Chang Himal North Face ED+ / M6

This time last year Nick and I returned to Kathmandu early and empty handed, literally, after having our base camp robbed and grand old sum of zero climbing. Things went a bit different this year, everything seemed to just work out, great weather, great mountain, brilliant base camp cook, no robbers and a summit.

North Face of Chang Himal, Central Spur, 1800m ED+ / M6 (Bullock & Houseman 29/10/09 - 02/11/09)

The awesome 1800m North face of Chang Himal (6802m) was quite daunting to wake up to each morning, looking directly across at it, 1km away over a jumbled glacier/moraine mess. Having filled our cook 'Buddy' with confidence after failing to reach the top of some nearby 6000m bumps and taking two attempts to get up the local trekking peak, 'route finding errors...', dawn on the 29th October saw us a good way up the lower part of the face and fighting off the initial signs of a bout of Gardia, perfect timing!

We spent 5 days on the face, covering well over 2000m of ground, the second been the slowest and crux with run out climbing up to Scottish 7/M6 on steep rotten ice/snow over loose rock. Gear and belays seemed to take an age to uncover, finding something if you were lucky. Any un-comfy second night on a 30cm snow ledge was eased slightly hoping the crux section was, hopefully, below us. After a few hours simu-climbing the third day ended with 3 pitches bringing us up into the steep Peruvian style snow flutings below the summit.

Andy starting out from the Bivi on Day 2. Photo: Nick Bullock

Waking, not sure if we'd climb ourselves into a dead end Nick peeked over into the next fluting returning with a grin, game on! Leaving all the gear at the bivi we managed to grovel up the final flutings to follow the east ridge for the last 100m to the summit.

Nick heading up the second and crux pitch on Day 2

Over a year of looking at photos, nearly two weeks staring, watching from base camp – will it? won’t it? To finally be sat, along with Nick, one leg either side of the knife edge summit, wow! I can’t begin to describe.

Down climbing back to the last bivi we spent another night there before abseiling the rest of the face in 14 hours and crashing out in a small cave at the base, bodies trashed but big smiles.

A massive thanks to everyone who supported this trip, Mountain Equipment, Black Diamond, Scarpa, Mammut, DMM, SIS (Sports in Science) and the Lyon Equipment Award for their continued help with gear and financial support from The BMC, MEF, Nick Estcourt Award, Mark Clifford Award, Shipton/Tilman Award. This trip couldn’t have happened without it, your support is much appreciated, thank you.

Summit joy! Photo - Nick Bullock

Welsh Mountain Skills: Round Up

Well the final week of our Welsh Mountain Skills ended with Autumn gales, Autumn deluges and Autumn illness!

Our team approaching the summit of Y Garn

Monday dawned bright, distinctly colder and showery. Our objective that day was to be the North East Ridge of Y Garn followed by a traverse around onto Glyder Fach and then a descent down the Y Gribin ridge and back to Idwal Cottage. Finally some proper weather. A cold North Westerly air stream was feeding in a regular flow of showers and as we headed higher these turned increasingly wintry. By the time we were on the Glyders and well above 900m we experienced our first flakes of snow of the 2009/10 winter.

Picking their way up Y Garn's NE Ridge

Unfortunately Tuesday did not dawn as promising. The forecast gave us barely a few precious hours of relatively dry weather. And so Rich and myself headed across to Tremadog to give Rob and Laura (Mountain, Trek and Travel) and X their first experience of multi pitch rock climbing with an ascent of Boo Boo.

From there things, personally speaking when abruptly downhill. Rich Bailey promptly keeled over with flu like symptons and several hours later I too was knocked sideways by a fever and soaring temperature. We both headed for the protection of beds and duvet covers.

So whilst we moped around feeling ill, Martin and Russel Thompson from WL Gore headed across to Llanberis for a damp ascent of the Parsons Nose. Clogwyn Y Parson Arete is the classic grade 3 scramble thats rears up out of the upper reaches of Cyrn Las towards the skyline of Crib Goch / Crib Y Ddysgyll.

By the time the fourth and final course started, Rich and I were feeling little better so it was left to Martin, Alec and Russel to carry the torch, enjoying, if that is the right word a thoroughly wet ascent of Snowdon from Ynys Ettws in Llanberis.

The soaring ridge line of Cneifion Arete (Mod)

The final day ended very much on a similar theme, Rich spent a very wet dry, climbing very wet rock at Tremadog with Kevin from Facewest, Jane brushed up her navigation with our southern sales manager Alec and everyone else experienced scrambling 'on steroids' - climbing swathes of rock in a full-on mountaineering experience.

