Page 37 - 1995 Mountaineering Club Bulletin

ANNUAL BULLETIN
our worst fears were realised. It is difficult to identify the route onto and through the initial maze of crevasses in good weather, but in poor visibility and light it was near impossible. Despite this we progressed slowly through the crevasse field until we met up with a pair of German climbers at the base of an ice-wall. It was evident that they were also having difficulties route finding and had come to a stand-still. We exchanged ideas for a while but elected to go different ways; they up-and-over and us along and around. As it turned out, ours was the easier, albeit longer path, as we met up once again an hour later. The pair looked serious­ ly shaken by their climb and requested that' they follow along behind us. As the climb progressed the crevasses became less fre­ quent but far more spectacular in size and depth as the slope steepened. Progress was extremely slow and became more diffi­ cult as conditions deteriorated. The wind increased to a con­ cerning level and before long we were covered in a film of ice and struggling to make 6-paces before needing a rest. By 0600 we
were still climbing, although everyone was extremely tired.
Dawn had arrived to improve the light but visibility was still lim­
ited when a break in the cloud revealed that we were still some
way from the top of 19,348ft. Both altimeters placed us at 18,500
ft. It was at this point that the decision to turn back was made.
If we had continued to the top, (which some may not have
achieved), we would have been forced to spend the day on the
Glacier, as the sun was already starting to melt the snow. Bearing
in mind the weather and our physical condition, this was consid­
ered too dangerous to risk. As it turned out, our decision to not detract from the Team’s achievements. Ecuador provided an
return was well timed as our descent became more and more pre­ carious as the snow melted. We finally arrived back at the hut (and bed) at 1330.
After a brief sleep, we packed and drove back down the mountain and on to Banyos, arriving at the luxurious Hotel Palace at 2000.
Peru 95 Expedition Report
Nobby Clarke
SUMMARY
A four man expedition to the Cordillera Blanca in Peru that climbed six peaks in four weeks in lightweight alpine style. INTRODUCTION
Peru - The Cordillera Blance is a long narrow range of mountains up to 6700m high. The peaks are easily accessible being no more than two days walk from the roadhead up beautiful valleys called Quebredas. This made the Cordillera Blanca the choice for our first expedition to bigger mountains than the Alps.
THE TEAM James Raitt RM
Andy Muddiman RM
Chris Palmer.
UCE. Age 21.
UCE. Age 22.
UEL. Age 23.
4 Alpine seasons climbs TD and Scottish V. Just graduated from Durham University.
1Alpine season climbs TD and Scottish V. Just graduated from Newcastle University.
Previous expedition to Morocco with OTC in 1994. Just graduated from Newcastle University.
James and Andy flew out on the 5th July and were joined by Chris and Haggis on the 17th July. All flew back on 10th August.
THE ROYAL NAVY & ROYAL MARINES MOUNTAINEERING CLUB
35
This hotel proved to be amazing value for money, with swim­ ming pools, jacuzzis and steam rooms all for £5 per night. Following a day sightseeing in Banyos we returned to Cotopaxi only to be disappointed by the weather yet again! The Refuge was well in the clouds and a severe thunderstorm was in progress. The attempt at the summit was consequently aborted.
The guide book reported that the weather in Ecuador is extremely localised, so while one peak could have horrendous conditions, an adjacent peak could be in perfect weather. So the following day we drove to Chimborazo, only to find high winds and a thunderstorm raging at the Refuge. The weather forecast predicted no change for the next three days, so we withdrew to Quito.
CONCLUSION
The guide book stated that both Cayambe and Cotapaxi can be climbed all year round. According to the Cotapaxi Refuge Guardian, we had arrived at a time when they were witnessing the worst weather in June for over 30 years, with thunder storms at the refuges and summit winds in excess of 70 mph.
The mountains of Ecuador are routinely used as a training ground for future expeditions to Everest and similar “serious Mountains”. The main reason for this is the fact that Ecuador’s mountains are themselves “serious”, and failing to reach the summits of Cotapaxi and Cayambe, although disappointing, did
excellent location to introduce new/less experienced moun­ taineers to high altitude trekking and therefore fully met the aims and objectives of the expedition.