“Chamjé Khola 2011 Nepal Expedition”

Training before the Expedition

Friday 18th – Saturday 19th – Sunday 20th – Monday 21st

We left early in the morning Katmandu in a very “fancy, funny” local Nepali bus for 10hrs to Ghermu, 200km away only!

We travelled mainly on the roof top of the bus. Some times, Sam Bie and Laurent Triay jumped over on the road to shoot few minutes of the journey.
At the very beginning of the Marsyanguy valley we left the bus to get into two jeeps. Both were crawling under the weight…more than 500kg of equipment, food, etc. Finally after 3hrs in jeep” riding” we arrived in Ghermu, located on the famous Annapurna Tour trek.
Lovely place surrounded by high peaks and canyons.
The rest of the day was busy to prepare all the equipment, ropes and dynema belay station for the next days.
The process consist in exploring canyons with very small rope diameter (8mm), light belay station (use only 8mm bolt without any plate to clip, only 5mm Beal dyneema slings). Lightness, Team organisation = efficiency.
This technique has been elaborated by the “Himalayan Canyon Team” specialised in light and efficient exploration in biggest, deepest and remotest canyon in the world. Mainly today in Nepal and India Himalayas.

Saturday 19th:
We start at 7.30am to walk from Ghermu to Sansapu village 650m higher. Nice canyon for a day of set up and team organisation. This canyon doesn’t represent any technical difficulty. The goal of this day is to adjust the team work between the ahead route setter’s team and the other teams, particularly with the film and photos team.
A warm up day with beautiful sunshine.
Back to Ghermu, Rodolphe Sturm and Yann Ozoux have organised a briefing on the day.
Long and technical discussion raised up to plan and explore all technical details for the next day.
The goal of these practises is to share fun experience with a main emphasis on individual and team’s work adjustment.
We have to figure out, as much as we can, to minimise the risk during “Chamjé Khola Canyon expedition”.

Sunday 20th:
Today we have explored a canyon opened during the 2004 canyon expedition by Rodolphe Sturm, Lio and Mauricio, “Syangé Khola”.
Altitude’s difference is 500m from the beginning to the bottom.
An amazing canyon divided in two main parts.
One consists in a very vertical drop of 130m. We did 3 belays stations. At the bottom of the waterfall, we have been washed out by the violent water projections. No one could stand nearby the feet!
The second part is a vertical drop of 120 divided in 30m, 30m and 60m.
The goal of the day wasn’t to bit any time’s record but to try in all situation to come out with the best pictures and movies. In the middle of the 130m wall, Sam jumped into a tree hanging over the deep…
On the second drop we have fixed a tyrolean travers called in the “Himalayan Canyon Team” language a “guided rappel”.
At 1.00pm we came out from the last pool where all the villagers were steering at us!!
“But where from are they coming???? (!!)”

Monday 21st: Today!
In the morning we have packed all equipment, filled up our canyon’s kit. Load the jeeps and walked up to Jaghat Village at about one hour from Ghermu.
In this village we stay in Hotel “The North face” offering a beautiful view on the Jaghat canyon planned to be re-explore tomorrow, Tuesday 22nd.
The team has a very good energy and best positive mind.
We are in a constructive team’s organisation with an endless sense of perfection!
Nothing should be left over. That will be our key to the success for the Expedition.
Tonight we will have a briefing on tomorrow’s canyon and technical infos from the last exploration in 2008. It is the last final training day before starting the proper Expedition.

On Tuesday 23rd: Jaghat Khola Exploration.
On Wednesday 24th: rest day.
On the Thursday 25th: we will move to Tal village, the final destination to approach Chamjé Valley.
Then the next days we will divide the team into two groups. One will climb up to the Intermediate bivouac till the upper part of the Chamjé Khola Canyon.
On the same day the other group will join from Tal the altitude of 3000m where they will fixe up a bivouac camp: Camp 1.
We will have some rest and then we will start the expedition on the 28th .

Written by Jeanluc Jubert.
Top Rock Adventures – Manali India.