Tibet, Progress and Ancient Tracks - Lhakpa Ri Expedition - May 2017

Xegar (New Tingri), Tibet | 2147 | 4330m / 14,210 feet | 7 May, 2017

Views of the end of the Himalayas and the start of the Changtang plateau on the flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa.

Greetings from Tibet. Over the past whirlwind days we’ve been traveling overland on the Changtang plateau in an expedition van provided by the China Tibet Mountaineering Association.  We have a permit to climb 7045 meter Lhakpa Ri on the Far East Fork of the Rongbuk glacier. During this Spring season, foreigners are required to enter Tibet by flying into Lhasa, hence why we are approaching the peak by such an indirect route. Gomba and Karma Sherpa are driving to base camp from Kathmandu over the Tibetan border and we will meet them there in two days time. Then we will be a team, of six, all together. Nepalis are the only people allowed to enter Tibet through the Nepal border. This Autumn foreigners will be allowed to enter through Nepal again, yet only Cho Oyu will be open for climbing this Autumn. All peaks will return to Open status for 2018, and foreigners will be allowed to enter through Nepal.  Permit fees have increased this season in Tibet. Foreigners are required to pay US$200/day to be in Lhasa in addition to their peak permit cost. Permit holders are required to pay for their meals while traveling to base camp now as well, which was covered by the permit in the past. All of the information above is from a meeting I had with the China Tibet Mountaineering Association two days ago in Lhasa, Tibet, China. It is fact. Moving on..
    We are Luke Smithwick (USA) - leader and lead guide , Charles De Courval (Canada) - climber, Francis Lawrence (France and now Australia) - climber, Wilmars Mikelsons (Australia) - climber, Gomba Sherpa (Nepal) - assistant guide, Karma Gyelje Sherpa (Nepal) - cook. I’ve climbed with Charles and Francis previously, this is Wilmars first trip with me. Gomba and I have worked together for four years now. Karma I’ve worked with since 2012, although he does work at Mount Kailas in the summers as a cook with mostly Indian tour groups on yatra.

Locals walk the daily kora (circle) around the Potala Palace, notice the snowy mountains in the background.

Views of modernising Lhasa from the steps of the Potala Palace.

     So let's begin in Lhasa, first impressions. I'd always envisioned Lhasa to be a place that time forgot. Tumbleweeds (not literally, but figuratively), ancient monuments, a place for one's imagination to run with thoughts of the past. While that is still very present, the modern world is quickly coming to Lhasa. Cranes work 24 hours a day, expensive SUVs ply the spotless streets, and the city is timely and efficient. Amongst this, there is the Potala Palace

The Potala Palace.

towering over the growing metro area.  Lhasa is the upscale Tibet, Tibetan couture, everyone dressed in their best. Within the Potala Palace, I presumed a museum, yet there is life. Monks pray and chant in each room, shukpa juniper incense wafts through the hallways and catacombs, and it is still bustling with the life of the Tibetan people. We were not accompanied by hoards and throngs of foreign tourists as we passed through the Potala, yet people from Amdo, from Shigatse, and from all over Tibet who were there to pay homage to this center for Tibetans.  It was an excellent experience, and the palace is so well preserved and respected.

A father and son from Amdo province enter the Potala.

Granite crags outside of Lhasa. There is a lot of cragging to be done around town on clean granite cracks.

Modern Lhasa, clean streets and new vehicles.

Tibetan locals converse under Chinese street lamps. An amalgamation of culture can be seen everywhere in Tibet now.

From Lhasa, we drove out of town towards Shigatse after fresh snowfall the night before, the nearby mountains covered in a dusting of snow.  We could see fresh tracks in the snow from locals crossing passes with their animals just outside of town. Francis and I have kept a keen eye for birds on this trip, both of us being keen birders when there are others interested. So far we've spotted Cattle Egret, Yellow Billed Blue Magpie, Common Lora, Greater Barbet, Common Pigeon, House Crow, Scaly Breasted Munia, Oriental Dove, Himalayan Bulbul, Yellow Naped Woodpecker, Large Billed Crow, Blue Thrush, Smew, Lammergeier, Citrine Wagtail, Ruddy Shelduck, Common Goldeneye. 

