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Mail
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Greater
Ranges
Expeditions |
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These notes are intended to assist the climber
who has already gained considerable knowledge
of rock climbing, Scottish winter mountaineering
and Alpine climbing, and is fully aware of
its risks but still wishes to progress into
Greater Ranges Expeditions. They are brief
and not designed to be comprehensive in any
way. Ultimately climbing is a dangerous sport
and claims many casualties each year. One
of the guiding principals of British climbing
and mountaineering is that it is the individual
climber is responsible for his or her own
safety. If you cannot accept this then this
site and probably climbing in general is unlikely
to suit you. May we refer you to this
very interesting site instead!
Cartoon
© Tami Knight - Click to see more of
her hilarious books such as Climbing
Tales of Terror.
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Photo:
Looking south from the summit of Dansketinde (2930m) over the Staunings Alps, East Greenland
- 6000km2 of glaciated
granite peaks, many of them still unclimbed,
and most having had only one ascent. |
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| Preparation:
or "He
who hesitates is lost!", but "Fools
rush in where angels fear to tread!" |
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term "expedition" still has an aura of adventure
about it that merely "going to the alps"
does not. In general, if we are honest, both involve
climbers going on their holidays, but the former is
perceived to be more serious - and rightly so. Also,
unlike the alps, one cannot simply just turn up, certain
preparations must be made. These include: |
Finding
a Suitable Objective: In some ways this can be
the hardest part of the whole trip. However the initial
idea may come from something as simple as a photo
in a magazine, a program on television, or a chance
remark from a friend or visiting lecturer. Having
seen a picture or obtained a description of what seems
to be a suitable objective in an area that you are
interested in, it is then necessary to try and find
out as much as possible about the history of climbing
in the area, and the suitability of the peak or route
vis-a-vis your abilities, before you proceed further.
Useful sources include:
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1)
the Alpine
Club Library which is situated in London,
and is open to non-members for a small fee. It contains
numerous expedition reports, alpine journals and the
most extensive collection of mountaineering books
in the world. Several other useful libraries are listed
here.
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2)
the Himalayan
Index, a searchable database of himalayan
peaks above 6000m.
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3)
the Alpine
Journal, available at the the AC Library.
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4)
the American
Alpine Journal, available at the the AC Library.
The AAC has produced three comprehensive indexes for
the AAJ, which allow individuals to locate reports
of climbs based on region, country, climber, and peak
name. Paperbound editions of the index for the years
1929-1976 and 1977-1986 are available for purchase
through The Mountaineers Books, a PDF version for
the years 1987-1996 is available by clicking on AAJ
Index.
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5)
in terms of magazines, Lindsay Griffin's Mountain
Info section in Climb (used to be High)
is paticularly useful. Unfortunately the photos are
not available on the internet, but the articles are
there.
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| 6)
finally, check that the area is safe from war, civil
unrest, pestilence and disease, on the Foreign
Office's Travel Advice pages. |
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Photo:
Ultar (ca7300m), Hunza Valley, Karakorum.
A few years ago this was the highest unclimbed
peak in the world open to expeditions - a
serious undertaking that saw over 15 attempts
before it was finally climbed in 1996. The
face in this photo has been attempted twice
by British Expeditions and is still unclimbed.It
is the sort of target that would make a good
objective for a technically competent team. |
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Finding
a team: This is probably the second most difficult
part of an expedition. Your team needs to be suited
to both the objective and each other. Whilst a certain
amount of "fire in the belly" is usually
essential for success, team members ideally need to
be fairly laid back, sociable and easy going. They
also need to be committed to the project - a large
financial deposit is the most suitable means of ensuring
this and it should be made clear from the start that
this deposit is refundable only at the end of the
expedition, and then only if no financial loss to
other members would ensue. Whilst with a large team
there may be a certain safety in numbers if things
go wrong, it will probably frament into several small
teams once basecamp is established. A small team can
often respond more quickly to changes in circumstances
and will be easier to form. If you are chartering
an aeroplane or helicopter in the course of your expedition
then the size of the team may be decided by the payload
of the aircraft - if you are attempting to keep costs
to the minimum that is.
