Kilimanjaro calling

In two weeks’ time I will go back to Tanzania for guiding on the beautiful mountain Kilimanjaro. I've been on top many times and this summer there will be several more ascents to the collection. :)

I will again guide for Topas Travel (a DK based company) www.topas.dk

 This summer I have two groups in which one also include safaris in eg the stunning Ngorongoro Crater.

Kili - 5895m photo by Jakob Urth

The second group is somewhat of a VIP group. Only 6 pax and I have been joined by Denmark's most important health and training specialist. Chris Macdonald - http://www.chrismacdonald.dk/

I do not care who's along for the ride .... I want to give everyone a fantastic experience to the top of Africa. Chris and I will later this year go for a  climb on Aconcagua and then I(we) will guide a big group up the "seven Summit" mountain later on.

Rob Springer K2 Expedition

My friend and US-based climber Robert Springer is now heading towards the mountain above them all...... K2.

Photo by Jakob Urth. K2 - taken on my way to Gasherbrum 2 in 2008

I met Rob during an expedition in Nepal some years ago. He was very determined to climb Everest.
He succeed that in 2009 but he suffered frostbite in many toes!
Now he is back and stronger than ever.....
I really hope he is successful and especially he comes back in one piece.

Rob has postet this on his blog 16/6:
"We’re still in Skardu for now and are hoping to leave tomorrow (the day after at the latest). We’re waiting for our liaison officer from the Pakistani army to arrive and accompany us to base camp.  This is a politically sensitive area in Pakistan, not that far from China and India and there are a number of checkpoints to pass on the way to the base camps.  Apparently, we need an officer to make sure we are up to what we are supposed to be up to (mtn climbing and insurgent neutralization).

 A couple expedition notes:  There are no other expeditions climbing our planned route on K2 this year (the Cesen), so we will be climbing the more popular Abruzzi Spur route.  There will be 5 other teams on that route, which will make route fixing much easier.  

http://www.springerk2.com/

FIRST WINTER CHRONICLE – SEASON 2010/2011

If the challenge and the adventure is not big enough under "normal" seasonal conditions. you can always try to climb 8000m peaks in the winter.

"In modern rules, a winter ascent is one in which all events of the expedition, from arrival at BC to departure, are performed in calendar winter (from 21 December to 21 March).

The mountaineering community endorses these rules. Since top climber Simone Moro begun to mention, in his interviews, that a winter ascent must be strict to the calendar, all expeditions from 2007-on are arriving at BC after December 21.

This does not affect the “first winter ascents” by the Poles, because those ascents were in different times, with different rules, but we are forced to admit that some of the classic ascents are not complete winter, but just partial winter ascents (like, for example, Wielicki on Lhotse, when they arrived at BC early November and all the route and camps were set and prepared in Autumn).

2011 Winter season

In spite of low temperatures, the season was very hot and exciting, with action on nine different mountains, including four 8000ers. The most important event in many years took place on Gasherbrum II, with the first ascent of a Pakistani 8000er.

While the story of winter in Himalaya begun with the ascent of the highest peak (Everest, 1980), the story of winter in Karakoram started with the lowest one (Gasherbrum II, 2011)."

More winter update 2011: http://www.explorersweb.com/everest_k2/news.php?id=20197




Simone Moro, Denis Urubko & Cory Richards on Gasherbrum II summit.
Image by Cory Richards, http://www.thenorthfacejournal.com

Himalayan spring season 2011 is over

The season in the high Himalaya is finally passed. Let us look back on another great season with many 8000m ascents. Again this year, Everest has had the most visits and that is still a mystery to me! 

 "So far, there are preliminary reports of, more or less, 680 summits in the Spring Season 2011. More than 500 summits on Everest, and almost 180 summits on all other 8000ers (there were summits on all nine 8000ers in Tibet and Nepal: EV, KG, LH, MK, CO, DH, MN, AN and SH." http://www.explorersweb.com/everest_k2/

Spring season is undoubtedly the time of the great ascents in the Himalayas. last fall (2010 fall season) there were just under 30 ascents. (This figure may vary depending on where you look)
I climbed Cho Oyu (8201m) last fall and only 3 others did the same ..... more than 450 had permission to the mountain! Next time I go for an 8000m I will also choose the beautiful spring. ;)

Photo by Jakob Urth. Summit - 8201m

Photo by Jakob Urth: Cho Oyu BC, 2010