Trip report for Lunana Snowman in Bhutan led by Almas Khan in September/ October 2018

Photo: Gophu La pass on exit from Lunana

This is the tenth time The Mountain Company has organised the Complete Lunana Snowman trek in Bhutan. Our Snowman 2018 group successfully made the full traverse from Paro through Lunana out to Bumthang. The Mountain Company has 100% track record of organising this challenging 28 day trek through the remote Bhutanese Himalaya.

This year we had eleven trekkers signed up for Lunana Snowman and like in previous years this group was an international mix with people coming from UK, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands.

For 2018 Snowman our international leader, Almas Khan, worked with our regular Bhutanese guides Tashi and Tsering Dorje. Nawang worked as our third guide and he has learnt a lot from working with our regular crew so we hope to work with him again on Snowman next year.

The cook, Tandim Sonam, and his kitchen helpers did a superb job and we have received positive feedback from the group on the quality and quantity of food. We have worked hard over last few years increasing the food provisions for Snowman. In Summer 2017 we imported a food dehydrator machine from USA into Bhutan and this has help increase the quantity of vegetables supplied whilst on a long and remote trek like the Snowman trek.

Photo: view from Karchung La on entry to Lunana

Almas summarises how Snowman 2019 went from his perspective as the leader of the group:

“This was another fantastic Lunana Snowman trek. Overall the trip went well, with all of the group completing the complete journey in good health. All loved the food on the trek catered for by cook Tandim Sonam. After we reached Lingshi till Narethang we experienced some cloudy days which limited our views but we were fortunate to experience overall much less precipitation this year. The day crossing Karchung La we had sterling clear views and this continued for the rest of the trip out to Bumthang. Overall the weather was very good compared to my previous nine Snowman treks. The Bhutanese staff did a super job and the training is paying off. Having the opportunity to work with the same crew on all of my Snowman treks has made it possible to bring about positive change to the service we offer to our clients on trek in Bhutan.”

As Almas says overall the weather and conditions for Snowman 2018 were favourable. The timing of this trek is very important in order to increase the chances of successfully completing the full traverse from Paro to Bumthang. From organising Snowman trek ten times since 2008 we have developed a good understanding for the optimal time to start the trek. By the last week of September the monsoon should be winding down and this places the group in Lunana around mid-October hopefully before the winter snows block the exit passes out to Bumthang.

Throughout our Lunana Snowman trek we receive bespoke weather forecasts from Michael Fagin at everestweather.com and this information is sent through to Almas on his satellite phone. Having professional weather forecasts is essential for safety in crossing high passes and for decision making in the field.

We track all of our groups in the field with GPS check ins from Thuraya satellite phone and this year we have started using Google Maps in real time so friends and families can follow their progress - you can see the Google Maps for our Lunana Snowman 2018 trek .

We made one change to the logistics for this year’s Snowman trek by changing our horses at Laya whereas last year we took horses from Paro all the way through to Bumthang. Almas told me that the horsemen from Laya have strong, healthy horses and in the years we took horses from Laya all the way we noticed the horses got tired by the end of the trek.

Photo: view from Kesha La

I have copied below feedback received from one member of Snowman 2018 group now published on AITO review site:

“Well organised with great attention to detail, pre, during and post trek. The crew were top notch. A month of trekking in remote parts - no one got sick or injured, everyone completed the trek. The Mountain Company were efficient and thorough, operating with integrity and responsibility.” 

You can read all of our AITO reviews received over the years for Lunana Snowman

Many thanks to Almas, Tsering Dorje, Tashi, Nawang, Tandim Sonam and rest of the crew for all of their hard work organising and leading another successful Snowman trek.

We have now launched the dates and prices for Lunana Snowman 2019 on TMC website and this departure is now already guaranteed to run. Please get in touch with us soon if you like to join our Snowman 2019 group.

Trek on!

