Indonesian Digital News Archive

Last week I mentioned that we were on the verge of the start of the 2012 fall climbing season in the Himalaya and linked to a couple of expeditions that were ready to get underway. Since then more climbers have been arriving in Kathmandu and have set out for their respective Base Camps. It seems it is shaping up to be a relatively busy season, by fall standards, in the mountains.

One peak that won't be busy this autumn is Cho Oyu. The Adventure Consultants had planned to lead a team to the 8201 meter (26,906 ft) mountain but China has extended their closure of the border, forcing climbers to go elsewhere. As a result, the AC squad is now headed to Manaslu (8156m/26,759 ft). That expedition got started on Sunday with the group assembling in Kathmandu and they'll first take a helicopter to the village of Sama Gaon where they'll make some acclimatization hikes before proceeding to Base Camp.

Also on her way to Manaslu is Billi Bierling who is making the trek on foot. That journey started last week but a dispatch over the weekend says that they expect to reach BC tomorrow. The weather reportedly remains very hot at this point and Billi says that there are few trekkers on the trail, making for a quiet hike to the mountain. The temperatures should begin to drop in the days ahead, but for now it seems the team will be very working in hot conditions.

Manaslu will be a busy place this fall as the Mountain Professionals team, IMG squad and others are also en route to Base Camp this week.

Other climbers that are currently planning fall Himalaya expeditions include Sophie Denis who, according to ExWeb, has set her sights on the 8013 meter (26,289 ft) Shisha Pangma. Mexican climbers Yuri Contreras and Laura González are taking aim at Makalu (8481m/27,825 ft) and 73 year old Carlos Soria will be taking on Kangchenjunga (8586m/28,169 ft).

More updates as we have them. For now, most of the teams are still in transition, but the actual climbs should start as early as the weekend.

The Everest season is barely over and it is already time to look forward to Pakistan and the upcoming climbs in the Karakoram. While the summer season isn't nearly as busy as spring in the Himalaya, it will still be filled with plenty of drama and intrigue as some of the top climbers in the world take on the toughest peaks on the planet.

As usual, ExWeb has the definitive list of expeditions and they've begun updating that list to reflect the new season ahead. Most are scheduled to take place in June and July, with Gahserbrum I (8080m/26,509ft) and II (8035m/26,362ft), a well as Broad Peak (8051m/26,414ft) getting the early attention. After that, K2 (8611m/28,251ft) will take center stage with no fewer than three expeditions currently set to take on the toughest climb in the world.

Climber Sophie Denis has big plans for the months ahead. Not only is she scheduled for K2 in July, but she'll warm up on Gasherbrum I and II first. She's also stenciled in Shisha Pangma (8013m/26,289ft) for the fall as well, which seems like quite an ambitious scheduled at this point. She'll be joined on K2 by Canadian Al Hancock and a large Korean team as well.

Elsewhere, 73-year old Carlos Soria has plans to climb Kangchenjunga (8586m/28,169ft) in September as he continues his quest to nab all 14 of the 8000 meter peaks. In addition to this peak, he'll also attempt Annapurna and Dhaulagiri this year.

Interestingly enough, ExWeb also has two expeditions listed for the Trango Towers in July as well, both by Korean teams. One is listed as a "Free Climbing" expedition, which should be quite the challenge to follow. The Towers are made up of some of the most dramatic rock faces you'll find anywhere on the planet and are a difficult mix of high altitude mountaineering and technical rock climbing. The tallest, known as the Great Tower, is 6286 meters (20,623ft) in height, but features a prominence of 800 meters or about 2625ft leading to the top.

Of course we'll be following all of these and more once the Karakoram season gets into full swing. The first of these expeditions is scheduled to get underway next week, so stay tuned for updates.