Adventure to Kanchenjunga

To a spectator from the Observatory Hill who runs the eye over the great Snowy Range that in a magnificient cirque borders the horizon from east to west, Kanchenjunga appears to be mighty upheaval of snow and ice from the interlinking system of the main Himalayan Range. The phenomenon is , however, an illusion. The dazzling whiteness of snows coupled with distance mars the perspective effect of comparative proximity and remoteness.

Godwin Austin, named K2 by the Survey Department of India, is its only rival claiming to be the second highest peak in the world. Whether K2 or Kanchenjunga stands second to Everest in height, the loftiest peak in the world, is not yet definitely settled, as would appear from the following figures.

Figures recognised by the Survey of India
• 1st Mount Everest - 29,002'
• 2nd Godwin Austin - 28,250'
• 3rd Kanchenjunga - 28,156'

Figures according to Col. Burrard's calculation
• 1st Mount Everest - 29,141'
• 2nd Kanchenjunga - 28,225'
• 3rd Godwin Austin - 28,191'

What ever may be the actual heights of the two peaks,Godwin Austin and Kanchenjunga, lets not get into it. Kanchenjunga is engirdled by three territories: Sikkim in the south and east, Nepal in the west, and Tibet in the north. Kanchenjunga is not a calm and serene mountain as it appears to be when viewed from Darjeeling. Both ice and rock avalanches of incredible dimensions frequently thunder as they roll down precipitous slopes of this mighty massif. Last but not the least is wind of hurricane force, one of the deadliest of Kanchenjunga's weapons which plays a havoc with any intruder who ventures "to walk the heights of gods."
Five summits adorn this Monarch. The name is derived from the Tibetan words, 'Kanchen' and 'Dzonga' meaning 'Five Treasuries of the Great Snow'. While the highest summit is 28,156 feet, the Second highest peak is 27,820 feet, thus falling short of the former by 336 feet only. Four colossal ridges of inconceivable dimensions of rocks, ice, and snow abut upon this massif, which culminates in a peak 28,156 feet high. These ridges are named according to their repective directions with reference to the great centrepiece to which they are attached.

There is absolutely no direct route to any of these summits, which are accessible, if at all, by first ascending any of these ridges, and then, say, reaching some ice terraces suitable for camping, and lastly attempting the summit. The final climbing to the rock pyramid may ascent of a vertical height ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 feet is extremely trying, as at that tremendous altitude every step upward is devitalizing to an incredible extent.

From the east, Kanchenjunga is assailable through the gates of Sikkim via Lachen and the Zemu Glacier. Here two mighty ridges, the East Ridge and the North Ridge, seem to stand prepared to dispute an assault. From the west this Monarch is climbable by having recourse to the North-western Ridge. The route to reach these ridges is roundabout and is the lengthiest. It is glacier that requires traversing at the foot of the massif is establishing the lower camps is known as the Kanchenjunga Glacier. To attack the Western Ridge an extra traverse on the Ramthang Glacier is needed.

Lastly, comes the south-western face of the mountain, so distinctly visible from Darjeeling. This seems to offer an access from the Talung saddle, after the head of the Yalung Glacier is ascended. This last route is through the state of Sikkim, necessitating, however, a brief march along the skirts of Nepal.
source: http://darjeelingnews.net/kanchenjunga.html

Adventure to Mount Everest, Himalaya

Everest, Mount, mountain peak in the Himalayas of southern Asia, considered the highest mountain in the world.