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Trip report for Saribung Expedition Recce led by Jo Clark and Galden Sherpa in October 2018

Saribung Peak (6328m)

After leading the Naar to Upper Mustang trek in October 2018 I left the group in Lo Mantang and turned back, towards Saribung Pass and down to the village of Phu.  Galden Sherpa and I were going out to check the trails and best camping locations with a small support crew.  Most companies run this trek starting from Lo Mantang over to Phu. We wanted to see if it is possible to acclimatise better doing this expedition in the opposite direction by crossing the pass from the Phu side and finishing in Lo Mantang.

One reason for wanting to run the trip from the Phu side is that assuming we could find good campsites in gradually ascending locations, it allows for a slow ascent with a rapid, safe exit if necessary.  Whereas approaching Saribung from Lo Mantang entails crossing three passes of around 5,000m early in the trek.  This means ascending too high, too fast with risk of altitude sickness for both group and crew. If there is bad weather it raises the risk of not even getting near Saribung if the passes are blocked with snow.

Valley of Phu

Village of Phu

Another reason for looking at this option is to be able to spend time in the beautiful Valley of Phu. While Naar and Phu have become more popular and teahouses are being built to accommodate this, very few trekkers explore the valley north of Phu.  Most of those that walk these trails are heading down the valley having already crossed Saribung pass and therefore spend little time in the area.

Our first day from Lo Mantang took us back to Yara Gaon - a trail we know from the Naar to Upper Mustang trek. After that we were in new territory. The three passes to cross between Saribung La and Yara take you away from the Upper Mustang region with its colourful arid terrain in varying formations and towards the high plateaus.  The views from the three passes (4,950m, 5,300m and 5,400m) are as varied as the land you are trekking through, with Upper Mustang stretching out below, the majestic Dhaulagiri, the Tibetan plateau and the peaks of Damodar Himal.

Ghuma Thanti with Upper Mustang in the distance

Trekking the plateau

Dhaulagiri from Kyumu Pass (5300m)

The trail over these passes is very clear and regularly repaired and improved because it is highly frequented by Hindu Pilgrims in order to reach Damodar Kunda.  It is popular to carry out the Pilgrimage to this holy lake close to the Nepal Tibet border in August and Lord Krishna has said that he who pays a visit to and takes a deep-bath will be free from all sin.

Beyond this we find the glacier and the pass.  There is significant glacial moraine to walk across - more on the Phu side than the Mustang side.  For this reason and in order to acclimatise safely, I identified a number of camping options on the glacier.  We will camp at three locations on the glacier - Bhrikuti Base Camp (5,070m) which is right at the beginning of moraine, Moraine Camp (5,339m) which is part way up - there are a number of locations which have been flattened out and are suitable for camping here and finally Saribung High Camp (5,684m) which will put us in position to cross the pass safely.  On the Mustang side the section of moraine is shorter and we have decided to descend to Japanese base camp after crossing the pass.

We have the exact locations of these camps as throughout the recce, I was sending regular GPS checkins back to Roland from the satellite phone.  He uploaded each location I sent him onto Google Maps set up for Saribung Expedition and we used these waypoints to help finalise our itinerary decisions.

Views from the pass

Glacial moraine - looking towards Japanese Base Camp

The pass itself is crevassed and all of the crew and I went over with crampons and fully roped up.  A lot of the crew are unfamiliar with these techniques and we will work with them lower down the valley to ensure everyone is safe and confident in the crevassed areas.

On this recce, after crossing the pass we descended to Bhrikuti Base Camp which is a long way down. From here I wanted to explore a small pass that looked like it could easily take us over to the next valley and Pokharkang Base Camp. The pass was easy to cross and the valley leading to Pokharkang Base Camp is beautiful and very peaceful.

Pokharkang Base Camp from the pass

In this quiet rarely visited valley we saw big herd of blue sheep and not much else.  It is a great place to acclimatise with good options for higher walks.  In order to make the jump from Nagoru (4,442m) to Pkharkang Base Camp (5,030m) more safely, I found a spot part way up the valley which had obviously been used for camping before.  This camp, which we have called Pokharkang low camp is at 4,840m and will give us the gradual ascent we want towards the pass.

