Lowe

Saari

Alex Lowe
This trip, for me, is the perfect follow-up to climbing a new route on Great Trango Tower, in Pakistan, a couple months ago. Let's see. As I recall, that trip involved soporific movement approaching the speed of continental drift, vertical baggage handling in extremis, and eight-to-12-hour belay stints fettered to the wall, in butt-cold temps. Stunted, short-term memory is a requisite for big wall climbing — without which we'd only engage once. This trip is the antithesis.

Making Espresso

Let me describe a typical day thus far — today for example.
At 4am, the alarm goes off, I'm firing up the espresso maker and foaming great mugs of milk under the stars. Other members begin to gather and I hand out lattes in the chill-darkness. Ang Kami produces French toast and a steaming pot of porridge, which we wolf down in anticipation of massive calorie consumption to come. We shoulder our packs, as dawn creeps onto the horizon. Today's ascent gains a 20,400ft summit, variable conditions provide amusing skiing, and we're back in camp by lunch, having skied 3,000-plus vertical. More lattes ensue. We all watch in silence as a majestic Lamarguiar (an immense Himalayan raptor) drifts effortlessly on the wind. After lunch, Conrad, Andrew and I hurl Frisbees with Ang Kami, Boudda and Chippi. Conrad and I load packs for a carry to ABC tomorrow, and then Hans and I set off for an energizing bouldering session, on a fine boulder that would be a classic anywhere. We finish up with a pyramid of pull-ups shared with the Slovenian/Bulgarian/Russian/American/Portuguese team — go figure — camped next door. Dinner: sumptuous Sherpa stew. After dinner, scotch and into bed at 8pm under star-filled skies.

The point is, this trip emotes action. Pascal said, "Our natures lie in motion, without which we die" — and he knew what he was talking about. We're feeling richly alive! This group positively exudes energy and we all feed off each other's illimitable enthusiasm. Hans displays classic signs of pulmonary edema, according to Peter Hackett's treatise on high-altitude illness: restlessness (he paces chronically), anxiety (worries about what to ski next), racing pulse, foaming at the mouth, etc, etc. For me, this trip is cathartic energy outlet. And Shish, the biggy yet looms large!

The best thing about this trip is that it's merely another transmogrification of the protean pursuit called climbing. I happily claim expertise in no single aspect of climbing, which is what has kept the passion burning hot all these years. Big walls in the arctic, mixed desperates near home, skiing in the big mountains, warm Montana evenings rock climbing with my son Max, guiding friends in the Italian Dolomites, clipping bolts and playing the cool-head mental game on alpine-mixed routes in Alaska, peering into unknown ranges in Antarctica - repetitive? No way - impossible. Climbing is a journey without culmination. Shish is another step along that magic path.

Saari on Kangri Peak

Hans Saari
Today was a day to remember. Skied a 20,000ft peak in the morning and had a great bouldering session in the afternoon. Andrew and Alex have probably covered the details, so I'm going to put forth another top five list.

Top Five Things I Dread Eating
1. Kerosene flavored shrimp chips
2. Non-chewable, yak bit noodle dish
3. Corn Flakes (red Corn Flakes) and warm milk
4. Hot dog frosting cake
5. Warm fruit cocktail
Disclaimer: our cooks are doing an outstanding job. The meals are great and the puja they did the other day was one to remember. Just a little humor with the food. Cheers.

— Alex Lowe and Hans Saari, MountainZone.com Correspondents

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