You will need to select a Leader. This is not
an honorary post. Generally all permit granting bodies
will demand to deal via a leader. Also the leader's
role will be as far as possible to ensure the objectives
of the expedition are met, and in order to do this
he or she may have to exert their authority over the
other members of the expedition. The leader will inevitably
end up doing a large part of the organisation of the
expedition, however much they try and palm off on
other team members. In fact, the golden rule of of
leading expeditions is don't - try and get some other
mug to do it.
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It
is also important that the team has a Medical
Officer whose job is mainly to gather
together an impressive collection of drugs
and first aid kit and somehow get them through
various customs checkpoints without getting
arrested. It helps if this person is a doctor
or medical worker of some sort, but in any
case it is essential to take a basic book
on mountaineering
medicine. Medical
advice for expeditions is available from MASTA
and the UIAA
Mountain Medicine Centre.
Photo:
A typical basecamp in Greenland.
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| Insurance:
It is essential to have adequate insurance in case
a mountain rescue is required. Meeting the cost of
a full helicopter search for a missing person in Nepal,
Alaska or Greenland etc. doesn't really bear thinking
about. The BMC
offers a very good insurance service to expeditions.
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| Getting
Permission: This may not be necessary, but for
many areas of the world some sort of permit will be
required. It is up to you to find this out and apply
in good time (often up to a year in advance). Some
idea of which areas currently need permits and how
to apply for them can be gained from the list below.
For many areas, a permit will necessitate paying a
Peak Fee or National Park Fee and you
may also need to take a Liasion Officer who
you will have to feed and clothe.
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Other
Requirements: There may be many other requirements
besides a permit. You may need to take a satellite
rescue beacon or radio. You may need a
rifle and ammunition (plus relevant
firearms licences for each country you
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pass through). You may have restrictions placed
on the type of food you can import
and rules regarding the disposal of waste.
There may also be specific rules regarding
the employment of
porters and in any case it may
be
easier to employ them
via an agency - the permit issuing
authority should be able to help you here.
You will almost certainly have to provide
adequate clothing and footwear for any porters
you employ.
Photo:
A porter crossing a rickety footbridge in
the Karakorum - you may be responsible for
their safety.
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| Grants:
Whilst it is true to say that the days of expeditions
being sponsored to the hilt by industry and climbing
gear manufacturers are long gone, there is still the
chance of some money/gear/food free or cheap for your
expedition if it is either cutting edge or exploratory,
or both. Major sources of funding for UK expeditions
include the British Mountaineering Council (more concerned
with technicality than exploration) and the Mount
Everest Foundation (more concerned with exploration
than technicality). The application for for both grants
is the same and must be made in the year before the
expedition takes place. You can download it from the
MEF
site. There are extensive lists of other grants available
on the BMC,
and RGS
sites. As far as gear, equipment and food goes, best
of luck! |
| Further
Info: For more help, the BMC,
UIAA,
MEF and the RGS
Expedition Advisory Centre have very useful
information pages on expeditions. Also try our CLIMBinfo
Links. |
| Commercial
Expeditions: There is of course a short cut to
all this, and that is to pay some-one else to do it
for you, ie go on a commercial organised expedition.
These are highly suitable for the better heeled mountaineer
with limited time of their hands. We would be pleased
to advise on and quote for any expedtion kit list. |
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Equipment:
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| Much
of what you need will no doubt already have, but
if you are going to high altitude or operating in
especially cold environments (it is essential when
doing your expedition planning to work out the minimum
and maximum daytime and nightime temperatures that
you are likely to encounter), Needle Sports stock
and/or can obtain many items of specialist equipment
not easily available else where. These include: |
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Down
Clothing
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We
stock a large range of Rab down and other clothing,
including one piece down suits, windsuits and
Latok one piece waterproof suits.
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Down
Sleeping Bag
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Rab
do a superb range of sleeping bags that can be
customized to order. Many of these are specifically
designed for high altitude and expedition use..
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Buffalo
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For
winter-type conditions, take the full Buffalo
Double-P System is ideal for long-term use
as it will not build up condensation. |
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Boots
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We
stock specialist boots
like the Scarpa Vega and Phantom
8000.
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Down
Air Mattress
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Well
worth having - you'll sleep better. But take a
Closed Cell Foam Mat as well in case you puncture your mattress.
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Bivi
Boots
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Very
useful for basecamp and bivis and well worth their
weight.
