camp 3 from Camp 2 Tents at Camp 2 Tents at Camp 3 We hung out in our tent all day (my teammate on the mountain was a friend from the Czech Republic named Karel Masek. I met him last year on Everest.) which we shared with Pasang Gombu Sherpa. He made water and generally helped us, along with being a fun companion. Pasang Gombu Sherpa making water The next day we headed up to C4. This was described to us as being not much harder than the C2-C3 day. I doubted this for several reasons and boy was I right (unfortunately!). The climb seemed endless, was very cold and at times was very steep. I was wearing ski boots and my feet became very cold. Two times I stopped, removed my boots and warmed my feet by putting them into either Karel's or Pasang's jackets under their arms. Yes, not something you relish, but when you are desperate... I thought I had them under control, but then in a very tough, steep area we found ourselves caught behind a very slow Japanese lady and my feet got too cold. I was desperate to warm up and finally took a chance, unclipped from the fixed rope, pulled out and passed about 7 people. I finally started to warm up, but it took a huge amount of my reserve. Upon finally arriving at C4, I vomited again. During the night I coughed so hard that I vomited yet again. Climbing from Camp 3 to Camp 4 Climbing from Camp 3 to Camp 4 We were scheduled to head for the summit at midnight, but it was very windy and the group all felt we should wait. Things improved at daybreak and everyone but me left around 6 am. I decided to wait till 8 in light of my cold feet issues. (Mountaineering boots are dramatically warmer than my ultra lightweight ski-mountaineering boots). Pasang Gombu and I took off, but it was very slow going. I felt that now that I was wearing my down suit and was using oxygen, my feet would be okay. The problem would be that we may not have enough time, especially if the weather started to change. Pasang Gombu (PG as I nicknamed him) carried a second oxygen bottle for me plus my extra water and also my skis - I did carry them up to C4! - and yet I couldn't go as fast as him, this in spite of him not using oxygen. The Sherpa people are truly super men at altitude. Pasang Gombu heading to the summit from Camp 4. Yes, I let him carry my skis for this last part! After two hours, my hypoxic brain is doing the math and I realize we won't reach the top till 4 or 5 pm, much too late to be safe. I gambled and had PG crank up the flow rate from 2.5 liters per minute to 4 lpm. Immediately I was going faster; almost double the rate of ascent. It seems like my body requires oxygen! Doubts would come and go as I watched the time vs my altitude. At one point, a member of the team that left a 6 am gave up and this almost caused me to return, but I decided to not turn back until 2:30, weather permitting. About 600' below the summit I found two of our team rescuing a stranger who had collapsed and lain in the snow for perhaps an hour or more. Anyway, Anne-Marie gave him an injection of dexamethasone directly through his down pants (we all carried this medicine). Ian, another team mate from Wales, gave up his own oxygen tank and mask and went down without it. This is highly dangerous as his body was depending on it and the shock of suddenly losing your oxygen can kill you. Greater love hath no man than to lay down his own life. Truly an amazing thing to watch. Anyway, all that drama ended well and PG and I hit the afterburners and went as fast as we could for the summit. We were blessed with unbelievable weather and reached the final short ridge at 2:25. Another small gamble and we went up the final 15 minutes thus breaking my 2:30 rule. We savored our summit. I felt like crying. We took pictures. We were overwhelmed by the beauty. For about ten minutes we were the two highest people on the planet. The final few yards to the summit Annapurna Range and Dhaulagiri from the summit Finally made it to the top! Woohoo! Self-portrait with Pasang Gombu Sherpa. We couldn't push our luck any more so we started down. PG had left my skis about 50' below the summit and with enormous difficulty I put them on and headed down. The snow was mostly rock hard, some ice, lots of wind ridges, breakable crust and a tiny bit of avalanche debris. Not good when you can breathe, really tough when you can't. It was also very steep in places and of course you need to be aware of crevasses. I needed one hour to ski the 2,800' down to C4. Preparing for the descent. Partly down from the summit to Camp 4 I rested and tried to eat for an hour and decided to carry my skis down the dangerous part on the way to C3 and then light permitting, ski to C2. I was so tired and slow that it was well and truly dark by the time I hit the skiable portion and I walked all the way to C2. I slept pretty well and headed down again at 7 the next day. I skied part of the way to C1, but down climbed much of it. I was really beat. I then skied all the way from C1 to crampon point (the place where the snow and ice ends and you remove your crampons). I put my skis on my pack and slowly walked down the rocky trail to our base camp, completely used up. Our team of awesome Sherpas. Hanging out with Pasang Gombu Sherpa During these five days, I vomited four times, ate one cup of soup, 1/4 of a freeze dried dinner and perhaps 4 or 5 candy bars. I drank maybe five liters of water in total. Towards the end I went almost 24 hours without going to the bathroom. I was so thirsty my tongue hurt, yet I couldn't eat or drink other than in tiny portions. Five of our team turned back anywhere from C2 to above C4 for various reasons. Karel who summited Everest last year says he would rather climb Everest 10 times than Manaslu once because it was so hard. I don't know if his memory is faulty, but it is an indication of the difficulties involved. I know all of this doesn't sound like fun, but somehow it all is good and I had a wonderful trip. Your brain has a way of minimizing the pain and maximizing the pleasure. The beauty was inspiring, the group got along very well and our base camp was about as good as you could reasonably expect in such a high, remote location. Phil was an amazing leader. On 10/7 we walked down to the village of Sama Goan and the following morning we got up early and caught three helis to Kathmandu. I was able to claim the co-pilot seat and had a wonderful ride. After 42 minutes of flying we were in Kathmandu. Twenty minutes later, Karel and I walked into the Hyatt to take full advantage of their all-you-can-eat breakfast. We made it like our climb with the first trip through being base camp, the second trip being Camp 1, etc. BC, C1, all the way to the summit meant six laps through with a full plate each time. We were hurting after that, but were so craving good, tasty food after 37 days away from civilization and 28 days at or above 16,000'. Local kids in Sama Goan. You have to love their choice of playthings! Back in Kathmandu, visiting my daughter's half-sister I firmly believe that anyone with even a passing interest in mountains owes it to themselves to make the trip to Nepal. The mountains there are so much larger and more spectacular than anything in the US. I felt like I needed to "re-calibrate" my neck the first time I went as I wasn't accustomed to looking up that high. But beyond the mountains, the Nepali people and especially the Sherpas, will blow you away. Their quiet strength and endurance plus their tremendous sense of humor will leave you in awe. The country is cheap to travel to, cheap to live in, has great food and offers limitless adventure. To paraphrase Warren Miller, "if you don't go to Nepal this year, you will be one year older when you do." Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