A roadside lunch stop on the way to Shigatse from Lhasa. Noodle soup being prepared by the restaurant owner.

The group with our driver and local guide (Tashi - second from left) at a lunch stop yesterday near Shigatse.

    You drive along the turquoise Tsangpo river to get from Lhasa to Shigatse, and it was clean and enticing. One of my goals is to raft it someday. Shigatse is larger than Lhasa (400,000) with 700,000 people. We drove in the evening and rested before having dinner and taking an evening walk to the Tashi Lhunpo monastery.  I was also impressed with how clean and modern Shigatse was.  This evening, we are resting here in Xegar (New Tingri) at 4300 meters.  The team feels good, there have been some minor stomach issues, and one person has a mild cold, yet all will pass. Tomorrow we drive to Tingri and will stay the night, driving to base camp the following morning. I will post the next update from our base camp, which is also the base camp for Mount Everest.

-Luke Smithwick, guide, Himalaya Alpine Guides (http://www.himalaya-alpine.com)

2015 Menthosa Expedition

The 2015 Menthosa expedition started out in Manali, we drove North into Lahaul, and then set our first camp in the village of Urgus, and began to acclimatize. It rained for three days straight without stopping, bringing a huge snow load onto our objective. I decided to pack up the expedition, and move the entire thing North into Ladakh and fairer weather. Over the following weeks, we successfully climbed two aesthetic 6000 meter peaks. Brief below. -Luke

Drying out camp in Urgus after the storm.

Enroute to the Changtang, we stopped briefly in Pang.

30 Sept 2015 | 4600m | Korzok Phu | 0758

The team is feeling well, and today we will walk up to high camp for 6250m Mentok Kangri 1.  Tonight, we will rise in the early morning hours, put on our double boots, and begin climbing to the summit.
There is not a single cloud in the sky,

Camp beneath the Mentoks.

and it is harvest season for the pashm goats around us.  There are about 5000 goats and sheep in this valley, with the landscape dotted with yak hair tents

Base camp in the Mentoks.

of their Changpa owners, and the smoke of dung fires keeping their families warm, and fed by a cooking fire.  The quiet is nice, and the

The 17 year experienced cook, Phuntsok Dorje, styles out a pizza on the base camp stove.

cold air brings the sound of children off in a distant meadow, playing and watching their livestock.  The moon is full, and one can see forever, to Tibet, to distant mountains to the North, and there is only time to think, and breathe, and reflect amongst the silence.  The climbing is only the icing on the cake, being here is truly  as good as it gets.

4 October 2015 | 5450m | Mentok Kangri BC | 0830

A trailside mani stone.

Press play. Lars Andersson on the summit of Mentok 1.

We trekked to base camp several days ago, had a day of rest the following day, and climbed Mentok Kangri yesterday.  We took a steeper route this time, climbing directly up the glacier headwall to the ridgeline, then to climb to the summit ridge in three pitches.  During past ascents, we did not rope up for this section, however this time we found ice and snow where there is normally dry rock. Reaching the 6005m summit that demarcates the top of the ridgeline, we continued to the summit of Mentok Kangri 1 in blustery

Climbing up the Mentok headwall in alpine style.

conditions, reaching base camp at 2000 that night, for a 17 hour day that normally takes 8 hours (!).

Everyone crashed in their tents, and the following morning, we packed up and headed for

lower altitudes and some good rest next to Lake Tsomoriri in the shepherd camp of Peldo, where we are now.

7 October 2015 | 5456m | Changtang Peaks camp | 0735

Looking out on Lake Tsomoriri.

Yesterday, we climbed a peak we named "Changtang Kailas" for its round shape. Topping out at just over 6000 meters,

The group on the summit of Changtang Kailas.

it made for a great summit for the whole group. From the top, we had great views of high Lungser and Chamsser Kangri, along with many remote 6000m peaks along the Tibetan border.

Resting and relaxing in the dining tent.

It's windy and cold in October on the Changtang plateau, and I'm looking forward to getting to Nepal in a few days.