"For me, high altitude climbing is about the aesthetic of climbing high with less," Gavin said. "I think it is only possible to truly understand what it means to climb big mountains when you have to make your own decisions and unclip from the fixed line.” Image of Gavin courtesy of his website (click to enlarge).
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Gavin Bate for a no O2 Everest traverse: Fail or win, do it in style
Posted: Mar 01, 2007 11:53 am EST
(MountEverest.net) This spring, Britain’s Gavin Bate will attempt Everest for the fourth time. Many climbers would have looked for the easiest way to reach the top, especially after a failed attempt – let alone after three previous tries. Not Gavin though who has progressively aimed for excellence. After a first attempt expedition-style, Gavin has always refused to use O2, Sherpas or fixed high camps on Everest. Last year he even avoided BC and settled headquarters in Gorak Shep instead.
Everest traverse: no O2, no camps, single push
His upcoming expedition will be no exception to his principles. Moreover, this time Gavin is raising the bar even more: Climbing from Tibet, he hopes to traverse down to the Nepalese side of the mountain.
Everest traverses usually involve high costs and complicated logistics since the climbers need higher camps, supplies and O2 on both sides of the mountain. Gavin is keeping it simple by going light, self-sufficient and fast.
Double header: Cho Oyu training
Bate plans to acclimatize on Cho Oyu with a team from Adventure Alternative. Then he will show up in Everest’s BC ready for a summit push without setting high camps on either side. Instead, Gavin will take along a lightweight single-skin tent with a small stove, a bivi bag and some essential gear in his backpack. The climber expects the traverse to take a total of 55 hours.
Plan B and a Sherpa shadow
Gavin is concerned about weather conditions. He believes they will rarely be good on both sides of the mountain at the same time. “If I cannot manage the traverse then I will come down from the north side, then circle round to Nepal by vehicle and climb the mountain by the SE Ridge route,” he said.
“I will have a 'shadow', a Nepalese Sherpa called Pasang Tendi who will follow me and help me if I collapse or need assistance if my life is in danger. He will use oxygen but he will not be carrying any of my equipment.”
You decide, you climb
“For me, high altitude climbing is about the aesthetic of climbing high with less. I prefer purity of movement without the support of siege tactics. I think it is only possible to truly understand what it means to climb big mountains when you have to make your own decisions and unclip from the fixed line.”
Gavin is also raising money for Moving Mountains, a charity he’s been working with for years by helping street children in Kenia, Nepal and Niger.
Gavin Bate's first Everest attempt ended on the south summit in 2000. His team used full Sherpa support and bottled oxygen. The second attempt took place on the north side in 2002 with Northern Irish friend Will Canning. The two used only 2 high camps, no O2 and no Sherpas. Will dislocated his knee at the second step and it took the climbers three days to descend back to ABC in stormy weather conditions.
Gavin’s third Everest expedition returned to the south side in 2005. He went alone and without bottled oxygen or Sherpa support. He used the original 1953 Base Camp (by Gorak Shep village) and put in only one camp at 21,350' (Camp 2).
He went to the south summit and back in 32 hours without stopping but failed to touch the true summit, reportedly because of the large amount of climbers jammed at the Hillary Step. The only person climbing without bottled oxygen that day (30th of May), Gavin decided that waiting would be dangerous.
In 2007 Gavin plans to traverse the mountain from Tibet to Nepal, alone again and without any bottled oxygen. His plan B, if weather and circumstances force a retreat, will be to climb as high on the north side as possible and then travel back to Kathmandu and climb by the SE Ridge.
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