Page 15 - 1995 Mountaineering Club Bulletin

decided to abort. It was not a case of failure, that only happens when you do not possess the technical physical and mental abil­ ities. Nor was it a case of giving up, all the team wished to con­ tinue. It all boiled down to one simple factor - the right moun­ taineering decision being made with the emphasis on safety of the group. Too many people die, 23 in Scotland alone this year, because of disregarding the overall situation.
Pasang Tamang, a lodge owner, nearby related stories of his climbs. He climbed Naya Kanga 7 times! He was involved in a horrific descent from nearby Langtang Lirung (6000+m) when they lost 2 Koreans and 2 Nepalese and stated this was the worst storm for 12 years and was expected as it was the time of a Tibetan Moon!! An interesting man. Our next problem, howev­ er, was to retreat from the valley and the only way possible was to follow in the wake of a herd of Yaks, unable to eat they chose to return to the lower pastures. Again we were hearing the distant rumble of avalanche and saw much evidence of landslip, we real­ ly had made the right decision. It was a most pleasant retreat through the snow with the whole valley covered and with some views of the peaks and blue skies.
Return to Kathmandu on the bus out of hell, a ticket bus over­ loaded with people, dugs, animals etc, we re-established and planned a short second trek to the Annapurna Region. As with everything in Nepal nothing is easy. Several hours were spent in the immigration office obtaining trek permits during which time
it was noticed that Dave had an infected bite on his leg. A diag­ nosis of Cellulitis was made which can be life threatening if not treated swiftly. Luckily, we managed to get him seen in a local clinic, at high cost, and started on a combination of antibiotics. I was happy for him to continue. Because of our numbers a plane was chartered through Everest Air, money was exchanged, kit packed (again) and we departed to Pokhara the following day and enjoyed a most memorable and enjoyable trek reaching 11,000ft for a second time. As with the whole Himalayan range at that time views were obscured because of cloud and mist but the mag­ nificent Machapuchare appeared for us on the very last day alongside the beautiful Annapurna 1, South and Hiunchuli.
Any trek, whether organising it yourself or in coniunction with a trekking firm, is major undertaking. The medical problems can be difficult if there is nobody qualified; the problems of altitude are real and need to be experienced first hand and the logistical problems can be immense. However, it is a wonderful country with beautiful landscape and scenery and the mountains simply magnificent. The people are poor but generally happy and the culture and lifestyle a real experience. It is my third, probably not my last, trip which says it all. The ascent of Naya Kanga was not to be; the right mountaineering decisions had been made. It had been a wonderful Himalayan Experience. You must do it!!
Les Yeoman
Lt Cdr Keven BLAKE RN
Mne Ian BREEZE
Lt Cdr “Nobby” CLARKE RN
ABW(R) Tracy ELLIOTT
Cdr James GRANT RN (Leader)
Lt Grant LEWINS RN
Lt Chris MOORE RM
Lt Dickon POSNETT RN
Lt Nick SJOBERG (RM)
POMEM “Smudge” SMITH
LS(MW) Olin THORESM
Lt Cdr Dick TOUGH RN (Deputy) HMS NEPTUNE CPOMEA(EL) Sean YATES HMS OSPREY
and representated all the Naval Commands. Whereas a few had made the long overnight journey from Scotland, others had only to venture across the Gosport Ferry. After initial introductions and loading the 2 Renault Traffic mini buses, time was made for
NPM Plymouth
45 CDO RM CNOCS
HMS DRYAD 2SLCNH/DNM HMS NEPTUNE CTCRM RNASPORTLAND CTCRM
HMS INTREPID HQ PITREAVIE
ANNUAL BULLETIN
1995 Ski Mountaineering Expedition to the Parc National de la Vanoise
The following narrative report describes the key events during the peri­ od of the expedition, 31 Mar 95 -15 Apr 95. Times, where given, are local.
Friday 31 March 1994
The 13 expedition members met at James Grant’s house in Alverstoke on the morning of 31 Mar 95. In terms of numbers, it was the largest ski mountaineering expedition the Club has ever mounted. Those taking part included:
a short team brief with the aid of a relief model of the Vanoise area. Then, after a snack lunch, the team set of for the Portsmouth Ferry Port.
Departed Portsmouth 1445. Arrived Le Havre 2200.
Saturday 1 April
Arrived at the Gite d ’Etape in Le Villaron at 1030 and spent the after­ noon practising down-hill skiing techniques.
After a smooth and uneventful drive through the night, the team arrived in the Maurienne to find clear skies and good snow cover. After a quick shopping stop in Lanslevillard to hire ski moun­ taineering boots for “Smudge” SMITH, the team established “base camp” in the uppermost dortoir of La Batisse, the Gite d’Etape in Le Villaron. At our request, Mme MARIAC produced a late breakfast that was very much appreciated by all.
A short van ride then took us to Bonneval-sur-Arc where half-day ski passes were bought. Bonneval is a small and compact down­ hill resort with tows reaching to nearly 3000m. Although the lift system is not extensive, the area was ideal for our needs as there are long runs of varying degrees of difficulty. Above all, the pistes were empty so we were able to re-discover our ski legs in private! Many different styles were demonstrated but most of the team were able to get from the top of a slope to the bottom unscathed, but often completely covered in snow. After a thoroughly enjoy­ able but extremely useful afternoon we returned to the dortoir for
THE ROYAL NAVY & ROYAL MARINES MOUNTAINEERING CLUB
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