Return to the Kingdom - Zanskar July 2017

Zanskar Exploratory Alpinism Notes

A few years ago I made a trip into Zanskar. It was summer. Warm. Barley growing in the fields, kids stepping aside in their school uniforms as we chugged past in our hired diesel jeep.  Not my first, and certainly not my last trip. I first went into Zanskar in 1999. Since then, roads have enroached the area, for better and for worse. I keep an optimistic and mostly positive perspective in life. The roads bring supplies to locals, healthcare, better supplies for education for the youth of the valley, and better access for tourism, which is now a boon to the local economy. And so there I was.
     A public works department road, made of stones that we bumped over as we passed through Shafat, Abrang and hamlets I'd once walked through as a teenager. My perspective anew. I was looking through the windows as well, and every valley held massive walls, ice clad peaks, and lifetimes of exploring. So there my plan began again. This time to take time in these valleys, get to know them, their weather patterns, their small shady areas. And catalogue each one. So I began in 2016 with three expeditions to the region, and again one more in 2017. This post is about that trip. I've stepped away from big peak expeditions in the area recently. Mostly because it's self defeating of the goal of the project. We aren't climbing big peaks in the area, yet are more focused aesthetic snow, ice and rock climbing lines on the massifs of the region. This allows us freedom to move with the yaks as we please. To new valleys, new locations, within a single trip. And so, my Zanskar project and love affair continues. This, my 8th trip to Zanskar.

Mankarmo | 4361m | 2113 | 5 July 2017

The blue sheep graze here without fear, in droves. The Dalai Lama walked down the Main Street in Leh this morning as we drank our final fancy flat whites and jumped in the jeep with Tashi to drive to the road head and come here, into the mountains. I always feel better the first night back, the logistics and preparations complete in whatever city or town it is; Kathmandu, Leh, Manali, Lhasa, Uttarkashi. This afternoon we climbed another four pitches on nearby chossy sedimentary rock, the goal of getting more mileage climbing rock in crampons complete for Lars.
Tomorrow, we will move up into base camp, and climb tomorrow night.

Sholo Karmo (not sure why I wrote this phrase)

Stok Kangri Base Camp | 4900m | 1154 | 7 July 2017
Summit this morning, Lars reaching the peak of Stok Kangri at 5:46 am after 5 hours 30 minutes of climbing. We were back in base camp at 8:17 am. It was a fast summit day, and good acclimatization for Zanskar. We opted to not climb Shuku and Pyramide, taking Stok Kangri as the best for acclimatization.
     There are four large groups up here, and they were climbing on the peak at the same time as us. It was a high overcast morning, and sunbeams were breaking through the high ceiling in Pangong and Saboo. On our descent, pockets of blue sky started to show, and the day became clear.

    
Agsho | 3828m | 2135 | 10 July 2017

It rained most of the afternoon, and then we crossed the Pensi La and the weather went hot, sunny even. Two days on the road, spectacular. I always enjoy the Suru valley, and I kick myself every time as I think, why aren't you living here (!). Sunny rock to climb for miles around, warm kind people, and fertile ground for growing. Next year I will make a rock trip to the Suru valley. Lars is good. He has a cold, but is psyched to be here. The mountains look great, more snow than usual. The rivers are really high, and the fields are verdant green. July in Zanskar is tough to beat. Tomorrow we walk towards the Agsho glacier, this time with donkeys. I am excited to return to this valley again, it is extraordinary.

Agsho Base Camp | 4399m | 2041 | 12 July 2017

The rain ceased in the afternoon, and I took Gomba and Kunsang multi pitch rock climbing. Lars rested and walked up later, snapping photos and getting a lay of the land. We're surrounded by rock, ice and snow climbs. This is what we have come for, and utilized the past 11 days preparing for. Acclimatizing, cycling through movement as a team on rock. Tomorrow, we'll go multi-pitch ice climbing, and then bring all those skills together on a climb in the coming days. For now, the weather is stable, some clouds moving around on the peaks above.


Agsho Base Camp | 4399m | 0834 | 13 July 2017

Today's goals
Ice climbing movement review with Lars
Multi pitch ice technique for group of three
Multi pitch ice rappelling with O thread


Estimate
45 mins to venue
45 mins return to camp
2.5 hours climbing

Actual
Fairly close to estimate



Gear Bringing
6 ice screws
2 ice tools
Crampons
Rain Gear
Two 50 meter ropes
4 alpine quickdraws
One liter water



Skills reviewed:
Equipment Discussion - Rope, Crampons, Axe.
Movement on Ice with Crampons
Movement on Ice with Axe
Ice Anchors - V Thread, Equalized Three Ice Screw anchor, Ice Bollard
Multi-Pitch Ice Anchors

Lars climbed well and feels good. He is out for a walk now and has been gone for about an hour now after going ice climbing this morning.  If the weather is good tomorrow we will climb a peak.

Peak climbing the following day at 5000 meters, Hagshu and bunch of other secrets in the background.

