Korzhenevskaya And Ismoil Somoni 2014

17th Aug – We are now in Dushanbe after a very exciting helicopter ride via Djirgital. The weather is much warmer here and we are going to have a short nights sleep before our flight leave early tomorrow. We have had a great time but we are looking forward to getting home to see our friends and family soon.

15th August – We had a wonderful last day/summit party yesterday with lots of food, drink and dancing which really ended the trip nicely. We almost made it from Base Camp before the storm but we were one day to late. We were hoping to get our helicopter back to Dushanbe today but the clouds came in this morning and it started snowing. It looks like the weather is going to be bad again tomorrow so we are hoping we can leave on the 17th. Although we are a little disappointed not to have left BC, our spirits are high and we are enjoying relaxing, laughing and joking.

12th Aug – We are at base camp enjoying a well deserved rest day, tea and beer. We are all still tired and a little beat up but extremely happy.

The weather has been very stable for the past week and although it has been warm in the day, the nights have been quite chilly. The wind got up to about 35kph up high which didn’t cause us a problem.

As for our summit day, it really couldn’t have gone much better. We woke up about 5:30 and we were walking at 6:30 as the sun was shining on us. After some really enjoyable ridge walking, we got to the summit within 5 hours. It often takes many groups 6-7 hours so we were really pleased with that. Apart from being a strong group, I think we achieved this time due to such a good acclimatization process. This route has a great alpine feel with some amazing views.

Overall, I think we found Korzhenevskaya a little more challenging than we expected. There were sections that were very committing due to icy slopes or exposed ridges with some huge drop-offs. We took these areas slowly and safely but after talking to the guys, this highly improved the enjoyment of the route for everybody.

Although we were extremely tired last night, we all enjoyed a nice cooked meal for our return. On top of this, a cake was made for Richards birthday. After a few laughs, songs and beers, we retired to bed by about 9pm for a great nights sleep. Martin

11th Aug – Martin has reported in to say the team are now all down at base camp, tired, but happy with there success.

10th Aug – Great success, 9 climbers summit Peak Korzhenevskaya a fantastic 7000m peak in Taijikistan. Congratulations to Richard, Lowry, Simon, Michael, Abi, Geoff and our three guides they reached the summit at 11.30am on a stunningly clear day and are now back at high camp. They will descend down to BC tomorrow.

6th Aug – Hi all. Well, we have had our toughest day yet. It was from camp I to camp 2. The weather was beautiful which didn’t actually make it any easier for us as it was so hot. It now feels like we have got on to the mountain and participated in some real mountaineering.

We all slept relatively well considering the height (5900m) and we all got back down to BC safely.

We are now enjoying a well earned rest day and planning to head back up for our summit attempt tomorrow. All being well, we plan to top out on the 10th. The weather is looking good so we will give it our best effort. The next time I will be in touch, I will hopefully have some good news. Martin

2nd Aug – Martin has emailed in from base camp to say the team have successfully made their stash at camp 1. They said it was tough going but well worth the effort. The team celebrated Russian style with some fine cheese, bread, ham & tuna. Today is a rest day with the plan to head back up to camp 1 tomorrow and then onto camp 2 on the 4th Aug.

31st July – Although it is a rest day for us today, we have been quite busy. We have been sorting out food and equipment to take up the mountain as tomorrow is our first drop off at camp one.

Base camp is quite comfortable really. We are located about 25mins helicopter ride down a valley with giant majestic mountains either side of us. At the head of the glacier where it Y splits is Ismoil Somoni and just to the left of us is Korzhenevskaya. Lucky for us, there is a dining area where we are cooked for. They are always traditional meals so they are soup based on often quite interesting. Since we arrived, the weather has been very varied. The first few days were very hot and sunny. The last few days were quite cloudy and we have had a few snow showers. The next few days look to be nice so we are looking forward to that for our acclimatization days. Wupse are all feeling well, strong and ready for what we have ahead of us.

The locals decided to play a little volley ball today. Although we would have liked to join in, we thought it would be best to wait until after our summit attempt.

We are all having a great time here but we are also thinking of you back home.

Till next time, take care.

30th July – Unfortunately, one of our clients had to leave base camp today due to the dreaded attitude sickness. He left via the helicopter to Dushanbe this afternoon and he will now be at the fancy hotel living it up. The rest of the team and I wish him all the best and look forward to catching up with him on another expedition sometime soon. As for the rest of the team, they summited Vorobyova peak today. (5691m) Congratulations to them and they will enjoy a well earned rest day tomorrow before we start to head up on Korzhenevskaya.

29th July – The team just before they set off to attempt Vorobiova peak at 5691m. We hope to have an update soon on their progress.

27th July – A report from Martin today to says that the team are all well and in good spirits and have spent the last 2 days doing acclimatisation walks. The weather has been very good and they have been enjoying the heat in basecamp. Tomorrow they will do more acclimatisation and aim to head up to about 5000m if possible or as near as they can.

24th July – The team have now all arrived safely in Dushanbe, tired but all is well. The group have to buy their supplies before heading to Dzhirgital where they will then take the helicopter to Moskviva Glade where base camp is located.