Blog
Nepal Cancels Climbing Permits – Restrictions to Entry
As most of the climbing and expedition community now know all climbing permits have been cancelled for the Spring Climbing season in Nepal.
The Drake Passage
What is the Drake Passage? The 500 miles between Cape Horn and Livingston Island (part of the Shetland Islands) is the shortest distance from Antarctica to another landmass. The powerful Antarctic Circumpolar Current squeezes water through this small gap towards the Scotia Sea and South Atlantic Ocean, and as you cross over to Antarctica, you’re traversing this current at right angles. This is the Drake Passage The weather in the Passage can be extremely unpredictable throughout the season and no two crossing are the same. We don’t set sail blindly however, there are now accurate forecasting systems used to predict what’s coming, and to allow us to time our crossings. Some weather forecasting links we use WINDY – https://www.windy.com/PASSAGE WEATHER https://www.passageweather.com/ A Perfect Crossing Of course sometimes we do run into exceptionally incredibly calm conditions – this passage is one of those times. We woke this morning to a brilliant sunrise and a glass like ocean. This is of course a rare event and its more likely that we will encounter rough to very rough conditions – in fact 2 out of 3 passages will experience some form of bad weather so we take what we can get and count […]
An Antarctic Journey
Each different Antarctic Expedition is different, with the weather, wildlife, conditions and expedition members all playing a huge role in creating a successful and exciting adventure. This Journey South had each unique element come together to create an epic adventure with amazing adventures each and every day .Typically we spend 2 1/2 days sailing each way across the Drake Passage with 6 days down on the Peninsula.We go to many different landing sites each time and no sailing plan is the same. As a mountain guide I feel very privileged to be able to come down and enjoy this amazing place and share my passion and love of the mountains and wild places with our passengers. With many different locations we can choose from an array of mountaineering activities, zodiac cruising or typical landings where its possible to meet and observe the local wildlife. Penguins, Whales, Seals, Birds and the incredible Antarctic backdrop make each voyage and unforgettable adventure. We are now just getting ready to emabrk our next set of passengers and head back down across the Drake – the weather is looking favorable for a smooth passage and we expect to be arriving back down near […]
Back in Ushuaia – prep for next passage south
It’s very very busy the day we return to port in Ushuaia. We have to Get the current passengers ready to disembark Get their baggage off the ship Re-provision the ship with fresh supplies Meet the incoming staff and say goodbye to any offsigning staff. We (the staff) then get a few hours ashore before it all starts again Meetings to allocate jobs for the next trip Bring the passengers baggage on board Then meet the passengers themselves and kick it all off again as well sail at 5:30 pm
Antarctic Peninsula – Yankee Harbour – 26th December
Weather rules all – 100% in the mountaineering world. The plan had been to go up a short but spectacular rocky ridge but low cloud and snow storms meant that the terrain would not have been suitable for us to use. Instead we hiked along the beach past the toe of the ridge and around and onto the foot of the nearby glacier. The snow storm had increased and although we knew that the glacier was nearby, we couldn’t see very far onto it at all. We then climbed up a short way on the side of the hill – using the rocky terrain like a handrail to allow us to gain a small knoll. Here we were led through a short ‘Quiet Time’, allowing us to reflect on the differences between our normal lives and the journey we had experienced so far. The guides weren’t done with us yet though, after hiking back down and towards the main landing we stopped at the suitable snow slope and started to learn how to cut steps and to self-arrest. Self-arresting is one of the main skills needed to keep mountaineers safe, it allows us to stop sliding in the event of […]
Antarctic Peninsula – Foyn Harbour Ice Climbing – 25th December
After travelling north to Foyn Harbour, the next Mountaineering team had an adventure of a different kind. Ice climbing again but this time we hiked to the top of the cliff first and then had to be lowered to the bottom before climbing back up. Before we could do this however, we needed to actually get off the shore and onto the top. The guides worked hard to get a good safe path for us up and off the beach – the deep soft snow made for good footsteps but we needed to be careful to ‘tread lightly’ to avoid collapsing the steps under us and going up to our waists! From the top of the ice cliff we could see a few seals swimming below us as well as the sea kayaking team as they got close to us. Breaching Humpback whales set an amazing backdrop as we got to grips with being lowered down the cliff – the conditions of the cliff could hardly be called ice – more like melting ice cream! Again, our guides were able to talk us through how to use our equipment in a way that allowed us to make efficient use of […]
Antarctic Peninsula – Ketley Point – 25th December
