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Discovered on the map a few days before, this mountain lying 5 km from Cho Oyu, yet 2700 m lower, was for me perhaps the best highlight in Nepal.
Now I discover that I was not the first to carry a 360° from it:
https://www.himalaya-info.org/images/Images%20Aussichtspunkte/Ngozumpa%20Tse_8000.jpg
Many thanks to that wonderful website!
By the way, do not forget (ACHTUNG: WERBUNG FOLGT) to pay a visit also to the page
https://www.himalaya-info.org/pamir_+_tienshan.htm
Let me also spend a word in memory of David Lama, to whom I thought every time that the wonderful summits of Lunag Ri appeared from within the clouds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMMGFZh6wwI
What I did neither know nor imagine while I was in the Khumbu was that David Lama had died just 9 days before in Canada.
The idea of the Austrian-Nepali climber was of course strictly associated with that of the expedition which in 1954 first climbed Cho Oyu, consisting of only three people, two Austrians and the sherpa Pasang Dawa Lama. In that occasion, the latter achieved an incredible feat. From the mountain he had descended to Namche Bazar to buy additional food. On the way back, after one day of walking, he was in the village of Marlung, when he got somehow to know the news that an unauthorized French expedition had appeared on the mountain. He was so angry that the next morning he walked from Marlung up to Camp 3 at 6700 m, that same day he went on with his companions to Camp 4 at 7000 m, and the next day he was on the top with the others.
An exceptional performance, which becomes even more incredible if one considers that Pasang was that same man who in 1939 was climbing with Fritz Wiessner the summit snow slopes of K2, well above the difficulties. Only problem, it was late: actually, it was 6 pm when Wiessner asked his companion if he agreed to continue to the summit considering that a full moon would soon rise. "No sahib", answered Pasang pulling the rope, because in his culture at night the mountains were inhabited by evil spirits. Of course we Italians are grateful to that "No sahib", but it is incredible to think how a different answer to the man of the Elbsandstein would probably have changed the whole history of Himalayan mountaineering.
After the ascent of the Ngozumpa Tse we also went behind the mountain in search for the Nepali base-camp for Cho Oyu. It was no surprise to find the spot completely empty of tents, considering the difficulty of the southern way to the mountain: that SW ridge which in 1982 was fatal to Reinhard Karl, the author of the wonderful book "Erlebnis Berg: Zeit zum atmen". He died just three months after the ascent of the Fitz Roy Supercanaleta, which he had approached via Paso del Cuadrado (N. 19047) together with Silvia and Gino Buscaini (N. 18840).
Location: 28.01682 86.68434
Larger: https://bit.ly/2TMSpe3
Alvise Bonaldo, Jörg Braukmann, Hans-Jörg Bäuerle, Jörg Engelhardt, Johannes Ha, Heinz Höra, Martin Kraus, Wilfried Malz, Giuseppe Marzulli, Steffen Minack, Jan Lindgaard Rasmussen, Danko Rihter, Werner Schelberger, Christoph Seger, Björn Sothmann, Arjan Veldhuis, Jens Vischer, Augustin Werner
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Comments
Un caro saluto a te dalla Foresta Nera, Hans-Jörg
I feel very privileged to be among the first people to enjoy your stunning photographic achievements.
Ciao & Saluti
What made Ngozumpa so special for me were the details who led us there.
We had on our program in the Everest region three 6000 m mountains: Mera Peak 6461, Island Peak 6189 and Lobuche Peak 6119. When it come the time to tackle the Lobuche, one of our two porters, the 19 years old Sonam, happened to be ill. Previously, it had been my own turn to be ill, on the very day of Mera Peak: I was able to summit nevertheless (none of us is able to understand how I managed to do this), but after the summit ascent, from the high camp down to the valley, Sonam had wanted to carry, in addition to his heavy load, also all my backpack. So, that afternoon on my weak legs I had only to carry myself and my two cameras...
When it came his turn to be ill, at the fork to the peak we were invited to sit down on a stone and discuss, but we truncated every discussion. Although having already paid the high camp and the permit for the Lobuche (which, to be honest, is nothing but a higher and snowier Kala Pattar), we would skip it, pack as much as possible on our own shoulders, and allow the two porters, the ill one and the healthy one (it was his turn, this time, to carry a double load...), to point as soon as possible to the hospital in Namche Bazar, 1 and 1/2 walking days away... It was under a snowstorm with hail that we waved goodbye to our young companions: http://bit.ly/2WR9Z0U But, meanwhile, the bargain that we were concluding also for ourselves was immense. With our sherpa guide we would cross the 5500 m Cho La, reaching Gokyo and its wonderful lake. In Gokyo we left our sherpa 2 and 1/2 days free to play cards with his friends. The first day, we climbed the newly-discovered Ngozumpa Tse. The second day, we went to Renjo La, thus nearly completing, as an unexpected bonus, also the classical "Everest Three Passes Trek". And in the morning of the third day it was the turn of the incredible Gokyo Ri. Which is, maybe, even better than Ngozumpa Tse as for panorama, but surely it did not have the same flavour of adventure and improvisation...
Cheers, Alberto.
Cheers Werner
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