Congratulations to Veikka Gustafsson

Congratulations to Veikka Gustafsson of Finland who has now climbed all fourteen of the world’s highest peaks over 8,000m without supplementary oxygen. Veikka’s last peak was Gasherbrum 1 in Pakistan summitted on July 25th 2009.

Part 2: Review of gear and equipment used on a recent expedition to an 8,000m peak (Mt Makalu)

Following my recent expedition to Mt Makalu I thought that it might be useful to review some of the gear and equipment used in order to help others planning similar expeditions in the future.

I also use most of this gear on trekking peaks like Mera Peak so this discussion should have wider interest (btw Roland is leading The Mountain Company's Mera Peak expedition in November 2009, it is now guaranteed to run and there is availability).

I have no sponsors so this is an impartial discussion of gear selected for this expedition and how it performed...click on the links below the photos and you will be directed to the manufacturer's website.

Rucsac

On previous 8,000m expeditions I used the excellent Berghaus Extrem Expedition pack, this is super lightweight with a large capacity so ideal for carrying loads on the mountain. I had to retire my Expedition pack after six years of sterling service and then sadly found out that Berghaus no longer sell this model.

Shortly before departure to Nepal I made a visit to expedition outfitters Peglers in Arundel to collect my La Sportiva Spantiks. While in the Pegler's shop I explained that I was also looking for an expedition pack and their recommendation was to try the X Pod by Pod Sacs.

At 2.36kg this is a heavier pack than the Extrem Expedition, however it is contructed from tough hardwearing materials so will probably last longer. The capacity is 80 litres plus overload of 20 litres so more than enough space for carrying loads between camps. Overall I thought the X Pod was an excellent pack on the Makalu expedition, very comfortable to wear and stable even when carrying heavier weights.

X Pod by Pod Sacs

Gloves and mitts

Usually I take three types of gloves and mitts, firstly a fleece glove with Windstopper secondly a warmer mountaineering glove and lastly a super warm mitt.

I used my North Face Pamir fleece glove for 95% of the time on the Makalu expedition, I prefer this glove when not too cold as it provides better manual dexterity. It is important that the fleece glove has Windstopper fabric as this blocks the wind thus reducing wind chill and keeping the fingers much warmer.

When the conditions were too cold for the fleece gloves I used my Mountain Hardwear Cima gloves.On the mountain I always had Mountain Hardwear Absolute Zero mitts in my pack, in fact I did not use these during the expedition but good to have in reserve just in case.

Absolute Mitts by Mountain Hardwear

Warm hat

I also recommend bringing along a warm hat again with Windstopper fabric. I like the Mountain Hardwear Micro Dome hat as fits well underneath a climbing helmet.

Micro Dome hat by Mountain Hardwear

Sleeping mats

Following my discussion of sleeping bags in Part 1 of my review, the selection of sleeping mats is probably just as important for keeping warm while sleeping overnight. While on the mountain I prefer to use two mats, one a RidgeRest and the other a lightweight Thermarest.

From experience this combination provides adequate insulation from the snow and ice underneath the tent. I would not want to risk having two Thermarests just in case they both became punctured or failed to inflate. My Thermarest is a three quarter length Ultralite, however I do not think this model is still available so I think the equivalent is now the Prolite in a small size.

Prolite mat by Thermarest

Ridge Rest

Food

Of course during a two month expedition eating good food is essential to avoid weight loss, maintaining energy reseves and keeping up morale. At Base Camp we had a kitchen crew who provided all our meals whereas on the mountain we cooked for ourselves. Our cook, Sonam, was excellent and produced a wide variety of tasty meals including a good supply of fresh vegetables and meat.

For evening meals on the mountain I always use Wayfarer Ready to Eat meals, it is possible to get a wide range of menus such as Beef Stew, Chilli Con Carni, Chicken Dopiaza curry and Lancashire Hot Pot, Beans and Sausage among others.

