The team was able to put in a cache at 16,200′ (4937m) yesterday! They started out their day climbing over 1,000′ to the bergschrund below the fixed lines. A bergschrund is where the start of a glacier meets steep ice and the sub sequential crevasse that forms here sloughs away from the ice above creating a very large opening seen easily from great distances. Once arriving here, the team found themselves at the start of the Headwall where the fixed lines are. They clipped their ascenders into the these 600′ lengths of rope and moved one step at a time up this roughly 50* slope of steep snow and ice. These ropes are anchored into the slope with deep and strong ice and snow anchors every several meters. There are two ropes, one for ascent and one for descent. An ascender is a progress capture device. It is attached to the rope and to the climbers harness. The ascender glides up the rope, but if pulled downward, its teeth engage into the rope and don’t allow descent, preventing unplanned falls. The team then arrives on top of the ridge and walks a bit further to their cache site where they chip away at the wind buffed snow until they can bury their supplies here for their move to High Camp.
Climbers from a Mountain Trip team in 2021 navigate the bergschrund and start up the fixed lines.
Here’s Josh!
It’s great that we get these updates. Thanks guys! But I can hear only for about half a minute & then it blanks out but it feels like there’s more.
Best wishes to Raj & team!
We feel the same! Sometimes I refresh the page and the recording will play longer, but it seems like often the call is hung up too soon. You can always check back after our team has had a chance to listen to the recording and consult the updates we get from our expeditions coordinator and write up the report, for more details!
So excited for all of you. We’re praying for your safety!