Fredrik: Another Viking for a sky descent of Shisha
Agu 29, 2004 14: 13 EST
Last week we ran the story about a Chamonix based Swedish/Norwegian combo crossing over to Tibet for a Cho Oyu/Shisha double header with an extreme sky descent included.
That's when a mail arrived from another Swede residing in Chamonix - and he too is up for a Shisha sky descent!
Coincidence? Well, Fredrik and the other Vikings met yesterday on a plane out of Chamonix, and although they won't climb together, Tomas comment was:
"We look forward to a nice ski trail down Shisha!" (Tomas & crew are heading to Cho Oyu first.)
ExWeb got a word with Fredrik before his departure to Kathmandu yesterday:
Hey there Fredrik, why Shisha Pangma? What's this mountain's special appeal to you?
I just like the name! Just kidding, seriously there's something magic about all the 8000 meter peaks. It has been a dream of mine to climb and ski in Himalaya. But I chose Shisha because it's one of the easier 8000ers. I need to gain experience.
How have you been training for the expedition?
I've been rock climbing and alpine climbing here in Chamonix during the summer. I hope it will help my acclimatization. I also work out - running and weights.
There are more Swedes, living in Chamonix, headed to climb and ski down the same mountain. Do you guys know each other? Why don't you join their expedition?
Thomas is a friend of mine. But I'm joining an international teams permit and will climb on my own.
Tell us about your climbing style and route? Do you plan to ski down the same route you'll be climbing? Do you plan to hire sherpas or use supplementary O2?
I will climb the normal route sans sherpas or os. I feel that I want to climb the mountain on my own, if I 'd use help to get to the summit I would lose some of the feeling I get from climbing. After the acclimatization I hope to climb to the summit without fixed camps. As for descent, if the conditions are good I might take a slightly different route down, but most likely I'll ski the normal route.
Any particular concern about the climb or the descent? Which part of the expedition - climbing or skiing - keeps your mind really busy?
To me the climb for sure is the biggest concern - the summit ridge in particular. Snow conditions there must be good enough for a traverse and of course the altitude will be a major part of the climb.
If you climb Shisha's normal route, and you reach the Central summit... What would be more important to you: To complete the climb on the ridge to Main summit, or to do a sky descent in best possible conditions?
If I climb that far I will want to get to the summit. But if bad weather is headed my way, I might turn back and go for a good ski descent instead.
Fredrik Ericsson is off for a sky descent on Shisha Pangma (8027m). Born in 1975, he worked as a skiinstructor for two years in Oppdal, Norway and spent winters in Queenstown, New Zealand and Fernie, Canada. Next he moved to Chamonix, France and in the summer of 2003 Fredrik climbed the 7495 m high Peak Somoni in Tajikistan and descended on skis. (Borodkin route on Peak Somoni 50°, 7495 m - 4500 m.)
Tomas Olsson, with Peter Frick, Jonas Tufvesson and Tormod Granheim, conforms the Bergans Big Mountain Ski Expedition, and they are headed for a Cho Oyu and Shisha double header. 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.
Image copyright Mikael Pilstrand, courtesy Fredrikericsson.com
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