Page 16 - AMA Summer 2024

HIGH ALTITUDE ›
a helmet as a gesture and protection against small stones, most chunks of rock would have ripped an arm off or been fatal. After this, the route continues up the glacier in a deep valley formed by Tukuche Peak on one side and Dhaulagiri on the other. If a huge avalanche breaks off the upper slopes of Dhaulagiri there is not much chance of escaping it here. Avalanche debris is spread liberally over the glacier with ice blocks the size of a campervan. I was concerned, bordering on scared.
Thankfully, most of the snow was firm and the snow bridges held out over the huge crevasses. It took 7 hours to reach 5900m and a relatively safe area to dig in our small two-man bivy tent. The afternoon sun drained my energy as it reflected off the snow. Cloud, shade, and afternoon snowfall were more welcome as I lay in the tiny tent and melted snow on the gas stove for tea and water. The next day we pushed on to 6400m. It took 4 hours to reach a suitable spot on the 45° slope, followed by hours of hard shovelling and hacking at the ice to make a platform for the bivy tent. After that we lay down drinking and eating, conserving energy for the summit push.
On the 16th May, the climb up to 7400m took nearly 10 hours. The terrain steepened and we took extra care often front pointing on the hard bare ice. In places old sun-bleached fixed ropes and tattered remains of tents littered the route and I noticed a body wrapped in tent fabric. A sad, lifeless messenger of the danger and perils which faced us.
Pasang and I had decided to leave our sleeping bags at 6400m so we could move faster, with less weight. We did not really have much time to miss them in our cramped high-altitude bivy at 7400m as we were squeezed together on a tiny ledge hacked out of the ice. Most of the night was spent melting snow before we struggled out into the darkness at 3am. It was -25°C as we cramponed up the snow and rock slope in the darkness, my headtorch casting a soft white glow around me, creating a comforting feeling.
After an hour of climbing my toes were very cold – they were beginning to freeze and felt solid. I contemplated returning to the bivy tent to warm them up. I am not prepared to have any toes or fingers amputated just
to climb a mountain. No mountain is worth a digit and I have all my bits. I stopped on some rocks to massage my feet. It was 4.30am. I drank some water and nibbled at some food and slowly felt the lifeblood start circulating in my toes again.
16 ‹ ARMY MOUNTAINEER