The aim - Ascent Mt. Chomo Lonzo,
7560 m, Tibet, by three independent teams in Alpine style
via the new route.
Team's members:
Christophe
Moulin
Christian
Trommsdorff
Patrick
Wagnon
Yannick
Graziani
Yann Bonneville
Stephane
Benoist
Patrice
Glairon-Rappaz
Aymeric
Clouet
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Chomo
Lonzo FFME Expedition
Russian
News:
(24.05.2005)
new!
Expedition
Chomo-Lonzo 2005. The Happy End
May, 21, Saturday, 7.30 pm local time. Christian
Trommsdorff reports:
We are OK, after 13 hours of continuous hard work our effort
were rewarding and at 6.15 pm we stood on Chomo Lonzo Central
(7 540 m). We had to conquer rather difficult rocky site
before getting the summit snow slope. It was very cold, a
wind was from the West. Now we are at approximately 7400m
and hope to descend to the camp at 7100m before dark. We are
tired, but pleased immeasurably!
May, 22, Sunday, 8.30 pm local time. Christian Trommsdorff
calls:
We are at 6200m. It is all over but the shouting. Nothing
can prevent our returning to the base camp any more. And if
it is necessary we are ready to march all the night long.
To tell the truth, yesterday the things appeared a little
bit more difficultly, than we expected: all the night long
we were rappelling, delicate traversing, and having lost a
lot of time, we came in the camp at 7100m in early morning
at 4.00 am! Exhausting jogging
But now - we feel absolute happiness.
Our yaks are waiting in BC, all is in readiness for forwarding.
Expedition is finished.
Vive la France!
Jean-Claude Marmier, President Committee of French
Federation of Himalaya, www.ffme.fr
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(20.05.2005)
Chomo
Lonzo FFME Expedition.
May, 19, 4.00 pm local time, base camp.
Christopher Moulin informs:
This morning occurred clear, windless and frosty. After 48
hours of expectation of "weather window" at 6800m, the group
Trommsdorff-Graziani-Wagnon, at last, became active.
Round midday we examined them through the field glasses at
the northern top, already descending to the pass at 7000m
that divides northern and central Chomo Lonzo summits.
8.00 pm local time. Christian Trommsdorff informs:
Everything comes up roses, we are in high feather and shape.
Having taken advantage of opportunity, we set conditionally
comfortable camp directly at the foot of the summit ridge
at 7100m. Tomorrow we plan to leave it very early, we hope
to summit:) Though, probably, we may postpone final push for
Saturday: it depends on the situation. But, at least, nobody
has intention to recede. "Window" promises to be short, wind
amplification is expected in Sunday.
Doubts came thick upon...
On May, 18. at 8.00 pm. Christian Trommsdorff reports
from camp at 6850m:
This day we are being kept in suspense. Wind amplified with
blasts up to 80-100km/hour. We have to stay at the tent because
of real risk to get frost bitten and other misfortunes. Only
by the end of day we managed to fix three ropes to ease our
tomorrow's push.
While the situation does not look encouraging.
Under the forecast some weather calm is expected tomorrow
till Sunday evening. And tomorrow we have to make the decision,
in view of modest stocks of food and gas, to be or not to
be, that means to climb or not to climb.
Jean-Claude Marmier, President Committee of French
Federation of Himalaya, www.ffme.fr
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(17.05.2005)
Chomo
Lonzo FFME Expedition. Stephane
Benoist and Patrice Glairon-Rappaz - new route on Chomo Lonzo
On May, 16 at 20.30 Christophe Moulin from base camp
and Christian Christian Trommsdorff from camp at 6100 report:
They went and did that! Stephane Benoist and Patrice
Glairon-Rappaz today summited Chomo Lonzo Northern top, 7199m:
after three-day living on the route they laid a new and direct
line on the West Face. The route seems worthy for a two-man
team having Tauliraju 2002, Thalay-Sagar 2003 in their repertoire.
Ascent chronicle:
At dawn on Saturday Stephane and Patrice left the bivy set
at 6000m, next night they spent at 6700m, and the in the Sunday
evening were at 7000m near the ridge between North and Central
Chomo Lonzo.
Then they reached the summit approximately at 18.00 on local
time. Currently, the guys are sleeping a little bit above
the summit on an excellent snow terrace. Tomorrow they plan
to begin descent via the northwest ridge (the route gone by
triumphers Trommsdorff-Graziani-Wagnon last week). Weather
is now set fair, a wind is temperate.
