The Story Behind Kenton Cool's Amazing Himalayan Triple-Header

If you followed the Himalayan climbing season this spring you're probably already aware of Kenton Cool's amazing expedition. Just last week, the British climber who already had ten successful Everest summits to his name, put together one of the most impressive string of climbs that anyone could ever hope to accomplish. In a single push, Cool managed to knock off Nuptse (7861 m/25,791 ft), Everest (8848 m/29,029 ft) and Lhotse (8516 m/27,940 ft), something that had never been accomplished in a single season before.

Since completing this ambitious expedition we've heard snippets of Kenton's tale but post climb exhaustion, a busy travel schedule and difficult communications from Nepal haven't allowed us to fully grasp the details. At least until now.

Alan Arnette has interviewed Kenton for Outside Online and the story is just as riveting as you would imagine. Alan gets all the details starting from how the idea to climb all three mountains came about, what events allowed for Cool to make the attempt this season and what it was like to bag a trio of Himalayan peaks in succession. As you can imagine, it was no easy task and there were a number of obstacles along the way, both physical and mental.

The article is a good read with lots of insights into climbing big mountains – Nuptse, Everest and Lhotse in particular. You'll come away with an even greater respect for Kenton's accomplishment, which is one of the most daring in recent memory as far as I'm concerned.

Himalaya 2013: Kenton Cool Completes Hat Trick!

Just as the Everest climbers continue to move up and down the mountain, other teams across the Himalaya are doing the same on various other mountains. Most are looking to top out in the next few days, but there are still some stories to tell today, starting with the epic effort that British climber Kenton Cool has just wrapped up.

As I reported yesterday, Kenton was in the middle of an absolutely massive challenge in the Himalaya. At that time he had already successfully summited both Nuptse (7861 m/25,791 ft) and Everest (8848 m/29,029 ft), claiming his 11th career summit of the world's highest mountain. He was also in the middle of a summit push to the top of Lhotse, the 8516 meter (27,940 ft) sister of Everest. No one had ever completed a back-to-back-to-back climb of all three peaks before, but I'm happy to report that Kenton has indeed done just that. His home team announced his successful Lhotse summit overnight and he has since returned to Base Camp where he is reportedly "totally shattered." The Brit is getting some much deserved rest now, but his team promises to share more information and photos on his Facebook page soon.

I want to extend a hearty congratulations to Kenton on a job well done. That series of three peaks is one impressive climb and I can't imagine how completely knackered he feels right about now. It is difficult to overstate just what kind of an effort it took to pull this off. One of the boldest expeditions in the Himalaya in quite some time.

Sadly, the news from Lhotse isn't all good today. Yesterday I also indicated that there was a climber that was struggling at altitude and that a rescue attempt was underway. That climber was Lee Hsiao-shih from Taiwan. Details remain a bit thin, but it seems he took ill on the mountain and perished in Camp 4. My condolences to his friends and family.

Finally, ExWeb is reporting that Cho Oyu was successfully summited on May 13, despite previously posting that no one had been able to climb above C3 yet. It appears that husband and wife climbing team Uko and Anu Noulik of Estonia quietly completed their climb last week, topping out at 9:30 AM local time. Bad weather had made it impossible for them to acclimatize above Camp 3 prior to their summit push, but they were able to weight out the high winds and summit last Monday. Congratulations o Uko and Anu on a job well done.

More news from the Himalaya in the next few days as summits are expected across the region.

Himalaya 2013: Kenton Cool Goes For Triple Header, Climbers Make Summit Bids

While everyone was obviously focused on Everest this past weekend as the big push truly got underway, there was plenty of action elsewhere in the Himalaya as well. Numerous teams are now on the move and have set their sights reaching their respective summits. The good weather is holding across the region, giving everyone an opportunity to realize their goals at last.