Eating "real" food helps nutrition and energy levels, Wayfarer meals taste far better than rehydrated meals. Also one does not have to wash any pans as Wayfarer meals are cooked in their sachet and then aftewards you can use the hot water for a brew.

Wayfarer Ready to Eat meals

A new find on my latest expedition is the excellent isotonic Go Gel from Science in Sport. Previously after eating a sport gel one had to drink at least 1/2 litre of water to derive any benefit, however Go Gels are isotonic so drinking water is not required for them to be effective. On summit day I ate Go Gels whenever I felt my energy levels dropping and immediately felt a real boost.

It is worth noting that one can purchase many imported food items in Kathmandu, at Bhat Bateni or Blue Bird supermarkets.On expedition I brought along a blue barrel containing food for the mountain and some luxury items such as cheese slices, salami, Ryvita crackers, tinned tuna, soups and hot chocolate drinks, assortment of nuts and dried fruit, chocolate and Haribo sweets.

Go Gel by Science in Sports

Stoves and gas

We used Jet Boil Personal Cooking System (PCS) and Group Cooking System (GCS) stoves. I loved the PCS design, it is a super lightweight stove and worked fine at Camp 1. Higher up we used GCS, it worked well at Makalu La (7,300m) however we noticed that the performance declined at High Camp during the night when temperatures dropped.

Jet Boil have recently released a new stove called Helios designed for lower temperatures, I would definitely purchase this if I went back to another 8,000m mountain. There have been good reviews of Helios especially due to its innovative inverted canister system (see photo below):

Helios stove by Jet Boil

As for gas, we purchased imported Primus gas (butane/propane mix) in Kathmandu however it is worth noting that this worked fine at Camp 1 at 6,500m but was completely useless at Camp 2 on Makalu La at 7,300m (we could not even light the stove). I recommend using Everest Adventure gas imported from Korea this worked very well at all camps (you can buy from Mountain Hardwear store or Shona's shop in Kathmandu).

Communications

Thuraya SO 2510 is the smallest satellite phone in the world weighing only 130g, I carry this phone in my pack throughout the entire trek and expedtition. The reception is good in the Himalayas & Karakoram, the only time I was unable to get a signal was a few years back when in a deep narrow gorge on a section of the Manaslu Circuit trek.

A top tip is to use FoneRecharge to recharge credits on the SIM, once you have registered your credit card via their website you can recharge by calling from the satellite phone itself. You will never run out of phone credits while on expedition if you use this system!

For communications on the mountain we used VHF radios for radio calls between Camps and Base Camp.

Thuraya SO 2510 satellite phone

Duct tape

And of course do not forget Duct tape one of the most important items on any expedition kit list. This is an all purpose tape designed to fix, bond, repair, mount and seal anything under the sun. As the saying goes if it cannot be ducked then it must be f*cked!

Recommended gear shops

I purchased my gear from Cotswold Outdoor (where The Mountain Company clients are entitled to a 15% discount) and also Peglers based in Arundel.

To read Part 1 of my Review of gear and equipment used on a recent expedition to an 8,000m peak (Mt Makalu).

If you enjoyed reading these articles why don't you sign up to The Mountain Company's quarterly e-Newsletter? Click here to sign up and here for our e-Newsletter archive.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Part 1: Review of gear and equipment used on a recent expedition to an 8,000m peak (Mt Makalu)

Following my recent expedition to Mt Makalu I thought that it might be useful to review some of the gear and equipment used in order to help others planning a similar expeditions in the future.

I also use most of this gear on trekking peaks like Mera Peak so this discussion should have wider interest (btw Roland is leading The Mountain Company's Mera Peak expedition in November 2009, it is now guaranteed to run and there is still availablity).

I have no sponsors so this is an impartial discussion of gear selected for this expedition and how it performed....click on the links below the photos and you will be directed to the manufacturer's website.

