Cho Oyu 2018

Travel to BC
After flying to Kathmandu, we drove to base camp via Kerung and Tingri, spending a week acclimatizing in the Langtang region before finally arriving. When we reached base camp, a wave of relief and joy washed over me. It felt wonderful to be surrounded by the Sherpa team I had worked with over the past few years. I was glad to leave the lodges behind and return to the simplicity of tent life. The sound of Lhachu’s carefree, infectious laugh, Nima’s gentle smile, and Namgyel meticulously arranging everything under Phurba Tashi’s expert supervision made me feel right at home in this new environment.

We settled in for a couple of nights, adjusting to the elevation, sorting our gear, and preparing for the next leg of our journey to Advanced Base Camp (ABC).
While it felt strange to be here without Russ, I was confident that Shinji and Phurba would prove to be excellent leaders throughout our expedition. I eagerly looked forward to climbing higher with this incredible team!

Lachu – Himex’s lead cook.

The legendary Phurba Tashi, Himex Sirdar

Our driver taking us to intermediate base camp.

9/14: BC -> ABC
Today, we made our way up to Advanced Base Camp (ABC). Our journey began with a truck ride to Intermediate Base Camp (IBC), where we stopped for tea and had our gear loaded onto yaks. The trek to ABC took about four hours. Shinji emphasized the importance of walking slowly to avoid altitude sickness and potential evacuation, yet he immediately took off running with Rene. I could tell he was pushing the pace since Phurba mentioned that it typically takes about five hours to reach ABC; I took four hours, while they made it in just three and a half.

As I walked, self-doubt crept in. Thoughts swirled in my head: “Why am I so slow? I must be really out of shape or sick.” I tried to remind myself that it was normal to feel this way, especially since I had a cold, so it made sense that I was lagging behind.

By the time I arrived at ABC, heavy snow was falling, and I struggled to find our camp. Fortunately, my friend Gyaljen from Alpenglow was there to guide me to our site.

Dinner was tough; I felt pretty crummy, and while we had delicious yak sizzler, all I could manage was a few bites. As I went to bed, a sense of nervousness lingered, but I kept reassuring myself that I had felt worse before and managed to survive.

Drinking tea at Intermediate Camp before heading to ABC

9/15 – 9/17: Rest days

The first night, the altitude hit me hard—I woke up several times, convinced I could hear crackles in my lungs and that they were filling with fluid. Surprisingly, when I got up the next morning, I felt much better. We spent two rest days at ABC, doing day hikes to help our bodies acclimatize to the altitude. Meanwhile, the Sherpas worked tirelessly, carrying loads up to Camp 1 to prepare the route for us.

9/18 : ABC -> C1

We woke up and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, having agreed to start climbing at 9 AM. As usual, Renee was in a hurry and dashed ahead of us, not to be seen again until we reached Camp 1. The route to C1 was entirely rocky, and I found myself moving at a slow pace.

Along the way, I met a Canadian named Drew, who asked for medical advice about a severe sunburn he had incurred on his torso while doing laundry shirtless. As it turned out, Drew and I would cross paths several more times, and we still visit and ski together whenever he and his family come to Colorado. It’s a testament to the rewarding friendships formed during climbing.

After chatting with Drew, I realized I had fallen hopelessly behind the group; what took Rene just an hour to climb takes me three. When I finally arrived at C1, Phurba greeted me with a warm cup of tea. I started melting snow and made preparations for Shinji and Nishimura’s arrival about an hour later.

Considering the elevation at 21,000 feet, we all slept relatively well.

Scree field below C1.

Camp 1

9/19: C1 -> below C2

I wake up feeling tired, lethargic, and utterly miserable. My first thoughts are a jumble of doubt and frustration: why am I here, why do I do this, and am I strong enough for Makalu next spring? Frustrated, I tell Shinji that I am not getting up until the sun hits my tent. He had announced a 7 AM wake-up, 8 AM breakfast, and a 9 AM departure the night before. As I lie there, I calculate what needs to be done to be ready by 9 and conclude it can wait for the sun’s warmth.
Renee’s voice echoes through the camp, declaring a bathroom emergency and I can hear his crampons scraping on the snow. I try to hold back my irritation but can’t help snapping, “Shinji, please remind him we’re leaving at 9. He has 1:15 to get ready—I don’t want to be rushed.” Despite Shinji’s reminder, Renee pays him no mind.
Finally, at 8, with the sun warming our tent, I emerge only to find Renee and Suzuki fully geared up and pacing impatiently. Trying to quell my frustration, Phurba suggests they join the Sherpas, labeling them as the “fast team.” His suggestion leaves me feeling deflated.
Back in the tent, Shinji voices his uncertainty about going up as he isn’t feeling well and asks if I want to go with the “fast team.” But I know that isn’t an option for me. Meanwhile, Renee and Suzuki leave the camp at 8:30 without a word. Oddly, Suzuki returns for reasons unclear and begins removing his climbing gear. Confused, I repeatedly check on Shinji, only to find him sleep-talking each time. A little after 9 AM, Shinji tries to get ready to climb but immediately turns blue and throws up and decides he’d better stay put.

