Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Teams in Kathmandu, Some Still Heading North

It is now safe to say that the 2009 Spring Himalaya season is in full swing, as many climbers are now arriving in Kathmandu and making the final preparations for their impending expeditions into the Himalaya.

Alan Arnette added some information to his Everest 2009 page today, with updates straight from the teams themselves, who are already in Nepal. As of this writing, the border to Tibet is still closed, although rumors continue to circulate that it'll reopen on or around April 1st. To that end, several teams are still planning to make attempts on Everest from the North Col route, including a team from Summit Climb, who will not only be going up Everest this year, but also plan a Cho Oyu expedition as well. They'll be joined in Tibet by a Canadian team known as the Canadian Mad Frogs, who also have their eyes on the summit from the north. The 7 Summits Club is not so optimistic however, and they made the jump to the South Side earlier this week.

Another note of interest is that the CTMA (China-Tibet Mountaineering Association) has announced that they will personally over see the fixing of the ropes on the North Side this spring. There has been some concern over who would handle those duties, since Russell Brice and his Himex team have moved to the South as well. In the past, Himex has usually taken care of the ropes themselves, charging the other teams a nominal fee to use them. But with few teams on the mountain, it looked like it could possibly be an issue, but that concern now seems to be over.

ExWeb has some good updates from the region as well, starting with the news that the unrest amongst the Maoist rebels in the Kangchenjunga area has now ended. As I noted a few days back, it seems that unrest, and general strikes, flare up on an annual basis about this time, only to die down again as the climbers start appearing.

ExWeb is also reporting that Manaslu seems to be the popular mountain this spring, with more expected traffic than anywhere else, save the Everest South Side. The mountain stands 8163 meters (26,758 feet) in height as is located along the Nepal/Tibet border, to the east of Annapurna. It is the 8th highest mountain in the world, and is often used as a good climb for gaining experience for the other 8000 meter peaks, which may help to explain the traffic there this spring.

Finally, look way ahead to the next Winter Season in the Karakorum, ExWeb says that Russian climbers Victor Kozlov and Nickolay Totmjanin are currently in Pakistan, and on the Baltoro Glacier, scouting K2 for an attempt by the Russian national climbing team to that mountain next winter. That'll be a huge expedition to watch down the line for sure.

Everest 2009: ExWeb Posts Expedition List

A month from now the already bustling streets of Kathmandu will become even more hectic, as teams of climbers from around the world descend on the city in preparation for their various climbs throughout the Himalaya. Most will be headed to Everest, where they'll be spending several weeks acclimatizing and eventually, if all goes according to plan, making an attempt on the summit.

As is typical for this time of year, Explorers Web has released their definitive list of Everest Expeditions for the Spring of 2009, as well as other peaks in the region that will be seeing some traffic as well. All told, there are more than 40 expeditions on the South Side of the mountain alone, while on the North, 8 optimistic teams hold out hope for access to the mountain from that side. Those plans all hinge on what happens in Tibet this month.

Some of the more interesting stories include David Liaño's attempt at a South-North-South double traverse, as well as American Bill Burke's attempt at a South to North traverse at the age of 67. Of course we also have the Sherpas attempting to stay on the summit for 24 hours straight, as well as a variety of attempts sans supplemental oxygen, and the news that I reported earlier today that Ed Viesturs will be returning for another go, climbing with Dave Hahn and Peter Whittaker.

Everest is never short on stories or drama. The mountain just attracts attention of course, but it isn't the only game in town when it comes to spring climbing in the Himalaya. The expedition list also has the scoop on the teams headed to Kangchenjunga, Annapurna, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Lhotse, Shisha Pangma, and Cho Oyu. I also personally have a friend headed to Island Peak for a climb of his own, which I'm looking forward to following as well.

Only a few more weeks before things get really interesting. Looks to be another wild year in the Himalaya.

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Acclimatizing in Namche Bazaar

By now you're probably already getting tired of hearing me reference the First Ascent Team, the all-star mountaineering group with Ed Viesturs, Dave Hahn, Melissa Arnot, and a host of others. Yesterday I mentioned that they had their own YouTube channel, which already has some great footage of the approach to base camp, and today I came across their Born Out There Blog, which is being updated as they travel as well. The best part about this expedition is that they have plenty of resources at their disposal, as you can already tell, and we're getting to follow along like never before. Daily video dispatches from the region and blog posts promise to give us a behind the scenes look at an Everest climb that we've possibly never had before. It'll be interesting to see if they can keep it up when they get to the hard stuff. For now, they're in Namche Bazaar, and acclimatizing before they continue their trek. Namche is traditionally a place where trekkers and climbers rest for a day enroute to Everest. Check out their video from the place below.

The Eco Everest Team is now reportedly preparing to set off for the mountain as well, with the legendary mountaineer Apa Sherpa now in Nepal. Apa makes his home in the U.S., but travels back on yearly basis to guide a team up the mountain. He'll be seeking his 19th successful summit this year, hopefully breaking his own record. Alan Arnette is reporting on his Everest 2009 page that Apa won't be alone this year though, as his wife will be on hand to witness his new milestone. Alan is also reporting that David Tait is currently en route to the mountain, and from his latest dispatch, it seems he's also in Namche Bazaar.

Bill Burke is still hopeful that he can take a shot at at his planned traverse of Everest, but everyone is still waiting to see if the Chinese will begin issuing permits to climb the mountain, along with Shisha Pangma and Cho Oyu as well. Bill is currently on his way to Nepal, but with the announcement that the borders of Tibet will reopen on April 5th, I think there is a cautiously optimistic feeling amongst those who are hoping to climb in Tibet this spring.

Across the Himalaya, teams are now making their way to various mountains. Joao Garcia's team is already on Manaslu and making gear drops, while Carlos Pauner and his partners are still making their way to that mountain. A number of teams are already establishing base camp on Annapurna as well, which looks to have its fair share of traffic this spring as well.

For the teams, it's an interesting time. They've arrived back in the Himalaya, which has become common place for many of them this time of year, and they are trekking or otherwise finding ways to get to their destination. Everything is rather hectic right now, but it'll calm down quite a bit once they reach base camp and get settled there. Then the waiting will start, with occasional hikes up the mountain to establish their camps and acclimatize. Soon we'll here talk of weather windows and summit days, and more, but in between, there will be an awful lot of waiting. Such is the spring climbing season in the Himalaya.