Boots

I brought along two pairs of mountaineering boots: a new pair of La Sportiva Spantiks and an older pair of OneSport (now Millet) Everest.

For the Makalu expedition I was looking for a more technical boot than the pair of Everest boots that I had used on other 8000m expeditions to Everest, Broad Peak and Kanchenjunga. I researched a number of options and finally decided upon the Spantiks. I was certainly not disappointed as they are a superb boot. The Spantiks are very precise and work well on steeper more technical ground.

I was a little concerned that they may not be warm enough for summit day as designed more for a 7,000m peak rather than climbing above 8,000m (especially with no supplemental oxygen). In the end we left High Camp far later than expected and only climbed during daylight from 6am to 7pm. I suspect they may not have been warm enough if we had left camp at 2am as originally planned.

La Sportiva Spantik

Millett Everest GTX

For the trek from Tumlingtar to Base Camp I used a pair of trail shoes called Salomon Elios.

Tents

Our main tents for the expedition were Mountain Hardwear Trango 3.1s purchased from the Mountain Hardwear store in Kathmandu. These are not the lightest tents at 5.28kg however are spacious and very strong. We left two Trangos at Camp 1 for 5 weeks and they survived the battering from the wind. Inside there are lots of pockets on the sides and ceiling so good for stashing gear and also have a large vestibule for cooking.

The Mountain Company uses Mountain Hardwear Trango 3.1s for all of our treks and expeditions in Nepal.

Mountain Hardwear Trango 3.1

On our summit push we used a lightweight tent, Black Diamond Firstlight. In fact we were orginally planning to use a Bibler although this was blown off the mountain at Makalu La and never seen again! The Firstlight tent has the same design as the classic Bibler (Black Diamond purchased Bibler a few years back) although the Firstlight is constructed from far lighter materials, the tent only weighs 1.22kg!

The disadvantage of the Firstlight is that it does not come with a vestibule as standard. It is possible to buy a vestibule as an extra and I would recommend getting as makes cooking easier and provides extra space. It was just possible to squeeze two people into this tent with gear although it was tight.

We were lucky as the weather on our summit push was good with low winds so we did not put this tent to the test, being a lightweight tent I am not sure how well it would hold up to the strong winds such as normally experienced at the Makalu La.

Black Diamond Firstlight at Makalu High Camp

Ice axe

I brought two ice axes: Black Diamond Venom (493g) and Camp Micro 2 (400g). I agree with the description of the Venom on Black Diamond's website "the choice for technical mountaineering routes where performance, light weight and durability are paramount". Overall a superb ice axe that can be used for general mountaineering and also with an agressive pick for steeper ice.

Black Diamond Venom

My second axe is a Camp Micro 2, often called a "third tool". This is a lightweight axe that can be used as a second tool on steeper ice or as a back up in case the main axe is breaks or is lost. My Camp Micro 2 has a hammer rather than an adze so can be used for hammering in pitons.

Camp Micro 2

Crampons

Grivel G12 New matic crampons with antibotts. I have always used these crampons for general mountaineering, they fit securely and are reliable (several others on our expedition experienced issues with crampons falling off…). I strongly recommend getting the antibotts, without these snow that can ball underneath the crampons reducing their effectiveness and significantly increasing the weight.

Grivel G 12s

Trekking poles

The only poles worth getting are the Black Diamond Expedition, these use the simple but effective FlipLocks rather than the unreliable twist mechanism that other companies use. The Expedition poles have two FlipLocks so the poles can be reduced to a size small enough to pack away if not being used.

Harness

I always use the Black Diamond Alpine Bod, this harness has a minimalist design and is super lightweight at 395g.

Black Diamond Alpine Bod

Duffel bags

Over the years I have used a number of different types of duffel bags, often I purchased cheaper bags however they would not last for more than one expedition then in 2003 I bit the bullet and bought the more expensive Base Camp Duffel by The North Face. Since then I have used and abused this duffel and is still holding up fine, overall a worthwhile investment.

