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Cho Oyu and Shisha: Vikings for a sky descent double header
Agu 26, 2004 10: 25 EST
A combo altitude skiers are crossing over to Tibet for a double header with an extreme sky descent included. Their mission: To climb Cho Oyu and Shisha Pangma back to back, and take the fast way down - on skis. It's also a preparation for an Everest ski descent in 2006.
ExWeb caught up with one of the climbers for a chat in the middle of a late summer storm in Chamonix.
Tomas Olsson is packing and ready to exchange the familiar peaks and glaciers of Chamonix, where he currently lives, for the higher and challenging 8000+ peaks of Tibet Himalaya.
Along with Peter Frick, Jonas Tufvesson and Tormod Granheim, the Swedish-Norwegian combo conforms the Bergans Big Mountain Ski Expedition, and they are heading for Kathmandu this Saturday.
From that point, Maoists and strikes permitting, they’ll cross to Tibet and begin their powdery challenge.
ExWeb: So Tomas, which of the 8000ers is up first?
Tomas: Cho Oyu comes first. It looks so white and beautiful a mountain, especially in the evening sun... Moreover, I think it is objectively safer than Shisha Pangma. Therefore, I find it better suited for the acclimatization process.
ExWeb: Sherpas? Os? How many climbers are on the team?
Tomas: Our ambition is no Sherpas and no supplementary oxygen. We are four people from Sweden & Norway. The climbing team is myself (Tomas Olsson), Peter Frick and Jonas Tufvesson from Sweden, and Tormod Granheim from Norway.We are 'The Fantastic Four'!
ExWeb: You'll be climbing the normal route on both peaks but, what about the descent? Will you be following the same way, or will you try variations?
Tomas: I’ll try to stick to the motto of the ‘grand old man’ of extreme skiing, Pierre Tardivel from France. He said: “climb what you aim to ski.” So, this might mean that I'll have to sidestep the normal routes somewhat when climbing up. I think that on Cho Oyu this will only mean small detours, but I have spotted some couloirs on Shisha that could be interesting if the snow conditions are right. We´ll see when we get there.
ExWeb: What kind of skis are you bringing? Are you climbing with your ski boots on, or will you change gear on top?
Tomas: Atomic MX:11 skies, Dynafit Tour Lite-Tech bindings and Scarpa Laser boots - all ski touring gear. I will use the Scarpa Laser ski-touring boots both for climbing up and skiing down. I like the Scarpa Lasers because they are OK on climb and also good for steep skiing. Skis and bindings are light but reliable.
ExWeb: What are your main concerns about the climb and the sky descent?
Tomas: Altitude is my main concern. Hey, 8201 meter is a lot! I have the greatest respect for altitude-related problems and all four of us are well aware about them. We will take our time and use our sense. We don't have a climbing schedule, we'll move up depending on how well we are acclimatizing.
Weather is of course another big concern, but as I see it, there is less to do about that. I don't like either climbing or skiing in bad weather. All team-members have been on previous expeditions. Besides, Tormod and I live in the Alps and Jonas in the Rockies, so hopefully we will be experienced enough to avoid much of the trouble with crevasses and other mountain dangers. But we can´t do anything about the weather...
On Shisha Pangma we´ll take extra care with the avalanche danger as it seems hard to predict. I am also a bit worried about getting cold feet. I can´t find any over-boots that fit my ski boots. I thought that would be easy here in Chamonix, the "capital of alpinism" according to the French, but I was proved wrong. I´ll bring extra socks, though.
ExWeb: About priorities: What is the main goal of your expedition, the climb to the summit or the sky descent? In other words, would you be ready to abandon your skis if the summit depended on it? Or, would you start skiing down from a lower point on the mountain, if there was no other choice, and therefore sacrifice the summit in favor of an extreme descent?
Tomas: Uh hum, hard question! I am more of a skier than a climber. But still, the summit is the summit. Once I am on the mountain, I´ll follow my feelings.
ExWeb: If it is not too early to ask, What about your plans for Everest in two years? Have you decided on any particular route, or at least, do you know if you'll be climbing the South or North side?
Tomas: I think I will choose the North side: I´ve seen a lot of fantastic white photos of the North Face so to ski something there seems very interesting.
Swedish Tomas Olsson, Peter Frick, Jonas Tufvesson and Norwegian Tormod Grandheim are up for some big mountains skiing this fall. The guys plan to climb Cho Oyu and Shisha Pangma without sherpas and oxygen, and ski down from the summits. The expedition is the first part of preparations for an attempt to ski from the summit of Mount Everest in 2006.
Tomas Olsson and Tormod Granheim both live in Chamonix, France, where they have skied many of the classic lines. In Autumn 2003 the duo rehearsed for the 2004 project by skiing from the summit of two 7000+ mountains, Muztagh Ata (7546m) & Kuksay Peak (7186m) in China.
The four-member Bergans Big Mountain Ski Expedition will arrive in Katmandu September 2 and expect to reach Cho Oyu BC by September 7.
Images of Tomas Olsson skiing Muztagh Ata (7546 meters) in China, shot by Tormod Granheim fall 2003, courtesy of Tomas Olsson.
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