From here, Galden and I joined back with the main trail just above Nagoru.  This abandoned village has plenty of large flat areas and is a beautiful camping spot.  If you look carefully there are caves above the village and we saw a herd of over twenty blue sheep grazing on the hill above the village. Despite being uninhabited, this remains the first village until Yara on the other side and it feels like civilisation.

Between Nagoru and Meta there are a few village like this and we will stay at Kyang on the way up to Phu as part of our acclimatisation process.  As Kyang is down the valley from Phu, there are a number of trekkers wanting to stay and although the village is abandoned, teahouses are slowly being built.

Finally, many people come to this Valley just to visit Phu and it is worth a visit in itself.  The medieval Tibetan village is perched on the hillside with narrow alleys twisting and winding between houses which were built closely together.  I am looking forward to spending an acclimatisation day here when I return in the Spring as I didn't have time to visit the Tashi La Kong Gompa or do any of the numerous acclimatisation walks possible.

We are running small recce for up to six clients in the Spring 2019.  Here is more information and a full itinerary which has been put together based on this recce.

Jo Clark
www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Trip report for Naar to Upper Mustang GHT trek led by Jo Clark and Gopal Tamang in October 2018

Photo: Approach to Teri La pass (credit: Jo Clark)

In October, we organised our third Naar to Upper Mustang GHT trek in Nepal. This trek was led by Jo Clark and Gopal Tamang with assistant guides Galden Sherpa and Jon Lama. Gopal was also the Sirdar for our November 2015 and 2017 Naar to Upper Mustang GHT treks so he has now developed good knowledge of this trek. The cook was Suk Bahadur Rai known for his excellent trek food, including freshly baked pastries.

Jo has summarised her experience of leading this trek in Nepal as follows:

“The weather was characterised by beautiful sunny clear mornings and windy afternoons with some cloud. Overall it was perfect to enable us to reach our objective of reaching Lo Mantang via the Teri La. As the group mentioned a number of times, it’s the trek that keeps on giving. Each time we finished one section of the trek, there was always a new surprise around the corner.

First, we were lucky enough to see a few days of the Annapurna circuit with the colour and the crowds and then we made our way towards the Naar-Phu valley which is quiet and undeveloped in comparison. Naar was a surprise and a delight as we caught the last few days of the barley splitting week where the entire village was out beating barley to separate the grain from the husk in a rhythmic fashion from before dawn until dusk.

Above Naar trail became even quieter and the deep valleys began to open up, preparing us for a perfect pass day with clear views and warm weather. And just as the group began to think they had seen everything they came for, the views changed at every turn as the breathtaking scenery of arid lands and white capped mountains changed as we walked through each valley..

Finally the descent into LoMantang was as surprising as ever with the outskirts a modern collection of tea houses and the magnificent walled city hidden over the ridge before heading back down towards Jomson and the flight to Kathmandu and home.”

Photo: Views from the Teri La (Credit: Jo Clark)

Jo took video during this trek, she has edited and uploaded to The Mountain Company's Channel on YouTube or click on the YouTube panel below:

You can view Jo's video of beating barley in Naar village on The Mountain Company's channel on YouTube. Every year in the Autumn the villagers spend a few days beating the barley ready for winter in Naar village. They start before dawn when the barley is frozen as it separates more easily, and work through until dusk.

One of the trekkers in Jo's group has sent in an AITO review and I have copied below:

“This camping trek is a stunning trek through the different landscapes of Nepal. It really is a trek that keeps on giving. Many treks can lose interest after the high pass crossing however with this trek the interest stayed right until the final day walking - significant scenery and cultural changes every few days: deep river gorges, then glacial valleys, the wind eroded and arid landscapes of Mustang, then views of big mountains, and the rolling plains of the plateau.
We have travelled on a number of occasions with the Mountain Company and even as they have grown the personal level of service and the attention to detail has been maintained.”

