Mountain Trip guide Sean McManamy called in to report that the team cached a load of equipment and supplies high on the ridge at 16,000 ft. The ascent begins immediately out of 14 Camp, climbs “the Headwall” on fixed lines, and then the team gets on top of the ridge and works up to the base of Washburn’s Thumb. This a prominent feature on the ridge, and the cache site is located just at the base of the “Thumb.” It sounds like two members of the team (Qizhi Gan and Xingzheng Zhao) are ill, and are planning to head back to Base Camp.
The fixed lines run up the steepest section of the West Buttress route, known as the Headwall. Climbers ascend this 40-45 degree slope for about 600 feet.
Here’s Sean:
