Fred and I have now arrived at Makalu advanced base camp at 5’700meters, just another 1’000meters higher than base camp.
We have found a nice place to camp with incredible scenery and it is here we will base ourselves for the next 4 weeks to acclimatise. Today is a rest day for us. We are waiting for the snow to pass and tomorrow if the weather is good Fred and I will walk up to Camp 1 and back. We will place a tent and some food reserves at Camp 1 in preparation for the summit push around mid to end of May.
Yes!! We arrived safe and sound at the lower base camp of Makalu at 4’800m. Our tents are pitched in front of Makalu and I feel dwarfed by its size towering out far above us at 8’463m.
From here we will finalize and repack the equipment we will need at high base camp. The sherpas are still with us and will stay until we reach the high base camp, 1’000m higher in altitude. Once there, we will install our permanent camp for the next 6 weeks.
Fred and myself have adapted well to the altitude. We will stay here for 1 day longer to acclimatize before we head up any further to our permanent Base Camp at 5’800m. Our bodies need to create enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to our muscles, brain and organs to be able to function at these higher altitudes.
Our tents are pitched in front of Makalu and I feel dwarfed by its size towering out far above us at 8’463m.
Markus and Adrian will stay one day longer before they decide to move any higher. At these altitudes time and patience are the key to success.
The weather has not been great but it does not matter because we cannot climb at the moment. I prefer to have better weather when we will start our climb by mid next week.
No better place to be! The food is good, the company is great and I wake up excited about the challenge that lies ahead of me every morning.
Keep on watching this space for daily news updates as we make our way higher up in altitude.
As of 9 April, Mike has been in Kathmandu for a few days, making final preparations and organizing gear for his attempt to summit the world’s 5th highest peak, Makalu.
Mike and Fred Roux will summit the majestic peak of Makalu at 8,463 meters (27,766 ft) in alpine style, without high altitude porters or the use of additional oxygen.
“I can’t wait to get to the mountains again! I’m extremely excited to share this venture with Fred Roux,” Mike says. “We have already successfully climbed two peaks over 8’000m, Gasherbrum I (8’080m) and Gasherbrum II (8’035m) without the use of additional oxygen and attempted to reach the summit of K2 last year. This year we hope to be conquer our third peak together, that of the mighty and beautiful peak of Makalu.”
The Makalu Expedition preceeds the Expedition Pole2Pole 360°, which will kick off in September 2014. On this trip, Mike will embark on another massive expedition of one-year duration, the circumvolution of the world on the longitude, traversing the South Pole, North Pole and Greenland on foot and kayak, and joining the continents on board his sailboat, Pangaea.
Mike and Fred head off with a support team of two other people, Swisscom technician, Markus Wyss, from Bern, Switzerland, who will assist in the relaying of real-time photos and video from the base camp of Makalu, and Adrian De Fay, who will join them on the trek to Base Camp.
FACTS
Mike Horn, climbed his first 8,000m peaks in 2007, Gasherbrum I (8,068m) and Gasherbrum II (8,035m) with team members Jean Troillet, Fred Roux and Olivier Roduit. Later in 2010 he summited Broad Peak with Köbi Reichen, alpinist from Lauenen, Bern, Switzerland. Last year in 2013 he attempted to summit K2 with both Fred Roux and Köbi Reichen but due to weather conditions the attempt was unsuccessful.
Fred Roux from Vollèges, Valais, Switzerland is an experienced alpinist with five 8,000 meter summits to his name; Mount Everest (8,848m), Gasherbrum I (8,080m) and Gasherbrum II (8,035m), Shisha Pagma (8,013m), Cho Oyu (8,201m). Fred attempted to summit Makalu 15 years ago but unfortunately due to strong winds was forced to abandon the climb. All ascents were made without additional oxygen.
Makalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world at 8,463 meters (27,766 ft). It is located in the Mahalangur Himalayas 19 km (12 mi) southeast of Mount Everest, on the border between Nepal and China. Makalu has proven to be a challenging climb. To date, there have been a total of 206 successful ascents of Makalu and a total of 22 fatalities.
