AVOIDING PURGATORY: BASECAMP-LESS ASCENTS

THERE WILL BE THOSE WHO SEE BASECAMPS AS AN ESSENTIAL AND ENJOYABLE PART OF AN EXPEDITION AND THERE WILL THOSE WHO SEE IT AS PURGATORY, AS TIME SPENT NOT CLIMBING AND AT THE SUBJECT OF TEDIUM, WAITING AND INACTIVITY.

BASECAMPS ARE PART OF THE FABRIC OF MOUNTAINEERING AND FOR MANY WHERE THEY SPEND THE MOST TIME WITH MOST 8000m TRIPS HAVING RATIOS OF ABOUT FOUR DAYS IN BASECAMP FOR EVERY ONE ON THE MOUNTAIN. THE CONCEPT IS DEEPLY ENTRENCHED IN THE CONTINUUM OF AN EXPEDITIONS TIMELINE, AND FOR A LOT OF CLIMBERS IS BOTH THE BEST AND WORST THING ABOUT A TRIP. BASECAMPS ARE WHERE PEOPLE GATHER AND RELAX BUT THEY ARE ALSO WHERE PEOPLE ROT, GOSSIP AND LANGUISH. ITS IS WHERE BOTH THE COMFORTS AND VICES OF NORMALITY EXIST, AND WHERE THE AMBIENCE OF A TRIP IS FORGED. IN THIS ERA BASECAMPS ARE WHERE ‘REAL’ FOOD IS, WHERE BATTERIES ARE CHARGED AND OF COURSE COMMUNIQUES ARE SENT FROM, BUT THEY ARE ALSO CENTERS FOR SANITATION WOES, SOCIAL ISSUES, POLITICS AND EGOS. THEY DON’T HAVE TO GET TOO BIG TO BECOME PRESSURE COOKERS OF UNREST, AND HAVE BEEN THE SCENES OF NOTORIOUS EVENTS THAT RIVAL ANY REALITY TV SHOW.

LOGISTICALLY BASECAMPS ARE A MAJOR ELEMENT, THAT TAKE UP A LOT OF THE STUFF AND TIME AN EXPEDITION EXPENDS. EVERY YEAR THE COMMERCIAL ONES GROW EVER MORE FESTOONED WITH CONVENIENCES, BUT EVEN SMALL EXPEDITIONS NOW HAVE BASECAMPS THAT ABSORB A LOT OF THEIR RESOURCES.

TO SOME BASECAMPS ARE INTEGRAL AND A TRIP WITHOUT ONE IS UNIMAGINABLE BOTH EMOTIONALLY AND STRATEGICALLY. TO OTHERS THEY ARE A NECESSARY EVIL YET THE IDEA OF NOT HAVING ONE IS TOO RADICAL. STRATEGICALLY BASECAMPS FORM A SEPARATE REALITY TO THE LIFE LIVED ABOVE THEM, AND TAKING THEM OUT OF THE EQUATION CHANGES THE MINDSET OF A TRIP. THEY ARE OFTEN SOMEWHERE PEOPLE USE TO ANCHOR AND ESTABLISH THEIR ‘MOUNTAIN PERSONA’ AND FOR SOME THEY HAVE MORE GRAVITY HERE THAN THEY EVER DO ACTUALLY CLIMBING. EXCISE ALL THIS AND YOU ONLY HAVE PERFORMANCE, EITHER CARRYING ON THE APPROACHE OR CLIMBING ON THE VERTICAL. THERE IS NO LONGER THE PLATFORM FOR TALK, GOSSIP, FASHION AND NETWORKING THAT A BASECAMP PROVIDES, ONLY THE STAGE FOR PERFORMANCE WHERE RESULTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

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BASECAMPS AS A THING

BASECAMPS FORM A LARGE PART OF THE ENIGMA OF MOUNTAINEERING TRADITIONS, ENCOMPASSING MANY OF THE IMAGES AND TALES AND BEING A BIG PART OF MANY NARRATIVES. ESPECIALLY IN THE ERA OF HEAVILY STRUCTURED EXPEDITIONS THEY WERE A COPY OF MILITARY OUTPOSTS, WITH ENTIRE STAFF THAT NEVER WERE EXPECTED TO GO BEYOND THAT.