Sleeping bags

I brought along two sleeping bags, my approach was to use a warmer (and heavier) bag at Base Camp then use a lightweight one on the mountain as I would also be wearing a down suit. I left my bag at Camp 1 so did not have to carry it up and down between Base Camp and Camp 1 during the course of the expedition thus saving a lot of effort.

Both of my sleeping bags are made by Peter Hutchison Designs (PHD), my Base Camp bag is the Xero 1000 Down Sleeping Bag:

Xero 1000 Down Sleeping Bag

And on the mountain I use the lightweight PHD Minim 400 Down Sleeping Bag in conjunction with my downsuit (shown below):

Minim 400 Down Sleeping Bag

Down clothes

I used The North Face Nuptse jacket for the trek and also for time at Base Camp. I have never been cold while wearing this jacket and is not too heavy so often carry in my day pack.

The North Face Nuptse down jacket

While climbing above Camp 1 I used a PHD down suit Omega Down Suit. This is a super warm downsuit, in fact for most of our summit day I wrapped the arms around my waist as it was too warm!

PHD down suit Omega Down Suit

Fleeces and soft shell

I use a fairly typical layering system starting with a long sleeved baselayer Berghaus LS Tech T, a long sleeved micro fleece Mountain Hardwear Microchill Zip T, a vest fleece Berghaus Spectrum Gilet IA and heavier fleece like Mountain Hardwear Monkey Man jacket.

At lower elevations on the trek into Base Camp I used a lightweight trekking trouser, however as it started cooling off I changed to soft shell Mountain Hardwear Navigation pant.

Recommended gear shops

I purchased my gear from Cotswold Outdoor (where The Mountain Company clients are entitled to a 15% discount) and also Peglers based in Arundel.

For Part Two of "Review of gear and equipment used on a recent expedition to an 8000m peak (Mt Makalu)" ...discussion of rucsacs, shell jacket & trousers, gloves & mitts, stoves, cooking gas, expedition food and communications.

If you enjoyed reading these articles why don't you sign up to The Mountain Company's quarterly e-Newsletter? Click here to sign up and here for our e-Newsletter archive.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

First winter ascent of Makalu!

Yesterday Simon Moro and Denis Urubko made the first successful winter ascent of Mt Makalu in Nepal at 8,462m. This is an amazing achievement as climbing at 8,000m in winter is incredibly difficult and of course very, very cold!

Makalu is the last 8,000m peak in Nepal to be climbed in winter, however none of the five 8,000ers in Pakistan have yet to be summitted in winter (although Simone has twice attempted Broad Peak in winter).

It is interesting how the mainstream media have missed this landmark climb in the Himalayas, probably because it is not another "first" by a tourist climber on Everest. I have copied Denis Urubko's description below of his attempt last year to climb Makalu in winter:

"In conditions like these, the route becomes a death trap. It's possible to try and reach the top over Makalu Col, but if the wind increases you won’t make it back. The wild funnel reaches up to 200 kilometers per hour making human survival impossible. The western storm will carry your frozen soul towards Lhasa; to soar over Tibet in search of the eternal beauty you couldn't find in your life.

Life in BC: crazy tunes from above. Even life in BC is a mental test. Only those who have experienced it can fully understand the terrible conditions of Makalu BC in winter. Lakes are frozen over by deep frost into a surface similar to pineapple peel. The tent never stops rattling over your head. The ropes scream and the wind incessantly deposits handfuls of snow and sand inside your shelter.

The fragility of life is also underlined by a furious rumble from the summit high up above. She sings mad tunes; she cries out, "poor suckers," at us for not braving her slopes. She mourns and she threats, a mute question of "when?" sounding in each high pitch."

For more information on Simone and Denis's Makalu climb take a look at Explorersweb article "Tina, we closed the games!" Simone Moro and Denis Urubko make winter history on Makalu