Annapurna IV

Annapurna IV is a striking peak cutting the cobalt sky and breaking the jet stream. A long technical shoulder leads to it’s lofty summit, this will be our path. We now sit below this shoulder at 15,500′. Distant echoes of glaciers calving are now drowned out by thunder. Thunder.

The ascent from the 2000′ in the jungle to this wet and snowy bench has been eventful and adventurous. The last section of the 6 day approach was seemingly endless as we led our porters and wound our way up one last long spine to the base of the route. It was a 6500′ day. The porters stayed for lunch and we shared our jackets and laughter. They have been good to us and we abliged them with healthy tips.

Tim and Josh are feeling goog and we all share sentiments of wonder and excitement. Staring at the mountain before the afternoon storm moved in, we plotted our line from every vantage. It is a beautiful line and from here, we can solve many of it’s difficulties. It also looks very,very skiable!

We will upload some photos to the website and share a few more stories over the next few dats as we acclimitize here in camp. Right now, the weather has turned and it is snowing heavily so we will wait for the mountain to be ready or begin climbing in three days, whichever is most prudent. Storma in this range can be very dangerous, not only because of avalanche hazards but also thunder and lightning, a treat unique to the Western Himalaya.

Please feel free to e-mail us any questions you may have regarding the peak or just general. We are happy to be sharing the adventure!

Ben Clark
clark@explorersweb.com
www.annapurnaiv.com
www.therestofeverest.com

We are in the high country now, 24,688′ Annapurna IV looms large above us. Still we have 13,000′ and many days to go. Our arrival in basecamp tomorrow will signify the beginning of the true climb.

We have travelled on foot for 5 days, Tim, Josh and our cook staff and 20 porters. We are a large and slow moving unit. Each day begins with music and cheering from the porters and each night laughter cuts the darkness. This is a fun place to be and a great adventure for us all. It has been incredible shooting video.

On April 30, we plan to move to a camp at 15,500′ on a large step below the North ridge and thundering North face of the mountain. We will wait three days before beginning our first ascent of the mountain. Our plan is to pick our way through technical rock and ice sections before reaching the ridgeline where we will determine a proper spot for a high camp.

If we feel good on this initial foray, we will go for the top. If we elect not to, we will ski down, rest a few days and then give it another go. We are experienced in this range, excited about what we can see from here and positive the line will go.

We will send photos and video once we are settled into camp for a few days! For detailed information and photos of the mountain and route please visit: www.annapurniv.com

Ben Clark
clark@explorersweb.com
www.annapurnaiv.com
www.therestofeverest.com

We are on our third day of trekking on the Annapurna Circuit. Today, April 27th, we saw our first view of the ridgeline leading to our climbing and skiing objective, 24,688′ Annapurna IV. My heart couldn’t stop racing, reflecting the mountain view and the culture of Nepal.

Rapid growth is happening on this poplular circuit. In three years the road to nowhere will soon reach a centuries old destination, Manang. Explorers, then trekkers and now tourists will be able to heighten their experience while lowering their impact on the rocky trail that will become the road.

We have encountered men carryiing ten foot tall sections of sheet metal, others carry telescoping jack posts for power lines. In three months it will reach Jagat. Children, the elderly and locals are slowlly chipping away the granite and limestone, trees fall from overhead cutting the humidity. It is a scene from Nepal, new and modern, yet still not classless.

Tim said it best, we are having fun, here is why. Tim saw a man carrying a load of chickens in a cage, each jockeying over one another and he thought ” It’s hot, but this is ok. Soon it started to thunder as a man carried sheet metal past him and he thought, “This is ok” Later a man who carried a part of a 90 kilogram power line, turning sideways to make it kilometers down the rsted outside while we sipped tea, ” This is defintiely ok.”

