“From here on we’re on our own. No sherpa, no fixed ropes, no bottled oxygen. We’re climbing as a small team.”
— Ines Papert | LOWA PRO Team
Heart-stopping moment at icy heights
China LOWA PRO Team athlete Ines Papert decided to climb her first eight-thousander together with Luka Lindič: the south face of Shishapangma, no less – alpine-style of course. Yet the character of the entire expedition changed within a few hours shortly after it started.
Ines Papert on her way up
The south face of Shishapangma is an extreme mountaineering classic. It features steep, technically very challenging climbs. Only very few teams venture an ascent via the tough south face. So it’s not surprising that Ines and Luka are the only ones attempting it this year. The two of them reach base camp at an altitude of 5300 metres on 17 April with a bit of assistance.
But before they tackle the south face of Shishapangma, the two athletes need to get acclimatised. To do this, the team selected Nyanang Ri (7071m), which is linked to Shishapangma via a ridge. All the material they need is transported to the mountain and the weather window seems adequate, so they begin their ascent on 30 April. At an altitude of 6300 metres they set up their second bivouac, which they position in a crevasse beneath the slope. Safe and well-protected is how Papert later recalls the feeling she had as they chose where to bed down. Yet the incessant snowfall throughout the night was to change all that rapidly.
At around five in the morning, the LOWA PRO Team athlete recalls, the entire slope starts sliding away – an avalanche!
“We woke with a start when we realised what had just happened and immediately recognised that the situation was serious. While Luka left the tent via the entrance, I panicked and ripped a hole in the tent, because air was already running short. The weight of snow was already putting pressure on my body and I just wanted to get out of there. Luka pulled me out of the tent and we both stood out in the open in our socks, watching as our tent disappeared beneath the mass of snow. Luka managed to retrieve our boots at the last minute.”
— Ines Papert | LOWA PRO Team
-
Ines and Luka salvage what they can
In search of shelter
They seek shelter in a small ice cave nearby and wait for the weather to calm. As soon as the weather permits, Luka Lindič digs his way through the masses of snow in search of their equipment – without it, they are trapped on the mountain. Two long hours later they manage to salvage all their gear from the tent, which has been completely destroyed, and begin their descent.
Ines recalls that they were impressed despite their experience. “We were in shock for days, yet we decided to continue with the expedition. We are climbers and mountaineers – there is no rational explanation for a decision to continue after an experience like that. Yet how should one handle the situation without constantly panicking? There followed plenty of conversations that resulted in the decision: ‘We’re staying’. Yet our actual objective, Shishapangma, was already receding into the distance”, is how Ines attempts to put it all into words. Papert and Lindič do not risk another attempt to climb Nyanang Ri: their new goal is Pungpa Ri.
“We decided to target a new objective and attempt the unclimbed west face of Pungpa Ri.”
— Ines Papert | LOWA PRO Team
No luck on the way to the summit
But even the athletes’ second objective, the summit of Pungpa Ri (7450m), which is also connected to Shishapangma, brings them no luck. Almost daily snowfall makes advance planning extremely difficult. During a narrow weather window in mid-May, when less snowfall but high wind speeds and icy temperatures of around –28 degrees Celsius are forecast at the summit, the team leaves out the ABC and ascends to an altitude of 6500 metres. The plan is to complete the remaining 1000 metres of altitude the next morning, but nothing comes of this plan either.
“I lost what little sensation I had in my fingers while I was putting on my climbing harness, and wondered how I was going to make it to the summit. Nevertheless we climbed a little higher. But soon I realised that I was not going to make it. A dreadful feeling of complete weakness took hold.”
— Ines Papert | LOWA PRO Team
-
Difficult conditions on the mountain
For their own safety Papert and Lindič decide to abort this ascent attempt as well – as experienced athletes, they don’t want to risk another episode like the one on Nyanang Ri. After their experiences on Nyanang Ri, the volatile weather conditions throughout the expedition and in view of the fact that they were unable to get adequately acclimatised, Team Papert and Lindič ultimately decide to abort the entire expedition.
The shoe
“You need warm and, above all, comfortable shoes to take on challenging routes at great heights. I have the perfect companion in the expedition 6000 EVO RD.”
The facts
- Duration:
- 4 weeks
- Difficulty:
- Very difficult conditions
- Climate:
- Polar