The steeps
Jon Miller belays Josh Butson above the rock climbing section. Ben Clark led the 5.8ish pitch with no protection through fractured and chossy granite
Posted via email from skithehimalayas’s posterous
The steeps
Jon Miller belays Josh Butson above the rock climbing section. Ben Clark led the 5.8ish pitch with no protection through fractured and chossy granite
Posted via email from skithehimalayas’s posterous
The view from up here
Looking West toward 27,776′ Makalu’s tremendous West face. The East ridge of Baruntse is dropping into the center of the photo.
Posted via email from skithehimalayas’s posterous
Camp 2 view, 20,000′
The view from Camp 2. 27,776′ Makalu is in the background. From here we will begin another difficult technical section. Because this a first ascent, we don’t know how hard or how long it may take.
Posted via email from skithehimalayas’s posterous
Leaving Camp one
We left camp one today to get into a solid and protected position near the base of the real technical climbing. The route looks good it is located where the rock meets the snow above and right of the smallest climber. We will begin processing the 1400-1600′ rib early tomorrow morning.
Posted via email from skithehimalayas’s posterous
CNN interview from 19,567′ Camp one
We did another interview with CNN last night from camp one. Check it out at the link, I believe they did some really nice graphic work. We’re doing fine and moved to camp two at the base of the steep climbing…20,000′
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2009/05/07/dcl.clark.himalayas.skiing.cnn?iref=videosearch
Posted via email from skithehimalayas’s posterous
Dispatch 13: 19,567′ Camp one
Like steerage tucked away in a nook on the Titanic we lay in a bed of down sleeping bags,air mattresses packs and ropes leveling out our tiny perch on a shelf of ice on the East ridge of 23,390′ Baruntse. We are trifled by the massive scale of this Himalayan mountain. High winds are buffeting the slopes with gusts of over 20 mph, the kind of icy blasts that steal your breath and send you into the slope. We’re comfortable here though, the tent is a Mountain Hardwear Trango 3.1 and we have it nailed to the ground with ice screws. Getting here yesterday took 10 hours. We covered the long ankle snapping morraine from basecamp and then began the 1200′ ascent on loose ground and steep technical ice to the ridge. We deliberated at the base for a little while rocks came down the gully that led us here. We found their trajectory very predictable, much more so than the morraine which has strained and swelled my left ankle and popped my right one into a painful fit. I couldn’t be happier putting on ski boots and climbing! The stiffness was very welcome.
Nearing the mid section of the gully, Josh had won some serious ground. Half frozen,half sand and full value footsteps that slid up down and to either side…this is the terrain that San Juan Mountain climbers are familiar with. After reaching a small shelf I took over the lead for the final 800 feet. Roping together and anticipating some exposure,we travelled through a steep bottleneck of 55° snow that then led to my favorite climbing-ice!
Above the bottleneck was a classic 200′ pitch of blue ice leading us into a brooding sky. In my ski boots, with 3 ice screws for protection from a long and debilitating fall, I cruised through 70° terrain to top out and bring Jon and Josh up. Maybe you have to there, but we are certainly some of the only climbers in the world who trust our ski boots enough with this type of terrain and utilize them here. I hope that more climbers will make the switch for big routes on high mountains. Climbing has always been a great motivator in my life, skiing…a guilty pleasure.
Now that we can finally,for the first time, see the rib of rock and ice on the NE face that we have come to climb,the seriousness of our endeavor courses through our every thought. Yesterday might be the most difficult portion of a lot of routes in the Himalaya…for us,it was merely a cheerful warmup. We have a committing endeavor before us, a 1400 foot rib of 85° steep ice with short sections of fractured granite. At the top of this feature we will still be 2300′ from the summit and still carrying our 50lb packs to reach what we ultimately came here for; a first ski descent of the SE ridge.
We will make it. Now that we sit here we’re committed to making it. Reversing the terrain from yesterday just wouldn’t be any fun. Plus, we have daily Texas Hold em tournaments and I think I have a real chance at beating Jon up higher (it’s his first trip here)
I’ll do my best to post photos and some audio at www.skithehimalayas.com So check back daily, there will always be something interesting going on. My battery power will be limited though, so only the good stuff will make it As for the first ascent/traverse/first descent and it’s timetable…we hope to be done in under 7 days from now. Although the terrain is safe, we have to patiently observe around it to ensure our safety. Having no prior information makes us prudent, we have great lives to return to.
Live the dream and have some fun for us!
Ben Clark
Posted via email from skithehimalayas’s posterous
New photos and CNN interview
Folks,
We have made it to 19,567′ on the East ridge, our access to the NE Face. I just posted sone new pictures and will be doing a CNN interview around 10:45ish EST. A link will follow when I get it.
We encountered some steep ice and mixed conditions while ascending the tight gully adter the 4 hour approach from basecamp. We all feel great and can see our route and are poised to make it happen over the next week!
Live it!!!!!
Ben Clark
Posted via email from skithehimalayas’s posterous
The view worth working for!
A view out the front door of the tent, facing the East ridge.
Posted via email from skithehimalayas’s posterous
The last steep section to camp
Ben Clark in the lead at over 19,000′ on 60° blue ice.