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| Duffle
Bags |
Very
useful for "porter rucksacks". |
| Expedition
Barrels |
We
don't stock these tough blue barrels (see photo
of porter on bridge above), but try
J Boyd-Laurie & Son, 7 South Street, Rawdon,
Leeds, LS19 6JF, Tel: 0113 250 5633. |
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Pee
Bottle
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Very
useful. Make sure
it's clearly labelled, and large enough (1litre)!
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Stove
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What
stove to take can often be a dilemma on expeditions
as one cannot transport fuel by air without making
special (and expensive) arrangements. In the few
countries where gas canisters can be purchased,
certain gas stoves will work at altitude and the
Karrimor Gogas Powerpak can be used to convert
screw threaded stoves to adapt to piercable cylinders.
Otherwise, pressurised multi-fuel stoves, such
as the MSR XGK, are the stove of choice, as they
will burn most fuels, including parafin (kerosene)
which is generally widely available. It is always
worth taking a pricker (even with self-pricking
jet) and plenty of spares, including spare jets.
Remember to take fuel, or empty containers to
put it in. Also take a piece of plywood about
5mm thick and about 300mm x 300mm. Put your stove
on this and it wont melt into the snow.
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Glacier
Glasses
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Essential
unless you want to go snowblind. |
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Sun
Cream
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Essential
- we stock some very high factor creams. |
| Most of the above you will have to take with you but, with baggage restrictions of around a total of 30kg per person on most airlines, you will need to buy much of you kit when you arrive. Fortunately the basics are generally cheap if you look in the markets and bazaars and can generally be disposed of at the end of a trip as a welcome gift to the porters along with any surplus food. |
| Base Camp Cook Tent |
If you can't find a tent, improvise with fabric, poles and string. It is really a wind break that you need more than anything, but it needs to be big enough for all of you if possible. |
| Steel Bladed Shovel |
Essential for digging latrines etc. |
| Third World "Primus" Stove |
Available in just about all poorer countries. Take spare washers, prickers, burner unit, and spanner. |
| Fuel and Water Carriers |
Plastic Jerrycans for Kerosene, White Gas and Water. They will leak, but a plastic bag makes a reasonable wasger. Label each clearly. Being in the cook tent when some-one inadvertantly fills up the kettle with Benzino Blanco is not funny! |
| Matches |
Ten times as many as you think. Don't rely on lighters. |
| Pots and Pans |
A large cooking pot or two, non-stick frying pan and kettle, big enough for cooking for the whole team, plus a spatuala and wooden spoon. An extra mug and plate per member and a chopping board and sharp knife are also useful. |
| Plastic Washbowl |
For wasking up and washing vegetables etc. |
| Fresh Food |
Potatoes, oinions, garlic, carrots etc will all keep for several weeks in cold conditions, as will eggs if you can get them there in on piece. Cheese keeps well if vacuum packed and oranges and similar fruits should last at least a week. All of these are a lot better than dried food. |
That
more or less covers it, but feel free to ask or email
for further advice.
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Photos
left to right:
1. Crag Jones climbing VS in big boots and carrying
8 days worth of food plus bivi kit at 6000m in
the Karakorum.
2. John Bickerdike making the first ascent of
Annsketinde (2460m) in the Staunings Alps, East
Greenland.
3. Colwyn Jones high on the South West Ridge of
Dansketinde (2933m) during the first ascent. In
the distance is the Greenland Icecap.
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And
finally:
"Double
check, double check and double check again."
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Photo:
Colin Read and snowsled on the fourth day of a week's
trek to the coast, Staunings Alps, East Greenland |
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| The
first question which you will ask and
which I must try to answer is this, "What is the use of climbing Mount
Everest?" and my answer must at
once be, "It is no use." There
is not the slightest prospect of any
gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a
little about the behavior of the human
body at high altitudes, and possibly
medical men may turn our observation
to some account for the purposes of
aviation. But otherwise nothing will
come of it. We shall not bring back
a single bit of gold or silver, not
a gem, nor any coal or iron. We shall
not find a single foot of earth that
can be planted with crops to raise food.
It's no use. So, if you cannot understand
that there is something in man which
responds to the challenge of this mountain
and goes out to meet it, that the struggle
is the struggle of life itself upward
and forever upward, then you won't see
why we go. What we get from this adventure
is just sheer joy. And joy is, after
all, the end of life. We do not live
to eat and make money. We eat and make
money to be able to enjoy life. That
is what life means and what life is
for. |
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George
Leigh Mallory, 1922
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