With snow storms threatening but holding back around the N of Ronge Island we made our landing at Ketley Point, donned our snowshoes (of which we were all experts at doing now) and began our walk up towards the start of the glacier. We all negotiated a short narrow section well above one of the Penguin colonies, walked past a large Lichen covered cliff and up to a short col where we could look out to the SW towards where Plancius was sitting. Roping up from here we hiked up the (surprisingly longer than it looked) slope where we could look back down to see the Gerlache Straight filled with Icebergs. The peaks high above us were beginning to become occluded with drifting cloud. Our guides Mal and Trev took us on a circular journey above a series of crevasses, gave us a short but informative lecture on how the glaciers move and why the crevasses were where they are before the cloud arrived and we travelled for a while in a ‘whiteout’. From our high point we journeyed quickly back to shore where after a bit of equipment packing, we had an adventurous Zodiac boarding before again returning to […]
Antarctic Peninsula – Danco Ice Climbing – 23rd December
Our 3rd Morning ashore was held on the low slopes of Danco Island where our guides quickly climbed a short steep section of ice about 300m away from the main landing of Danco Island to set up 3 different tope ropes. These ropes were set up with increasing difficulty and everybody soon got to get into the ‘swing’ of things learning how to; · Efficiently hold our ice tools in different configurations as the ice got steeper · Make our crampons work best by getting the sharp front points into the ice with our Heels down · Feel confident and relaxed enough to lean back on the rope and be lowered back to the start of the climb The third rope set up took us up a short vertical section of ice – for those of us who felt up to the challenge, we made short work of this pitch, although our arms did feel quite ‘pumped’ from holding ourselves to the ice! We even got the chance to get back to the main landing area and take part in the POLAR PLUNGE before once again returning to Plancius and getting warm and dry.
Antarctic Peninsula – Jabet Peak – 22nd December
Jabet Peak is one of the more technical ascents we make on the Basecamp trip and requires a small team of experienced climbers – well versed in the use of crampons and pitched climbing. It is normally a 6 – 7 hour climb getting the small team + guides to a height of 550m above the surrounding sea. Unfortunately, the weather again did not play ball with the mountaineers, an un-forecasted storm with driving snow arriving just as we disembarked from the ship. The guides got us ashore at the base of a small ice cliff – the journey today would have seen us start in one location and then re-join the ship in the afternoon from a different location. Once we’d reached the top of the ice face our guides decided that the weather was deteriorating too rapidly and with a snowpack that made it difficult to get safe anchors, we retreated back to the ship to see what the weather would bring later in the day. In the afternoon we again ventured out – although with only a short window of opportunity we ended up relocating to steep ice cliff where we again enjoyed a series of climbs […]
Antarctic Peninsula – Neko Harbour – 21st December
The increasing winds on the morning of the 21st meant that out first major plan change occurred when we shifted to Neko Harbour for the afternoons shore activities. Neko provides a long gentle rise to a high view point over the ocean below. Plancius started to look like a small toy ship and the passengers on the beach more like Penguins themselves as we got higher and higher. The mountaineering team had listened to their briefings well and were moving like professionals across and up the glacier – keeping the rope just tight enough to hold a crevasse fall if one occurred. After reaching our high point some 350m above sea level and with slightly sore legs, we began to head back down to the shore. The enormous glacier to our right with wide open crevasses provided a dramatic backdrop to the images we took. Our guides choose a safe route for us to get back to the lookout over the glacier where after a short rest we were able to take off the rope and our snowshoes and make faster time back down to the shore, where true to form the Mountaineers were the last to get back to […]
Antarctic Peninsula – Georges Point – 21st December
21st AM– Georges Point After a series of changes to PLAN A, (which gave a hint of the weather to come) the Mountaineers made a landing at Georges Point. Our Team had their first experience of snow shoes on a short hike up the glacier to the point where we roped up and started our way up towards the short Col at the base Mt Adams. This Col is gained by a short steep hike up a Slope and then across a well bridged crevasse before amazing views were revealed! Of course, part of the amazing views were of the increasing winds coming down the Gerlache Straight – so after a short we again made or way back down to the shore. The outgoing tide had made our journey back to Plancius a bit more difficult but with the willing help of our mountaineering team we were once again back onboard Plancius. Our first morning ashore on Georges Point was definitely an adventure!