You can read our AITO reviews for Naar to Upper Mustang GHT

During this expedition I was based in Kathmandu and one of my jobs to support our groups in the field is to check weather forecasts on a daily basis and then send through to Jo’s satellite phone to keep her updated. We also get a paid weather forecast from Michael Fagin at everestweather.com received for this trek on October 12th when the group was in Naar village and several days before crossing Teri La pass. Having professional weather forecasts are essential for safety in crossing high passes and for decision making in the field.

Photo: Jo Clark on the plateau in Upper Mustang

We have made several improvements with our Naar to Upper Mustang GHT itinerary for 2019. After the pass we have added an extra day as Tangga to Yara Gaon is a long day for both group and porters so we now walk from Tangga to Dhey and then next day to Yara Gaon. Also the feedback received from the group was that they would have preferred not to have a full day in Lo Manthang as after seeing the beautiful villages of Naar, Tangga and Yara Gaon they felt that an afternoon exploring Lo Manthang was sufficient, especially now there are new concrete hotels being constructed here. The descent from Lo Manthang to Jomsom now takes two days as we walk from Lo Manthang to Ghemi on a lovely trail, and from there, on the second day, we take the jeep down to Jomsom.

Photo: Upper Mustang (Credit: Jo Clark)

We track all of our groups in the field with GPS check ins from Thuraya satellite phone and this year we have started using Google Maps in real time so friends and families can follow their progress - you can see the Google Maps for our October 2018 Naar to Upper Mustang GHT trek

As planned the group flew back from Jomsom to Pokhara to Kathmandu on October 26th. In the evening we all went for a meal at KToo steakhouse and I enjoyed hearing all about the trek and the group’s feedback.

Thanks very much to Jo, Gopal and the rest of the team for their hard work leading this trek. The group have all given very positive feedback on the food so well done to Suk!

The Mountain Company plans to organise our next Naar to Upper Mustang GHT treks in May and October 2019, please get in touch soon if you like to join these groups.

Trek on!

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

#myTMCbuff now available to purchase!

Photo: #myTMCBuff (credit: The Mountain Company)

Who doesn’t need a brightly colored Buff - to keep your head warm, shelter you from the sun or just to look cool?  We worked directly with Buff to create a Prayer Flag inspired design, fine tuned in Spain and had them blessed at a Buddhist religious ceremony called a Puja while in Nepal. 

Photo: Puja ceremony to bless #myTMCBuff (Credit: Robert Mads Anderson)

Now these are available for sale (£20 or US$30) with all proceeds to benefit the The Mountain Company's social fund for use as a hardship fund for our guides and local Nepal charity organisations that are most in need. 

If you are coming out to Nepal on one of our treks this Autumn/ Fall season then you can purchase #myTMCBuff from one of our team at your briefing and debriefing meetings in Kathmandu. 

If you are not coming to Nepal this year and would like to purchase #myTMCBuff you can order one now by sending a message through our website. Please note that these will be dispatched by post in late November and if you ordering from overseas there is an additional US$5 charge for postage (total is US$30 + US$5= US$35).

Our first shipment of Buffs went out to the 28 attendees at our inaugural TMC training session in Kathmandu - including the guides, chefs and cook boys who were all in attendance.

If you check out hashtag #myTMCbuff on Instagram or Facebook you will be seeing them in action already. Once you get yours then please feel free to post a photo of you wearing the Buff under #myTMCbuff.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Trip report for Ladakh Sky Trail GHT led by Almas Khan in August/ September 2018

Photo: Tsomoriri lake from our view point on last day (credit: Almas Khan)

In August/ September 2018 we operated our 5th Ladakh Sky Trail GHT in northern India. Almas Khan is the leader and organiser for this trek and this year we had an international mix of 11 trekkers coming from New Zealand, Australia, USA and UK.