One man who came to the Himalaya with some serious goals this season is Kenton Cool. With ten previous Everest summits under his belt, Kenton wanted to do something a little different this year and over the weekend he launched an unprecedented attempt at a Himalayan triple header. On Friday, Kenton successfully topped out on Nuptse, a 7861 meter (25,791 ft) mountain that sits in the shadow of Everest on the South Side. He followed that up on Saturday with his 11th summit of Everest, which gave him two of the three summits that he is pursuing. Currently he is on his summit push for Lhotse, the 8516 meter (27,940 ft) neighbor to Everest. There has been no update yet as to whether or not he reached the top of that mountain, but hopefully news will come later today. He may also be caught up in the drama that I mentioned earlier, in which a climber on Lhotse is being assisted down by a group of Sherpas. Lets keep our fingers crossed that Kenton and the unnamed climber are doing well.

Speaking of Lhotse. Since the weather was good on Everest this weekend it was also exceptional on Lhotse as well. This allowed a number of commercial teams to top out, including members of Himex, IMG and Adventure Consultants, amongst others. While not nearly as crowded as the Big Hill, Lhotse saw its fair share of traffic the past few days as well.

Polish climber Pawel Michalski has moved up to Camp 2 today on his summit push on Dhaulagiri. He reports tough going so far but expects the weather to improve over the next few days. He's on schedule to top out on Wednesday, provided conditions hold steady or continue to get better.

On Makalu, Kinga Baranowska and Rafal Fronia are on the move today heading up to C2 on that mountain as well. They've accelerated their summit plans do to improving weather and are now looking to top out Wednesday too. No word from Don Bowie on whether or not he'll take advantage of the shift in conditions and begin his summit push too.

Things aren't going well on Kangchenjunga for Carlos Soria. His home team indicated that Soria's team ran out of rope on the way to the summit and he was unable to complete his climb. There is some talk of cooperation with another team on the mountain to finish getting the ropes into place, but after climbing as high as 8300 meters (27,230 ft), the 72-year old Soria has now reportedly returned to Camp 4 where he is resting. Whether or not he'll be able to take another crack at the summit remains to be seen.

Also in Camp 4 on that mountain is the Italian team that includes Annalisa Fioretti. It has been slow going on the summit push and the group, which is climbing without supplemental oxygen, may be currently resting at 7500 meters (24,606 ft). If they can regain some strength, their next push could take them to the top, provided their ropes are in place allowing everyone to go up. The weather has been changing rapidly, so they're keeping an eye on that situation too.

Raul Corominas and Peter Herms were attempting a summit of Manaslu but high winds and heavy snowfall has forced them back down the mountain. They are now in Camp 3 where they are resting and waiting for another opportunity. If things improve, and they have the strength, they plan to head up to C4 tomorrow and hopefully summit on Wednesday. This is their second thwarted summit attempt and the men are getting physically and mentally exhausted. They may not have the stamina to go one more time.

Finally, there is a summit push underway on Cho Oyu by an unknown team as well. According to ExWeb, the squad set out for Base Camp on Saturday with the hopes of topping out tomorrow. It has been an incredibly tough year on the mountain which saw four teams arrive this spring and three of them depart early. This final unit has been hit hard with illness and has reduced numbers, but they are pressing ahead none the less. Due to the incredibly bad conditions on Cho Oyu this spring, no team has yet to go above C3. Hopefully the weather will improve to give this last team a shot at the top.

More updates coming soon.

Himalaya 2013: Action Away From Everest

While the bulk of my coverage from the Himalaya this season has centered around Everest thus far, it is important to note that there are plenty of climbers on other mountains in the region as well. Just like their companions on the Big Hill, these climbers have quietly been going about their work, acclimatizing and preparing for eventual summit pushes. Here is a sample of some other expeditions that are taking place this spring.

As you would expect, Lhotse (8516 m/27,940 ft) is a popular target for climbers once again this year. The peak, which is located just next door to Everest, shares the same route much of the way. Climbers make the approach along the South Side of the mountain with the paths diverging after Camp 3. As a result, the climbers share much of the same experience including spending their days in Base Camp, trekking through he Khumbu Icefall and spending their time in Camps 1 and 2. Several of the big commercial expeditions operating on Everest also have smaller teams heading to the summit of Lhotse including the Adventure Consultants and Himex.

The 8481 meter (27,825 ft) Makalu seems to be a popular destination for climbers this spring. It is the 5th tallest mountain on the planet and can be found a short distance to the southeast of Everest. Some of the climbers who are currently on that mountain include Don Bowie, who will be climbing alone, but as he says he won't be solo. He is sharing Base Camp with 15 other people, including Kinga Baranowska. She arrived in BC yesterday and reports two other teams now on site. ExWeb is reporting that young Indian climber Arjun Vajpai is also hoping to bag Makalu this spring. The 19-year old alpinist has already managed to successfully summit Everest, Lhotse and Manaslu, and now he's looking to add another 8000-meter peak to his already impressive resume.
Polish mountaineer Pawel Michalski is reporting in from Dhaulagiri (8167 m/26,795 ft), a massive peak located in central Nepal, not far from Annapurna. He says that the weather has been terrible the past few days, as we've seen on Everest as well. He's been spending his time in Base Camp, waiting for an opportunity to go up, which may actually come today. Reports indicate that the weather improved across the region yesterday which is allowing climbers to get back on the move as they continue their acclimatization process.

Journalist Billi Bierling is once again writing the dispatches for the Himex team but she has returned to the Himalaya this spring for another climb of her own. Over the past couple of years she's managed to knock off both Everest and Lhotse and now she's turning her attention on Nuptse. This 7861 meter (25,791 ft) mountain is less than 2 km from Everest and is another popular peak in the Khumbu Valley. Billi has already had a bout with High Altitude Pulmonary Edema, better known as altitude sickness, and was forced to drop to a lower altitude to recover. She seems to be feeling better now and is moving slowly back up to EBC. Hopefully she'll be okay to continue her climb, but only time will tell if her body has grown accustomed to the thinner air.

That's all for now. I'm sure there are some other excellent expeditions taking place on other mountains. I'll be sure to try to keep up with them and share news of their progress throughout the weeks ahead.

Himalaya 2012: Gerlinde Makes Pure Ascent Of Nuptse

While we've all been focused on Everest, and rightfully so, a remarkable climb unfolded on Nuptse last week as well. That's where Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, along with climbing partner David Gottler, have been turning in one of the purest climbs of the season, as they went up the mountain in alpine style, with no Sherpa support, no fixed ropes and no oxygen, successfully topping out last Thursday.

The 7861 meter (25,791 ft) Nuptse is located just to the southwest of Everest and climbers on the peak actually use part of the same route when going to the top. Gerlinde and David began their climb by first going up the South Col route to Camp 2, before they traversed over to Nuptse's North Face, passing under a group of precariously hanging seracs in the process.

Once they crossed over to the mountain itself, they started their ascent, climbing into position for their final push. The pair ended up bivouacking in a very small tent at 7250 meters (23,786 ft) before they started for the summit the next day at 6:15AM. It took them seven hours to reach the top, and they were exhausted and dehydrated when they got there, but in the end they were successful in their summit bid. Gerlinde says that on that final approach she simply kept hoping that it wasn't a false summit and they had finally reached the top at last.

But as all mountaineers know, the summit is only halfway, and they still had to get back down. That was no easy feat either, and they ended up spending yet another night at 7250 meters, this time without food, water or even gas for their stove. To top it all off, it was snowing heavily as well, which didn't aid in making them feel comfortable. Fortunately, they made it through the night without incident and the following day they descended all the way back to Base Camp, where they rested up over the weekend and got plenty to eat and drink.

Sounds like an awesome climb by two excellent mountaineers. Congratulations to Gerlinde and David for this fantastic effort.