Sunny Days in Ushuaia – 2019/20 Antarctic Season
Its been a hectic few days since leaving Wanaka as Trevor Street and I travel south to meet up with the rest of the Oceanwide Team aboard MV Plancius. Tomorrow morning we will head down with the other new onsigners to Plancius and then get quite busy. Reporovisioning of the ship, shifting passengers bags onto the ship and then safety briefings before the Passengers arrive and we get underway down the Beagle Passage, out into the Drake Passage and 2 1/2 days sailing south to the Antarctic Peninsula. Along the way we can expect to see all kinds of birdlife and sea life as we get close to colder waters. Whale, Seal and Penguin sightings will increase as we cross the Antarctic Convergence, pass by the Sheltland Islands and finally arrive down near Cuverville Island. From there Trevor and I will kick off into Mountain Guiding mode as we take two trips out each day onto the magnificent Antarctic Peninsula. More updates to follow
Kyajo Ri – Summit Day
Tagging the Col – 24th April Prior to our chosen Summit day we made the choice to go back up to the COL properly as the weather forecast was good for visibilty and would give us a good chance to look at the Technical Rockband, see IF the fixed lines were actually in place and get a better estimate of how long it would take to gain the Col itself. Travel was easy in the previoulsy plugged steps and it took an easy 3 hours to reach the col with some amazing views of the surrounding Peaks as well as our chosen route – the fixed lines were in place and apart from some lingering doubts about the quality of the lines themselves everything seemed in place for a good summit window early on the 25th. My friends Lhakpa and Soren had charged ahead and Lhakpa had climbed a hundred meters or so through the rockband – anchors were passable – there was plenty of snow which was a a change from previous years and would make the rockband easier to pass. Heather and I got back to our camp around 11 am and settled in for an afternoon of […]
Kyajo Ri – Plan Changes – Tagging Camp 2 – Old Friends and Snow
The day after we had walked through the white out to reach Camp 1 on Kyajo Ri, we actually realized that we were about 50 m lower and 200m away from our Ideal campsite – it would give us a view of our objective but more importantly it would also get the SUN about 45 minutes earlier! We were however, at this point too tired to repack everything so made the choice to stay where we were for the time being and instead start to do a small acclimation walk up towards Camp 2. Camp 2 is situtated at 5670m on the Col at the base of the true climbing and its accessed by walking up a steep gulley – which was very much filled with snow. In fact there was so much snow it was going to make getting a trail up to the Col difficult. To add to this we had just gotten a weather report that suggested that over the next 72 hours that there could be upto 60 – 70cm of new snow coming. This was very worrying …… Heather and I made the choice to go up and simply watch what the weather was going […]
Kyajo Ri – Departing Namche
We’ve spent the last few days in Namche – sorting gear -washing cloths – resorting food and getting loads to Basecamp prepared. We expect a reasonable amount of snow on the route compared to the drier conditions that this time of year normally brings. Namche has been a good place to rest and watch the flood of humanity stream by as they head up either to climb or mostkyvto trek to Everest Basecamp or do a few of the upper passes. It’s going to feel good to be moving again. Last night we had a significant thunderstorm and reports from further up the valleys indicate around 10cm of new snow has fallen to around 4200m Today we will head towards Thane but make a sharp right hand turn near Thamo and climb almost 1000m up past Mende and into the hanging valley that leads towards the southwest ridge of Kyajo Ri We expect to be at Camp 1 either tomorrow night or the night after depending on the amount of snow that has fallen – from there Heather and I will start to carry loads towards Camp 2 at 5600 ( ish ) m and get ready for a summit […]