As mentioned in previous trip reports our Ladakh Sky Trail GHT is a unique itinerary designed by Almas and travels through the best of the three areas of this region: Ladakh, Zanskar and Changthang/ Rupshu. For most of Ladakh Sky Trail GHT we follow rarely trekked trails and this is only possible due to the local knowledge of Almas and our local Ladakhi guides. If you like to really get off the beaten track and explore a very remote region of the Himalaya away from other trekking groups then this would be a great trek for you to consider.

Photo: the monastery at Lamaruyu at start of trek (credit: Almas Khan)

Our Ladakh Sky Trail GHT group arrived to Leh on August 14th and on 17th drove to Lamayuru (3,500m) and 18th they started the trek. Overall the trek went well, they kept to the itinerary arriving to Tso Moriri as planned and drove back to Leh on September 8th.

As with all of TMC western led treks we track their progress while in the field through SPOT gps check ins, you can view the Google Maps for our 2018 Ladakh Sky Trail GHT

Photo: Google Maps for Ladakh Sky Trail GHT in August 2018

Almas sums up his experience leading this group as follows:

“It was good to have a larger group this year. The temperatures on our trek this year were about 5 degrees Celsius warmer when compared to last 3 years. The water level for river crossings was about six inches higher but not very cold - it made the river crossings more enjoyable. All group members acclimatised very well and we did not have any problems with altitude sickness, having three nights in Leh before the trek starts is definitely working. It was also good to hear from the clients that the trek was very beautiful and the food was great.”

As for all or our treks in the Himalayas we received bespoke weather forecast from Michael Fagin at everestweather.com. The weather for our 2018 Ladakh Sky Trail GHT trek was fine with mainly sunny weather and there was only light precipitation after Tshokar lake till they reached Tsomoriri  Lake but most of it happened at night and made the walks less dusty.

Almas explains in his trip report to us that "the high altitude camps towards the end of trek were warmer compared to previous years and the temperatures barely got to freezing. The condition of the trail was good as it did not snow much in Ladakh and Zanskar last winters."

Photo: Skui Pata village (credit: Almas Khan)

The Mountain Company has a pledge through AITO Project Protect for our groups to collect at least 200kg of rubbish/ trash in the Himalaya and Karakoram during 2018. Our 2018 Ladakh Sky Trail GHT collected 7kg of rubbish from the trails and around campsites and this is less than our target of 1kg per trekker however this is mainly because there is a lack of rubbish on this rarely visited region of Ladakh.

Almas explains in his trip report to us that "most campsites at are clean as it’s a less used trek. Towards the end of the trek in Rupshu valley you see a bit of rubbish and most of it from the nomadic shepherds."

Photo: Hanimal village (credit: Almas Khan)

We have received excellent feedback from the group on the quality of Ladakh Sky Trail GHT itinerary and our organisation, I have copied one AITO review received below:

"22 day trek. Fantastic landscapes and culture. Very rewarding. Excellent food and organisation. Highly recommended. The Mountain Company and trekking guide Almas Khan are top operators and can be trusted. They know the region and were very responsive both before and during the trek. Without question we'd use TMC again as our preferred trekking company for the Himalayas." By Stu, Ladakh Sky Trail GHT 2018

I would like to thank Almas and all of the Ladakhi team including guides, cooks, kitchen helpers and horsemen for doing a fantastic job helping on another successful Ladakh Sky Trail GHT. Almas will be back in Ladakh again next summer leading our 2019 Ladakh Sky Trail and please get in touch if you are interested in joining him.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

What does your next adventure look like?

The first time I was trekking in the Everest Region in the Himalayas, I asked how far to the next village. Two hours was the answer. When I asked specifically for me, it became two and half hours. When trekking at altitude, time has traditionally been the way to explain how far there is to go.

With GPS watches now very common, data and digital mapping has increasingly become something all of us are more interested in to help us select a new adventure and record our recent outings. At The Mountain Company have been focused on two areas to improve our provision of data.