Mount Everest is situated at the edge of the Tibetan Plateau (Qing Zang Gaoyuan), on the border between Nepal and Tibet.
The mountain was named for Sir George Everest, a British military engineer who served as surveyor general of India from 1829 to 1843, during which time the peak was surveyed. Everest was the first person to record the location and height of the mountain, then known as Peak XV. Most Nepali people refer to the mountain as Sagarmatha, meaning "Forehead in the Sky." Speakers of Tibetan languages, including the Sherpa people of northern Nepal, refer to the mountain as Chomolungma, Tibetan for "Goddess Mother of the World."
In 1954, after various figures had been rejected, the height of Mount Everest was determined as 8848 m (29,028 ft). The mountain's actual height, and the claim that Everest is the highest mountain in the world, have been disputed. But additional surveys completed in the early 1990s continued to support evidence that Everest is the highest mountain in the world. In fact, the mountain is rising a few millimeters each year due to geological forces. Global Positioning Technology (GPS) has been installed on Mount Everest for the purpose of detecting slight rates of geological uplift.

Geological Formation
Mount Everest, like the rest of the Himalayas, rose from the floor of the ancient Tethys Sea. The range was created when the Eurasian continental plate collided with the Indian subcontinental plate about 30 to 50 million years ago. Eventually the marine limestone was forced upward to become the characteristic yellow band on the top of Mount Everest. Beneath the shallow marine rock lies the highly metamorphosed black gneiss (foliated, or layered, rock) of the Precambrian era, a remnant of the original continental plates that collided and forced up the Himalayas.
Mount Everest is covered with huge glaciers that descend from the main peak and its nearby satellite peaks. The mountain itself is a pyramid-shaped horn, sculpted by the erosive power of the glacial ice into three massive faces and three major ridges, which soar to the summit from the north, south, and west and separate the glaciers. From the south side of the mountain, in a clockwise direction, the main glaciers are the Khumbu glacier, which flows northeast before turning southwest; the West Rongbuk glacier in the northwest; the Rongbuk glacier in the north; the East Rongbuk glacier in the northeast; and the Kangshung glacier in the east.

Climate
The climate of Mount Everest is naturally extreme. In January, the coldest month, the summit temperature averages about -36° C (about -33° F) and can drop as low as -60° C (-76° F). In July, the warmest month, the average summit temperature is -19° C (-2° F). At no time of the year does the temperature on the summit rise above freezing. In winter and spring the prevailing westerly wind blows against the peak and around the summit. Moisture-laden air rises from the south slopes of the Himalayas and condenses into a white, pennant-shaped cloud pointing east; this "flag cloud" sometimes enables climbers to predict storms. When the wind reaches about 80 km/h (about 50 mph), the flag cloud is at a right angle to the peak. When the wind is weaker, the cloud tilts up; when it is stronger, the flag tilts down.
From June through September the mountain is in the grip of the Indian monsoon, during which wind and precipitation blow in from the Indian Ocean. Masses of clouds and violent snowstorms are common during this time. From November to February, in the dead of winter, the global southwest-flowing jet stream moves in from the north, beating the summit with winds of hurricane force that may reach more than 285 km/h (177 mph). Even during the pre- and post-monsoon climbing seasons, strong winds may arise suddenly. When such storms develop, sand and small stones carried aloft, as well as beating snow and ice, pose problems for climbers.
Precipitation falls mostly during the monsoon season, while winter storms between December and March account for the rest. Unexpected storms, however, can drop up to 3 m (10 ft) of snow on unsuspecting climbers and mountain hikers.
Base Camp, which serves as a resting area and base of operations for climbers organizing their attempts for the summit, is located on the Khumbu glacier at an elevation of 5300 m (17,400 ft); it receives an average of 450 mm (18 in) of precipitation a year.
Climbing Mount Everest

