Trip Report - Island Peak October 2016

Further information on our Island Peak expeditions

It’s fair to say the expedition started out the way it pretty much continued throughout, with outstanding pastries, coffee, pizzas and other delicious meals en route to our summit bid! We were never short of tasty calories. Delicious meals cooked on simple stoves in teahouses in the Khumbu, plus the occasional stop at an ‘Everest Bakery’, never disappoint and our trip was no exception.

We were also treated to fabulous views almost from the start. Other than some occasional cloud on the first couple of days we enjoyed blue skies and sunshine every day. Our first two days gave us the opportunity to tune into trekking Nepali style, “bistari, bistari” (slowly, slowly) with plenty of Mani (prayer) walls and Mani wheels en route – we quickly learned to spin them the right way, plenty of yaks on the trail – we quickly learned to walk on their uphill side, plus prayer flags festooned along swing bridges across enormous, stunning river gorges. Just time to remember to pocket any loose hats and sunglasses before localised breezes could whisk them away, whilst clicking on iPhones and SLRs to capture memories for a lifetime.

After a night in Phakding we were soon enjoying the pleasures of the relative metropolis of Namche Bazaar, the unofficial capital of the Khumbu, an astonishing blend of colourful and noisy trading for locals (literally the bazaar, or market) and for tourists. Our two night acclimatisation programme here gave us the opportunity to make a short hike up to the Everest View Hotel, for fabulous views of Mount Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam. The evening gave a chance to brush up on various games, pool on a warped table, knockout whist or  Bananagram – soon to become a ‘go to’ over a mug or two of lemon tea in the evening.

Our time at ‘Namche’ as it’s affectionately known, also provided the right backdrop to start thinking about staying well at altitude, as the effects of sleeping and hiking at high altitude kicked in a little here – the village is about 3,500m above sea level. Expedition members had plenty of time to chat through with me how acclimatisation works, why we all needed to drink lots of fluid, how best to manage any headaches and whether and when to take Diamox during the trip, a handy drug which can aid sleep at higher altitudes.

Moving on up the valley gave us: our first chilly overnight, yet with a stunning starry sky; frozen puddles on the trails; a visit to the famous Thyangboche Monastery; yet more Everest Bakery coffee and doughnuts; a visit to Tashi’s at Kyangjuma, who bestowed Karta (prayer scarves) on group members for good luck; a trek through a rhododendron forest; and finally to Pangboche, the real heartland of the Sherpa people, all the while gazing up to Ama Dablam, the Matterhorn of the Khumbu.

At Dingboche we spent two nights. We had ascended 1,000 meters since Namche, so we needed the extra night to help acclimatise. Saturday saw us in Chukkung where we met Kunga, Lhakpa and Sonam, our three Sherpas who would support the ascent of Island Peak. We ran a helpful training session on fixed lines, assisting all in using a jumar (a device to ascend fixed lines) and then to abseil back down again. It was chilly afternoon – realistic to practise these techniques using big gloves and wearing duvet jackets … whilst our Sherpas breezed about the mountainside at 4,800 metres (the height of Mont Blanc) in jeans and with bare hands! This was a reminder how hardy and perennially acclimatised the Sherpa people are to the altitude and to the cold. Superbly adapted, really friendly and helpful, without a doubt invaluable to our expedition.

Our trek-in phase was over; the next two days saw us walk to Island Peak Basecamp, rest for a few hours in tents at BC during Sunday evening and then make our summit bid in the early hours of Monday morning. Monday happened to be Halloween, although I don’t think any of us noticed – we were too busy focussing on our slow but steady progress on the initial climb out of BC, up the sandy path and then rocky scramble to ‘crampon point’, the snowline at about 5,800 metres. The route then weaves a beautiful line through crevasses, using some easy fixed ropes and the occasional ladder, up to a fabulous high point at 6,000 metres, just before the final, steep headwall. This was a final high point for some group members, with time enough to catch breath, enjoy the stunning views and take photos before descending.

Other group members pushed on up the steep fixed lines, for a 150 metres or so to the final summit ridge, whose angle then lays back a little, making the final five minutes to the summit more manageable after some hard graft jumarring up the headwall. Once on the small snowy top of Island Peak (or Imja Tse in Nepali) you understand why it is so named. The view of Ama Dablam, so far omnipresent, recedes a little, and now the Lhotse ridge dominates, Makalu can be seen in the distance and other mountains appear at close range, such as Baruntse. After some well-deserved congratulations all round and lots of photos, the realisation creeps in that the summit is only halfway and that ‘tea and medals’ are still a few hours away.

We worked our way safely back down, reversing our ascent route, eventually meeting up with the whole group at BC. After copious cups of tea, plus biscuits and noodles, it was time to check-out of BC and we walked down the Imja valley back to Chukkung for a square meal and a night’s sleep. It had been a tough but rewarding trip out to BC, Island Peak and back.

Despite weary legs the trek out was swift back down to Pangboche. After a couple of days up in the barren montane zone our first plants were noticeable – the buckthorn bush. This is harvested to make seabuckthorn juice. We thought we should try this, given it is a sustainable and local berry, but to be fair I think our western palates and desire to celebrate overrode cultural interest and we swiftly moved onto beer!

The party atmosphere carried on in Namche, fuelled in no small part by our effervescent trekking guide Moti, prior to our last full day in the Khumbu which took us downward to Lukla. We had hoped for an early flight from Lukla out to Kathmandu, but a presidential visit from the Indian Prime Minister closed the airport for the morning. It gave us a few more hours to enjoy the views up in the Khumbu – no hardship. We finally arrived back at our starting point, Woodlands Hotel in Kathmandu, in time to unwind and shower before a celebratory dinner and beer at Kilroy’s, in the heart of Thamel, a fitting close to a fabulous two week expedition through the Khumbu onto the stunning summit of Island Peak – Namaste!

Giles

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