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It's the post we've all been waiting for. Click the button to find out how my expedition to Everest actually went...
Overview
Overview
Courtesy of Jagged Globe, for 3 weeks of July 2019, 8 of us (including Matt our guide) descended on Kyrgyzstan to try and summit Peak Lenin, a 7,134m which is dubbed as the "easiest" 7,000m peak to climb, but with a 25% success rate and it being the location of some of the biggest disasters in mountaineering history across any mountain, this was not a mountain to be trifled with. And whilst technically it is easy, physically and mentally, it is far from it - excellent preparation for Everest next year.
Photos
Photos
The team in all its glory Lt to rt: Graham, Tommy, me, Gordon, Lisa, Rob, Neil and guide Matt
Base camp peak with Lenin in the background
Our soviet transport from BC to the approach to ABC
Waterfall on the way to ABC
Rest stop on the way to ABC
People often don't appreciate when moving up the mountain you often have sections where you have to go down and lose all the elevation you've just spent hours gaining!
ABC finally and our row of tents. That's Venus above Peak Lenin, not the moon
Resting in ABC
Ascending our first real test - acclimatisation trek to Yukhan Peak approximately 5,000m. 1/3 of climbers drop out after this
Honestly, I'm not even sure where we are, but a nice photo from Neil!
First morning looking back over the glacier as we head to camp 2
My attempt to be artsy
Moving through the "frying pan" to camp 2 - it was so hot!
Approaching camp 2! 5,400m
When you wake up to see the avalanche that you slept through that almost tore through your camp at 3am... on the plus side, it was a ringing endorsement for my silicone ear plugs
Matt on his way up to camp 3
Tommy looking sharp on the way to camp 3
Just cresting the lip into camp 3. ABC is in the valley below
Camp 3 - 6,150m. Basically sleeping at the summit of Denali
Camp 3 from above
Camp 3 sunset
On the summit push taking a break below 7,000m
Ascending the fixed rope "knife" section - as our local guides would say, "you fall, you die!"
Summit! Lenin's bust in the left centre foreground.
Low air pressure at altitude makes the oxygen equivalent to 8.4%. That's 41.4% of what it is at sea level!
Lenin Summit.mp4A little summit video reminding everyone why I'm doing this
68844072_2638251916208808_4854451331072524288_n.mp4The walk around the summit
The start of the descent down the next day C3 > ABC
Coming back down into camp 2
As the trip progressed, the crevasses on the glacier were opening up more and more in the heat. Tommy here is modelling a beautiful 6-8ft number, whose features include a bottomless depth and certain death for those unlucky enough to fall in unroped! Needless to say, when I talk about "jumping" crevasses, I do mean jumping!
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