Page 34 - 2009 AMA Summer

The Junior Team taking a break on route to the East Col of Baruntse. Note Mt Everest in the background.
The Junior Team taking a breather at the SE Ridge Base Camp.
Mera High Camp once the weather broke. A cold and exposed rocky Final ascent to the summit of Mera negotiating the large crevasse running
ledge.
ley to the Mera La (5415m) and Mera Peak. The trek to Mera High Camp (5780m) from the Mera La was a short yet sustained climb through deep slushy snow to a nar- row rocky ledge on which our tents were precariously balanced. Abysmal weather drove us quickly to our shelter and it was only as the evening set on that that the skies cleared sufficiently to afford the team some spectacular views of Kangchenjunga, Chamlang, Makalu,
left to right.
Baruntse, Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Cho Oyu and Kangtega.
At 0330am the team set off on two ropes for the summit of Mera. Essentially it was a long steady trudge that required a degree of skill and dexterity to avoid the plethora of small but plentiful deep crevasses that littered the mountainside. After 4 hours the 50 degree slope eventually turned to a 70 degree slope and we knew we were approaching the top. To negotiate this safely there was a brief pause to fix ropes before both teams huffed, puffed and spluttered their way to the top. Team 1
hauled themselves to the top at 0800hrs fol- lowed closely by team 2 at 0830hrs.
Although cloudy it was possible to make out several of the world’s highest moun- tains from the summit and I have no doubt that as the Junior Servicemen and women sat there feasting on these views their appetites will have been whetted for bigger and grander things.
The BSME 08 Junior Team was a huge suc- cess and it would be remiss of any future Service endeavour not to include a junior element of some kind. If the services are to continue to put their people on to the top of the world’s highest peaks in 2018 and even 2028 then it is crucial that junior teams, such as this, come as standard with any big exped. For relatively little extra effort it is possible to grow and nurture our future tal- ent and provide them with the fledging skills they need to catch the selector’s eye for other bigger endeavours. Although 2 of the team had to be returned to Kathmandu for altitude related illness and another due to sickness I have no doubt the overriding aim of the expedition was achieved. This expe- dition has given the next generation of ser- vice mountaineers the skills, personal attributes and confidence they need to sit comfortably in any future single or joint ser- vice team and hopefully to one day feel able to lead their own expeditions.
32 ARMY MOUNTAINEER