Page 31 - 2016 AMA Autumn

it wasn’t covered in thigh deep snow and blue ice) ridge that ascended to the NE and marked the actual approach to the summit challenged those that made it to Camp 3 to their extremes. The weather at this altitude when poor, was horrendous and ultimately prevented our expedition from summiting. Five members of the MT made it to Camp 3 as well as Dowa, and spent the night in pretty awful conditions. Myself and two of the five made it to a kit dump at 7100m a couple of days before. So technically not success but a great height nonetheless and we all hoped that it would at least provide some useful data for the medical boffins back in the UK.
The Remainder
The final 600m of the route to the summit traversed for a significant period, on what was described as ‘steep terrain’ and following this lay the gulley that would ultimately lead to the Dhaulagiri’s rocky summit at 8167m.
To Finish
Some suggest that due to its remote nature, Dhaulagiri is quite simply a difficult mountain to climb. To me it was more though; it was challenging because it is a mountain that seemed to effort- lessly sap our energy reserves with the complicated and arduous nature of its terrain and the ever present objective dangers. The unpredictable nature of the weather systems that enveloped the white mountain forced our hand to make decisions on timelines that often left us exhausted and unable to push to the pinnacle. However, this expedition was the experience of a lifetime, in a country more in need than ever of responsible visitors. I would encourage all AMA members who haven’t yet tried the high altitude Himalayan ‘thing’ to cast aside any doubts and go for it. It will leave you a better person and undoubtedly a better mountaineer.
Yak Kharka camp en route to Hidden Valley
ARMY MOUNTAINEER 29