First successful 8,000 meter peak

I left for Nepal on August 30, 2011 and arrived in Kathmandu the following day. I was joining an expedition to Manaslu, the 8th highest peak in the world, led by Phil Crampton of Altitude Junkies. Phil did an exceptional job for us - the best base camp and food I've had on any of my climbs. On September 2 we drove for about 4 hours in a small van and then another 7 hours in the back of a large Indian 4x4 dump truck over a very rutted and muddy road.

Once we arrived in Arughet (1,500' elevation) there was some last minute loading of the last of our 175 porters and then we headed north to Sama Goan on a six day trek. The scenery was varied and beautiful, but the weather was oppressively hot. I found I couldn't drink enough to keep up with the losses through sweating and was pretty dehydrated much of the time. Once at Sama Goan (11,500') and the weather was cooler, I felt much better. We spent three days in Sama Goan for safe acclimatizing before ascending to base camp at 15,900'.

Manaslu, from base camp. The true summit is hidden from here.

The local lama blessing our climb at the puja ceremony

Preparing to ski from Camp 1, early in the trip.

We made a few acclimatization climbs to crampon point at 16,800', Camp 1 at 18,700' and Camp 2 at 20,700' before making our first unsuccessful summit bid on September 23/24. We were forced to cut this short due to too much snow and we sat at base camp in miserable weather for several days. Things finally cleared up, but we needed to both wait for the new snow to consolidate and for an appropriate good weather window.

Camp 1 on failed first attempt after big snowfall.

Phil decided things were good for an October 1 departure with an October 5 summit. Eight of the team members left on 10/1, but I and Anne-Marie (a professional marathoner from Finland and prior Everest summiteer) waited to the 2nd and went directly to Camp 2, thus avoiding an extra night up high with it's associated lack of sleep and food.

The tradeoff is that you are pushing yourself harder. Fortunately the plan paid off and we spent a total of 6 hours and 50 minutes climbing vs 12 hours total when we weren't
very acclimated two weeks prior. The weather was quite warm and I climbed in
shirt sleeves.

I slept pretty well at Camp 2, but food was a big problem and I lost most of my
breakfast. The climb on 10/3 to C3 only took 2:20. The snow looked ripe for
skiing!

We hung out in our tent all day (my teammate on the mountain was a friend
from the Czech Republic named Karel Masek. I met him last year on Everest.)
which we shared with Pasang Gombu Sherpa. He made water and generally helped us,
along with being a fun companion.