And so that brought to an end our Autumn series of mountain training events. Over the past two weeks we have provided training to some 35 retail staff from all across the country, from large multiples to small indepedents, all of whom who will now hopefully be able to provide our customers with even better service and knowledge of our products. I'm just waiting for the next one now....

New Concept store - Japan

If you happen to be in or travelling through Japan make sure you come and checkout the second Mountain Equipment Concept store which has just opened its doors in Chiyoda-ku district of Tokyo.

Address - Mountain Equipment, ICI Club Kanda Ogawa-cho 3-6, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

For more information head to

http://www.mountain-equipment.jp/

http://www.ici-club.jp/

Houseman and Bullock success on Chang Himal

We have just heard the massive news that Andy Houseman and Nick Bullock have bagged the first ascent of the north face of Chang Himal.

The remote 6750m peak of Chang Himal (a.k.a. Wedge Peak) has only ever seen one previous ascent via the south side in the 70's. Despite a number of attempts, until now, the formidable 1500m mixed north face had remained untamed and has been seen for many years as one of the significant unclimbed Himalayan objectives.

We can't wait to hear the full details of the ascent which Houseman and Bullock tackled with a fast and lightweight alpine style approach. For now we just want to spread the exciting news and send huge congratulations to the guys for their awesome acheivement.

Andy Houseman is a Mountain Equipment Pro Partner. The Chang Himal Expedition was supported by The Mark Clifford Grant, Nick Estcourt Award and GORE-TEX Shipton/Tillman Grant.

Andy Parkin in Alpinist 28

Checkout Ed Douglas's feature on Andy Parkin - 'A Muscular Imagination: Andy Parkin and the Art of Climbing' in Alpinist 28.

For more information head too

http://www.alpinist.com/

http://www.andyparkin.com/

Hello

Jude Laws latest love conquest - Fergies most explosive interview yet - Tarka and Katie??????

not the usual place you'd expect our pro partners Tarka L'Herpiniere and Katie Jane Cooper to appear but if you happen to read Hello magazine this week checkout the feature on their recent Patagonian epic - Rivers of Ice expedition.

for more info check out http://www.rivers-of-ice.com/

Welsh Mountain Training: End of Day Four

Well our first week at the Bryn Engan Farmhouse, Plas Y Brenin has drawn to a close, the second of this weeks Mountain Training in North Wales over and all of those who attended Course Two now rushing back home to start work in shops up and down country the country again!

Our base: the recently opened Bryn Engan Farmhouse - Plas Y Brenin

Once again the weather has just about played ball. Just a little bit of dampness and hill-fog, insanely mild (has someone forgotten its nearly November?) and generally light-ish winds. In fact we were lucky, each time missing the worst the weather had to throw at us by about 12 hours (i.e. when we were safely tucked up in bed!).

On Thursday we were treated to a great day of weather (after an initially slightly murky start) and the clouds lifted to give us a great day out on the North Ridge of Tryfan and, for some of the speedier folks with us, Bristly Ridge and the Glyders also, a great combination which no matter how many times I've done it, still never fails to inspire.

Searching out some of the more adventurous lines on Tryfan's North Ridge

Clear skies on Glyder Fawr, Snowdon the obvious peak behind

On Friday, Rich Bailey and myself headed over to Tremadog with 2 members of staff from The Outdoor Shop, near Milton Keynes for a Rock Improvers Day - Sally and Dan getting to grips with leading on multi pitch rock climbs along with a few emergency techniques. Meanwhile Drew, Mike and Tom (all from Nevisport) along with Nick from Taunton Leisure were treated to a day in the expert company of Mike Raine from Plas Y Brenin and spent all day learning self-rescue and emergency rope-work. And not wanting to desert terra firma entirely another group went and got purposefully lost in the foothills above Capel Curig to brush up on some micro navigation.

Heading down. On Y Gribin ridge looking north.

So all in all a pretty varied couple of days and a fantastic week. 18 retail staff from across the country have learnt a little bit more about what makes ME and its products tick as well as hopefully going home not only safer and more complete mountaineers, mountain walkers and scramblers but also that little bit more skilled at giving you the best possible advice.

And so now as I sit at home, looking quizically at the raft of Atlantic depressions lining up to attack the British Isles, i can look forward to next weeks intake. We'll keep you posted.