South-West Face of Shishapangma 2004 Expedition: Dispatch Two

Dispatch Two: We arrived to Kathmandu as planned late night on September 16, 04. The following day we spent retrieving our cargo - those who know this procedure know what I am talking about. It is truly procedure for the entire day with lots of hassle involved, bribes to those involved and uncounted fees.

We had to spend another day in Kathmandu because one of the bags did not come till later. That was not a problem. Kathmandu has very special atmopshere. And we were not there for over 2 years !

Both evenings were spent traditionally at Thamel Base Camp - the bar Tom & Jerry. This is the place where the expeditions meet, drink beer, play pool, listen to sound track from Pulp Fiction and other classics and of course - talk climbing.

We left Kathmandu on Sunday early morning. Maoists lifted the road blockade and we saw no problems except occasional Nepali Army check point. People in Nepal still smile even in these tough times they are going through.

At the border we were met by fairly organized fellow from Lhasa who helped us to get through, tried to get us descent meal in Nyalam and helped with the yaks. He stayed in Nyalam, we were heading up the valley with about 20 yaks and our couple Nepali cooks.

For two days, we were walking on the carpet of edelweiss and other gorgeous flowers, but mostly in the rain and fog.

Each day, we walked for approx. 5 hours, gaining quite a bit of altitude. Yesterday evening, we established Base Camp in anything between 5000 - 5200 m. Here in Tibet, no maps exist and therefore we depend on our altimeters.

The mountain is here, we saw HER this morning for the first time. There are also couple other small expeditions, one from Spain / Andorra and the other from France. And this is one of the nicest BC and we are glad we do not have to share it with too many others.

September 23, 04

Base Camp under South-West Face of Shishapangma

Martin Minarik

Dispatches

Background: On September 17, 2004 a group of 4 climbers from Czech Republic plans to arrive to Kathmandu and leave shortly for Nyalam. From Nyalam, we intend to reach Base Camp under South-West Face and repeat British Route ( Scott - MacIntyre). 

List of climbers :

Zdenek Hruby

Radek Jaros

Petr Masek

Martin Minarik

Altitech2: Digital Altimeter, Barometer, Compass and Thermometer. Time/Date/Alarms. Chronograph with 24 hour working range. Timer with stop, repeat and up function. Rotating Bezel. Leveling bubble. Carabiner latch. E.L. 3 second backlight. Water resistant. 4" x 2-1/4" x 3/4" 2 oz. Requires 1 CR2032 battery. See more here.

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