The MountainWorld™ Blog

Photos

I have uploaded a bunch of my favorite - or just fun - shots already to the "Random Images" gallery accessible at right. I'll keep uploading images about once a week - If you see something on my photography site that you want elaborated on, please contact me and I'll put it up here.

OK, today's photo is another one from Everest. After two expeditions to the mountain - and two failed attempts on the summit - I was hired in the Spring of 2002 to shoot images for Discovery and the 2002 American Women's No Boundaries expedition.

It was a great trip, climbing with my good friends from International Mountain Guides, and it was my first expedition to the Southeast Ridge...quite a treat!

On the morning of May 18, my teammate Karma Rita Sherpa and I broke trail through fresh snow above the Balcony. We continued climbing ahead of the group so I could take photos of them from above. At about 6:45 AM, we crested the 28,750 foot South Summit...and I got a view I had been waiting for for a long, long time. It was the shadow of Everest itself stretching to the western horizon as the sun rose behind me to the east. I captured some images and continued climbing...We reached the summit 40 minutes later, but that little patch of snow in no way compared to the stunning view we had below.

The Search for Irvine, 2004

Each year, I have the opportunity to re-tell the story of famed Everest pioneers Mallory & Irvine to audiences around the world. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the discovery of George Mallory's remains in 1999, and returned to the mountain in 2001 and 2004 to search for more clues. While we still have not found Irvine or the elusive camera (which might yield conclusive evidence as to whether or not the duo reached the summit on June 8, 1924), we made some amazing discoveries of old camps, artifacts, and bots and pieces from the pre-World War II expeditions.

Certain questions always seem to arise after presentating my Lost on Everest: The Enduring Mystery of Mallory & Irvine show is: What are the artifacts on the mountain like? Are they scattered around for anyone to find? What is the terrain like? Is it dangerous?

Well, for those who are interested, I have a video showing the "mystery" camp I found on the First Step in 2004. If you are not familiar with it, the First Step sits at about 27,600 feet on Everest's Northeast Ridge, and is the first major obstacle encountered on summit day.

In 2004, I decided to climb the prow of the Step rather than skirt the Western edge as the current route does. My reasoning was twofold: First, I had a hunch this was the way Mallory & Irvine would have gone, as it seems more logical from below. Second, I was lured up onto the prow by an oxygen bottle which looked enticingly similar to the Mallory & Irvine bottle Tap Richards and I found in 1999. 

Enjoy the video, and let me know if you have any questions!

Gurla Mandhata Expedition

Well, it has finally come together...The IMG Gurla Mandhata 2006 Expedition. I will be leading a team of 3 climbers up the 7128 meter peak in West Tibet this autumn.

First attempted by Tom Longstaff in 1905, the peak has seen surprisingly few ascents - only a total of 12 by my research. While the climbing route is fairly straightforward, it will be more exploratory than most modern expeditions in the Himalaya: we will be the only ones on the mountain, and will likely not see any signs of other expeditions. It will be quite a nice change from the crowds of Everest and Cho Oyu!

The approach will be amazing as well. After much planning and worrying about the political situation in Nepal, we decided to go in via Simikot in the western region of the country. Fortunately, the Maoists have largely laid down their arms and are again at the peace table, so the trip should go smoothly from that perspective.

From Simikot, we'll trek north to the Tibetan border, cross into Tibet, and then go to Mt. Kailash, the holy mountain for Hindus & Buddhists. We'll have a 3 day circuit of Kailash, making the holy kora or circumambulation, before heading west to Tsaprang and the ruins of the 9th century Guge Kingdom.

After Guge, we will again head south through Darchen and on to the mountain itself.

Our team is a great one:

Jake Norton, Leader
Kirk Allen, Climber
David Golden, Climber
Stuart Sloat, Climber
Cynthia Dodson, Trekker
Panuru Sherpa, Sirdar
Pemba Sherpa, Cook
Karma Rita Sherpa, Climbing Sherpa
Mingma Tshering Sherpa, Climbing Sherpa
Bal Bahadur Gharti, Assistant Cook

I am in the process of putting together a blog for the expedition which I will update with text, audio, and photos via satellite phone...Stay tuned!