Traditionally, the people who live near Mount Everest have revered the mountains of the Himalayas and imagined them as the homes of the gods. Because the peaks were considered sacred, no local people scaled them before the early 1900s. However, when foreign expeditions brought tourist dollars and Western ideas to the area, people of the Sherpa ethnic group began to serve as high-altitude porters for them. Because Nepal had been closed to foreigners since the early 1800s, all pre-World War II (1939-1945) Everest expeditions were forced to recruit Sherpa porters from Darjiling (Darjeeling), India, then circle through Tibet and approach Everest from the north.
In 1913 British explorer John Noel sneaked into Tibet, which was also closed at the time, and made a preliminary survey of the mountain's northern approaches, where the topography is less varied than on the southern side. In 1921 the British began a major exploration of the north side of the mountain, led by George Leigh Mallory. Mallory's expedition, and another that took place soon afterward, were unable to overcome strong winds, avalanches, and other hazards to reach the summit. In 1924 a third British expedition resulted in the disappearance of Mallory and a climbing companion only 240 m (800 ft) from the summit. More attempts were made throughout the 1930s and into the 1940s. Then, with the conquest of Tibet by China in the early 1950s, the region was closed to foreigners again and the northern approaches to the mountain were sealed off.
In 1950, the year after Nepal opened to foreigners, W. H. Tilman and C. Houston made the first ascent from the south and became the first people to see into the Khumbu cirque (a steep basin at the head of a mountain valley). A number of attempts to reach the mountain's summit followed in the early 1950s. In 1952 the Swiss almost succeeded in climbing the mountain from the South Col, which is a major pass between the Everest and Lhotse peaks and is now the most popular climbing route to the summit. On May 29, 1953, under the tenth British expedition flag and the leadership of John Hunt, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay successfully completed the first ascent of Mount Everest via the South Col. Several expeditions have since followed. In 1975 Junko Tabei of Japan became the first woman to summit Mount Everest. Later, in 1978, Austrians Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler established a new and rigorous standard by climbing to the summit without the use of supplemental oxygen, which, because of the thin air at Everest's high altitude, is important for the energy, health, and thinking skills of the climbers. In 1991 Sherpas, who had carried the supplies for so many foreigners up Mount Everest, completed their own successful expedition to the summit. By the mid-1990s, 4000 people had attempted to climb Everest-660 of them successfully reached the summit and more than 140 of them died trying.
The difficulties of climbing Mount Everest are legendary. Massive snow and ice avalanches are a constant threat to all expeditions. The avalanches thunder off the peaks repeatedly, sometimes burying valleys, glaciers, and climbing routes. Camps are chosen to avoid known avalanche paths, and climbers who make ascents through avalanche terrain try to cross at times when the weather is most appropriate. Hurricane-force winds are a well-known hazard on Everest, and many people have been endangered or killed when their tents collapsed or were ripped to shreds by the gales. Hypothermia, the dramatic loss of body heat, is also a major and debilitating problem in this region of high winds and low temperatures.
Another hazard facing Everest climbers is the famous Khumbu icefall, which is located not far above Base Camp and is caused by the rapid movement of the Khumbu glacier over the steep rock underneath. The movement breaks the ice into sérac (large, pointed masses of ice) cliffs and columns separated by huge crevasses, and causes repeated ice falls across the route between Base CaCmp and Camp I. Many people have died in this area. Exposed crevasses may be easy to avoid, but those buried under snow can form treacherous snow bridges through which unwary climbers can fall.