Chame, where I now sit, is a stop 48 kilometers into the trek and windy. The mountains now surround us, the jungle is now no more than a salty outline on our packs—we have moved fast. It is bustling with a healthy amount of friendly locals and international trekkers, faces are splitting with smiles.

We are thrilled to be here We will arrive in basecamp in two days.

Ben Clark
clark@explorersweb.com
www.annapurnaiv.com
www.therestofeverest.com

If you don’t want to miss a single dispatch from the team, but can’t always remember to check the site daily for updates then read on.

 I’ve set up an email list so that whenever The Team posts a new dispatch updating their progress on the Annapurna IV Ski Expedition it can immediately be emailed to you. This way, it will be waiting for you the next time you check your inbox.

 Now, some people have already been added to the list, so if you’ve already gotten a dispatch emailed to you then you’re all set. There’s nothing more you need to do.

 If you would like to be added to the list, then just send an email to                        list-request@annapurnaiv.com and put the word “subscribe” in the subject line. That’s it! Your email address will automatically be added and the next dispatch will be emailed to you when The Team posts it. 

That being said, if you need to cancel your subscription (we won’t hold it against you, we promise) then just send an email to the same address above but put the word “unsubscribe” as the subject.

 We hope you enjoy the rest of the expedition, and while we’re on the subject of email…why not drop The Team a line to say hello? You can email them directly at team@annapurnaiv.com.

All the best,

Jon Miller 

Besisehar, a small outpost I refer to as the heart of darkness at the roads end, is our destination today. The weather in the high Himalaya is not clearing for flights and delayed passengers are stacking up. We will begin our ascent from the wet canyonlike bowels of The Annapurna Himal jungle.

I prefer the high arid climate of the Dhauligiri Himal but with no flights near on the horizon the approach over Thorung La could cost us precious days on the mountain. Jungle to alpine runs the full gamut of Nepal’s diverse ecosystems. This will be a full value climbing expedition, from Besisehar we are 22,000 ‘ below the summit.

Like Tim and Josh I’m happy to get moving. To get the blood flowing again, I had a massage to work out the trunklinkle “cankles” that were once where my calf muscles met my foot. Tim said they reminded him of his childhod nanny Marion…wow, three days of sitting on airplanes and soaking humidity and my legs resemble a 70 year old woman–tough crowd. I got an interesting story from Mukti, the messuese and want to share it with you all.

Mukti, whose name means “freedom” in Nepali, shared tales of walking across 300 broken glass bottles and scampering across hot coals barefoot. Impressive, albiet bizzarre. As we discussed some of my expriences of mind over matter he shared a Nepali folktale: Touching the Lion.

A Guru and his student were once driving through a field when they saw a sleeping lion. They stopped the vehicle and appoached the savage feline while it slumbered. Halfway across the field, the student became afraid and wished to turn back. The Guru carried forward, claiming experience would guide them, the student followed. Foot by foot they aproached within inches of the lion. The lion awoke…

The Guru, a wise and patient man spoke in front of the startled lion saying “I have lived many days, this may be the last”. The lion suspectly investigated the two, sniffing them up and down. Slowly, the lion turned his back and walked away, the guru calmly stroked the lions back as the beast casually slipped onward into the distance. Slowly the Guru and his sudent returned to their vehicle, having touched the lion and their lives.

Climbing a mountain is a lot like this. We hope that we can touch the lion and our lives too. Climbing in the high Himalaya is often just as simple and spontaneous an idea as the guru and his students actions. I can only hope the mountains will grant us such access and humbling awareness.

We’ll catch up with everyone from the trail.