Firstly, Roland has been creating maps of the routes that our treks follow, adding in as much detail as he can, such as the detailed route, lodges and places of interest. We decided to use google maps as the satellite view shows contour lines and topography best. As the maps are created, they are posted directly onto the trip page for each trek and you can access by clicking on the "View Map" . Here is the map for our Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek in Nepal which is next running in October.

Photo: Google Maps for Upper Dolpo

Photo: Google Earth for Upper Dolpo

Secondly, we have also begun working with Suunto Ambit3 Vertical watches to record more in depth data on our treks. These provide detailed mapping as well as ascent and descent profiles, altitude and distance. We have begun collating this and will add to our trip dossiers as available.

Photo: Sunnto Ambit3 Vertical

Whilst leading our K2 Base Camp and Gondogoro La Trek in Pakistan this summer, I used my watch every day to collect the relevant data and am currently inputting that data into an updated trip dossier. The data from the pass crossing from Ali Camp to Khuspang shows our 10 km of travel over 10 hours as we went up 860m and down 1090m, reaching a maximum altitude at the top of the pass of 5606 metres.

Photo: Suunto data for day crossing Gondogoro La

Photo: Suunto data for day crossing Gondogoro La

A video of the Gondogoro La pass crossing can be seen here.

Jo Clark

Nepal Operations Manager

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Nepal Guides training in Kathmandu- August 2018

Photo: training on PAC bags on The Mountain Company course August 2018 (Credit: Robert Mads Anderson)

August is quiet in Nepal and not a lot of trekking is happening this time of year. As most of our local guides weren’t leading treks and I was passing through Kathmandu after my recent K2 Base Camp & Gondogoro La trek in Pakistan, we decided it was the perfect time to run a training session for them.

The session lasted 2 days and took place at the Outdoor Training Centre in Kathmandu. This community initiative is a relatively new training facility dedicated to bringing information, education and recreation together. Their belief is that through sharing knowledge and business ideas, adventure sports and their social benefits can be encouraged within the community. It is the ideal location for this kind of training as there is a classroom, a large open training area for more active sessions - and they provide a fantastic lunch.

Photo: group presentations on scenario planning (Credit: Robert Mads Anderson)

It was great to see such a wide range of attendees with guides, assistant guides, cooks and office staff - 28 in total. The range of English language abilities meant that everyone was helping each other out and each individual was an expert at something. 

The first day of the session used a variety of collaborative teaching methods to teach and reinforce The Mountain Company’s policies on communication, health and hygiene and medical issues. Everyone had the opportunity to send their GPS location using a SAT phone, communicate with the radios and practice using the Personal Altitude Chambers bags.

Photo: familiarisation with medical kits (Credit: Robert Mads Anderson)

Day 2 started with an online refresher quiz and then moved on to look in more detail at the comprehensive medical kits we carry on all trips. We have recently reorganised these bags with labelled compartments, making it faster and easier for both local and western guides to find the medication they need quickly and efficiently.

Photo: attendees on The Mountain Company course in August 2018 with #myTMCBuff (Credit: Robert Mads Anderson)

Photo: Tulsi and Chandra receiving completion certificates from Jo (Credit: Robert Mads Anderson)

The two days finished with a special puja service for our new TMC Buffs. These have colourful prayer flags all over them and as a result we wanted to ensure cultural sensitivity. The Lama who performed the puja was happy with the buffs but cautioned that they should not be placed in anyone's back pocket.

Photo: puja ceremony to bless #myTMCBuff (Credit: Robert Mads Anderson)

Photo: #myTMCBuff (Credit: The Mountain Company)

Everyone took away a newly blessed buff from the course (including the Lama) and these will be available for purchase as part of our social fund. We will give proceeds of the sales to our social fund for use as a hardship fund for guides and charitable contributions. TMC will pay for the Buffs, so 100% of the proceeds will be paid into our social fund. The cost of a social buff will be GBP20 or US$25 and the social media hashtag is #myTMCBuff. We want to see how many locations #myTMCBuff can get to whilst walking in the mountains!

Jo Clark

Nepal Operations Manager
www.themountaincompany.co.uk