Telluride-based ski mountaineer Kim Havell will attempt to climb and ski Shishapangma this fall and you can follow updates on her training and trip at ElevationOutdoors.com. The 14th highest peak in the world at 26,289 feet, Shishapangma is a dangeorus goal—famed alpinist Alex Lowe died on the peak in an avalanche in 1999. Havell and her team, which includes Mark Fisher, Todd Passey and Andy Tankersley, will make the climb and descent unsupported and without oxygen from September 8th through October 23rd. Here’s an excerpt from one of her latest training posts:
Training and Raining
Two weeks ago, I drove up to Victor, ID to meet up with my Shishapangma team. We awoke at midnight to the sound of rainfall steadily hammering the roof of my Mark’s house. Ignoring the obvious, and hoping for a break in the weather, we made coffee, forced down peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and hit the road for Teton National Park. Our objective for the next twenty-four hours was the Grand Traverse route. It is a serious and technical climb that crosses nine of the mightiest peaks in the range, and includes more than 12,000 feet of vertical ascent and descent in 14 miles. Ascending trails and scrambling fourth class rock in the drizzle of a 3 a.m. storm is a questionable undertaking.
We trudged steadily uphill over the next few hours with the summit looming then disappearing behind the curtains of storm clouds. Lightning and thunder cracked in the distance. The stars were veiled overhead.
After climbing roughly 3,500 feet, we stopped to reassess. The weather was poor. With some careful evaluation, we decided to aim for the first summit and to keep an eye on the storm pattern. Our team progressed silently over the with an occasional stop to size up the weather.
As luck would have it, the bulk of the storm held off just long enough for us to climb another 2,000 feet to the summit of Teewinot at 12,800 feet. Then, it was time to make a serious decision. To move forward on the traverse would commit us to climbing peaks with no bail-out option for the next few hours, putting us at risk of an electrical storm and slippery conditions for rock hopping.
With some heavy pondering and evaluating, we decided to retreat. Retracing our steps back to the Teewinot saddle, we began our descent to 7,200 feet.
We made the right choice. By the time we arrived back to the parking lot, the storm had moved in. Our team had worked through its first challenge and it had been an excellent exercise in mental focus, decision making and time management. It was disappointing to not finish the route with the right crucial pieces of the right team and the right training. But, if the weather doesn’t cooperate, what can you do? And, after all, what would training be without a little bit of raining?
Want more adventure? Follow our bloggers in Colorado and beyond. ElevationOutdoors.com
