Mountain diary

11th-20th Feb
     Formalities to get the permit for the Kangchenjunga.

21st-22nd Feb
     Travel by bus to Gopetar.

23rd Feb
     Porters contract in Gopetar.

24th Feb
     The approach is underway, supported by the porters, from Gopetar to Sinam.

25th Feb
     From Sinam to Kebang. As well as on the approach to the Manaslu, there are not lodges in this either.

26th Feb
     They arrive at Yampuding, last village in this approach. Most of the porters leave and they have to contract other people.

27th Feb
     Searching for new porters

28th Feb
     From Yampuding to Angi Khola (2300m)

1st March
     In thick vegetation, they are on route from Angi Khola to Torontan (2950m)

2nd March
     Thick bamboo and rhododendron forests give rise to conifers. They reach Tsaram (3800m).

3rd March
     From Tsaram to Ramge (4580m). Porters do not want to continue. They got 250 rupees per day, but they wanted 2500 now to go on two more days until they reach the Kangchenjunga basecamp. They have no money enough to pay them. They convince them to carry all the equipment for two more hours, until Oktang (Deurali). They stay at night in Ramje.

4th March
     They climb up to Oktang (Deurali) with the rest of the equipment and place the basecamp.

5th March
     The good weather they had enjoyed during the approach leaves. From midmorning on, it begins to snow.

6th-7th-8th March
     They wait for good weather to come. They establish live transmissions with Spanish TV channels.

9th March
     The Yalung's glacier, which they must climb through to reach the real basecamp (Apache tomb), has too much snow. They decide to acclimatize in a nearby mount. Suso and Toni climb up to 5500m.

10th March
     Toni climbs up to sleep at 5700m. Weather seems to be unwilling to improve.

11th March
     Toni moves down to basecamp (Oktang). Jesús begins to find the route following the glacier to reach the real basecamp.

12th March
     Álex and Toni put signstones on the route through the glacier

13th March
     They keep on putting signposts the glacier.

14th March
     Rest day

15th March
     With about 30kg packs, where they take food and gear with them, Jesús and Toni get close to the real basecamp (Apache Tomb)

16th March
     They arrive at basecamp (Apache Tomb) - the advanced basecamp for them - and they place a tent there.

17th March
     They recognize the route for the first time. They climb up at 5900m. They turn back to Apache Tomb to sleep.

18th March
     They return to basecamp (Oktang) to pick up the rest of the equipment.

19th-20th March
     Rest day

21st March
     They climb up with the rest of the equipment to the Apache Tomb (5400m). Yelu, the Sherpa, goes with them to help with the loading.

22nd March
     They equip and signpost the route to Camp I (6200m). The snow is in good conditions and they can go quickly. Yelu returns to basecamp.

23rd March
     It snows again. They wait for a possible improvement.

24th March
     It snows all the night, and there is more than 40cm snow. They opt to return to the basecamp (Oktang). The glacier is a nightmare, it is impassable: what they usually do in four hours, requires eleven now.

25th-26th-27th March
     They hope in a weather improvement. It snows every afternoon.

28th-29th-30th March
     Jesús and Álex wait at basecamp. Toni moves down to Torontan and returns then to Oktang in a strong snowstorm. In Tsram they meet an Slovenian expedition which pretend to climb up to find a route in the Jannu (East Kumbakarna).

1st- 2nd April
     they are still waiting for a weather improvement. The Slovenian have also problem with the Yampuding porters and decide to establish the basecamp with them,.

3rd April
     As weather seemed to get better, they decide to go to the Apache Tomb to sleep there. A Tibetan expedition, which also wants to climb the Kanchenjunga, arrives in Oktang.

4th April
     Toni and Jesús climb up to spend the night at Camp I (6200m). The snow is not in such a good conditions as it was when they first climbed, but they consider that they can climb up without any problem.

5th April
     They signpost the route and open it up to about 6900m, very close to the upper set, where it is usually established the Camp III. Once they have put signposts on the route, they turn back to Camp I to spend the night.

6th April
     they remove the tent at Camp I and climb up to sleep at 6900m, below the vertical wall which leads to the upper set -as usual, it snows a bit in the afternoon. They establish a live connection with the Televisión de Galicia.

7th April
     They remove the tent and equip the ice wall. They sleep at 7300m. At night, clouds overcast everything. They think of leaving at midnight, but they finally opt to wait until the day breaks.

