원정 개요

Report of Bertrand Roche:

Approach: bus to Besisahar, four-wheel drive to Koto, trek to Himlung BC

BC 14/10 4850m
C1 18/10 5400m
C2 team never slept at C2
C3 23/10 6300m (afoot of the final snow slope)
Smt 24/10 by Bertrand, Liv, Didier and Dorje Mingma Sherpa

For both guides, the goal of the expedition was to paraglide from the top with their 3 clients (Didier, Martin and Walter). Sadly Walter wouldn’t be able to go above BC for health reasons.

At first the agency told them there was no permit issued for paragliding from the top, yet it was underway. Thus, they decided to carry their paraglides anyway and see what would be possible once on the mountain.

During the acclimatization, Walter Lefebvre would never make it above BC (maximum at the moraine) due to health troubles. He had secundary effects of the vaccine, with pulmonary embolism and brain effects (no stroke but he complained as if he had sinusitis, and lots of blood), which weakened him too much that he had to leave the expedition before its end. He was heli-rescued on the 19 or 20 October by helicopter to KTM.

Following data concerns all the group except Walter.

16 Oct: first roundtrip to C1 without sleeping (made a gear deposit)
18 Oct: slept at C1
19 Oct: up to C2, back to sleep at C1
20 Oct: back to BC

• Summit attempt
22 Oct: slept at C1
23 Oct: slept at C3
24 Oct: summit day!

Team started from C3 later than other people at circa 7:30 am, since it was very cold and they wanted some sun! Bertrand, Liv, Didier and Dorje Mingma Sherpa reached the summit between 13:00 and 13:30 pm. Martin and the other Sherpa stopped at circa 6900m.

On top they met with a South African female climber who was very slow, being prostrated on the descent, almost not moving.

During the last stage of the ascent, guides considered conditions to not be optimum for a coming take off from the top, with obviously too much wind in wrong direction and first thermal clouds appearing. Knowing this, they left their paraglides at circa 6700-6800m before reaching the top.

From the latter, they went down quickly to their take-off area, the latter reached between 2:00 and 2:30 pm by the different members. From there, Bertrand would assist everyone for the take-off, luckily achieved in good wind conditions plus not too exposed location.

Martin would be the first to take off, assisted by Bertrand and the Sherpa, the latter who was holding the wing since there was 15/20 km/h wind, possibly a bit more.

Liv started in second.

Didier started in third. Since he was very tired, he had descended slower with his Sherpa, reaching the take-off area at the same time Liv was starting. Took time to prepare himself.

Bertrand was the last to take off, at circa 3 pm.

Everyone flew down straight to the BC safely.

25 Oct: team stayed at BC for resting and packing.

26 Oct: team left BC, aiming to go back by the Kang La Pass. On this day it stopped at Kyang (3820m).

27 Oct: Kyang to Naar.

28 Oct: team flew from Kang La pass (5306m) to land a bit lower to the east from Manang.

With a few days left before the plane would fly back home (5 Nov), team spent a few days in Pokhara, flying over the lake, it being nowadays only allowed at its west corner. Then it had a little 2 days trek in the Mardi Himal, with a nice flight from the crest of Mardi Himal on the 31 October.

Members at end: 4
Sherpas above BC: 2

Route: West Ridge (normal route)

Oxygen: not taken, not used

Records: 1st paragliding attempt from HIML slopes?

Accidents: health issues for Walter Lefebvre.

Tkg. Agt: Karma Sherpa Trekking