The next day we headed up to C4. This was described to us as being not much
harder than the C2-C3 day. I doubted this for several reasons and boy was I
right (unfortunately!). The climb seemed endless, was very cold and at times was
very steep. I was wearing ski boots and my feet became very cold. Two times I
stopped, removed my boots and warmed my feet by putting them into either Karel's or
Pasang's jackets under their arms. Yes, not something you relish, but when you
are desperate... I thought I had them under control, but then in a very tough,
steep area we found ourselves caught behind a very slow Japanese lady and my
feet got too cold. I was desperate to warm up and finally took a chance,
unclipped from the fixed rope, pulled out and passed about 7 people. I finally
started to warm up, but it took a huge amount of my reserve. Upon finally
arriving at C4, I vomited again. During the night I coughed so hard that I
vomited yet again.

We were scheduled to head for the summit at midnight, but it was very windy and
the group all felt we should wait. Things improved at daybreak and everyone but
me left around 6 am. I decided to wait till 8 in light of my cold feet issues.
(Mountaineering boots are dramatically warmer than my ultra lightweight
ski-mountaineering boots). Pasang Gombu and I took off, but it was very slow
going. I felt that now that I was wearing my down suit and was using oxygen,
my feet would be okay. The problem would be that we may not have enough time,
especially if the weather started to change.

Pasang Gombu (PG as I nicknamed him) carried a second oxygen bottle for me plus
my extra water and also my skis - I did carry them up to C4! - and yet I
couldn't go as fast as him, this in spite of him not using oxygen. The Sherpa
people are truly super men at altitude.

Pasang Gombu heading to the summit from Camp 4. Yes, I let him carry my skis for this last part!

After two hours, my hypoxic brain is doing the math and I realize we won't reach
the top till 4 or 5 pm, much too late to be safe. I gambled and had PG crank up
the flow rate from 2.5 liters per minute to 4 lpm. Immediately I was going
faster; almost double the rate of ascent. It seems like my body requires oxygen!

Doubts would come and go as I watched the time vs my altitude. At one point, a
member of the team that left a 6 am gave up and this almost caused me to return,
but I decided to not turn back until 2:30, weather permitting. About 600' below
the summit I found two of our team rescuing a stranger who had collapsed and
lain in the snow for perhaps an hour or more. Anyway, Anne-Marie gave him an
injection of dexamethasone directly through his down pants (we all carried this
medicine). Ian, another team mate from Wales, gave up his own oxygen tank and mask and went down without it. This is highly dangerous as his body was depending on it and the shock of suddenly losing your oxygen can kill you. Greater love hath no man than to lay
down his own life. Truly an amazing thing to watch.

Anyway, all that drama ended well and PG and I hit the afterburners and went as
fast as we could for the summit. We were blessed with unbelievable weather and
reached the final short ridge at 2:25. Another small gamble and we went up the
final 15 minutes thus breaking my 2:30 rule. We savored our summit. I felt like
crying. We took pictures. We were overwhelmed by the beauty. For about ten
minutes we were the two highest people on the planet.

Annapurna Range and Dhaulagiri from the summit

We couldn't push our luck any more so we started down. PG had left my skis about
50' below the summit and with enormous difficulty I put them on and headed down.
The snow was mostly rock hard, some ice, lots of wind ridges, breakable crust
and a tiny bit of avalanche debris. Not good when you can breathe, really tough
when you can't. It was also very steep in places and of course you need to be
aware of crevasses. I needed one hour to ski the 2,800' down to C4.

I rested and tried to eat for an hour and decided to carry my skis down the
dangerous part on the way to C3 and then light permitting, ski to C2. I was so
tired and slow that it was well and truly dark by the time I hit the skiable
portion and I walked all the way to C2. I slept pretty well and headed down
again at 7 the next day. I skied part of the way to C1, but down climbed much
of it. I was really beat. I then skied all the way from C1 to crampon point (the
place where the snow and ice ends and you remove your crampons). I put my skis
on my pack and slowly walked down the rocky trail to our base camp, completely
used up.

During these five days, I vomited four times, ate one cup of soup, 1/4 of a
freeze dried dinner and perhaps 4 or 5 candy bars. I drank maybe five liters of
water in total. Towards the end I went almost 24 hours without going to the
bathroom. I was so thirsty my tongue hurt, yet I couldn't eat or drink other
than in tiny portions.

Five of our team turned back anywhere from C2 to above C4 for various reasons.
Karel who summited Everest last year says he would rather climb Everest 10 times
than Manaslu once because it was so hard. I don't know if his memory is faulty,
but it is an indication of the difficulties involved.

I know all of this doesn't sound like fun, but somehow it all is good and I had
a wonderful trip. Your brain has a way of minimizing the pain and maximizing the
pleasure. The beauty was inspiring, the group got along very well and our base
camp was about as good as you could reasonably expect in such a high, remote
location. Phil was an amazing leader.