8th April
     At 5.30 am they make their way to the summit. After a while, Toni realizes that they climb up too slowly, specially he himself. At 7900m he says to Jesús that it is better to go back. Jesús wants to take this opportunity and he decides to go on his own. At 8300m, light headaches compel him to retreat. After a while he meets toni in the tent. The descent is complicated, because clouds do not let them see properly.

9th April
     They spend a bad night at 7300m. They decide to climb down to basecamp and try it again some days later. That day they arrive at Apache Tomb (5400m), where they stay for the night.

10th April
     On turning back to basecamp, they pass first the Slovenian, who are acclimatizing, and then the Tibetan, who have established the basecamp in the middle of the glacier, halfway between Oktang and Apache Tomb. They have also had problems with the porters.

11th-12th April
     They recuperate resting at basecamp. Fausto Di Stefani arrives, an Italian who is also climbing the Kangchenjunga. This will be his last 8000m to complete the fourteen that there are in the world.

13th April
     Toni and Jesús climb up to Apache Tomb again and they sleep there, but they do not feel recovered yet.

14th April
     Jesús and Toni decide to return to basecamp.

15th April
     Toni moves down to sleep in Tsaram (3800m). Jesús remains with Álex at basecamp.

16th April
     Toni comes back to basecamp. The weather gets worse: it snows every aftenoon.

17th April
     They wait in Oktang.

18th April
     Toni, Jesús and Álex climb up to Apache Tomb. There they find Fausto with the Tibetan, who have placed their advanced camp there.

19th April
     Jesús and Toni climb up to 6400m, a strecht where Camp II is usually established. They pitch down a tent borrowed from Fausto Di Stefani and they sleep there.

20th April
     A heavy snowfall at night compels them to call the attempt off. Under the snow, they retreat to Apache Tomb; there they meet Álex and they move down together to basecamp. It did not stop snowing that day.

21st-27th April
     Álex returns to Galicia. Toni and Jesús wait for a weather improvement.

28th April
     They climb up to Apache Tomb (5400m) for the 9th time. At night, weather worsens again.

29th April
     They wait at Apache Tomb for a weather improvement.

30th April
     The day breaks with a wonderful weather. The Tibetan and Fausto climb up to Camp I to sleep. Jesús and Toni continue to Camp II, where they had pitched Fausto's tent on the 19th. When they arrive, they do not find anything. The only thing that remains is an avalanche trail which has buried everything. They had all their food for the ascent in the tent, the stove and other materials. Doubts arise. Toni tries to continue to the tent they have at 7300m. Jesús turns back to Apache Tomb to take another tent and food. Toni realizes that it is dangerous and almost impossible to continue alone, so he decides to return to Camp I, where the Tibetan make him a place to sleep.

1st May
     Jesús climbs up again with a tent and food. They pitch down a tent at Camp II.

2nd May
     Jesús and Toni begin the ascent to reach the tent they have at 7300m. But a landslide, with Toni on it, gives them a terrible fright and they decide to fix the route to continue safely. They ask the Tibetan for ropes. They lay 400m of fixed-ropes and turn back to Camp II to sleep.

3rd May
     They climb up to 7300m. They have to equip the ice wall again; Fausto and two Tibetan accompany them up to 7100m. When they arrive at the place where they had pitched down the tent on the 9th April, they find nothing. The wind had taken charge of it. They had their snow suits and other materials in it. They return to camp II with the intention of not climbing up again. They say Fausto and the Tibetan good-bye and they continue to Apache Tomb. It is late to go to the Karakorum. They need to go to Galicia before to get some money.

4th May
     They remove the Apache Tomb tent and, loading everything they have there, they return to basecamp. They pass the Slovenian on descending, who had also considered their expedition finished. The wall they pretend to open was in very bad conditions.

5th May
     they remove the basecamp and at 11.00am they make their way to Kathmandu. Yelu and Lakpa will move down on the following day with the porters. Toni and Jesús sleep nearby to Angi Khola.

6th May
     After a 15 hours non-stopping trek, they reach Gopetar. At night it rains heavily. They think the weather will get worse, though they will be later informed that there will be good weather for 20 days in the second half of the month.

7th-8th May
     Travel by bus to Kathmandu

9th-10th May
     Back to Galicia