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.
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.
He’s faced-off polar bears, crocs and K2 and puts his survival down to listening to his inner voice.
There are not many adventurers who are living legends, but Mike Horn is one of them. He’s circumnavigated the globe along the equator, swum the Amazon, trekked to the North Pole in winter and recently taken to climbing 8,000m mountains for relaxation. Just before setting off on his latest expedition to Makalu, he explains why the slow slog of high altitude mountaineering agrees with him and what to do when a polar bear sits on you.
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.
New expeditions are on the go for Mike!
Next week, Mike leaves for the Makalu Expedition. At 8463m, Makalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world, and it is situated at the border of Nepal and China.
Mike will attempt to summit Makalu mountain with Valasian climber Fred Roux.
Today Mike tested out some parapentes designed by David Getaz.
Weather permitting, Mike will try and use a parapente for the descent of Makalu.