Mountaineering Expedition ‘Tharpa Chuli’ to Nepal- November 2001
RAuxAF Squadrons
A
team of 12 personnel from various RAuxAF Squadrons was selected for the
expedition, with the aim of climbing the Himalayan peak, Mt Paldor in the Ganesh
Himal region, some 60 miles north of Kathmandu. This would involve a climb up to
5928 m over scree, snowfields and glaciers. To be successful, the team would
need determination, fitness, successful acclimatisation to cope with high
altitude, and of course an element of luck.
Fit Lt Adrian Ridler from 4626 Squadron
led the team, and participants from other RAuxAF units ranged from complete
novices to winter mountain leaders and former RAF mountain rescue team members.
The Ulysses Trust provided financial backing with a grant of £2400.
At the time of arrival in country, Nepal was experiencing severe internal problems primarily with neo- communist (Maoist) insurgency. This required major re-planning, culminating in a trek to the Annapurna region, some 100 miles from the original climbing area. The objective now was to attempt a peak of similar scale and technical difficulty - Tharpu Chuli - in the heart of the Annapurna sanctuary.
It
took us 6 days to reach the base camp by the Annapurna glacier at 4100m. That
allowed a rest day
at base
camp, and 4 days in which to set up a high camp at 5000m, acclimatise further
and then make the summit bid. By the time we reached high camp, we had 5 minor
acute mountain sickness casualties, leaving 7 of us to make the final climb.
On summit day, wake up call
was at 0245; no one had slept well. The moon was up; it was light enough without
head torches, once the eyes acclimatised. The first section involved a scramble
over 500m or so of loose rock; we then joined the bottom of the snowfield. Our
first major obstacle was a 100 m snow-covered ridge, with a gradient of about 60
degrees. The guides had fixed a rope the day before; we were to climb it using
crampons, ice axe and a prussic loop. The peak looked just a stone's throw away,
but was guarded by another steep and narrow ridge covered in deep snow. The
climb was physical, but not technically difficult. The summit was about 2m wide,
and there was a 350 m drop either side. It was gin clear, and there was no wind
- how lucky we were. The RAuxAF ensign was unfurled for the summit photo.
The day was not over yet, with the 1500m descent now facing us. We finally trailed into base camp about 1700; it was end of an unbelievable climb. The following day, the weather changed completely and we spent the next two days trekking out of the mountains in heavy snow.
We finished on a high note with a traditional Noiree meal in a restaurant in Khatmandu. We wore our team tee shirts, gifts and goodbyes were exchanged with our Nepalese guides. It was a poignant moment, and the perfect culmination to an excellent expedition.
FltLt
Ed Slingsby - 600 Squadron RAuxAF