Acclimation Protocol – Journey to Gokyo Ri
Heather and I are now actually down in Phortse – only about 3 hours from Namche. Over the last 7 days we’ve been slowly making our way to Gokyo Ri to acclimatise ourselves to the altitude we need to enable us to function at Camp 1 on Kyajo Ri A slow trek is an absolute must for any high altitude expedition – you maybe walking directly to BC or – as in our case – acclimating elsewhere before heading towards your objective In general – only gain on average 300m/ day try to go a little higher at the end of each day before returning to your lodge / camp for the night every 3 days or 1000m gained have a full rest day ( 2 nights at same altitude )- this also includes a walk to higher altitude and return to your lodge / camp to sleep dint drink alcohol drink at least 4 litres of fluid dont get sunburnt walk slowly and drink tea and rest if you feel the need don’t continue higher if you have signs of AMS if you do get AMS, rest – DO NOT CONTINUE ASCENDING if AMS gets worse DESCEND DESCEND DESCEND […]
Namche – Acclimation
Namche – it’s the iconic Sherpa town that you have to pass through on your way into the Khumbu region by foot situated at 3450m it’s the first ‘must stop’ location to give your body the chance to get used to the altitude you are slowly gaining A standard way to acclimatise is not gaining more than 300m / day beyond 3000m and having a full rest day every 1000m of elevation u gain beyond 2500m This means coffee , tea , slow walks up to around 3800m for more tea and taking in the views. Today we were treated to an absolutely stunning view with little to no wind and amazing clear blue skies – normally only associated with the post monsoon season. After the last few days of poor weather there has suddenly been an incredible influx of trekkers into Namche – some seasoned travellers and others super excited wide eyed first time travellers who don’t realise just how amazing it was to be gifted such an amazing day Tomorrow Heather and I start making our way towards Gokyo Lakes. We will go via Dole, Macherma ( 2 nights ) and then at Gokyo for another two nights […]
T.I.N This Is Nepal
As usual, trips, expeditions and expectations need to be flexible when you have planned to do something in Nepal. You may often hear people who have visited Nepal on a regular basis say the phrase T I N – meaning that you can expect everything and anything to change and that things just may simply not make much sense. Another way to think about this is that you shouldn’t come here thinking to change Neoal but instead expect it to change you. One of the more recent inexplicable changes was the sudden planned upgrade to the main airport in Kathmandu – announced only 1 1/2 weeks before the start of the main tourist season – so flights up to Lukla and other regional airports have been severely disrupted and instead climbers and trekkers must now travel by car/Jeep/bus to another rural airstrip in Ramechhap. Which is where we are currently sitting The region doesn’t have very good infrastructure to support the loads of climber and trekkers impatiently waiting to fly in and, as is the case now when the weather prohibits flights there is an ever increasing number of people getting stuck and or searching for a place to spend […]
Getting Ready to Depart – Kyajo Ri 2019
Final prep is now underway. The Jeep is here and gear is getting loaded for the journey to Khalkot today. Due to changes and upgrades with the KTM Airport this season all flights to Lukla are going Via Ramachapp Its always an adventure. 12 Days of acclimatization starts tomorrow More to come later