The standard climb of Mount Everest from the south side ascends the Khumbu glacier to Base Camp at about 5400 m (17,600 ft). Typical expeditions use four camps above Base Camp; these camps give the climbers an opportunity to rest and acclimate (adapt) to the high altitude. The route from Base Camp through the great Khumbu icefall up to Camp I at 6000 m (19,700 ft) is difficult and dangerous; it usually takes one to three weeks to establish because supplies must be carried up the mountain in several separate trips. Once Camp II, at 6500 m (21,350 ft), has been supplied in the same manner using both Base Camp and Camp I as bases, climbers typically break down Base Camp and make the trek from there to Camp II in one continuous effort. Once acclimatized, the climbers can make the move to Camp II in five to six hours. Camp III is then established near the cirque of the Khumbu glacier. The route up the cirque headwall from Camp III to the South Col and Camp IV at 8000 m (26,200 ft) is highly strenuous and takes about four to eight hours. The South Col is a cold, windy, and desolate place of rocks, snow slabs, littered empty oxygen bottles, and other trash.
From the South Col to the summit is a climb of only about 900 vertical m (about 3000 vertical ft), although its fierce exposure to adverse weather and steep drop-offs poses many challenges. The section between 8530 m (28,000 ft) and the South Summit at 8750 m (28,700 ft) is particularly treacherous because of the steepness and unstable snow. From the South Summit there remains another 90 vertical m (300 vertical ft) along a terrifying knife-edged ridge. The exposure is extreme, with the possibility of huge vertical drops into Tibet on the right and down the southwest face on the left. A little more than 30 vertical m (100 vertical ft) from the summit is a 12-m (40-ft) chimney across a rock cliff known as the Hillary Step; this is one of the greatest technical challenges of the climb.
As the popularity of climbing Everest has increased in recent years, so have safety problems. To pay the high climbing permit fee charged by the Nepalese government, many experienced climbers have recruited wealthy, amateur climbers as teammates. The combination of inexperience, crowded summit conditions (more than 30 have been known to summit the peak on the same day), and extreme weather conditions has led to a number of tragedies in which clients and competent guides alike have died attempting the climb.
Environmental Issues
The large number of trekkers and climbers who visit Nepal and the Everest region contribute to the local economy but also cause serious environmental impact. Such impact includes the burning wood for fuel, pollution in the form of human waste and trash, and abandoned climbing gear. Although some climbing gear is recycled by local residents either for their own use or for resale, it is estimated that more than 50 tons of plastic, glass, and metal were dumped between 1953 and the mid-1990s in what has been called "the world's highest junkyard." Up on the ice, where few local people go, the norm is to throw trash into the many crevasses, where it is ground up and consumed by the action of the ice. A few bits and pieces show up on the lower part of the glacier many years later as they are churned back to the surface, although organic matter is generally consumed or scavenged by local wildlife. At the high-elevation camps, used oxygen bottles are strewn everywhere.
Efforts have been made to reduce the negative environmental impact on Mount Everest. The Nepalese government has been using a portion of climbing fees to clean up the area. In 1976, with aid from Sir Edmund Hillary's Himalayan Trust and the Nepalese government, the Sagarmatha National Park was established to preserve the remaining soil and forest around Mount Everest. By the mid-199http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.photo.gif
Tambah Gambar0s the park comprised 1240 sq km (480 sq mi). Trekking and climbing groups must bring their own fuel to the park (usually butane and kerosene), and the cutting of wood is now prohibited. Because the freedoms of Sherpas have been restricted by the park rules, they have not been sympathetic to the existence of the park. Additionally, the Sagarmatha Pollution Control, funded by the World Wildlife Fund and the Himalayan Trust, was established in 1991 to help preserve Everest's environment. Climbing activity continues to increase, however, and the environmental future of the Mount Everest area remains uncertain.
source: http://www.italysoft.com/curios/everest/index.php