The guys got tired, but that was worth it: a new strong
route, clean Alpine style (the route was ascended in one push,
the climbers were carrying everything they need. Each pitch
was normally ascended only once and no fixed ropes were used
and intermediate camps were set), high altitude, complex combinations
of vertical ice gullies and delicate mixed-climbing.
Bravo! We are waiting for news from them from base camp (most
likely on Wednesday)
The T.G.V. Group (Trommsdorff-Graziani-Wagnon) will
spend the night at 6100m on the north summit NW ridge and
tomorrow - another night at 6850m where they, presumably,
will meet two Niceians and further the big adventure will
be ahead... central summit attempt. (They have to do that
within a week).
Jean-Claude Marmier, President Committee of French
Federation of Himalaya, www.ffme.fr
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(16.05.2005)
Chomo Lonzo FFME Expedition. Cold night at 6800m
May, 15, 21.00. Base camp. Communication was bad, we could
find out the following:
first of all, the good news - the wind lost force at high
altitude sometimes its blasts reach 30êkm/h. Despite of yesterday's
storm, the "younger" guys, Yann Bonneville and Aymeric
Clouet climbed up 6800m where they hoped to find two tents,
sleeping bags and food that the group of the intimate comrades
summited the Mountain (Trommsdorff-Graziani-Wagnon)
had left for them last Sunday. But there were not any traces:
the hurricane swept everything away. And what is more the
situation was complicated the fact that the unreasonable children
had only one down parka at halves.
Cold spending the night at 6800m was drawing close... "Well,
we do not want to descend at all!" - they thought and stayed
out. And survived.
It was a quite good lesson for the future: never rely on left
at high altitude gear (wind, snow cover up any traces).
Next morning the guys felt very exhausted and left their
arrogant plans about summit push. It was the uneasy decision
if to take into account one and a half month of working on
the mountain.
Such is life, such is mountaineering.
Part of the gear Aymeric and Yann left in the camp at 6800m,
probably it is required to the three-man team Trommsdorff-Graziani-Wagnon,
in their tomorrow's the central peak summit push and "big
traverse" if, certainly, the weather conditions are tolerable.
Radio dialogue with Stephane Benoist and Patrice Glairon-Rappaz
was difficult. At 1.30 am they set a bivy at 7000m on
the ridge connecting northern and central summits.
They told, that fatally got tired and were waiting for dawn
to understand what to do further.
Weather is unstable. Despite of some decrease of the wind,
the sky tightens, clouds are trailing snow and there is a
touch of coming monsoon in the air.
Brief historical information: this day, on May, 15
1955, 50 years ago Lionel Terray and Jean Couzy were the first
humanoids summited Makalu. Weather was improbable: incredible
- excellent, silent and windless. Some days later Jean Franco,
Guido Magnone, Jean Bouvier, Andre Vialatte, Serge Coupe and
Pierre Leroux successfully repeated that. It was the great
year for the French mountaineering.
This year it has not been any Makalu ascents from Chomo
Lonzo side yet
Jean-Claude Marmier, President Committee of French
Federation of Himalaya, www.ffme.fr
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(13.05.2005)
Chomo Lonzo FFME Expedition
May, 12, 20:30. A call from base camp:
The sky is still tightened, the temperature falls, and the
wind amplifies (it's about 120km/h at 8000m according to the
forecast).
A two-man team of Stephane Benoist and Patrice Glairon-Rappaz
left BC in the morning, the nearest three days promise
to be sated for them.
Christophe Moulin has a crook knee (I do not know right
or left one).
And he has to stay at the camp tomorrow, therefore two benjamins
Yann and Aymeric will climb further independently having remained
without their guru. Their program: Friday - to ascend up to
the camp at 6100 m, Saturday - reach 6850 m, Sunday- have
a rest, Monday - reach northern summit and, probably, the
main central summit if the weather will be favorable.
As to Christian Trommsdorff, Yannick Graziani and Patrick
Wagnon, the guys continue to have a rest after their successful
summit push.
Jean-Claude Marmier, President Committee of French
Federation of Himalaya, www.ffme.fr
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(11.05.2005)
Chomo Lonzo FFME Expedition. First success in their efforts
8.05 Christian Trommsdorff, Yannick Graziani and
Patrick Wagnon reached Chomo Lonzo Northern Summit, 7199
m.
