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

Hurry Up and Wait

The weather certainly has not been cooperating with us and has forced us to make some decisions. Laurent and I are going to stay and extend our visas through the 15th of October with a forecast that says there is a summit window on the 13th. Matt is leaving to join his wife on a three week vacation in Thailand.

Right now I have been taking advantage of the Urkainian Teams Banya (Steam Room) what a great experience in ABC.

I will let you know more about our plans as they materialize.

Chris Klinke
ABC Cho Oyu

Weather Woes

The weather gods are fighting us with. We are back in ABC and are debating about the feasibility of another summit push. Permit and visa's expire on the 11th, flights are on the 10th and 11th. Decisions, decisions.......

Tenative Summit Push

We are going to head to Camp 1 on the morning of Oct 4th, move to Ccamp 2 on the 5th and test the conditions and weather. If everything seems good we will go for the summit from Camp 2 in the early hours of the 6th with the plan of returning to Camp 2. If the r weather does not cooperate we will wait and see what weather the morning of the 7th holds for us.

Chris Klinke
Cho Oyu ABC

Waiting and summit Plan

So we have been waiting for the past 7 days for the snow to firm up on the upper mountain. Amazingly it has and one lone German made it to the summit yesterday. He said conditions were fickle but the lower part of the summit push had firmed up.

This morning we woke to a large lenticular cloud over the summit and high wind raging up on the mountain. So we are back to waiting.

Our tentative plan is to move up the mountain on Oct 4 with a goal of summiting the 6th or 7th if the winds drop to an acceptable level.

Right now most of the other teams in Base Camp have left. The Chinese threw an end of the season party a few nights ago the likes of which I have never experienced. It was quite a bit of fun. By the 4th we will be one of only 4 groups left waiting for an opportunity to move up the mountain.

From the rumors I have heard it seems to have been a dismal season across the Himalayas with heavy snows and high winds hampering most of the summit bids.

Everybody is in good spirits though and still enjoying each others company. The more time you spend with the people the more you get to know them.

Chris Klinke,
Cho Oyu ABC