Trip Reports

Mera Peak - 31 Mar to 23 Apr '06

Written by Leader Ed Chard, April 2006

After a difficult and frustrating expedition the team are now back in the UK. We arrived back on Sunday morning having faced huge snow fall and social unrest in Kathmandu. The first week of the trip trekked through the hills and forests of the lower Khumbu and Hinku Valleys where we were treated to very unseasonable rain and snow fall. Most mornings were fine and bright but afternoons saw the skies darken and precipitation became the main obstacle.

As we got nearer the mountain it became very obvious that the unseasonable rain was falling as snow higher up and our route up the mountain was going to be tough going. After a rest day we worked our way up to our base camp and our first proper views of the mountain. We could see the first part of our route clearly and it seemed that our worst fears had been realised, there had been huge dumps of snow and no one had got near the summit so far. The following day we went as high as we could up the mountain only to be turned back by a metre to a metre and a half of snow at about 5,350m.

The next 4-5 days were spent getting back to Lukla over the heavily snowed up Zatwra La, that required the use of fixed rope. After 2 days of bad weather in Lukla and another day of strike action, we were finally flown back to Kathmandu by Helicopter. The team were all very relieved to be back in the surroundings of the Summit Hotel and well away from the unrest in the middle of the city. We flew out the following day during a curfew that needed us to have an armed escort to the airport. All in all, a very eventful trip. Well done everyone, you were a great team!

Ed Chard MIC

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