No Luck

I wish I could say that we went up the mountain and had success in reaching the top. We did not.

We went up to camp 1 in strong winds and low temps. Found one of our tent fly's ripped to shreds. Had a long nigh of high winds. Woke up to still more wind and moved up to camp 2. By the time I arrived I felt like my face had been to one of those fancy spas where they sand blast the outer layer of skin off your face. We found both our tents standing but definiely the worse for wear. We rested and brewed up but the the winds did not die down. We made the decision to wait it out one more night. During the next day clouds built, snow came, and our constant companion the wind stayed with us. The big issue with wind is that the ambient temperature at the summit is -25 to -30f add a 25mph wind to that and it is bitter cold and high risk of frost bite.

At about 2pm we pulled the plug on the climb and came down figuring it was not going to be our season.

On any expedition, luck and timing play a huge role. Based on my estimate there were 3-4 days that Cho Oyu was summitable. Unfortunately we were not in a position to take advantage of any of those days. The team is in great spirits knowing that we did everything we could to reach the top.

This morning we woke to 4-6 inches of snow at ABC so it helps with our decision.

Thanks for all the support...Until next time.

Chris Klinke
Cho Oyu ABC

Quick Update

Hello Everyone,
Just a quick update from Chris's sister (Amy).   He left a message last night that the winds are bit strong for a summit attempt today (Thursday the 14th) so they are pushing it back one day till the 15th.

Stay tuned!

Be well,
Amy

Summit Update

Hello Everyone! 

This is Amy, Chris's sister with a summit update from Camp 1.   He called while he was cooking - it was only 10 degrees, but with no wind which is good.   They plan to head up to Camp 2 tomorrow (wed) and then go straight from Camp 2 to summit on Thursday and all the way back down by Friday the 15th.  They really have to boogie it back down as they have a ride waiting for them at base camp on the 15th.   Chris said not to expect to hear anything until late on Thursday, so if you don't hear from me, its b/c they are not in a good place to call yet. 

Laurent and Chris were joined by Chris's good friend Fred Strang.  Chris and Fred have been climbing together for years, so it will make for a good solid team.  The only mitigating factor of course is weather, so please send calm and clear thoughts to Cho Oyu in Nepal over the next 3 days!

post a question if you have any and thanks for following, I know that they really appreciate it!

Be well,
Amy Klinke

Summit Aspirations...

We have ben waiting patiently, we have been checking a variety of weather forecasts, we have have been eating our veggies and maintaining our caloric intake, we have changed flights and plans, and now we are going to try for the summit on the 13th. We will leave tomorrow for Camp 1 in what will be some foul high wind conditions, then move up to Camp 2 in hopefully diminishing winds, and the leave around 2 am for the summit on the 13th. If that does not work we will have to wait on more day and head up on the 14th. If it is the 14th we will have to descend from the summit all the way to ABC on the same day, then wake up early and head down to BC to catch our jeep to the border.

That is our plan at the moment, but as always it is subject to the forces of Mother Nature. We will be out of contact until at least the 15th.

Everyone here thanks you for your continued support.

Chris Klinke
Cho Oyu ABC