Determined to make something of the day, I decide to take a walk toward Camp 2. Along the way, I meet several teams, including Russians and British, and chat briefly with them. The climb is moderately challenging but manageable and involves using fixed ropes on a moderately steep ice feature. By the time I reach the top, I am utterly exhausted. The kind of exhaustion unique to high altitude, where every cell screams for oxygen. I struggle to get my gear off and can’t decide whether I am hot or cold. Knowing it will pass; I sit and catch my breath and decide that I’d better just head back to C1.

As I begin my descent, I spot our Sherpa team coming down and happily join them. We spend another night at Camp 1 before descending to ABC the following morning.

Route above C1

Trying to dry laundry inside my tent since it is snowing outside.

9/21 – 9/23: Rest days ABC

The next 3 rest days were spent doing laundry, taking a shower, and helping other teams with medical questions regarding diarrhea, coughs, and blisters. We also get a refresher course on how to use oxygen.

9/24: ABC -> C1
This time, we all left together at 9 AM. As expected, Suzuki and Renee raced ahead with Phurba. Initially, I kept up, but then I got stuck behind a group of Chileans. When I reached Lake Camp, to my surprise, I caught up with Rene, Phurba, and Suzuki. I joined them for the steep section. I couldn’t quite keep pace, but I wasn’t far behind. I felt much better this time and made sure to take it easy, as I didn’t want to overexert myself. When I arrived at Camp 1, four hours later, it was sunny and warm, and we lounged outside our tents, drinking tea and eating ramen. Shinji arrived with Nishimura about 3 hours later.

Cho Oyu at dusk

View from our tent at C2

9/25: C1 -> C2

I got up around 5 AM and left at 6. The route through the ice cliff section felt fun and manageable; I was definitely feeling better than the last time I attempted it. Above the ice cliff was a flat section where some teams chose to set up Camp 1.5. Beyond that, there was a moderate snow climb, followed by an awkward traverse and then another moderate climb up to a plateau. From there, I could see people climbing above the plateau, and for a moment, I worried that I needed to tackle that section to reach Camp 2. However, it turned out they were headed up to Camp 3, and we were quite close to Camp 2.

When we arrived at camp, Renee made sure to let me know it took him half the time to reach Camp 2 compared to the rest of us. While that was impressive, especially given his age, I found his comment rather annoying at the moment.

Shinji and I were sharing a tent, which the Sherpas had already set up, so all that was left to do was start melting some snow for water and prepare for our summit attempt later that night.

9/26: C2 -> Summit -> C2

We woke up around midnight and were on the move by 1 AM. The night sky was clear, and surprisingly, it didn’t feel that cold. The plan was for Suzuki to climb with Namgyal, Renee with Nima, Nishimura with Phurba and Shinji, while I floated between the groups based on my pace. As Renee and Nima sped off ahead, I decided not to chase after them; I didn’t want to risk burning out. Instead, I opted to climb with Suzuki and Namgyal, who were moving at a moderate pace.

Camp 2

Climbing above the yellow band

Upon reaching Camp 3, my body felt like lead. I took a quick break, but it didn’t help much. To my surprise, I discovered my oxygen tank was already empty. I quickly swapped it out, and this made a world of difference. I was baffled at how it had run out so soon but pushed the thought aside, knowing we still had two more tanks.

Next, we arrived at the Yellow Band, where a traffic jam of climbers greeted us, reminiscent of a Randonnée ski race, with headlamps shining in every direction as people tried to pass each other. Climbing this section was straightforward, especially with the fixed ropes in place. Once above the Yellow Band, we caught up with the Sherpas, who were busy fixing the ropes to the summit, and we had to wait for them to complete their important work. While I thought about taking a proper break, I hesitated; I didn’t want to lose my spot in line, so I stood still, doing my best to stay warm. Before long, the rope fixing was complete, and we were on our way.

View of route from C3 through the yellow band

Nima and me on the summit of Cho Oyu with Everest behind us.

Upon reaching the summit plateau, we paused briefly to eat and hydrate as the sun finally rose, warming us with its light. After that, we climbed for an additional 45 minutes before reaching the summit just before 8 AM—seven hours after setting out. At the summit, we congratulated each other and took pictures. As I wandered around without my oxygen, I quickly began to feel cold and dizzy. Thankfully, Nima and I captured some fantastic summit photos together. We had climbed Everest together in 2016, but at that time, I had been far too exhausted and anxious to take any good pictures or truly savor the moment. Reflecting back after finishing all 14 peaks, I realize this is the only summit where I felt calm and relaxed.

The downclimb back to C2 is uneventful and almost fun. Our spends one more night at C2 and then climb down to basecamp the following day. This trip leaves me feeling refreshed and excited to climb Makalu the following spring.

Climbing down towards C2