Njeriu me lëkure më të gjat ne botë! (Video)

Në mbrëmje mature me helikopter

Mbrëmja e maturës është një ngjarje e rëndësisshme për shumë 18-vjeçare, por janë të rrallë ata që përfundojnë në faqet e para të gazetave për bëmat e tyre, njofton TCH. Pasi kishin ëndërruar për shumë kohë një mbrëmje mature model dhe kishin planifikuar çdo detaj, dy të reja në Britaninë e Madhe mbetën të befasuara kur tashmë nuk kishte ngelur më asnjë limuzinë e lirë për t’u pajtuar me qera. Të vendosura për t’u paraqitur me bujë në mbrëmje, 18-vjeçaret gjetën një zgjidhje krejt të veçantë. Në një skenar të denjë për filma hollivudianë, ato vendosën të paguajnë 500 paund secila, për t’u transportuar në ballo me helikopter. ”Ishte një udhëtim fantastik. U ngjitëm në helikopter dhe fluturuam për rreth gjysmë ore, përpara se të zbrisnim në mbrëmjen e maturës. Shokët tanë ishin të shastisur. Nuk mund t’u besonin syve”, përshkroi këtë përvojë Chloe Webb, njëra prej dy maturanteve.

Annapurna I

Annapurna is the 10th highest mountain in the world and was the first 8000m peak to be climbed. It was first summited in 1950 by Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal. It was not until 1970 that Annapurna was summited again. In the autumn of 1999 there were 120 expedition to Annapurna. 106 climbers reached the summit. 54 climbers never came back. However, I am assuming you are more interested in trekking the Annapurna region , so most of this information will pertain to trekkers considering this trip. For an excellent accounting of one persons adventure doing the Annapurna circuit and tons of nice photographs see www.cs.dartmouth.edu/whites/nepal

Nanga Parbat

Nanga Parbat is located in the Northern Areas of Pakistan and is the Western bastion of the Himalaya. It is the nineth highest mountain in the world and the second highest in Pakistan after K2. Steeped in a history matched by few others in Asia it has staged some of the greatest Himalayan ascents of all time. From Hermann Buhl’s solo first ascent in 1953 via the Upper North ridge to Gunther and Reinhold Messner’s first ascent of the Rupal Face in 1970 via the South South East Spur, Messner’s solo climb of the Diamir Face in 1978, and more recently Vince Anderson and Steve House’s Alpine-style ascent of the Central Pillar of the Rupal Face. These epic climbs continue to inspire climbers to attempt yearly what is considered to be the second hardest 8000m mountain after K2. Nanga Parbat is a truly awesome spectacle. The south face is the largest in the world extending over four kilometres above base camp. To date there have only been five ascents from the south. Nanga Parbat means "Naked Mountain" in Hindi/Urdu and is with reference to the south face's exposed rock buttresses. The north face is equally intimidating. In contrast to the south face’s steep rock and ice the snowy north face is guarded by a broad barrier of seracs that extend the width of the mountain. Climbers before the Second World War were convinced that the only way to climb the mountain was from the north via a long arc extending over Rakhiot Peak (7010m), between the two summits of Silberzacken and finally to the summit of Nanga Parbat thereby avoiding a more direct ascent of the north face. The route was dangerously prone to avalanche and exposed to bad weather. 31 people died attempting to climb the mountain leading to it acquiring the infamous name of the “Killer Mountain”. Nowadays it is not such a killer and there are other peaks that could inherit the nickname (eg Ultar or Batura I). Hermann Buhl’s summit route has only been repeated once (Slovak, 1971) to this day. His ascent marked only the third 8000m ascent after Annapurna I (1950) and Everest and was the only first summit of all the 8000ers to be done without oxygen and of course solo. Most attempts nowadays are via the Westerly Diamir face which is generally considered to be the easiest and safest with the Kinshofer Route the normal route. Nanga Parbat as of 2005, had received 263 ascents by 261 individuals (Messner and SP Member Qudrat Ali have climbed it twice) at a price of 62 deaths. Sixteen women have summited the mountain. Numerous challenging lines still await. The most difficult is an ascent of Nanga Parbat via the unclimbed Mazeno Ridge which constitutes the longest ridge in the world. A number of expeditions have made ‘attempts’ on the mountain during winter but to no avail.

