Muztagh Ata expedition - July '15

Team leader and updates: Martin Barnett
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Next departure: July 2016

18th July
The team have now flown to Bishkek in Kyrgystan and are making their final preparation before a drive to Kashgar, China.

19th July
Good day one. We all met up, completed our shopping for our mountain food and finished the day off with a nice meal.

20th July
The team are enjoying another fine meal after a long drive from Bishkek to Naryn. We’re heading to Kashgar in China tomorrow.

21st July
Finally got to our hotel after a long day in the van. We got through the boarder and we are now in China. Looking to move towards Subashi tomorrow.

24th July
All is well and the team are safely at Base Camp at 4400m. We had a good walk in watching the camels carry our stuff! It’s been nice weather here, very sunny at BC so that and the good food has been helping to keep team spirits high!

Productive day today sorting food and gear in preparation for our acclimatisation and load carry up to Camp One tomorrow.

27th July
We are all enjoying a rest day at Base Camp after our carry up t Camp One yesterday. Despite it raining most of the day yesterday we still managed to stay dry between showers. Setting off tomorrow morning at 8am we will head up to Camp One and stay the night. From there we will do a walk up to Camp Two before heading back down to Base Camp again.

Food has been great so far but we will be fending for ourselves at Camp One so no rice for a couple of days. Everyone is feeling good acclimatising well and looking forward to tomorrow now.

31st July
Our team on Muztagh Ata returned to Base Camp at 6pm yesterday from Camp 2 (6167m). They all feel in good and seem to be acclimatising well to the altitude. Martin reports that they have had some great views on the mountain, surrounded by impressive ice scenery. The weather has been mixed, with spells of bright clear sunshine and other spells of cloud, rain and snow. After a good rest at Base Camp, they intend to head back up in a few days time.
One team member, David, has decided the mountain is a bit too much for him and has returned to Kashgar where he will wait to meet the team when they get back from the climb.

4th August
Martin has called in this afternoon the team are well but think they would have fared better if they were ducks at base camp with all the unseasonal rain they have been experiencing. The Chinese food they have been eating at base camp has been excellent and has helped keep their spirits up. They have had a rest day today and will head back up the mountain tomorrow with a plan to make their summit bid on Saturday 8th or Sunday 9th August. From tomorrow the weather is starting to improve so fingers crossed they will get the break they need to make their bid.

6th August
The team are now at Camp 2and feeling good. Zlatko decided to head down after a couple of hours heading up from base camp due to the onset of a chest bug, he’s fine and now making his way back from base camp. Martin also told us the sad news that a climber in a German team passed away in the early hours of the 4th August at Camp 2. This is a difficult thing for people to experience especially when on a mountain a long way from home, but Martin says the team are remaining focused and are going to give the summit their best shot. Thankfully the weather has started to show signs of improvement, as the last couple of weeks have been very challenging for all teams out there. Let’s hope the weather is kind enough to allow them their chance at the summit.

8th August
The team are now at Camp 2.75. They woke to 30cm of snow but no wind, which was a complete contradiction to the weather forecast which predicted winds and little snow. The team have decided to sit it out today and then weather permitting make an attempt tomorrow.

10th August
Unfortunately, due to extreme weather on the mountain, none of us were able to make the summit this time. Muztagh Ata often has very stable weather this time of the month but this year was a little different because it rained or snowed on us every day and no parties have summited in the past 2 1/2 weeks. Saying this, spirits were high and we gave it our best effort. We stayed at 6010m for two nights but due to heavy snow and white out conditions, we decided to come down.

We had a long day yesterday as we descended from our high camp in one day. We are now back in base camp enjoying a relaxing atmosphere and able to breathe much easier. If all goes well, we are hoping to be in Kashgar tomorrow night.

Thanks for all your thoughts and messages, we really enjoyed reading them and knowing you were with us on the mountain. Watch this space for some photos in the next few days.

11th August
We are now in Kashgar enjoying the finer things in life like soft chairs and toilets. Here are a few pictures of us enjoying our high point, camp 2.75 at 6610m.

12th August
We’ve had a great day today touring Kashgar old town and learning more about the Silk Road.

Gallery