Imja Tse (Island Peak) Climb

Our schedule accomodates for several bad weather days. This is expecially critical, later in the season. As we are half way through October, really important to have a flexible climbing schedule.

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We get to Island Peak Base camp on the 17th. I'm hoping that we can climb on my birthday, the 20. That would be fantastic.

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I discuss the details with Pemba. He easily concludes we climb tonight. Huh? Well, I was feeling really good. The weather was crystal clear. Go now, while you can! Island Peak was first climbed in 1953 by Eric Shipton and Tengsing Norgay to very well known climbers. Cool thing about it, is it sits in the middle of some of the greatest mountains in the world, such as Nuptse, Lhotse and Ama Dablam.

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Pemba tells me we can leave later than everyone else, since I'm going so fast and feeling so strong. Good, I got no problems with that. I really wondered if I could even adjust to high altitude. During my entire time in Tibet, I felt horrible. Never really got to feeling good, just never better than OK.

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So the climb was about 5 hours up and about 4-5 hours down. We starte at about 17K feet, and clmbed Island Peak, @ an altitude of 20,305.

Me on the snow field at about 19K feet. This was technically on the way down since on the way up, it was too cold and I could not get my little sony camera to take pictures.This is a picture of the headwall (I later learned it's 320 feet tall, but I tell you, it felt MUCH taller.) I stole off the internet. The route runs up along the left, before the snow gullies. When you approach the head wall, you have the option of placing pickets (aluminum posts) and climbing it, or jumaring (pulling yourself up with a device called an ascender) up the fixed rope. I quickly assessed success and risks. Jumar was safer and easier. No big decision, huh? This is me @ the top of the famous headwall. That is a half-assed smile, more a grimace than anything else. I've not jumared before, nor had I ever climbed on a fixed rope before. Both were good learning experiences. The process worked something like this:

1. Jumar (run ascender up the rope) with left hand.
2. Stab ice axe into the snow with right hand.
3. Take a step up with left foot.
4. Follow up with step of right foot.
5. Take a breath.
6. Take a breath.
7. Repeat @ step 1.
   A group of German climbers has come around me @ the top of the head wall. I stopped to catch my breath, and take some photos. These guys (one woman) motored to the top. I thought I was able to move fast. These guys were even faster. Looking over the edge (as you can see on the right hand part of the photo) is one beastly fall. This is me at the top of Island Peak. Ama Dablam is in the background. Pemba took this shot. I got to spend about 15 minutes @ the top. Crystal clear and amazing view. Not bad. But, the sun was starting to warm the snow, and loosen the pickets on the fixed ropes. If they pull out, a tumble you will go, a tumble you will go, Hi Ho the Dairy O, a tumble you will go..... Time to get off the mountain!