Arriving by Heli at Sama Goan base camp, Manaslu (All photos in this album by Hiro Kuraoka one of our guides)
First trek to aclimatize......
Never know who you will meet on these mountains...
Try crossing that one.....even the Yaks don't try.
Small village in background is Sema Goan (our first base camp) and porters carried huge loads up 1000m to advanced base camp
more porters.....more loads....
Russel Brice - our boss!
Our advanced base camp
Our kitchen and our fantastic cooks
Our dining tent and some of our climbers....
More Dining tent - Paul, Bruce, Russel and Jan
The Puja - it was 2.5 hours - so it was a really good one!
More of the Puja
HIMEX Advanced Base Camp - red are individual tents, yellow base camp
Installing the prayer flags during the Puja
Jason, Bruce and Paul at “crampon point” .....(about 1/4 the way to camp 1) - the start of the glacier...
More at crampon point....
Paul “resting” at crampon point...
On our way up the glacier from crampon point to camp 1
Going to camp 1
Bruce and Paul going to camp 1
Going over a crevace toward camp 1
Careful...a tricky spot...(Paul)
That looks hard....
Bruce making it look easy...
Paul (Exhausted) at the top and Bruce making his way up (between ABC and camp 1)
The north col - almost at camp 1
Camp 1 - before all the snow....
About to arrive at camp 1
Heiki somewhere....
Still going up to camp 1 (we must have spent a lot of time trying to get to camp 1!!)
On strike (well resting...again)
Back to abc - and in case you are wondering, thats the toilet tent!!
Sometimes the cook gazes.....
More groups at abc...
Starting the day right...(Paul)
And when it snowed, we shoveled...
Jason testing his o2 mask
Beautiful mountain...from ABC
...and a little later in the evening...
another cup...
Russel (big boss) and Phurva (head Sherpa) checking out the mountain - looking for camp 3....
Waiting, waiting, waiting,.......the team
Adrian putting in some ropes....(between camp 1 and 2)
More new ropes between camp 1 and 2
and again...
Keep going Adrian....you can do it..
a nasty (rather long) walk from camp 1 to camp 2
Camp 2 (well the first iteration anyway) just after its initial setup (it disappeared later!)
some of our precious oxygen and some sleeping bags....
Off we go to camp 3 (I think)
Climbing somewhere on the mountain....(OK I forgot where)
This looks like camp 2 to 3......
One of Hero's fantastic photos - swirling clouds...dont climb today!
Camp 3 being established....see all our sleeping bages and tents....and oxygen....well you wont ever see it again.....
How peaceful it looks.....NOT.....10 days later this was under 10-12 feet of snow and totally lost.....
did I say lost!! come back in 300 years and it will pop out the end of the glacier...
looks cool today...
Camp 3 - everyone heading for camp 4 - but they all wimp out and stop - only our Sherpas and our group go up!!!
We all wait to see if our Sherpas can get the ropes up to camp 4 - its left to HIMEX yet again to put in the ropes and break trail - in the meantime - we all wait, and wait (like 4 hours!)
On our way up to camp 4 - day before we summit....this was hard
Don't fall back...please....dont want those crampons in my head...(going to camp 4)
Ice cliffs were slippery and tricky....sherpas breaking trail
more between 3 and 4
nearly there.....(going to 4)
just a few more thousand metres......
Paul and Chris taking a break...
that nasty little crevace at camp 3.....
Hey - thats camp 1 down there.....
Chris about to drop off the edge of the earth......
Home! Victory! We made it!
Cooks preparing a great meal
Big Bosses communications tent
much gear!
Radios, o2, and stuff!!
Russ, Adrian, Paul. Chris...celebrating after summit (note champagne!!!!)
more celebrating.....
The final party....Russel (possibly singing I think!!)
A totally relaxed group...well we did finish the job!
Down at Sama Goan - a load ready for the heli - and we are ready to leave!!!
The copter finally arriving to carry us away....
Paul (right) and the horse (left)....poor beast had to carry someone up the hill....
the team ready to get on the heli...but its not there...Chris in the driver seat!! -
One load on the heli- plus about 10 or 12 of us.....
The pad at Sama Goan.....we arrived on this pad, and we left from it...
Russ - the boss....checking the loads for the heli
OK boys....behave yourselves.....its so boring waiting.....(for hours and hours....)
Ouch - Adrian big bully.....
Fill that beast!!!
Strong guy carrying barrel....
Pack em' in and all breath in.......there was absolutely no room left at the inn....Great phots Hero)
