Mountaineering training at 5,000 metres

---

Right, hi everyone. I'm back in Kathmandu with a few fun stories to tell.

I also have frost nip (the pre-cursor to frost bite) on 7 of my finger tips. But, we'll get to that in good time!

For me, this blog entry is where the fun begins - a bit of mountaineering rather than just trekking.

I have previously mentioned that I had four objectives for this trip:

1) Ascend Mera Peak - 6,476 metres (21,247 ft)

2) Cross the Amphu Labste - 5,780 metres (18,963 ft)

3) Climb Island Peak - 6,189 metres (20,305 ft)

4) Climb Lobuche East - 6,119 metres (20,075 ft)

Whilst none of the above are particularly difficult (technically speaking) they do require a combination of

a) Ice climbing

b) Rock climbing, and

c) Abseiling

Given that a fair portion of this needs to be done in pitch darkness and in temperatures of -20 degrees or so, it pays to be able to do everything blindfolded. So it was that I spent five days brushing up on (and hopefully improving) my skills - I will let the photos do the talking.

More blog entries to follow (basically one per objective) - but I will spread them over the course of a few days in order that you don't get too bored.

As ever, scroll down for more photos.

PDx

P.S. I have started my own website about Nepal, aiming to give people lots of information and inspiration about trekking in Nepal. If you are interested, please visit my Trekking in Nepal website. It includes sections on the Mera Peak Climb, Island Peak Climb and Everest Base Camp Trek.

---