Time for some actual travel discussion!
[For context, I have no background in mountaineering or climbing, although I do like hiking, trail running, ultramarathons and the odds ridiculous long-distance kayaking expedition]
This June I agreed to try and conquer 2 x peaks above 4,000m. I managed one, and am very lucky we never attempted the second:
Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in Borneo and Malaysia. With an elevation of 4,095 metres (13,435 ft), it is the third-highest peak of an island on Earth, the 28th highest peak in Southeast Asia, and 20th most prominent mountain in the world.
We got up to the 3,272m hut from the entrance at about 1,800m in about six hours. Having slept at sea level the night before and done zero altitude acclimatization, I got smashed with altitude sickness around the 2,800m mark, and slowed to a crawl for the last two hours. However, overnight in the hut was fine, and the next morning I got up at 1:30am ready for the summit push. Sadly, the weather was so bad the park rangers closed the summit. Lucky they did, as the very next day it reopened and one person broke their ankle, while another collapsed and died on the summit push! https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/06/13/climber-collapses-dies-200m-from-mt-kinabalu-summit
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The Margherita Hut is a mountain hut belonging to the Italian Alpine Club, located on the summit of Punta Gnifetti (Signalkuppe) of Monte Rosa, a mountain massif of the Alps lying near the border between Italy and Switzerland. At 4,554 metres (14,941 ft) above sea level, it is the highest building in Europe. It was originally opened in 1893 as a research station for high altitude medicine which it still is, but also serves as a simply equipped mountain hut for alpinists.
Having spent the previous week in Eritrea above 2,000m, I was a lot more prepared for this one. But it was still extremely difficult! You start at just below 3,000m at the top of the cable car, then head up to a hut around 3,500m to sleep. Didn't get much sleep due to the altitude though. Then the next morning at 4am you put on your crampons, rope up, grab your ice axe (which we didn't actually need) and head for the summit. We made it in just over four hours and it was FREEZING at the top. Margherita hut itself was so cozy though, and we ordered what has to be the most expensive margherita pizza in all of Italy as a reward!
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[For context, I have no background in mountaineering or climbing, although I do like hiking, trail running, ultramarathons and the odds ridiculous long-distance kayaking expedition]
This June I agreed to try and conquer 2 x peaks above 4,000m. I managed one, and am very lucky we never attempted the second:
Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in Borneo and Malaysia. With an elevation of 4,095 metres (13,435 ft), it is the third-highest peak of an island on Earth, the 28th highest peak in Southeast Asia, and 20th most prominent mountain in the world.
We got up to the 3,272m hut from the entrance at about 1,800m in about six hours. Having slept at sea level the night before and done zero altitude acclimatization, I got smashed with altitude sickness around the 2,800m mark, and slowed to a crawl for the last two hours. However, overnight in the hut was fine, and the next morning I got up at 1:30am ready for the summit push. Sadly, the weather was so bad the park rangers closed the summit. Lucky they did, as the very next day it reopened and one person broke their ankle, while another collapsed and died on the summit push! https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/06/13/climber-collapses-dies-200m-from-mt-kinabalu-summit
The Margherita Hut is a mountain hut belonging to the Italian Alpine Club, located on the summit of Punta Gnifetti (Signalkuppe) of Monte Rosa, a mountain massif of the Alps lying near the border between Italy and Switzerland. At 4,554 metres (14,941 ft) above sea level, it is the highest building in Europe. It was originally opened in 1893 as a research station for high altitude medicine which it still is, but also serves as a simply equipped mountain hut for alpinists.
Having spent the previous week in Eritrea above 2,000m, I was a lot more prepared for this one. But it was still extremely difficult! You start at just below 3,000m at the top of the cable car, then head up to a hut around 3,500m to sleep. Didn't get much sleep due to the altitude though. Then the next morning at 4am you put on your crampons, rope up, grab your ice axe (which we didn't actually need) and head for the summit. We made it in just over four hours and it was FREEZING at the top. Margherita hut itself was so cozy though, and we ordered what has to be the most expensive margherita pizza in all of Italy as a reward!
Statistics: Posted by Ozymandias — Thu Jul 04, 2024 3:06 pm — Replies 4 — Views 101