Cho Oyu - Join Gary Guller for the 2004 Expedition 8,201m
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Flying from Kathmandu (1,280m) over the spectacular Himalayan mountain chain, we'll arrive just outside Lhasa, the heart and soul of Tibetan Buddhism, at almost 3,600m. We'll spend our first night in Tibet relaxing and acclimatizing to the significant increase in altitude. While in Lhasa, we'll tour the former winter residence of the Dalai Lama, the Potala Palace, and his summer residence, Norbulingka Palace. We'll visit other notable sites such as Jokhang Monastery, barter for goods at Barkhor Market, and travel just beyond the city limits to watch the scriptural debates at Sera Monastery.
After
arrival
at Chinese Base Camp,
we'll rest, acclimatize and make the necessary climb preparations before
making our ascent to advanced base camp at 5,700m. We'll cross through
steep moraines to establish Camp 1 at 6,400m,
which should take around 4 - 6 hours depending on weather conditions and
how we're feeling. We'll traverse a ridge and ascend a 50m headwall to
Camp 2 at 7,000m - a hard day taking 6
- 7 hours. Our
strong Sherpa time will fix all ropes as required. We'll establish Camp
3 at 7,500m on the northwest It
will require an extra push to reach the true summit peak on the far end
of the high snowfield. Summit
day, though long and arduous, will be well worth it when the highest peaks
in the world are in view.
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Tibet
- Cho Oyu, the world's 6th highest mountain at 8,201m, is located just
west of Everest and Lhotse along the Nepali-Tibetan border. Cho Oyu is
a straightforward climb and not technically demanding, an excellent mountain
for climbers wanting to scale their first 8,000m peak.
From
Lhasa, we begin our overland travel across the plateau and over several
high passes for some amazing panoramic views of the Himalaya. We'll make
an overnight stop in Gyantse, exploring its ancient fortress, and
head on to Tibet's second largest city Shigatse. We'll continue
on to Tingri (4,300m) through fantastic plateau scenery with a stop at
the Buddhist monastery Milrepa built around a sacred cave. Along the last
few miles into Tingri, views of Makalu, Everest, Gyan Kung and Cho Oyu
remind us why we're here. Tingri itself is made up of old-style mud and
stone buildings with an army base at its rear. Tibetan nomads use the
town as a base during their stay in this desolate part of the plateau.
face,
and the following day, set out for the summit. Depending on our fitness,
we'll be moving up and
down the mountain several times, acclimatizing and stocking the higher
camps.