IT’S NO SECRET THAT BASECAMPS ARE LARGE COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES, THAT FROM THE POSITION OF COMPANIES ARE WHERE THE PROFITS ARE BEST. THIS IS WHERE FOOD TURNS OVER AND STAFF ARE EMPLOYED AND RESOURCES ARE STORED AND DISTRIBUTED, ALL OF WHICH IS SUBJECT TO THE SAME FACTORS AS AMAZON OR UBER.

INDUSTRY RELIES ON REAL ESTATE, FILLING AND SUPPLYING IT, AND DISMISSING THE IDEA UPSETS LARGE OPERATIONS ALL THE WAY UP THE MOUNTAIN. AT ITS BEST IT MEANS SKIPPING A STEP IN ACCLIMATION THAT A COMPANY SHARES RESPONSIBILITY FOR, AT ITS WORST IT MEANS UPSETTING THE ROSTERS FOR THINGS LIKE OXYGEN AND TENT SPACE. GUIDES AND PORTERS ARE PAID IN RELATION TO THEIR TIME AT BASECAMP, AND FOR MANY LOCALS THIS IS THE MAIN EARNER THEY HAVE OVER A YEAR. CREWS WORK THEIR WAY UP THE EMPLOYMENT LADDERS BY ACCUMULATIVE YEARS SPENT IN BASECAMPS, UPON WHICH INDUSTRIES ARE BASED AND PROJECTED OVER TIME.

REJECTING ALL THIS MEANS REJECTING HOW AN INDUSTRY WORKS, AND EVEN THE MOST SOPHISTICATED OF OPERATORS THAT RUN SERIAL AND FLASH ASCENTS PAY THEIR DUES AT BASECAMPS, AND WE DON’T SUGGEST NOR THINK REALISTIC THE IDEA OF WHOLESCALE ABANDONING OF THE IDEA. MANY, MANY CLIMBERS TOO ARE ATTRACTED TO THE BASECAMP EXPERIENCE AND NEITHER HAVE NOR WANT THE REASON TO CIRCUMVENT IT, DESPITE THE OBVIOUS ISSUES THAT GO WITH IT AND SEEM TO HAVE NO SYSTEM FOR FIXING.

IN SOME PLACES THE LOCAL INDUSTRY AND AUTHORITIES EITHER OUTRIGHT WON’T ALLOW IT OR MAKE IT SO HARD AND EXPENSIVE TO ARRANGE IT AMOUNTS TO THE SAME THING. THIS CAN BE COMMERCIAL GOUGING OUT OF CONTROL OR A PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE WAY TO KEEP PEOPLE AWAY FROM THINGS LIKE BORDERS, AND CAN ONLY BE ADDRESSED BY PLAYING THE LONG GAME.

WHAT WE DO SUGGEST THOUGH IS AN ALTERNATIVE, THAT ENGAGES THOSE WHO FIND THE MAINSTREAM FALLS SHORT OF WHAT THEY WANT. THESE IDEAS TEND TO SPEAK TO A MIX OF THE SEASONED CLIMBERS WHO OUTGREW THE INDUSTRIAL MODEL AS THEY GAINED EXPERIENCE, AND THE MAVERICK YOUTH WHO REJECT HAVING TO CLIMB LIKE THEIR GRANDPARENTS.

OF COURSE THIS RAISES THE QUESTIONS OF PIRATE ASCENTS, SOMETHING WE NO LONGER ADVOCATE BUT RESPECT AS PART OF THE HISTORY OF ALPINISM. IF CHOSEN, THE CLIMBERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE RISKS TO THEMSELVES AND THOSE THAT COME AFTER, AND HAVE THE HONESTY AND INTEGRITY TO TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY TO MINIMIZE FALLOUT. THIS EXTENDS TO NOT BROADCASTING ANY ASCENTS, WHERE THE TEAM IS SAFELY HOME BUT OTHERS MIGHT BE COMPROMISED. THE BEST THING THAT CAN BE DONE IS ACCEPT YOU WERE CAUGHT AND MINIMIZE DAMAGE BY BECOMING THE WARNING.

