Meru: One Persistent Mountaineering Problem

October 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I’m about to make the monthly payments for the mortgage and the loan for my beloved 2010 Subaru Outback, and like every so often I ask some serious questions, if only half-heartedly.  So where might I go if these debts weren’t begging for steady income?  Well, this mountain daydream takes us the northern edge of India:

Alpinist Conrad Anker said to The Outsider that there are far fewer challenges today in mountaineering, but one such place that he has attempted and would like to return to is Meru (21,850 ft./6,660 m.) in the Gangontri Region of the Himalayas.  Specifically, he is interested in conquering the Shark’s Fin route.   

The Shark’s Fin route is the central prow of Meru’s middle peak.  It involves alpine rock, ice and snow.  The crux of the challenge has been beating the weather, supplies, and the bare Shark’s Fin above 19,029 ft./5,800 m.  Russian Valery Babanov soloed the route in 2001, but circumvented the fin proper to reach the summit – the Shangri La route.  Regardless, he rightfully won the Piolet d’Or for this route. 

  • Location: Gangotri National Park, Garhwal Indian Himalayas
  • Summit Elevation: 21,850 ft./6,660 m.
  • Climbing Routes: Meru is irregular shaped massif and includes several peaks and several routes, however the Shark’s Fin, also known as Meru Central, has turned numerous alpinists away at the fin itself; alternate routes have lead to the summit. 
  • Hiking Trails: Unmarked routes are throughout Gangotri National Park, some of which require general mountaineering skills.  See this link for someone’s take: http://www.bhramanti.com/badriga.html
  • Getting There: Flying from the states to Delhi (DEL) should run approximately $1,200 per passenger.  From there it is a two day journey to Gangotri National Park in the Indian state/province of Uttarakhand.  The nearest town is Uttarkashi. 
  • Outfitting: Outfitters and guides will be best acquired in Delhi as many Himalayan expeditions originate there. 
  • Recommended Viewing: Dispatch Videos by Renan Ozturk: http://vimeo.com/channels/34832

Well, if you go send me a note at SuburbanMountaineer@yahoo.com, leave a comment, and don’t forget that you can follow this site through Facebook and even Twitter (@SuburbanMtnr).  Happy exploring!

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Before Vibram: Hobnail-Boot Ascents

July 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Great George Mallory.

When we cannot hike climb (mainly because of work and family), many of us enjoy reading stories of other explorers’ experiences.  Most of these stories tend to be about near-death or death experiences.  While climbing is inherently dangerous, it is actually about living. 

It seems the experiences of life and death in the mountains fascinates all of us.  We enjoy it with Gore Tex and fleece, and even that sometimes fails to keep us dry and warm at times.  Once upon a time, a legendary climber, who wore hobnail boots and climbed in various layers of wool (for warmth) and silk (for wind resistance) and his partner approached the top of Mount Everest and was never seen again. 

His body was not found until this past decade by American climber Conrad Anker.  He wrote an enjoyable short, enjoyable book with David Roberts and now National Geographic is releasing a documentary on Anker, who has parallels in his life to the life of George Leigh Mallory’s, and making an attempt on Everest with the equipment of the 1920s.  You can watch the of the trailor of the movie, The Wildest Dream, here.  It opens on August 6th. 

I have said before that the coverage of Everest gets a little silly and this is an example.  The mountain appears to get more media coverage in North America, at least, than any other peak aside from Mount Rainier.  I do not mean to diminish the climb or the effort; I have not climbed it and I do not intend to.  However, mountaineering is more than just ascending the highest peaks and being the first to reach the top (though sometimes I wish it was that simple).   That being said, this documentary will share with us, and possibly a new generation unfamilier with the suffering and sacrifice of early climbing, the magnitude of the challenge mankind faced, particularly in the Himalayas. 

If you enjoyed this piece, you can continue following the Suburban Mountaineer through Facebook.

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