Musings of a himalayan rookie
div class=’posterous_autopost’span style=”FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-WEIGHT: Normal;”Well, the first thing that I have to say is that Nepal is someplace that can not be explained. I’d read the literature, seen the films, and had the conversations with people who have been here. None of it truly prepares you for the real thing. The sights and smells of Nepal overwhelm you from every side. You have to be here to understand.p /I consider myself very lucky to be a part of this expedition. I’m here with my good friends Ben and Josh, and have been able to share the approach with my girlfriend M’Lin. And what an experience it has been!p /When you think of Nepal, the first thing that usually comes to mind is MOUNTAINS. So even though I had been warned, it came as a shock when we landed our little Twin Otter on the grass strip of Tumlingtar in the middle of the jungle, with out a peak in sight.p /One of the most striking features of Nepal are the people. It is almost like the people are genetically predisposed to be friendly. From the greeting of Namaste, to the rarely said yet deeply felt thank you of Dhanyabhad, the people I have met are kind and helpful. p /This adventure has been a lot about perspective for me. It is difficult to get used to having people carry my gear, set up camp, and cook our meals. Yet as the trek went on, I realized that you can’t do a trip like this on your own, the scale is to large. In addition, this is their job, and it is a continuation of the daily reality here. There are few roads and few pack animals. If goods are to travel from place to place, it will be on the back of a porter. By using porters we add to the local economy, and more importantly have the opportunity to interact with some pretty cool people.p /Now that we are at base camp, I can think about the climb we are going to undertake. If I break it down, it all makes sense. Base camp is just under 17,000ft. The summit of Baruntse is at 23,390, so a gain of 6,390ft or so. I’ve done that before. The ski will be something under that, conditions allowing. Big, but not too big. So intellectually, big but doable. That doesn’t stop me from looking out the tent door at Makalu, Lhotse, Everest, and saying Holy Sh–!p /This was a bit of a ramble, but so much to say! Hi mom amp; dad!/spanp style=”font-size: 10px;” a href=”http://posterous.com”Posted via email/a from a href=”http://skithehimalayas.posterous.com/musings-of-a-himalayan-rookie-0″skithehimalayas’s posterous/a /p/div
Been a while…
div class=’posterous_autopost’For those who followed Baruntse 2009, the expedition was unlike any other. If you didn’t follow it, you can start here: br / br / a href=”http://skithehimalayas.com/blog/category/baruntse-2009-blog-dispatches/”http://skithehimalayas.com/blog/category/baruntse-2009-blog-dispatches//a br / br / Great partners, great mountain, solid attempt. But now we didn’t quite finish did we? br / br / This year, I will return with partner Jon Miller to work another section of our project in the Himalayas. We will climb and ski the SE ridge of 23,390′ Baruntse to record a first ski descent on this peak. I feel lucky to be able to return with such a renewed interest in completing this goal. I feel like all last years climb did was awaken me to really grab life by the horns. We aimed to do complete a first ascent to the summit, a first ski descent on a seperate aspect and accomplish a traverse in one shot… and nearly had it. br / br / But appetites for risk must succumb to mother natures impersonal disdain for Alpinists. Drive has never been a problem for the three of us who sat in the tent last year for 5 days at 21,500′ in a storm that crushed us daily. Resting on a ledge halfway to space and wondering about tomorrow is no way to go through life though is it? Such is adventure, the element of change. br / br / I was grumpy inside as the dream of summiting shattered and we fell back to earth slowly rescuing our partner, then abysmal in the monsoon while willing myself downhill through red mud last May. I felt the remnants of giving it all I had washing over me in sheets of rain peeling 40 layers of sunscreen off my face. It is amazing what opportunities began to surface when I came home from Nepal last year a new man with respect for life and love I hadn’t known before. br / br / This year has brought me so much to appreciate. I love my wife now more than ever, our dog is healthy, I got to see my nieces…it has been more family centric despite racking up frequent flyer miles. I also quit my job at PLUM TV in the fall, that ended a streak of full time employment of 5 years. br / br / I have been exploring and documenting the world since quitting my job, waking to sunrises on the sea of Cortez , climbing ice on the shore of Lake Superior in Michigan and revamping a company I founded in 2002. Going for it, applying my experience, exploring each day with enthusiasm for the moments I reach within it. br / br / Sure it’s scary out there. Life is turbulent, the pace has been relentless and I’ve communicated little about my adventures. Today though, I paused and reflected for a few reasons. Most importantly, that we’re moving forward with this expedition Jon Miller and I have departed for Nepal and we are returning to ski. br / br / That would only have been possible if we hadn’t gone last year. And gone for it. br / br / I hope you’ll get to know Jon better this year and follow us to basecamp via our blog. Today, you can get a sense for the mountain through our video podcast series at the link below: br / br / a href=”http://skithehimalayas.com/blog/category/ski-the-himalayas-video-podcast/”http://skithehimalayas.com/blog/category/ski-the-himalayas-video-podcast//a br / br / Our climb will lead us to going about working the route in a different way, seeing the side we didn’t last year. Baruntse by any route is a rewarding endeavor, accessing the heights will surely inspire. I’ve viewed some cool content online and feel certain it will have exciting and technical ice pitches, but also some great skiing accessed in a fun way…from the summit! br / br / Follow the approach to the summit as we land in Kathmandu tonight and begin our journey to the mountain this weekend. br / br / Live The Dream, br / br / Ben Clarkp style=”font-size: 10px;” a href=”http://posterous.com”Posted via email/a from a href=”http://skithehimalayas.posterous.com/been-a-while-31″skithehimalayas’s posterous/a /p/div
Ski The Himalayas Episode 009
“About as stable as Kitty Litter” is the insiders look at the ninth of 14 episodes of raw footage used in the upcoming Ski The Himalayas film.
Ben Clark, Josh Butson and Jon Miller have figured out a line that will lead them up 23,390′ Baruntse in the Nepali Himalaya. This episode starts with stir craziness in basecamp and leads the to the first camp on a high mountain saddle. The team begins the climb and the conditions are classic Himalayan.
[vimeo 10685803 500 282]