THE OLD HIGH CAMP IDEA

TO BE CLEAR, ‘NO BASECAMP’ DOESN’T MEAN EVERY NIGHT IS AN OPEN BIVY WITH A 3AM START, IT MEANS NOT HAVING THE MASS – PHYSICALLY, LOGISTICALLY, STRATEGICALLY AND IN THE PSYCHE – THAT A BASECAMP ENTAILS. CAMPS OF SEVERAL DAYS ARE STILL MADE, MADE COMFORTABLE BY LOCATION AND GEAR WITHIN THE ALPINISTS CARRYING CAPACITY, BUT THEY ARE NOT SOMETHING FIXED ANY MORE THAN CAMPS HIGHER UP THE ROUTE.

ASPECTS RUN PARALLEL WITH THE NOW-OUTDATED IDEA OF HIGHCAMPS, SOMETHING THAT OBVIOUSLY NEEDS A BASECAMP TO BE HIGHER THAN, BUT WHICH WAS USUALLY THE FIRST ‘REAL’ CAMP ON A ROUTE USUALLY AT THE START OF THE CLIMBING. THIS COULD BE ANYTHING FROM AN OPEN BIVY IN A CAVE USED ONLY ONCE, TO EXTENSIVE SNOW CAVES THAT WERE BASICALLY A BASECAMP SANS SUPPORT CREW, BUT WHAT MATTERED WAS IT’S LOCATION WITHIN THE ASCENT RATHER THAN AT THE BOTTOM, OUTSIDE OF IT.

IN A HIGH CAMP YOU WERE ON YOUR CLIMBING GAME, THERE WERE NO TABLES AND CHAIRS BUT NEITHER WERE YOU SQUEEZED INTO TINY TENTS OR EVEN PUSHING WITHOUT SLEEP AT ALL. ALTITUDES WERE LOW ENOUGH – USUALLY THE FIRST STOP ON A TRANDITIONAL ACCLIMATION SCHEDULE OUT OF BASECAMP – AND OFTEN IT WAS WHERE ALL THE CLIMBING GEAR WAS KEPT THAT WASN’T NEEDED BELOW IT.

POPULAR WITH RUSSIAN AND EUROPEAN CLIMBERS WAS PUTTING A HIGH CAMP CLOSE TO 6000m AND SPENDING A LOT OF TIME THERE, EFFECTIVELY ACCLIMATING ON THE ROUTE. THIS WAS A METHOD MANY OF THE ‘NIGHT NAKED’ ASCENTS BY ELITE 80s CLIMBERS USED, WITH SOME CLIMBERS SPENDING TWO WEEKS ABOVE 6000m, BEFORE RETURNING TO BASECAMP TO MAXIMALLY RECHANRGE THEN PULLING OFF PERHAPS THE MOST AUDACIOUS 8000m ASCENTS EVER DONE.

THE PROBLEM WAS IF THE ROUTE WAS STEEP OR DANGEROUS AS THIS MEANT A LOT OF TIME IN THE FIRING LINE, SO THE ROUTES IT COULD BE DONE ON, FOR THE TIMES, WERE LIMITED. IT TOOK TOO LONG TO TRAVEL BETWEEN THE EASILY CLIMBED 7000ers AND SOME IDEAL ROUTES FOR THE CONCEPT, AND SO ACCLIMATION WAS COMPROMISED, BUT WAS PRESCIENT OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE TODAY.

THE ‘ALASKA’ BASECAMP

ALASKA AND BAFFIN SET A SHIFT IN BASECAMPS 30 YEARS AGO, DUE TO NOT HAVING THE PORTER LEGIONS TO SUPPLY THE TENT VILLAGES SEEN IN THE HIMALAYAS. THEY REPLACED THAT WITH SELF-SUSTAINED BASECAMPS SOURCED WITH OCCASIONAL LIGHT AIRCRAFT FLIGHTS AND RELATIVELY SHORT APPROACHES AND ALTITUDES, AND A WHOLE SPECTRUM OF NEW GEAR THAT REFLECTED THE CHANGE. STUFF LIKE THE MID TENTS, REACTOR STOVES, BIG DYNEEMA PACKS AND COLD WEATHER INFLATABLE MATS WERE BORN AND REFINED FROM THIS, AS SMALL TEAMS SAT OUT SEASONS IN PLACES LIKE THE RUTH GORGE. SOME OF THIS FOR A SHORT TIME SPILLED OVER INTO TIBET AS CLIMBERS MADE THE CONNECTION, BUT DWINDLED BY THE LATE 2000s AS PEOPLE DIED AND MOVED ON.