Manaslu

Manaslu (also known as Kutang) is the eighth highest mountain in the world. It is located forty miles east of Annapurna and dominates the Gurkha massif. The mountain's long ridges and valley glaciers offer feasible approaches from all directions, and it culminates in a peak that towers steeply above its surrounding landscape, and is a dominant feature when seen from afar. This mountain was previously known as Kutan l. 'tang' being the Tibetan word for flat place, thereby describing the mountain's general summit. The name was later changed to Manaslu, which is derived from the Sanskrit word Manasa and can be roughly translated as Mountain of the Spirit. The first ascent of this peak was in 1956 by T. Imanishi and Gyalzen Norbu (Japanese expedition). The peak was not climbed again until 1971 when a Japanese team made the second ascent. It was not until 1997 that Charlie Mace made the first American ascent. There are a half dozen established routes on the mountain today, the south face being arguably the toughest in climbing history. As of 2003, the peak has seen only 240 successful ascents and 52 fatalities, making it the 4th most dangerous 8000m peak, behind Annapurna, Nanga Parbat, and K2.

Dhaulagiri

Dhaulaghiri was climbed first in 1960 by an international team under the leadership of Max Eiselin, Lucerne. Since I happen to know some of the team members personally, my description concentrates mainly on this ascent. But in this Overview chapter, I try to inform about the present situation. Dhavali giri is Sanskrit and means white mountain. It is located in the west central part of Nepal. On the altitude scale it is number 7 and it is almost the last 8000er to be conquered. The way of the first ascent is the normal route of today. There are however two main possibilities to reach the base camp. Both ways start from south at the small town of Beni (860 m) which can by reached by bus from Pokhara and Kathmandu. The eastern valley is called Kali Gandaki and was chosen by the French expedition in 1950. Today there is even an airport at Jomosom (2700 m) in this valley. On the west side of this valley is Dhaulagiri, on the east side is Annapurna. The alternative route is the Mayanghdi valley, which was discovered by a Swiss expedition one year later. Today there are commercial trekking tours that climb on one side, reach the base camp and come back through the opposite valley. But there also organized tours that try to reach the summit. Here is a brief description of such a tour that lasts ca. 45 days and costs around $ 7000, including the flight to Nepal and the fee to the summit. Reckon with a 10 days climb from Beni through Mayanghdi Khola to the BC on the north side at 4650 m. Food and lodging in tents are provided by the organizer. Porters are included in the price. The participants will spend 30 days at and above the base camp. Food will be supplied at the BC, but the ascent of the NE-spur is left to the team member, without guides and at their own risk. 2-men tents are provided, but must be carried and to four sites on the spur and are erected by the members. Some fixed ropes are already there or will be installed by the organization. Artificial oxygen is proved at the BC in case of emergency. The route between the last camp and the summit does not follow the spur and the French ridge, as in 1960, but follows the ice field that heads directly to the summit and was abandoned by the first ascent because of too much snow. The way back to Beni may lead over the French-Col and ambush Pass (Thapa Pass). Then follow the Kali Gandaki to the village of Tuktsche (2600 m). Some organizations walk back to Beni, others reach the airport at Jomosom (2700 m).

Cho Oyu

Basic facts and location At 8188 meters, Cho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain in the world. It is located on the border of Tibet (China) and Nepal about 20 km to the west of Mount Everest. Just west of Cho Oyo, at about the location of Advanced Base Camp, is the Nangpa La, a 5500 meter glacier pass which is a major trade route between the Khumbu Sherpas and Tibet. The border trade is a bit curious, as Nangpa La also is famous for illegal border crossings, but still authorities on both sides most of the time turn the blind eye on the trade. Long caravans with yaks can be seen here at all times of the year. In the post-monsoon climbing season of 2006 all this changed dramatically, when Chinese border police shot some refugees to death at Nangpa La. Some climbers claim that Cho Oyu is the easiest 8000 meter peak (if anything over 8000 meters can be called easy!). There's no really technical sections and the objective dangers are close to non-existent. Its relatively easy access makes it an attractive climb for someone with limited time, as it can be attempted in roughly 6 weeks round trip. Base Camp is accessible by jeep and it is possible to reach Kathmandu in a very long day from Base Camp. Because of it's ease of access, ABC is often crowded with a large number of expeditions. There have been well over 1000 ascents so far. This mountain has also recently become popular with ski mountaineers and snowboarders due to it's relatively low objective risk and good snow conditions, especially in the fall. The name Cho Oyu is translated in Tibetan as "the Turquoise Goddess", from chomo=godess and yu=turquoise. This derivation of the name is not certain and other "translations" of the name includes "Mighty Head" (Tichy) and "God's Head" (Harrer). Another alternative translation of the name is "bald god". This makes sense looking at a Tibetan legend, where Cho Oyu, the bald god, has his back turned to Chomolongma, the mother godess, because she refused to marry him.