Trip Reports

Ama Dablam 2003

Written by Leader Rick Marchant, December 2003

News from Kathmandu

Team Members;

Rick Marchant
Isabelle Santoire
Arie Vreugdenhil
Sandra Rutherford
Katja Staartjes
Henk Wesselius

We're now all safely back from Ama Dablam. Indulging ourselves in the delights of the Summit Hotel breakfast buffet and last minute Xmas shopping in the hectic chaos of Thamel. What a treat! It's great to have a moment to relax, recover and look back on the events of the past month.

The weather here in Nepal has been incredible. During the entire trip blue sky followed blue sky and we had just 2 overcast days.

Our Sherpa team did a fantastic job; Pema the sirdar was always attentive to the groups needs, Pem Chirings cooking was always highly praised, Paldes wake up tea always welcome on those cold Base Camp mornings and Dawa, Pema and Pasang Dawa, our climbing Sherpas did and excellent job on the mountain.

Ama Dablam is an exciting challenge. Certainly a tough peak, combining both problems of altitude and technical difficulties. After resting briefly at Base Camp we headed up to Camp 1 to improve our acclimatisation and acquaint ourselves with the lower section of the mountain. The rock was dry and climbing without gloves in the sun on perfect granite between Camp 1 and Camp 2 was great. Arie Vreugdenhil even managed to free climb the steep section of the Yellow Tower.

Our reconnaisance complete, we returned to the welcome smiles of our Base Camp team and the luxurious warmth of a heated mess tent. Time to rest, eat and prepare for a summit attempt. After consulting the Tibetan Calander, which assured us good weather, we toiled back up the long slopes to Camp 1. The weather really was perfect, a clear windless sky and by night the mountains were lit by the ghostly light of the full moon. Who could want more?

From Camp 1 to Camp 2 this time was a more difficult challenge with the extra burden of sleeping bags and other gear. Camp 2 is perched on the ridge, a bit of an eagles nest when viewed from above but our Sherpas did a great job lashing the tents into place. Protected from the cold breeze that fluttered the prayer flags, warmed by the sun, it's an amazing place to contemplate the surrounding peaks. For Sandra this was a well earned high point and altitude record.

The following day as the moon was setting and just before the first rays of the sun hit the camp Henk, Katja, Isabelle, Rick, Pema and Dawa set off for the summit. Though our attention was focussed on safely negotiating the fixed line and difficult terrain above Camp 2, it was hard not to let your gaze drift to the view around us. Or maybe it was just an excuse to stop and gasp for breath. We arrived as 2 groups at the summit at 12noon and 2pm on December the 9th. Plumes of cloud streamed off the high peaks; Everest, Makalu and Cho Oyo. Below us, we looked down onto a sea of cloud, lapping the steep slopes of the smaller peaks at 5300m. It was an incredibly satisfying and certainly breathtaking experience.

The descent is long and requires close attention to safety, no point to rush. Just after nightfall the last group slid down the fixed lines into the welcome comfort of Camp 2.

Back at Base Camp, rested and well fed, the team then decided to trek out via the Cho La. It was a great end to the trip. We all felt strong and well acclimatised and enjoyed stretching our legs, walking the loop around Taboche and Cholatse. The trails and lodges were quiet and the views magnificent.

We finished the trip with lots of good memories and a desire to return soon...

Rick Marchant, Expedition Leader

This is Jagged Globe's 6th expedition to the mountain. On 5 of our expeditions, team members have reached the top. The weather in December has been particularly stable in recent years. This coupled with well prepared climbers and experienced leaders and Sherpas mean that we have a track record on Ama Dablam which is unmatched in the UK. In 2004, Adele Pennington is leading our expedition. Adele topped out on Ama Dablam in 1998 to make the first female winter ascent. - Ed.« Previous report | Next report »

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