Annapurna Northwest Face

Time for plan B. Since China has not issued visa for Tibet this spring for climbers who have been staying in Pakistan for more than a month at a time during the past three years, the Canadian Louis Rousseau, the Briton Rick Allen, the Pole Adam Bielecki and the German Felix Berg had to re-plan. The team was surprised by the new Chinese regulation in Kathmandu. In 2015/16 Bielecki had tried unsuccessfully a winter ascent of Nanga Parbat, Felix Berg had climbed Mustagh Tower in the Karakoram in summer 2016. So the previous plan to open a new route through the North Face of Cho Oyu, located in Tibet, became impossible. The quartet was looking for an alternative destination in Nepal and found it.

Direct route to the summit

Rousseau and Co. opted for an attempt in the rarely climbed Northwest Face of the 8091-meter-high Annapurna. In 1985, Reinhold Messner and Hans Kammerlander had climbed through a large part of the wall, but had taken in the upper section the Northwest Ridge up to the summit. The upper triangle has also remained unexplored in later attempts to climb directly through the wall. “Now let’s go to the summit,” says Felix Berg.

“Perfect team spirit”

Tilicho Peak for acclimatization

The days of uncertainty were hard, the 36-year-old German writes to me: “As soon as the decision was made, everything happened very quickly. The wall is impressive, probably higher than the North Face of Cho Oyu, and the Annapurna is legendary – so the motivation comes quickly by itself.” All team members are “very enthusiastic”. This is confirmed by Louis Rousseau. The mood is good, “a lot of jokes”. “We’re really motivated,” writes the 40-year-old. “Perfect spirit in the team. All focus on Annapurna now!” First, Louis, Felix, Rick and Adam want to climb the 7134-meter-high Tilicho Peak in the Annapurna area for acclimatization.

The Potala Palace in Lhasa

Nasty surprise for some climbers heading for destinations in Tibet this spring: I have been confirmed by several sides that China currently does not allow tourists to enter Tibet in case that there is a visa for Pakistan issued in the past three years in their passport. Especially professional climbers, who like to tackle the impressive mountains of the Karakoram in summer, run the risk of not obtaining a visa for Tibet. Some mountaineers are stuck in the Nepali capital Kathmandu, because they have learned too late about this new regulation. So if you want to travel to Cho Oyu, Shishapangma or the Tibetan north side of Mount Everest and do not want to experience a bad surprise, take a look at your passport!

No problem without Pakistan visa

It is unclear why China suddenly reacts so allergically to former Pakistan travelers. Without a Pakistani visa stamp or sticker, the entry is obviously problem-free. So an expedition operator informed me that his group had arrived in Lhasa without being bothered by the border authorities.

Broad Peak (with shades of K 2)

You have a visa for Pakistan, a climbing permit for an eight-thousander, you have organized everything. You travel to Islamabad and at the airport you learn that you are a persona non grata and have to leave the country. That’s exactly what happened to the Australian-New Zealand climber Chris Jensen Burke (she has both citizenships) and the Nepalese Sherpa Lakpa Sherpa. “The reasons why are stranger than fiction and I won’t put the detail here,” Chris wrote in her blog. Obviously she fears to risk alienating the Pakistani authorities if she is quite clear.

Never again to Pakistan?

Chris Jensen Burke

Lakpa Sherpa is looking at the black side too. “It seems I cannot go to Pakistan ever,” the 25-year-old told the Kathmandu based newspaper “The Himalayan Times”. “I spent several months preparing myself for the K2 expedition, but I now feel I have been betrayed for no reason.” Among others, Lakpa stood four times on top of Mount Everest, twice on the summit of K 2. This summer season, Lakpa wanted to become the first climber who scaled K 2 three times.

Chris Jensen Burke had planned to climb Nanga Parbat and was also registered for Broad Peak. The 47-year-old has scaled nine eight-thousanders so far, most recently Annapurna in early May.

Better reputation

Porters in the Karakoram

According to still unconfirmed information that I received from Pakistan, the authorities have not only refused Chris and Lakpa the entry, but at least three other climbers. There is speculation in the climbers’ scene that the country’s government wants to give a sign against the common practice of western expedition operator to employ rather Sherpas from Nepal than Pakistani staff. In recent decades, the Sherpas have gained a better reputation than their Pakistani counterparts, not just as high altitude porters, but as mountain guides too. “The costs for Nepalese porters are a bit higher but the advantages prevail,” says, for example, a bidding for a 2017 K 2 expedition of Swiss operator Kobler & Partner. “So as long the Pakistani Government allows expedition teams to hire sherpas from Nepal, we will gladly make use of this opportunity.”

“Alpine Club doesn’t care about their people”

Muhammad Ali (l.) and Simone Moro on top of Nanga Parbat

“In my opinion, the Pakistani Alpine Club is largely responsible for this situation,” said Muhammad Ali “Sadpara”: “They show no interest in their alpinists, neither in improving their skills and work conditions.” According to Ali, who last February belonged to the climbers who first climbed Nanga Parbat in winter, Sherpas now dominate 80 percent of the business, “and it will be 100 percent soon.” Actions such as those against Chris Jensen Burke and Lakpa Sherpa could be an indication that the government of Pakistan wants to take countermeasures.

Harassment because of cricket job?

Or is it simply pure arbitrariness? Last year, South African Mike Horn had complained that his team had been stuck in the town of Skardu for more than two weeks before they were allowed to travel to K 2. The team had been sent back at a military check point, despite valid visas and permits. Only when his friend, the former Pakistani cricket star Wasim Akram, stepped in, they finally could move on, said Horn. Mike’s suspicion: His team was delayed because he had coached an Indian cricket team before.

Economic factor Mount Everest

Nepal sees his mountain luck run out. “The government must frame policies to gain a competitive edge”, a report by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation said which was quoted in the “Himalayan Times”. The neighbouring countries had started aggressive campaigns to attract more climbers. India had offered a discount of 50 per cent on climbing fees, Pakistan had waived off royalties for all peaks below 6500 meters, the report said. Nepal is charging fees for mountains which are much lower, e.g. for 5500-meter-high Chhukung Ri, a popular trekking peak in the Khumbu region.

Online visa applications

Last year 298 expeditions came to Nepal, twelve less than in 2012. The revenue from climbing fees fell by more than seven per cent to 3,91 million US-Dollar. Ang Tshering Sherpa, former long-time president of the Nepalese Mountaineering Association, sees the reason for this in the parliamentary elections last November. The tour operators were fearing strikes or even violence that might leave their clients stranded for days, Ang Tshering said. The government in Kathmandu has just made a first step to friendliness towards customers by launching an online application system for Nepal.

Everest makes the cash tills ringing

The data of the tourism ministry show how much the country is depending on expeditions to Mount Everest. The permit fees for the highest mountain on earth made 80 per cent of the revenue. There was a large gap to the 8000ers Lhotse (4,5 per cent) and Manalsu (4,2 per cent) in second and third place. Considering the outstanding importance of Everest it is little wonder that all discussions in Nepal about stricter rules for climbers have fizzled out.

6000er before climbing Everest

Recently, Ang Tshering Sherpa said in an interview with the German newspaper „Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung“, there would be almost no changes for foreign climbers on Everest in 2014. They would only have to get a special permit by the tourism ministry if they want to make a record attempt on Everest. That was recommended by a commission with Ang Tshering. Furthermore it had proposed that mountaineers from Nepal should have climbed at least a 6000er before getting a permit for the highest mountain. In recent years there have been complaints about poor climbing skills of some Sherpas on Mount Everest.