Adventure to Carstensz Pyramid, Indonesia

Considered by many to be the most exotic of the Seven Summits, Carstensz Pyramid towers above an equatorial rainforest jungle populated by people that have had little contact with the western world. The combination of amazing and ancient cultures, a beautiful yet remote mountain and a hugely complex bureaucracy to deal with certainly keep this mountain in a different category than most! Prerequisites
The Carstensz Pyramid climb will involve a fair bit of climbing on technical rock, with short sections of class 5.8. The rock climbing is only on summit day, and there will be options for using "fixed" ropes for the steeper sections. Climbers attempting Carstensz should have previous outdoor rock climbing experience equivalent to Rock 1 or Rock 2. Lead climbing experience is not required. The summit is over 4,800 meters so acclimatization will be essential while on the climb, though previous high-altitude experience is not required.
Location
Carstensz Pyramid, the highest mountain in Australia/Oceana, is located 4 degrees south of the equator in the Papua province of Indonesia on the island of New Guinea. The province of Papua, in the western half of the island of New Guinea, was previously called Irian Jaya until 2005. The eastern portion of the island is the Independent State of Papua New Guinea. New Guinea is the world’s second largest island after Greenland.
Equipment list for Carstensz expedition

The following personal equipment is required:

• Boots - sturdy leather backpacking or light mountaineering boots (1 pr)
• Approach shoes - shoes for the lower mountain approach and around camp (1 pr)Sleeping bag - good to minus 10 Celsius range (1)
• Sleeping pad - Ensolite or Thermarest type (1)
• Backpack - internal frame, approx. 30-50 litres (1)
• Light weight hiking pants (1 pr)
• Hiking shorts (1 pr)
• Expedition style outer shell jacket with hood - Gore-Tex style (1)
• Full-zip outer shell pants (or bibs) - Gore-Tex style (1 pair)
• Thermal underwear for summit day - top and bottom, Poly-pro, Capilene, etc. (1 pr)
• Insulating pants - fleece or pile (1 pr)
• Lightweight gaiters - optional, good for keeping scree out of boots (1 pr)
• Gloves (medium weight) - wool or poly-pro (1 pr)
• Gloves - leather climbing/rappelling style for rope work (1pr)
• Expedition style gloves or mitts w/removable liners (1 pr)
• Socks - synthetic, wool or wool blend (2-3 pr)
• Warm parka - down, fleece or pile (1)
• Sweater or vest - wool, fleece or down (1)
• Toque/warm hat - wool or fleece (1)
• Hat with sun visor (baseball cap, etc) (1)
• Bandannas (1-2)
• Glacier style sunglasses with side shields and nose shield (1 pr)
• Headlamp with extra batteries
• Personal kit - (toothbrush, foot powder, skin cream, pee-bottle, etc.)
• Personal 1st aid
• Misc. personal items (camera, book, cards, journal, walkman, blister kit, medications, etc.)
• Water bottles/hydration system - minimum 2 litres. No hydration systems for summit day, they will freeze - traditional water bottles only
• Sunscreen and lip screen (min. 30 spf & waterproof)
• Collapsible ski/walking poles (1 pr)
• Large duffel bag with lock (1)

source:http://www.themountainschool.com

Adventure to Mount Rinjani, Indonesia

Mount Rinjani or Gunung Rinjani is an active volcano in Indonesia on the island of Lombok. It rises to 3,726 m (12,224 ft), making it the second highest volcano in Indonesia. The first historical eruption occurred in September of 1847. The most recent eruption of Mount Rinjani was on 1 October 2004. The volcano and spectacular Segara Anak crater lake, are protected by a national park established in 1997. The 6 km by 8.5 km oval-shaped caldera is filled partially by a lake known as Segara Anak (approximately 2000m above sea level and estimated at being between 200m and 300m deep); the caldera also contains hot springs. The eruptions of 1994, 1995, and 1996 have formed a small cone, Gunung Baru (or Mountain New - approximately 2300m above sea level) in the center of the caldera and lava flows from these eruptions have entered the lake.

The highlands are forest clad and mostly underdeveloped. The lowlands are highly cultivated. Rice, soybeans, coffee, tobacco, cotton, cinnamon, and vanilla are the major crops grown in the fertile soils of the island.

Tourism is also increasingly popular with trekkers able to visit the rim, make their way into the caldera or even to make the more arduous climb to the highest point; fatalities, however, are not uncommon.

Elevation	3,726 metres (12,224 feet)
Location	Lombok, Indonesia
Prominence	3,726 m
Coordinates	8°25′S, 116°28′E
Type	Stratovolcano (active)
Last eruption	2004

Adventure to Mount Kilimanjaro - All about the Mountain and Climbs

Kilimanjaro is the world's highest free standing, snow-covered equatorial mountain. Now charted and climbed; stories of her resident man-eating spirits are relegated to the realms of folklore. But Mount Kilimanjaro continues to preserve a mysticism that defies all recent knowledge of her slopes.

