"Hey there and yes my back seems to be doing the job still.Am in
Leh, having spent time in a field hospital then the Leh one and now am in a
great hotel.
What happened was that on the
night of the 15th August a huge avalanche hit where we were camped for the
night. We were on our way back to reclimb the col at 6150 meters in order to
get back to our base camp on the other side. Worried about running out of food
and getting trapped by the weather we had decided to leave our Indian friends to
climb peak 7019 and concentrate on the other summit - Plateau peak. So there we
were in our sleeping bags when my tent and all was just blasted into the
air,this came from the north side of Sasser Kangi 11, a 2000 meter high face and
went across a glacier of say 1 /1.5 kilometers to hit us. The anchors holding our
tents were just ripped out(Victor and Susan were rolled twenty meters but were
okay), Me I went that and then was dropped twenty meters down a crevasse head
first and backwards,the tent exploding and we I ended jammed by my elbow in the
ice. This I freed by clawing at the ice with my un-gloved free hand (a bit of
frostbite) and the chipping at the ice with a broken tent pole. I fell free into a
standing position, still in my sleeping bag but wedged in between the walls of
the bottom of the crevasse. My gear was strewn around, I found a glove.Thinking
that I was paralysed in my left side I had decided that if I couldn't get out I
would lay down and die. Not before trying all options though. I had no crampons or
axes so couldn't climb and looked for a ramp or something, maybe to the south as
to the north it was all vertical ice. I had one of your whistles around my neck
so sounded it not expecting a reply as I felt sure that Victor and Susan were
dead and that I had been spared to die a slower death. To my surprise, above me
there was a shout then I saw a light on the surface. Still not sure whether they
knew where I was I rummaged about in the debris of the tent at my feet to find my
headlamp and signalled with that, A bit later a rope dropped down and Victor
rappelled in and helped me get on boots and harness. I managed to prussick and
they hauled until I was clear. I Emerged into a full storm and they put me into
the remaining tent (my old bomproof Macpac) and there we were all jammed with me
almost suffocating from a breathing problem when another avalanche struck us. I didn't think we would survive but the tent held this time and we could leave next
morning, back down to the base camp we left the day before. I staggered behind the
others in total agony until after a couple of hours they left me in the tent, I
spent a worrying night with bouts of suffocating until next morning the Sherpas of
our Indian friends appeared to carry me on a rope stretcher across the glacier, for hours in deep snow to camp. There we all waited a couple of days, with snow
falling, on limited food until the call came that we were on standby from the
Indian army and then two Allouette helicopters appeared and we flew out and down
the N.Shukpa glacier at zero feet, under the cloud ceiling.That night I slept in
a field hospital and the next day,for two hours we flew out to Leh and its
hospital. I had a CT scan that showed I had a fractured Sacral(no 3) and other
chips and bruises. All should heal okay. We lost a lot of kit and I presume Victor
some how managed as I hear that they have done the first ascent of peak 7019 or
Chamsen (unofficial name) also we all did the first traverse of the Sasser
col(6150) meters from the Sakang glacier to the North Shukpa glacier. So a lot of
exploration was carried out.The crossing of the col proved to be dangerous due
to rockfall and also it became a trap too,this closed upon us once it had gone
over.
I have to say your gear kept me alive, in the crevasse in the sleeping bag I
felt surprisingly warm, despite everything getting wet.The clothing was great,as
I had just enough to keep warm, the new Eclipse micro grid undershirt is really good,the
fleece too and of course the K7 down jacket you sent me. I couldnt have survived
without any of it. Will have more news in a few days,back in Chamonix on the 5/6th September Andy"
