More from the Himalayan Team

Tengboche (3860m) 18th October

After spending their acclimatization day in Namche Bazaar today the team hiked to Tengboche at 3860m. Dave Bunting reported in that all team members are well and in great spirits.

Tengboche is the site of an important Buddhist monastery, home to around 60 monks, and is also famous because of its spectacular and unique location offering the first clear views of Mt. Everest at 8848m. From here the team will also look out on some of the other world's highest mountains including Ama Dablam [6,812m], Nuptse [7,855m] and Lhotse [8,516m]. The ice walls of these mountains dominate the landscape where avalanches can frequently be heard rumbling high up the glaciers.

Tomorrow the team will be moving up to Pheriche at 4200m where they'll spend another day acclimatizing and by doing a short local hike. In Pheriche they also plan to visit the Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA) who have established a clinic there. The clinic is staffed by volunteer Doctors from all countries who meet with climbing and trekking expeditions to treat and offer advice on altitude and other mountaineering health issues.


Waiting to take off for Lukla


Stratis make friends with the locals


Namche Camp


Lukla Airport

Joe above Namche

Ian and Dom take a shower

Helen

Greg, Rachael, Chris, Alison and Kate

First view of the Himalayan Mountains

Dave braves the Rope Bridges

Bev explores the village

View from the plane to Lukla

More pictures from Kathmandu and Him 09 Exped team

The Team at Heathrow Airport

The Exepedition team arrive at Kathmandu Airport

Dave Green , arriving at the Summit Hotel, Kathmandu

The arrival ceremony at the Summit hotel, Kathmandu

The ceremony gets underway

Children playing at the SHGCP

My Peak Potential at SHGCP

Children and mothers at SHGCP

Greg and Anna met the children who wil benefit from their fundrasing

The children at SHGCP

The building begins

Kate Pitchforthdoing as the locals do

For Andrew!

Working hard

The teams first night out in Kathmandu

A well derserve beer for the boys!

Richie - Demolition man!

Dave meets Bimal

Victoria, Kate, Chris and Dave present Bimal with fundraising cheque

The boys get stuck in

A night out in Tamil, Kathmandu

Cargnegie Great Outdoors at SHGCP

Kate presentents SHGCP with the donated toys

Anna hard at work, nice head gear Anna!

Himalayan Expedition Training Weekend

After spending 7 months out at the Carnegie Alpenrose as a My peak Potential trainee it was fantastic to see some familiar faces back in Bavaria last week and also to meet some new ones.

I am referring to the training week for the Himalaya 09 Expedition which saw the whole team of Leeds Met staff and students travel to Bavaria for 5 days of preparation and planning for the trip to Nepal in October this year. The team will be aiming to reach Everest base camp as well as volunteering with a community project at a school for children with cerebral palsy, for which the team are aiming to raise £20,000.

The week combined briefings, mountain skills training, snow shoeing and that all important team bonding, in perfect clear blue skies which resulted in certain team members returning home with an unexpected lobster appearance.

Having been unable to attend the first training meet in North Wales I was meeting some of the team members for the first time. From the outset I was struck by what a friendly, motivated and diverse group of people have been put together for this ambitious project.

Unlike many commercial trekking expeditions where you simply turn up at the airport, this one is unique in that each team member has a specific area of responsibility from fundraising to coordinating the physical preparation. This results in the team developing personally and also learning vast amounts about expedition planning which contributes to a more rewarding and fulfilling experience.

Coming from a sporting background I have always enjoyed being part of a team and all the camaraderie and friendships that come along with having that collective identity. The group of individuals that arrived on day one, through the activities, the fantastic setting and a few bar games thrown in for good measure, left a focused, motivated and above all bonded Team.

As the team left for the airport there was a real buzz of excitement in the air, that one day in mid October, after much preparation and a great deal of hard work, we will be standing as one at Kala Pattar in Nepal, looking up at the top of the world.

By Dave Green