Images of the towering snow-covered cone rising majestically from fertile green foothills have become a powerful motif of Tanzania's extraordinary extremes. Few could deny a very distinct sense of awe when the cloud clears to reveal a glimpse of the towering peaks, shining bright in the equatorial sun.

A Towering Life Force

Kilimanjaro represents a powerful life force for the local Chagga people and all those who have made their lives around this mountain, providing rich volcanic soils for agriculture and an endless source of pure spring waters.

Climbing Kilimanjaro

One of the most amazing aspects of the mountain in the present day is the accessibility of its peak to climbers with no mountain climbing equipment or real previous experience of scaling such heights.

Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain that regular tourists can climb, although it remains a considerable feat of human endurance! The breathable oxygen at the top is less than half the amount than is common at sea level, and climbers cover at least eighty kilometres on nothing but their own two feet over the five days it takes to reach the top and return.

Preserving the Mountain

The number of climbers has escalated to over a thousand a year during the last century, quite a development since Hans Meyer made history as the first European to scale the highest point of Kilimanjaro in 1889. The increasing numbers each year have made it necessary for the National Park to insist that all climbs are pre-booked, and passes are no longer issued at the last minute at the park gate.

Overall Fitness Required

Although it is possible to simply trek a route to the pinnacle of Kibo without relying on professional climbing equipment, it remains a hard and serious endeavour that requires a level of physical fitness, stamina and a realistic awareness of the potentially damaging effects of high altitudes. Many tour operators request that clients consult a doctor before attempting to scale the mountain, and have a physical check-up for overall fitness.

Phases of the Climb; First Stage,Tropical Forest

With most of the old lowland forest now cultivated and settled, the first experience of the mountain environment begins with the dense vegetation of tropical montane forest between 1850m and around 2800m. Cloud condensation mainly gathers around the forest, so this area is usually damp or drenched with rainfall, creating an intriguing mass of plant life and running rivers between endemic tree species. The area of heath just beyond the tree line also enjoys a relatively misty and damp environment as cloud clings around the density of trees. This is covered with heather and shrubs such as Erica Arborea and Stoebe Kilimandsharica, and a number of dramatic looking Proteas.

Open Moorland

From around 3,200m a wide expanse of moorland extends beyond the heath and the cloud line, so that here the skies are generally clear, making the sunshine intense during the days and the nights cool and clear. The climbing incline remains gentle, but thinning oxygen provides less fuel to energise the muscles and can dramatically slow the pace of walking. Hardy endemic species of Giant Groundsels (Senecio) and Lobelia (Deckenii) towering up to 4m high thrive in this moorland zone and give the landscape a strangely primeval atmosphere.

Alpine Desert, Sparse Vegetation

Even higher, beyond 4,000m, this sensation intensifies as the landscape develops into a more bizarre alpine desert, with sandy loose earth and intense weather conditions and temperature fluctuations so dramatic that barely any plant species survive other than everlasting flowers, mosses and lichens. Only the odd lichen survives beyond 5000m, after Kibo Huts and beyond the Saddle, where the landscape is predominantly rock and ice fields. Here, climbers experience the final steep push to the summit.

Saddle to Summit

The easterly routes, Marangu, Mweka, Loitokitok and Rongai all converge west of the saddle near Gillmans Point, between the peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo. Kibos crater is roughly circular with an inner cone extending to 5,800m, (100m lower than the summit at Uhuru Peak). At the centre an inner crater with walls between 12 and 20 m high contains another concentric minor cone, the centre of which falls away into the 360m span of the ash pit. This is the 120 metre deep central core of the volcano, and casts sulphurous boiling smoke from its depths despite the frozen, snowy outskirts.

Planning your Kilimanjaro Climb

Kili climbs can be arranged for a variety of different routes and with various options for accommodation. It is really well worth spending time in the planning stages!

source: http://www.tanzaniaodyssey.com/mount-kilimanjaro/kilimanjaro.htm