Ben Clark
clark@explorersweb.com
www.annapurnaiv.com
www.therestofeverest.com

“US mum on terror tag” the headline read on the Himalayan times this morning, the No.1 English Daily of Nepal. I awoke to unidentified explosions at 5AM and until I finally heard the subtle percussion and flute wafting through the thick air of Kathmandu, it seemed I could not set down my third cup of coffee. We are here, but terror? Hardly…Kathmandu is awake later than I remember. The Prachanda, the CPN Maoist party leader is slowly gaining authority from the people and it seems peaceful. The melting pot of hippie chic and baby boomers from Europe and Asia has eclipdsed the wild eyed Everest mountaineers who just weeks ago filled the Yak and Yeti hotel. For now it is evolving more like a slow reduction, robust and patient rather than spicy and eccentric. It feels good to be here as an American, we are guests and feel welcome.It is still Nepal, one must only peel the onion to find a fresh layer. Shortly after breakfast I met with Babu Sherpa, “Karma” as we know him. He works magic on us, with the waive of his hand we are somehow delighted that the Royal Nepal Airlines, a government controlled aviation entity no longer flies to the destination we desire. Hongde, a small landing strip in the Menang province of Nepal will have to be reached on foot.Expedition life, as a mentor once told me, always arrives unexpectedly. We calculate our risks,our philosophy and our ability to get through anything, somehow we just don’t ever budget for $2000 charter flights. It feels good to be twenty eight years old fresh off the plane and in the Himalaya hiking, who wouldn’t add another 120 miles to an already invested journey? Especially the Annapurna circuit.So that is what we will do. The three of us will be landing in Pokhara Nepal tomorrow, then flying to Jomsom the morning of the 25th and beginning the high portion of our approach—a 5500′ day of hiking over 17,800′ Thorung La pass. Glad I got that light backpack from Osprey and those convertible pants from Mountain hardwear right? We’ll be panting and sweating a bit. Luckily we’ve hiked Thorung La from both sides before so we know what to expect. I actually think we’re getting to know the place.We had a different option, begin in the jungle and rise above the clouds but somehow–this boy that escaped Tennessee Augusts–is only willing to bear the dripping wet heat after the cold frigid summit. That alternative sounds like just the measure of contrast one needs to fully appreciate the diverse ecosystems of the Himalaya. We will enjoy our journey to basecamp and continue sending dispatches along the way.Ben Clarkclark@explorersweb.comwww.annapurnaiv.com

Hello everyone!

There seems to be a slight bug in the website that is making it rather confusing to register so you can post a comment. I don’t have the skill to fix the harmless bug but I have found a procedure that will make posting a comment possible. In order to post a comment you must register with the site. This is a measure I put in place to keep spam at a minimum. To register just follow these instructions:

• Click “add a comment” at the bottom of a post you’d like to write a comment for. The page will refresh and you’ll see a link that says “logged in” even though you haven’t registered yet!
• Click on the “logged in” link and it will take you to the login page. Since you’ll be a new user, click “register”.
• Choose a username and enter your email address (this is kept private. I promise).
• Click the “Register” button. You may get an error message saying that you’ve lost your connection to the site but just ignore this. Your information was sent to the site. 
• You’ll receive an email from the site containing your username and a randomly generated password. 
• Click the link below the password in the email to return to the site’s login page.
• Login to the site using your username and the password provided in the email.
• You will now be able to write a comment for any post you’l like! 

If you have any problems, just email me at jon@annapurnaiv.com

Thank you so much for visiting!

Jon Miller

Listen in as Jon Miller, host of The Rest of Everest Podcast, Interviews Ben, Tim and Josh about the expedition.The Rest of Everest can be found at therestofeverest.com 

 Click on the play button to listen to the interview.

Welcome to AnnapurnaIV.com.

This is an expedition consisting of 3 friends, skis and a mountain. The climbers are Ben Clark, Tim Clarke and Josh Butson. They will be attempting Annapurna IV, a 24, 680 foot peak located in western Nepal.

Ben will be utilizing new satellite technology to send trip reports to this website. Follow along to track the team’s progress. Check back daily or simply subscribe to the Annapurna IV RSS feed here.

You can also register to post a comment, or send the guys an email at team@annapurnaiv.com 

Enjoy!

Jon Miller