Lhapka Ri & North Col Expedition September 2007

The Team Leader : Nick Lumb

John O’Connor

Patrick O’Connor

Margaret Griffin

Martin Murphy

1 Oct – Everyone’s now safely back in Kathmandu and enjoying some well deserved R&R.

27 Sept – Nick, Patrick & Pasang have returned safely to ABC. They reached three quarter height on Lhakpa Ri but a combination of exhaustion and poor snow conditions forced them to make the sensible decision and retreat, a choice shared by a couple of other teams who were also making an attempt. However it’s now time to begin the homeward journey. Within a couple of days they’ll be back in Kathmandu eating pizza, sinking a few beverages with the stories of their mountaineering exploits reaching epic proportions!

26 Sept – At 2am tomorrow morning Nick, Patrick & Pasang Sherpa are planning to set out for their attempt on Lhakpa Ri. Martin has decided to stay at ABC. The weather has settled down and they have sunny periods with a few snow showers. Breakfast was rudely interrupted this morning by the sight of a spectacular avalanche further down the valley.

23 Sept – Nick has just been on the satellite phone from ABC. The group have just returned from a recce of Lhakpa Ri and everything looks good for an attempt on Tuesday if the weather stays good. They’ve also checked out the North Col route but the recent snow fall has loaded the slopes and they’ll delay any decision until after Lhakpa Ri.

20 Sept – The group have now arrived safely at ABC and are all in good spirits.  They will spend a couple of days acclimatising with day walks and taking some rest time before going higher.

19 Sept – The team reached intermediate camp yesterday. Today Nick and Patrick have successfully climbed to over 6000m while Martin took a well deserved rest, prehaps feeling the altitude a bit. They plan to make their final approach to ABC tomorrow.

17 Sept – Nick, Patrick & Martin are now planning to begin their trek to ABC tomorrow with a night at the interim camp to break the journey. This trek covers 22km over the moraine with Everest getting bigger and bigger in front of you. John & Margaret have decided to return to Kathmandu and should be back in the comforts of our hotel by tomorrow night.

16 Sept – After a few acclimatisation walks the group are having a rest day before heading up to ABC over 2 days.

12 Sept – The group are now at Base Camp and are gradually getting acclimatised by taking local walks on the surrounding hills.   Surrendra and Pasang Sherpa are preparing equipment and supplies ready for the yaks to move to Intermediate/Advance Base Camp in a few days time.

3 Sept – The team have arrived safely in Kathmandu this afternoon. They will have a couple of days exploring the sights of Kathmandu before heading off into the mountains