Jean-Claude Marmier, President Committee of French
Federation of Himalaya, www.ffme.fr
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(19.04.2005)
Chomo-Lonzo 2005 FFME Expedition
Saturday, April, 16. "Glacier W" on communication:
At 20 o'clock local time (4 pm Moscow time) the group led
by Christian Trommsdorf stopped to set a bivy on the western
glacier. Weather he weather keeps fine for some days and does
not spoil even after the midday: there is not any fogs that
really happens extremely rare if to take into account the
experience of last year's Makalu expedition via the East Ridge.
It would be silly to miss such chance - we have to be in time
to acclimatize better and to see as much as possible.
All of us are in a good mood and excellent shape. All three
of us are involved in getting an eyeful of beauty of Everest
East Face and Northern Face of Lhotse. It's a rare, an unusual
case of full loneliness in the Himalayas (there are not any
trekking tourists, neighboring expeditions etc.).
In comparison with snow-covered northeast slopes, the slopes
from the west, northwest face seem chillier.
The granite wall of the central top looks very abrupt.
The gap at the altitude of 7000 meters between the central
and northwest summits seems achievable, as well as Jean Christophe
Lafaille suggested, on a long ice couloir of the steepness
seemingly not more than 50 degrees. The rocks seem very abrupt.
The program for April, 17-18: ascent up to the pass between
Tibet and Nepal at 6500m, then returning to BC for relaxation
and desert rest.
Jean-Claude Marmier, President Committee of French
Federation of Himalaya, www.ffme.fr
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(18.04.2005)
Chomo-Lonzo 2005 FFME Expedition
We spent the night at base camp that we had set a little
away from the last year's Jean Christophe Lafaille's camp
site (because of an abundance of snow and almost impassable
for yaks moraines). Due to this reason, it seems our approach
to the wall will outlast for three hours longer than we planned.
Tomorrow we will start to make the area reco and acclimatization
ascent (the art of feeling your excellent form at altitudes
higher than 7000 meters). The team of Niceans and joined to
them Christophe Moulin and both "benjamins" chose their first
aim: a small peak of about 5700m. This "health promenade"
will allow to scrutinize the wall, its objective dangers and
possible routes of ascent. After that they will return to
BC for the night.
The others guys (Christian Trommsdorf , Yannick Graziani
and Patrick Wagnon) will make the reco of Chomo-Lonzo western
glacier, where Jean Christophe Lafaille began to climb the
northeast buttress of Kangshungtse (alias Makalu II) last
year. It is not expected to be easy, but will allow them to
survey possible routes from the West (and if everything goes
well a nice line for descent...)
All of the guys are safe and sound, the crew is messed excellently,
the Tibet-Nepalese service personnel is at the highest pitch,
the mood and desire to climb upper and upper are rising...
Only one small problem - at the sight of piece of meat that
is needed to be swallowed.
Jean-Claude Marmier, President Committee of French
Federation of Himalaya, www.ffme.fr
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(13.04.2005)
Expedition Chomo-Lonzo 2005
Tuesday, April, 12.
It has been snowing alternating with raining nonstop for
three days. But in the morning we got a surprise - the sun
shines over all the sky. Chomolonzo (7790 m) is beautiful!
We have got a favorable weather forecast for the nearest three
days and are going to be in the base camp in a day. And then
we'll see what's the next step.
Jean-Claude Marmier, President Committee of French
Federation of Himalaya, www.ffme.fr
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(5.04.2005)
Expedition Chomo-Lonzo 2005
On April, 3 France marshaled her sons out to the Mt. Chomo
Lonzo located in the distant Tibet area.
Jean-Claude Marmier, President Committee of French Federation
of Himalaya and former president FFME Jean-Paul PETERS blessed
youth on feats and wished good luck. In the team only stars:
Christophe Moulin , Christian Trommsdorff, Patrick Wagnon
, Yannick Graziani, Yann Bonneville , Stephane Benoist , Patrice
Glairon-Rappaz and Aymeric Clouet.
The main aim - Ascent Mt. Chomo Lonzo, 7560 m, Tibet, by
three independent teams in Alpine style via the new route.
Jean-Claude Marmier, President Committee of French
Federation of Himalaya, www.ffme.fr
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