UKH

Hi

I'm looking at climbing Cho Oyu this autumn. I've been to the Himalayas 3 times now, trekked extensively on my own, climbed Mera Peak with a guide, which I found relatively easy. I'm looking at doing the basic climb option with the Summitclimb crew, for which I need a partner. Anyone interested?

In reply to MilesD:

Whilst there is nothing really technical about Cho Oyu it is quite a bit different to Mera which is basically a trek with 3 days on snow to the summit and back. With Cho Oyu you are at or above ABC which is at 5,800m for a long time. This is significant since your body does not repair itself when above 5,000m or so because of reduced oxygen. So minor ailments can become issues. This and the boredom of base camp will be the main differences. Camp 1 and upwards can get ridiculously crowded. The best preparation is to get as fit as possible. Good luck.

In reply to MilesD:

In theory your plan is fine and I've nothing against SC - they provide a good particular option. However the setup where you, and a partner, are operating on one timeframe and style, and the rest of the team is on another i.e. on oxygen with Sherpa support, may not work.

If things get compressed, which they often do due to weather etc, then the supported, bottled clients can make a dash from the second-highest camp, spending a night at the high camp and going straight through. Without O2 or Sherpa help you and your friend will struggle to do this. Unless you are very strong and arrived much more acclimatised than the other members, you may find the trip over before you're ready. They won't wait around for you.

In reply to m0unt41n:
Thanks, I did a sort of training run on the Annapura circuit last month, cranked out 330k's in 14 days, including Tilicho Lake, Tharong La Pass and Annapurna Base Camp. I did it with a view to assessing my fitness for Cho Oyu. I go for regular, hard, 10 or 20 k runs, which would become a daily affair at least two months before the climb. I do other cardio work too, all with a view to performing at altitude. Trust me, I'm under no illusions about how brutally hard this is going to be, or about how deleterious the prolonged effects of altitude can be above 5000m. Just a quick look at wiki shows there have been 50 deaths on Cho Oyu, up to 2011. It's no walk in the park, and to be honest I'm not sure at all if this basic climb option is viable. I'd like to look into it though, discuss it with someone like minded, because I think a lot of what the full package offers might be superfluous to anyone willing to do a bit of extra work. I could be wrong, and I'm very nervously aware of how knackering it's going to be setting up our own tent above BC, along with whatever else is involved. Thanks for the advice though, much appreciated.

In reply to Damo:
Thanks Damo, good advice.

In reply to MilesD:

When are you thinking of doing this and in what timescale for the actual trip? 6 weeks?