On 10/7 we walked down to the village of Sama Goan and the following morning we got
up early and caught three helis to Kathmandu. I was able to claim the co-pilot
seat and had a wonderful ride. After 42 minutes of flying we were in Kathmandu.
Twenty minutes later, Karel and I walked into the Hyatt to take full advantage
of their all-you-can-eat breakfast. We made it like our climb with the first
trip through being base camp, the second trip being Camp 1, etc. BC, C1, all
the way to the summit meant six laps through with a full plate each time. We
were hurting after that, but were so craving good, tasty food after 37 days away
from civilization and 28 days at or above 16,000'.

Local kids in Sama Goan. You have to love their choice of playthings!

Back in Kathmandu, visiting my daughter's half-sister

I firmly believe that anyone with even a passing interest in mountains owes it to themselves to make the trip to Nepal. The mountains there are so much larger and more spectacular than anything in the US. I felt like I needed to "re-calibrate" my neck the first time I went as I wasn't accustomed to looking up that high. But beyond the mountains, the Nepali people and especially the Sherpas, will blow you away. Their quiet strength and endurance plus their tremendous sense of humor will leave you in awe. The country is cheap to travel to, cheap to live in, has great food and offers limitless adventure. To paraphrase Warren Miller, "if you don't go to Nepal this year, you will be one year older when you do."

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

TheOtherIndian	Wow 10/16/2011 5:36pm Awesome! Congrats!
sevenvii	Awesome 10/16/2011 5:45pm Way to get it done in the Himalaya!
ulvetano	amazing 10/16/2011 7:43pm thanks for the write-up and the inspiration. and very cool you got the descent on your skis!
Theodore	Very nice! 10/16/2011 9:30pm At least one 8000m peak is on my life's to do list. Very nice TR and congrats on the summit!
RJansen77	Wow! 10/16/2011 10:35pm That is an awesome achievement, huge congrats!
michelle	Amazing 10/17/2011 1:12am The stamina, endurance and will to get this done are incomprehensible! (to me anyway!) Congratulations and thank you for posting your trip.
Kzar	Fantastic 10/17/2011 2:30am Great photos and accomplishment. Can't even attempt to think about carrying skiis up that high. Wow! One of these days I will be there, one of these days..... thanks for the inspiration.
mt_turtle	Thanks for the Journey! 10/17/2011 3:23am Most of us will never experience the Himalayas. Thanks for bringing us along, AWESOME!!
astrobassman	Congrats 10/17/2011 4:48am Manaslu is such a great looking mountain. Looks much more interesting than Cho Oyu, which seems to be losing climbers to Manaslu. Thanks for posting this.
zdero1	Congrats!! 10/17/2011 6:21am ...and thank you very much for sharing! What an incredible accomplishment. I look forward to reading about your future endeavors, including your first successful summit of Everest!
jpfeif001	A Great Inspiration!! 10/17/2011 7:22am Incredible, so great that you achieved this amazing climb. Someday... Someday...
jbchalk	Nice work, Robert 10/17/2011 3:53pm A solid effort and congrats on your 1st 8000m peak! 8000m peak climbing sure aint pretty all the time, thats for sure :)
Furthermore	Excellent. 10/17/2011 7:13pm Very cool. Thanks for sharing.
CRAIGO	Great Trip! 10/17/2011 9:40pm I enjoyed reading your story. It sounds like a great adventure. I also liked the 1 John 3:16 reference. It's nice to see people helping their fellow brothers. Congrats on the 8000m!
MountainHiker	Congrats 10/17/2011 9:42pm great stuff, nice report
kushrocks	Congrats!!! 10/20/2011 7:57pm That is absolutely unreal. So what is next on the list?
RobertKay	Thanks 10/20/2011 11:32pm Thanks for all the kind comments. As far as future plans, I am hoping to give Everest another try next spring provided I can work out some family obligations. My son graduates from university on May 5 and I won't miss being there for him. This means I would need to fly to California right in the middle of the climb. It's been done by others but is a huge distraction in the middle of a pretty serious climb. More importantly, my wife and I are exploring the idea of sponsoring Lhakpa (my daughter's half-sister) and bringing her here for education and medical attention for her eyes.
Dancesatmoonrise	Beautiful photos 10/23/2011 4:46am Wow. Thanks so much for sharing such an incredible place and adventure!
Kevo	Great Report, Congrats! 12/3/2011 4:52am Thanks for sharing. Email sent w/ some questions!
Mindy	Nepal...... 7/17/2012 1:18pm Amazing. I hope to one day visit. Thank you for sharing.
MountainMedic	You skied off an 8000m peak 9/13/2012 11:09pm You skied off an 8000m peak. Speechless.
I Man	... 9/24/2012 5:12pm .... :shock: That is all.

Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.

Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.

14ers.com

Social

Mobile App