Khan Tengri, looking sternly over us.

On every expedition, we would take rolls of film. On this journey, we have here some digital photos. Click on the description for a view of the snaps. Be warned, downloading some of these photos can take some time.

David outside his tent. Taking on the sunshine and getting a bit of colour on the cheeks.	The team brought a rather large flag of Singapore to a rather high spot at the Karly.	The Climb 2000 Foundation team, all smiles despite the aching muscles.
A bit of training on ice climbing and another photo. This is not ice-kacang… (a favourite Singaporean dessert).	Inylchek, a smooth glacier between the mountains. One is almost tempted to take out the skates…	Then there is the morraine at Karly.
Camp 1 at Karly.	It was a bit of a workout, going from Camp 1 to Camp 2 at Karly.	View of Khan Tengri, from Karly
The North Face of Khan Tengri.	Expedition members with the Singapore Mountaineering Federation flag, big smiles here.	The summit ridge of Karly
Roz grins away while Beng Cheong tries to look cool	At the ridge, Karly we remember another of our sponsors, GORE.	And the Singapore Pools, who gives so many of us hope and goodwill…
Another picture with Khan Tengri in the background.

Where in the world is Kazakhstan?

This was the most common question asked of us when we made plans to climb in the Central Tienshan Range of Kazakhstan.

Kazakstan is a large, independent country and was formerly one of the Soviet Union’s Central Asian Republics.

From July 22 to August 26, 2000, members of the Singapore – Latin American Everest Expedition 2001 will be training in this area as part of the pre-Everest preparations. They will also be training and instructing 5 younger climbers from Singapore who have been groomed under the CLIMB 2000 programme run by the Mountaineering Society of Singapore. This programme trains future climbers and leaders as part of the effort to develop mountaineering in Singapore.

Together, the 8 member team will conduct climbs on the Bayankol Peaks. Attempts will be made on Bayankol and Karlytoo Peaks, both in the 5,000 to 6000m range. Following this, the 3 member Everest 2001 members will make an attempt on Khan Tengri, 7,000m, a difficult and cold mountain opposite from the Bayankol Peaks.

Despatches from Kazakhstan

Tien Shan Range

July 22nd marks the departure of the CLIMB 2000 Foundation Team for Kazakhstan. The team was been selected over 2 Selection Weekends in 1999 and have since received instruction and mentoring in their alpine climbing quest.

This marks the first time any mountaineering expedition from Singapore is attempting peaks in the Tien Shan range. The Team will be given instruction by members of the Everest 2001 team, making the event a joint effort. Weather and health permitting, 2 – 3 peaks will be attempted. Subsequent to the Foundation Team’s programme, The Everest team will remain to attempt Khan Tengri ( 7000m ) a difficult and technical peak in the same range.

The Khan Tengri Massif

“Travelers passing the Khan-tengri from either side, are struck by its tremendous size, plentitude of snow… but all of them seem to be content with viewing this colossus from a distance and do not risk approaching it.”

Russian geologist Mushketova

The snow and ice massif of the Khan-tengri rises on the border of Kirghizia and the Sinkiang-Uighur Autonomous Province of China. It is one of the most beautiful heights in the world–Nature herself has moulded these majestic forms out of the original chaos. Above these ranges, in a gap, towers the glistening pyramid of the Khan-tengri, which looks like a hand-made sculpture of exceptional beauty rising high into the bottomless sky.

“Travelers passing the Khan-tengri from either side,” wrote the well-known Russian geologist Mushketov, “are struck by its tremendous size, plentitude of snow, etc., but all of them seem to be content with viewing this colossus from a distance and do not risk approaching it.”
A quarter of a century after Gotfried Merzbacher’s 1902 attempt to reach the Lord of the Spirits, a small reconnaissance group–organized by the Ukrainian Association of Orientalists, the People’s Commissariat of Education and the Supreme Council of Physical Culture of the then young Soviet Republic, reached the foot of the Khan-tengri.

In those days the Tien Shan Mountains were dangerous not only because of their avalanches and rock cascades, but also because of the Basmatch bands of counter-revolutionary bandits.

That, however, did not deter M. Pogrebetsky and his companions who, after several recces and attempts, scaled the marble peak on Sep 11, 1931. Since then, numerous routes have been added to the peak, some extremely difficult. Many people have died attempting Khan Tengri, including the famed Russian climber Valerie Khrischaty [sic] from an icefall.

The distant mountains of Kazkhastan reverberates for a brief moment… with the sweet snores of Roz…

Comfortably snugged in my sleeping bag, I was trying to get some sleep after a long summit day which saw us waking up at 2 am in the morning to do an alpine style start for the summit. Wondered whether my tent mates, Roz and Hairul, had fallen asleep or were they also just lying there wondering.

However, when the familiar snoring sound broke the serenity of the mountain, I knew that I had once again lost in the race to fall asleep first. It was going to be more difficult to fall asleep having to put up with the snoring.

We were into Day 16 of our Tien Shan expedition and the next day we would be moving back to Khan Tengri Base Camp. We had just come down from a summit attempt on Karlytoo, a 5450 m peak, some 12 hours ago. We were about 100 m away from the summit when we were forced to turn back as the summit was sitting on a precariously overhanging cornice. I guessed this is what mountaineering is all about, sometimes it does not matter whether you summit or not, but it is the journey to the mountain from the beginning to the end that completes the objective. Being able to summit is just a bonus to the whole thing.

When we arrived at Karkara Base Camp 12 days ago, we went through a 3-day acclimatisation trek at the surrounding mountains before we were air-lifted to Khan Tengri Base Camp which was at about 4000 m. As part of the Climb 2000 programme’ to equip the Foundation Team members with basic alpine skills, we spent the next few days at Khan Tengri Base Camp where we were taught basic mountaineering skills by our mentors. Climbing Karlytoo was to give us a complete experience of what technical mountaineering was all about.

However, getting up the mountain was not the only part to the whole picture. In fact, for some, that would be the easy part. The real work would start from getting the team together, selecting the members, co-ordinating training schedules, juggling work commitments, sponsor hunting for some, getting the logistic together and not to mention the amount of sacrifices, in term of both time and money, each team member had to put in to pull off the expedition. For us, all this requires almost a year if not more of commitment and constant motivation.

All in all, I must say that Climb 2000 has given me a very complete experience of what mountaineering is all about. Different people from different background and environment come together with a common objective, to climb and experience mountaineering. At the end of it, it was more than that, it was a journey of learning, acceptance and self discovery.

Daniel

Climbing Schedule: