(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

(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

(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

(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

(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

(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

(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

(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

(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

(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