Unfortunately the weather has only got worse. There has been extremely strong winds in altitude with gusts of up to 160km/hr on the summit.
Fred and Mike have been told there may be a good weather window opening up in one weeks time. They are more ready than ever to attempt the summit but for now must be patient. Because of the very strong winds they are worried that their equipment that they initially placed at camp 2 may have blown away. Tomorrow they will climb to camp 2 and check if their equipment is still there.
If all goes as planned the weather window will open up around the 16th of May.
After our acclimatisation climb to above 7’500m, Fred and myself decided to walk down to 4’800m to recuperate. Eat, drink and rest has been on our agenda for the last 3 days.
Unfortunately we received very bad news while down in lower base camp. One of our friends Yannick, lost his life on Makalu. My sincere condolences go to the family, friends and loved ones. His company in base camp and on the mountain will be sincerely missed.
The weather has turned as well and snow has been a daily event. Any attempt to the summit has been put into the back pocket for the time being. As we are we are still in the recuperation stage, it does not matter a great deal to us but deep down we would like better weather and to know we would be able to climb very soon.
Down in lower base camp we had the luxury of eating rice, potatoes, lentils, chicken, yak and pork. Fresh products are very difficult to get your hands on here and to compensate for the fresh products we had popcorn. What a treat!
Makalu is a huge mountain. It is not as steep as K2 but very exposed to wind and that makes it a very cold climb. A steep climb in-between camp 2 and 3 can be challenging in bad weather, but from camp 3 to camp 4 above 7’500m it flattens out before the last famous French corridor and then the ridge to the summit.
On our acclimatisation climb we had very strong winds at 7’600m and without supplement oxygen it becomes very difficult to breath and very cold. The wind chill factor plays an important role on our survival where we breathe only 7% oxygen. At these heights we move only 60-100m per hour and the longer we stay up there the less chance we have of getting back down.
We must never forget that the summit is only half way there.
Mike Horn’s mess tent at Makalu advanced base camp with Iland solar panels
Bad weather hinders any attempt for Mike and Fred to ascend Makalu’s summit at 8’643m. A potential weather window of the 8th and 9th of May has now been pushed to around the 12th and 13th of May.
With the closure of Mount Everest this year many climbers have decided to regroup at the neighbouring mountain of Makalu.
We sure have company this year! There must be another 80 people here at advanced base camp waiting to climb. Most other climbers attempt to ascend with oxygen, group together and stop and rest at camp sites. Our technique is rather different as we climb in alpine style, that is without oxygen, light and fast.
We are as ready as can be – now we just need to have the weather on our side!
Fred Roux with Mount Everest and Lhotse in the background
Mike and Fred walk back up to Makalu’s advanced base camp today with the hope of attempting the summit in just 3 days time. Weather charts need to be reviewed and further discussions need to be made to find out their exact departure time in order to reach the summit in the optimum conditions.
We hope the weather window will come soon. The guys are getting restless!
Mike and Fred returned to Makalu base camp today at 4’800m.
Now its the waiting game. Waiting to make the attempt of the final summit push.
The mountain is gradually becoming busier with more tents popping up by the day. Wonderful acquaintances are being made with other climbers and the excitement is shared as the climbers all wait for the next good weather window.
Contrary to their plans of walking down to base camp, Mike and Fred are forced to stay in their tent today due to snow storms. Unfortunately they have not been able to send new photos but will hopefully tomorrow.
So for now, all they can do is rest, recuperate and be ready for the next big climb.
We had the summit just above our heads but strong winds and snow made us turn back.
Mike and Fred climbed to 7’700m and spent a very cold evening in the tent with freezing temperatures and extremely strong winds.
On the descent they passed sherpas who were coming up, fixing lines for other climbers – they assume the overload from climbers who have been forced away from this years climbing season on Everest.
Mike and Fred are now back at Advanced Base Camp at 5’700m where they will have a much deserved rest. Tomorrow they will head down to base camp at 4’800m where they will wait for the bad weather to pass.
We feel great, strong and well acclimatised. As soon as we get the next good weather window we’ll go for the summit!
Today Fred and I will leave advanced base camp for two days. Our plan is to get up to 7’500meters and set up camp there for one evening. The following day we will try and ascend to 8’000meters , stay one more evening at 7’500m and then descend back to advanced base camp the next day. After this climb we should be well acclimitised and ready to attack the summit as soon as the next good weather window arrives.
Mike and Fred’s first climb above advanced base camp
We just got back from a training climb of two days at higher altitude. Our goal was to climb to Camp 2 at 7’500meters and leave a tent and food there in preparation for the final summit push. Then we would descend and camp at 6’800 meters. Unfortunately we were stopped by snowy conditions and strong winds so decided to set up camp at 6’670meters. It didn’t matter that we didn’t go higher as it was a great climb and every ascent helps us to acclimatise and to get familiar with the mountain.
Compared to last years attempted ascent of K2 with Fred and Köbi Reichen, Mike says that whereas K2 remains an extremely dangerous and technical mountain to climb with high risk of avalanche and rockfalls, Makalu on the otherhand appears to be a very cold mountain due to its exposure to strong winds. When climbing Makalu they must be very careful not to get frostbite.
Off on an acclimatisation climb. We will spend one night at 6’700meters and then push to about 7’500meters where we will leave a tent and some food. The weather is not bad with 35km/h winds and light snow.
