Meanwhile, back at Base Camp, Christmas was a bit sullen. The conclusion must be that a good winter presents viable climbing. Although it was often crowned with severe lenticular clouds, there appeared to be enough reasonable days for the summit, even well into January. For a month we watched Everest across the Khumbu from Pumori. Virtually every day was climable at elevations below 7,300 meters. The fact is that the winter of 1981-82 saw no major storms from mid-November to January 23. Polish and British Everest expeditions experienced devastating conditions in the winters of 1979-81. It was difficult to discover from “authorities”, whether local or foreign, if this winter was a benign oddball. Little of the year’s precipitation arrives, lessening avalanche danger substantially. Although the price for climbing in the winter is cold and wind, there are compensations. The mountain was in perfect condition- hard snow, accepting ice, and bare rock. We thought we were in a race with the coming winter storm season which ordinarily hits at Christmas, so dashed up the route with little acclimatization and minimal food. We failed on the first attempt at the northeast ridge. The original ascent route was then followed from the northeast ridge to the summit. It was moderate but sustained in difficulty, with steps up to 80°, and was located several hundred meters to the right of the major icefall on the east face. The ascent, led by Bridwell, followed a new line to 22,000 feet. Considering ourselves more adventurous than insane, the reasonable height of Pumori well suited us. “To survive in winter in the prevailing conditions above 8,000 meters is a hazardous game, to climb in them nobly treads the borderline between will-power and insanity.” (Mountain, #72). In the Himalayan winter, jet stream winds descend onto the tops of the highest peaks. Jim Bridwell, Steve McKinney, Craig Calonica and Rick Barker supplied expertise during different segments.Īs a classy way to touch the border and begin the Nepal leg, we climbed Pumori, a 23,442-foot pyramid just west of Everest. Our orbit, put together like two halves of a clamshell, took four months and covered 300 miles (including the approaches to and exits from Everest). The reason for this is that the border is closed, and Everest stands astride the two countries. Our trip was broken into two halves: the first in Nepal during the winter, the second in Tibet in the spring. And we had the chance to immerse ourselves in two exotic cultures-Tibet and Nepal. ![]() ![]() But we were free, like mountain gypsies, to rummage through the most magnificent terrain on earth, always on the go at elevations above 17,000 feet. Traditionally, mountaineering teams are tied to one Base Camp. It was the Camel Expedition of 1981/1982. The Mount Everest Grand Circle Expedition was a new way of looking at an old subject. We tackled it horizontally instead of vertically, thus becoming the first to circle Everest. While climbers are seeking new ways to gain the summit, Jan Reynolds and I decided to put a different twist into our expedition to the world’s highest peak. EVEREST, the “third pole”, is still the ultimate lodestone for most mountaineers.
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