2022 Baruntse Expedition tracking
ID Name: Namas GPS 1 Adventure
Conclusion 2022 Baruntse Spring expedition, Namas Adventure team finally assessed the crevasse opening at 6900M first-hand, our team has concluded that we will need to take ladders (3 -5) and to safely cross the crevasse. Additional climbing days may be required since the crevasse opening will delay while fixing the rope to the summit. (Weather permitting)
We will be returning to Baruntse again next fall with a new strategy and support to safely achieve our summit at Baruntse. Here is to explore the new possibilities.
4th - 7th April
Drive from Kathmandu to Patale and Khari Khola. Trekking beings from 8th April to Pangoma village. Everyone is in high spirits after sharing some bumpy rides 🙂.
8th April
Finally, bumpy ride ends at Kharikhola village and our group has arrived at Pangoma village.
April 9th - 11th
All team members have arrived well at Kothe village 3600M. Weather looks promising for Mera Summit on 16th April but we will keep a close eye to any changes in weather. Images of the trek from the team members.
April 12th - 13th
Baruntse team has arrived well at Khare village 5000M. Acclimatization and training day tomorrow. Our team head to high camp 5500M on 15th April and early morning 3 am start for the summit push on 16th April. Weather looks on our side for the 16th with our aim to be at the summit by 7 am or 8 am. Photos by - client member.
April 14th
All team members have rested well and did a short acclimatization hike of 200M - 250M above Khare village. Tomorrow is game time to beautiful Mera high camp at 5500M and then an early start to summit push.
April 15th
Team departs to Mera High Camp. GPS map shows the team arriving near Mera La Pass at 5250M and then message received that they have arrived well at Mera high camp. All the best for Summit push to Mera peak 6476M.
Arrival at Mera High Camp.
April 16th
Our team summited Mera Peak at 6:47 Am this morning. The team started the summit push at 2:00 Am in the morning. 🙂. Congratulation team and now 3 days away to Baruntse BC. Then we aim for our objective to Baruntse 7129M. Praying weather stays on our side for this spring-safe summit.
April 17th - 18th
Our Baruntse team has arrived at Baruntse Base camp today. This will be home for the next 10-11 days, as we plan accordingly with the weather window. Hopefully the mountain gods will allow our team a safe passage here onwards. All the best team 🙏🏼
19th - 20th April
Team dropping supplies above West col at camp 1
On 19th April all our team members rested and recovered for our Baruntse climb. 20th April rotations/supplies were dropped off to prepare for higher camps and summit push. We are seeing a good weather window from 23rd - 27th April. Hopefully, it stays on our side for our summit bid and the team arriving back safely to lower camps.
📸Image courtesy from. - Olof ‘22 Baruntse team
April 21st - 22nd
Puja ceremony was conducted today (21st April) praying and asking the mountain gods for safe passage to the summit and keeping the entire team safe and sound. Few puja celebrations and rest and preparations for tomorrow. Routes to camp 1 have been set already and tomorrow all team members move to camp 1 and sleep there further acclimatizing and our team will open the route to camp 2 and then aim toward the summit.
23rd April - 24th April
23rd Rest day after camp 1 rotations and preparations for the summit push. 24th of April, our team arrived at camp 1 with climbers. 3 Guiding members have headed to camp 2 already to set additional camps for climbers to arrive tommorrow.
25th April
A bit windy way with 30mph - 35mph max but a clear day to stay at camp 2. Our team has arrived safely at Barutse camp 2, 6450M. Tomorrow early hours we push for the summit 🙏🏼.
26th April
We plan for the Summit push during the early hours. The weather looks very good. We wish our team all the very best, a safe Baruntse summit 7129M, and back to camp 1 or 2. 🙏🏼
26th April - Baruntse Summit Push report
Our team started around 2:30 am in the morning along with 2 other smaller teams. After pushing through for 4 -5 hours, everyone was able to reach up to the point of 6900M, where all teams came upon a (big)crevasse. After assessing the crevasse, the other two teams decided to return back. Since we had the numbers our team tried finding a way around it for 2 hours but seemed impossible and decided to call off the expedition. So close yet so far, we were 219M short of our summit success and our Sherpa guides did their absolute best.
Our mission to the Baruntse summit does not end here. We will further assess the situation with the team once they are back in Kathmandu and discuss ideas to find the solutions to this particular objective danger. Images will provide further evidence and we need to be creative and find a way to tackle this particular issue when we are back to the mountain next autumn (2022). Ladder crossing!! Guided mixed climbing!!?
After we discuss and conclude, if it is safe to climb the crevasse section with other safety ideas, then giving up is not an option. Every team had insufficient information. Now that we know, we can restrategize and plan additionally moving forward.
More details to follow….
All our team members are now at Baruntse Base camp. They will rest there for 1 day, recover, enjoy base camp’s good food, and some time for reflection. On 28th April we will pack up and move towards Amphu Lhabtsa base camp, then head towards the Khumbu region to finally end the expedition.
This is the nature of big remote expeditions, where there are fewer climbing teams and success rates. Data/information are insufficient and as we venture to explore raw-remote regions, these types of expeditions will allow us to collect more information, tackle the issues that can be overcome, and pave a way for oncoming future expeditions. The quest remains.
We are thankful to our super strong and joyful Local Sherpa guiding team. Congratulations to all the team members for Mera Peak 6476M summit and climbing Baruntse up to 6900M.
2022 Baruntse Guiding Members:
Lead Pemba Tenjin Sherpa
2nd lead guide Nima Tenzing Sherpa
Pemba Gyaltsen Sherpa
Kiran Baniya Sherpa
Dawa Sherpa
27th April - 28th April
Rest day at Base camp on 27th April. On 28th April our team packs up and heads towards Amphu Lhabtsa base camp.