Manaslu autumn 2008
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Manaslu (8,163 m), Nepal Expedition: Dutch expedition, without O2 Team: Henk Wesselius and Katja Staartjes, supported by cook Lobsang in base camp (no climbing support) Expedition agent: Mountain experience Route: normal route (north-east side) Result: fore-summit 8,140 m (3th october) See & read more on expedition website (in Dutch). |
Re-try
The spring expedition to Manaslu was a wonderful experience, although the result (7,700 m) was frankly disappointing. Such a strong team ...
Katja was already thinking of a renewed attempt at this ‘mountain of the soul’ during the return trek from Manaslu to Kathmandu. It was soon to be realized. Three months later, Katja and Henk were back again. This time, just the two of them. It was the next step in the development of their climbing career: climbing an 8,000m+ peak without the support of team members or climbing Sherpas. Only the cook, Lobsang, accompanied the two in base camp – giving a delightful sense of familiarity. This great cook had also joined them at their previous expedition to Manaslu.
Same mountain, different story
It was unbelievable how Manaslu had changed in three months. It seemed like a completely different mountain. On arrival (8th September) there was no snow at base camp, the glacier on the way to Camp 1 was icy and full of crevasses. One part was so impassable we had to climb over the rocks above the glacier. Above Camp 1 too, the serac zone was full of crevasses. Luckily for Katja and Henk, another expedition had brought ladders with them. Up to Camp 3 (6,700 m.) they found the route more difficult than in the spring. Beyond that, conditions were actually more favourable: hard snow instead of the rock-hard ice they had previously encountered. Although it still took considerable patience to get this high up the mountain.
Snow, snow, and more snow
About the next part of this expedition, Katja says: “After the first successful climbing round, the fun was over. After that came days of continuous snow – four metres of snow fell in just 10 days! We had never seen anything like it before. We went up twice, purely for the purpose of saving our tent in Camp 1. Twice we dug the tent out and moved it to the new, higher level of snow.
It wasn’t until September 28th that conditions were such that the teams could go higher again. The goal was to get as high as possible, and even make an attempt to reach the top. Up until then we had only slept at 5,750 m (in Camp 1); not exactly the ideal acclimatisation for a summit attempt. But we wanted to go for it. See where the ship might run aground..
Towards the top
We kept going in one push: two nights at 6,400 m (Camp 2), one night at 6,700 m (Camp 3), and then on to 7,450 m, our fourth camp. It wasn’t without difficulty. There were great doubts about the risk of an avalanche just above Camp 3. A Swiss team (Kobler) called off the climb. Various other teams decided to wait for a day. After much to-ing and fro-ing, we decided to follow the Himex team, which was the first of the season to go towards 7,450 m, following behind their tough Sherpas.
We left the next day (3rd October) with a small group heading for the peak. Henk and I kept up well with the Himex climbers for the first few hours, then they – using extra oxygen – went ahead of us. The Himex-sirdar (head Sherpa) asked if they could borrow 70 m of rope from us, they would then fix it. We agreed, on condition that they would attach it to the narrow crest just below to the top, and not before.
The summit?
By my reckoning there is still a long way to go when I see the Himex climbers hugging each other on top of a small rock outcropping. I don’t understand: that isn’t the summit I remember from photographs I have seen of it. Ten minutes later on arrival, it indeed seems to be the highest point. But if you go a little to the left, you see that the mountain continues: the real summit is about 50 metres further on and 20 metres higher. We are completely confused. This can’t be the top. And worst of all, perhaps, is that our rope is gone. The Himex team attached it under the pre-summit, directly below the point where we are now standing. They are in a hurry – their oxygen is running out – and therefore not at all intent on completing the climb. They want to begin the descent. Using our rope.
What to do? We take another good look at the virgin top ridge. We can see corniches (overhangs), and the snow looks unsafe, with icy patches. It’s difficult, but we finally decide that the crest is too dangerous to attack at this elevation, without good equipment and without being more acclimatized than we are. Sadly, 8,140 metres is the highest achievable point for us at this moment.
Integrity
How to describe our amazement when we discovered that the climbers with whom we shared the subsidiairy summit had claimed to have reached the peak? We were speechless. But in the end, it was an eye-opener. This is what happens – not only on climbing expeditions. Hadn’t I always know that people often tend to overstate their performance? It happens all around us, every day – in sports, in CVs, in business life. A little exaggeration? Embellishing the truth a little? Call it what you will. I would rather be satisfied with the pre-summit, than falsify the truth and call it the real peak. True peak performance and the satisfaction and inspiration of making your way towards it: that is what really counts. Not only on the mountains, but everywhere.
N.B. The following 2 days the weather stayed quite good and the teams who waited made their summit attempt: some climbers reached the truth summit, or just below (the rocky summit), and some others only the fore-summit. For Mrs Hawley it appeared the first time she did hear about the existence of a subsidiairy peak on Manaslu. How many lies there have been in the past about this summit?
Looking back
What would have happened if we had gone on? Who is to say? I spent sleepless nights over it. Perhaps we should have taken more risks, for once. But on the other hand, we didn’t consider it a responsible move at that moment, at 8,140 metres, to continue the climb without the right equipment, and the only and first ones of the season, without being fully acclimatized. Ofcourse, we should have summited if we had made our summit attempt one day later, together with the others. Sometimes you take the wrong decision in timing…
Meanwhile it has all had time to sink in. And I believe we made the right decision on the pre-summit. We also learned new lessons about what could be different or better the next time.
Sometimes, 100% is just not attainable, and you have to be content with 99%. I’m increasingly able to concede to this and be proud of what we actually did achieve: just the two of us, without climbing Sherpas, without oxygen, without quite enough acclimatization, and without fixed camps. We stood on the pre-summit of one of the highest peaks in the world. I think I have the right to claim that it was a huge achievement.”
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