Some of you are probably thinking ‘why is he doing one more post when he’s home safe and sound’? There are a couple of opinions I’d like to share…they are only opinions and although I have always told my staff that I’m always right, there is the very odd occasion when I could be wrong!!!!
I thought I’d start with the ‘fight’ between Sherpas and professional climbers on Everest as I feel it has a certain amount of relevance. I believe the fight broke out, fundamentally because of the difference in attitude towards climbing between Westerners and Sherpas. Sherpas look on the climb as a collective experience, i.e. working as a team, whereas some professional climbers look on it more as a solitary experience. How does this relate to the expedition I’ve just returned from? I was with a group from a local Nepalese company called Snowy Horizon, we were the first group of the season to arrive at Advanced Base Camp. The group had four Sherpas, one of which, Tshiring, was a very experienced climber…there job to put up any fixed rope required, basically to climb the mountain before the clients, making the route safe or should I say safer.
Two other groups arrived within the next week, neither had Sherpas or the expertise or equipment to put up any fixed ropes…they expected the ropes to have already been fixed and that they would be able to use them!!! I was gobsmacked, why would you expect to be able to turn up with little or no equipment and expect to use the equipment laid down by previous groups? I wouldn’t have minded if they were going to climb Cho Oyu Alpine Style as the professional climbers, who got into the argument with the Sherpas, on Everest were, these two groups still required the fixed ropes!
The conditions on the mountain were such that fixed rope was required from Camp 1 all the way through to Camp 2 and the Sherpas assumed because of the complete lack of snow on the upper reaches of the mountain (The Yellow Band) then fixed ropes would also be required from Camp 3 to the summit plateau, this was considerably more rope than Snowy Horizon had. This would have meant that there would have been no summit bid by any of the three groups presently at ABC. A fourth group arrived in week three of our stay, from Summit Climb, they had both Sherpas and rope, which meant that the climb could be completed, if weather and conditions were favourable.
Two principles, I believe, arose out of this situation, one I’ve already mentioned, should teams gain access to the mountain, expecting fixed ropes to be in place at no cost to themselves? But more importantly to myself is, if I had stayed and summited could I have said that I had climbed Cho Oyu or did I just drag myself up using a jumar using someone else’s expertise? On Everest, were the Sherpas right or the professional climbers, is there a place for both amateur and professionals….I believe there is, but as always tolerance and compromise are required.
It has been a wonderful expedition and one that I am glad I experienced. Expeditions, probably aren’t for me…too much sitting around, of the three and a half weeks that I was at ABC, I only spent about five days walking/climbing, whereas on a trek you are always on the move. The scenery was spectacular and changed with the light, every hour. Although I’ll never try to climb an eight thousand metre peak again, I’m sure one day I’ll return to Nepal, with it’s vibrant capital city and unique landscape.
Update: The window of opportunity to summit Cho Oyu, like Everest, is very short. The season starts in April and finishes in late May, summiting normally middle of May. Due to conditions, such as high winds and lack of snow, I believe that all four groups that were on the mountain have now pulled out and heading back towards Kathmandu……I hate to say it…..but that does make me feel better, I know it shouldn’t and I would love to have seen the other six members of my group summit.