a real mountaineer...

annapurna four - view from the 100 rupie lama

recently, we had the chance to meet the lead climber for an expedition to annapurna four (IV).  for the sake of background, i’ll fill you in on a few annapurna mountain range details.  there are four annapurna summits, and all are above 7500 meters.  the four annapurna peaks are not often climbed, as they are not as famous as some of the other peaks in the area (you know, like everest and k2).  also, they are known to be quite difficult and dangerous, especially annapurna one which has a 40-50% mortality rate.  pretty crazy, eh?

so, because we all sort of wish we were crazy enough to climb real mountains, we could not help but surround the poor mountaineer when he came to visit the manang aid post.  some of us asked question after question about the approach and the gear and the timeline, and others forgot to breathe, but overall it was a somewhat hilarious experience.  all in all, the climber was just a normal guy from portland, oregon.

the base camp for annapurna four is only at 4800-4900 meters.  john and i are hoping to pay a visit once the snow line recedes in the next week or so.  there are three clients hoping to summit on may 10^th, but the guide suggested he would be happy if even one could actually make it to the top.