Blue rope
Small set of rock gear
Two ice screws
Pitons
One axe each
Crampons
Head torch
Helmet
Harness
Boots and Shoes

Karzoo, Leh Ladakh | 3500m | 1825 | 20 July 2017

Full Circle. It’s been a whirlwind of a trip. We’ve traveled to four different mountain ranges over the past three weeks, climbing in three of those ranges. The Ladakh range and its granite. The Stok range and its sedimentary fins. The Zanskar range and its majestic peaks and towers. And finally the eastern Karakoram range, yet none too far to breach into its core, only on the periphery.  We’ve seen mask dances of the temples of Tibetan Buddhism here in the Indus valley, summited a 6000 meter peak, climbed virgin rock in Zanskar, and been to eastern Baltistan.
     I love Nepal, but when I go on expedition in one of its deep corrugated valleys, I am committed there for the duration of the experience. Here in Ladakh, you have mobility with a road system and topography to go where the weather and conditions are right, when it’s right for the team. I love that about Ladakh and the western Himalayas. Tibet as well, yet things are too regulated there these days. The western Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir are truly where it's at in so many ways. I am psyched to continue to quest here.


-Luke Smithwick,
instagram.com/luke_smithwick
facebook.com/himalayaslukesmithwick

2016 August Hagshu Expedition

Hagshu on the right in marginal weather.  The face you see here is the North face, first climbed in 2014. Our goal was a less heinous objective around the corner to the left, with more manageable slope angles and relatively less overhanging hazard. 

Hagshu Expedition.  Hagshu is a challenging peak in the central Zanskar Himalayas of northern India. It thwarted many attempts by some of the top alpine climbers of the 1980’s, finally falling to a Polish team in 1989, and a consequent successful climb by the British that was an “official IMF expedition”.  A few years ago, top British and Slovenian alpinists made successful ascents of the North and Northeast faces of Hagshu, with one team receiving a “Piolet D’or” for the ascent. 

Working the yak cheese on a sheet of drying plastic at a doksa (place of grazing).

Our plan began 4 years ago. Two of the guests on the climb wanted to climb a first ascent, around 6500 meters in height, and in the Tien Shan of China/Kyrgyzstan.  While I did do my research on the Tien Shan, even buying a few maps and putting together some tentative plans, the place just wasn’t really appealing to me. The Indian Himalaya is wild and off the map, but we do have a rescue plan, and there is definitive medical care in Delhi that is to a standard that I’m comfortable with. While I don’t plan on having to utilize such services, it is always in the back of my mind. I’m guiding, which means not that I’m to get anyone to any far flung summit, but to maximize potential enjoyment without compromising safety. Plus, there is no way I’m leaving the crew I work with. We stay together.

Hence, the 2016 Hagshu Expedition. The group arrived to Leh, and I did the expedition briefing and we did our routine gear checks.  Since we were moving to Kargil the following day, we would only be in Leh for a night.  We were a group of four climbers, with a liaison officer from Kangra, and the guys I work with (Kunsang Thakchod, Gomba Sherpa, Phuntsok Dorje).  We are the core team of Himalaya Alpine Guides. In addition, two guys from Darjeeling came along to help out, Mingma and Mingma Sherpa (the twins). The Mingma twins would assist Gomba in helping to get loads higher onto the mountain, and in fixing ropes while I climbed with the rest of the team.

Our trip to base camp was flawless, with a nice sunny drive to Kargil, a night's stay, and then onward drive to the village of Agsho in Zanskar and then trek up the valley with the village headmen, their yaks shouldering the burden of our climbing equipment and supplies for the several weeks climb.  In base camp, Gomba and the Twins quickly set to the mountain, bringing a load up to Advanced Base Camp, while we acclimatized a day and reviewed some glacier travel skills and fixed rope travel so the little details were fresh in everyone's mind when they came to execute those parts of the climb.

Approaching base camp in the Agsho valley, with Agsho (Hagshu) in the background left.

     The following morning, with heavy loads on our backs, we were off up the glacier and across a medial moraine to reach Advanced Base Camp.  Reaching camp, the skies began to darken as I pointed out the Twins and Gomba further up the glacier having a look round.  The weather was not looking good. Fortunately we had our Mountain Hardwear Trango tents, a large supply of fuel, and food to ride out the weather. We watched the night come as the rain and snow flew. Our location was on rocks on a flattish bit of medial moraine far from any avalanche run outs.  The snow continued as we brewed up hot drinks, soup, and then dinner.  I stepped out of my tent to talk with the other members of the group several times, with Gomba and the Mingmas back from the foray into route finding for the day. The route, to them, did not appear in condition.

      I moved to the other tent to speak with the other climbers. We discussed the weather and the route. Gomba Sherpa made some photographs of the upper route and had returned to camp earlier that day with them.  The route appeared possible, but not in the best condition for an ascent and we had rockfall and avalanches going on. We knew we needed perfect weather for the route.

We decided to call off the climb and shifted a few ranges to the East. The Changtang plateau holds so many places to explore. We completed the final week of the expedition climbing a lesser peak in alpine style.