THIS WAS NOT A TRUE BASECAMP-LESS STYLE, BUT IT RADICALLY CHANGED WHAT A BASECAMP COULD BE. IMAGES OF THESE CAMPS WERE SOAKED UP FOR ADVERTISING AS THEY SHOWED A STYLE MADE UP OF COFFEE, GOOD TEAM DYNAMICS, SERIOUS ALPINE IDEAS AND RESPECTABLE ROUTES TO SHOW FOR IT ALL. FREED OF THE MASS INDUSTRIAL ELEMENTS THAT WERE CHOKING THE HIMALAYAS THIS APPEARED AS A MUCH HEALTHIER ALTERNATIVE THAT HELPED BRING THE CONCEPTS AROUND ALPINISM DOWN FROM THE STEEP STUFF TO ONTO THE GLACIERS AND INTO THE VALLEYS.

WHAT THESE CLIMBERS REALIZED WAS THAT, ON THE BACK OF AN ENTIRE PERSPECTIVE THAT WAS INFORMED BY THE ‘FAST & LIGHT’ PERSPECTIVE, IT WAS NO PROBLEM LIVING IN CAMPS MADE UP OF ALPINE GEAR WHEN THE WHOLE TRIP WAS PLANNED WITH IT. BY PRE-ACCLIMATING, HAVING GOOD WEATHER FORECASTS, USING NEW GEN EQUIPMENT AND CLIMBING STABLE ROUTES IN FAST STYLES, THEY WERE BETTER OFF WITHOUT THE BALL AND CHAIN OF MASS LOGISTICS THAT LIMITED WHAT THEY COULD DO.

THOUGH ‘ALASKAN’ GRADE THESE KINDS OF CAMPS ARE NOT ‘HIMALAYAN’ GRADE BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE THE ALTITUDE ISSUES AND ARE MADE WITH THE ADVANTAGE OF NEAR-ENDLESS DAYLIGHT (ie SOLAR RADIATION). THE MID STYLE TENTS THEY OFTEN USE DON’T REALLY INSPIRE CONFIDENCE IN A HIMALAYAN STORM (WE FOUND THAT OUT THE HARDWAY…), AND THEY DON’T DEMAND THE CARRIES TO ABOVE 5500m WHICH IS THE REAL THRESHOLD HERE AS IT IS THE INTERSECTION OF TEMPERATURE, STEEPNESS OF TERRAIN AND HUMAN METABOLICS. IN A NUTSHELL THE HIMALAYAN EQUIVALENT IS HIGHER, COLDER AND HARDER TO GET TO, ERODING THE MARGIN ACCEPTABLE WITH AN ULTRALIGHT TENT AND NEEDING SOMETHING MUCH MORE ROBUST.

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WHAT NO BASECAMP LOOKS LIKE

REMOVE THE BASECAMP AND YOU CUT A MAJOR UMBILLICAL CORD TO THE FLATLANDS, TO NORMALITY AND TO THE WORLD. WITHOUT A BASECAMP THIS MAKES THE NEAREST OUTPOST OF CIVILIZATION PROBABLY THE ROAD, WITH NO BREAK IN OTHERWISE WILDERNESS FOR IF THINGS SHOULD NEED IT. THIS THOUGH IS A MANIFESTATION OF PERCEPTION, ATTACHED TO IDEAS ABOUT REMOTENESS, PROCESS AND TRADITION.

TAKE THE BASECAMP OUT OF THE CURVE OF AN EXPEDITION AND YOU HAVE ONE CONTINUOUS LINE FROM THE ROAD HEAD TO YOUR HIGHPOINT. THERE IS NO CLEAR THRESHOLD BETWEEN WHAT LAYS ABOVE AND WHAT CAME BEFORE, YOU ARE EFFECTIVELY IN ALPINE MODE FROM THE MOMENT YOU HEAVED ON YOUR BOOTS. GOING BASECAMP-LESS MEANS STEPPING OFF WITH BARELY ANY TRANSITION BEFORE YOU START CLIMBING, BEING SELF-CONTAINED AND MOBILE TO PICK THE BEST OPTION AT ANY TIME.

THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT THE APPROACH BECOMES A CARRY AND IS NO LONGER JUST A HIKE, MASSIVELY CHANGING HOW ENERGY IS SPENT ACROSS A BIG PROCESS. THIS, THOUGH, IS INTENTIONALLY ADDRESSED WITH PREACCLIMATION, AND RETHINKING THE TIMELINE WITH WHAT THE ASCENT NEEDS.

REMOVING THE BASECAMP CONCEPT DRASTICALLY REDUCES TIME SPENT ON THE MOUNTAIN NOT CLIMBING. IN THE CASE OF MOST HIGH ALTITUDE PEAKS RECOVERY IN BASECAMP IS LIMITED SO BECOMES A DIMINISHING RETURN, SO REMOVING IT MEANS REMOVING THE EXTENT OF ‘RECOVERY’ THAT ACTUALLY IS STAGNATION AND LANGUISHING. WE ARGUE THAT ONCE ACCLIMATED THE AMOUNT OF RECOVERY NEEDED IS ACTUALLY QUITE SMALL, AND IS EASILY SERVED WITH MINOR CAMP ADAPTIONS THAT CAN BE CARRIED.

THIS IS ESPECIALLY POTENT WHERE LONG GLACIER STRETCHES MADE TRADITIONAL BASECAMPS FAR FROM THE START OF THE CLIMBING, OFTEN BEING ALSO BEING TOO LOW FOR OPTIMAL ACCLIMATION. THIS IS A KIND OF PURGATORY THAT IS THE OPPOSITE OF EFFICIENCY, WITH A LOT OF ENERGY AND RESOURCES WASTED THAT SKEWS AN ASCENT.

PROS

PRECISE ALTITUDE GAIN, NO MORE FORCING TO PRE-ESTABLISHED CAMPS

NO DIVISIONS OF AN ASCENT INTO ARBITARY PHASES

LESS TIME IN THE CRITICAL ZONE EXPENDING RESOURCES THAT WON’T BE REPLACED

BETTER ON-MOUNTAIN LONGEVITY, NO NEEDING A FULL RETREAT AS YOU PLACE CAMPS HIGHER

MINIMAL FOOTPRINT, TO CHANGE PLANS, EXPLOIT ADVANTAGES AND BE LOW ON THE RADAR

MINIMAL LOGISTICS WITH LITTLE OUTSIDE ASSISTENCE TO ALIGN WITH

MINIMAL ISSUES AROUND BEING STAGNANT, ie SANITATION, BOREDOM AND OTHER TEAMS

CONS

REGIONS WITH CONSISTENTLY UNSTABLE WEATHER MAKE THIS A GAMBLE

THE PREACCLIMATION PROCESS DOESN’T ADD UP EVERYWHERE

CARRYING THE LOADS

THE PERMITTING AND INDUSTRY IN SOME PLACES WON’T ALLOW IT

PROBLEMATIC WHEN AROUND COMMERCIAL GROUPS THAT OVERWHELM AND INFLUENCE LOGISTICS

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WHAT ABOUT THE WEATHER?

THIS PARADIGM IS BASED ON A MORE NUANCED ATTITUDE TO WEATHER THAN SIMPLY PLONKING DOWN ON A GLACIER FOR THREE MONTHS AND WAITING, AND USUALLY ACCEPTS A DEGREE OF LOWER TEMPERATURES IN EXCHANGE FOR MORE STABILITY. BECAUSE YOU ARE OUT THERE FOR LESS TIME AND PREACCLIMATED AND RESTED YOU CAN TOLERATE MORE COLD, SO THE CONCEPT IS TO BET ON GOOD FORECASTS AND MOVE FAST ENOUGH TO STAY AHEAD OF THEM.

ROUTES ARE CHOSEN WITH REGARD TO MITIGATING WEATHER AND PARAMETERS ARE DEFINED AS TO WHAT IS TOLERABLE WITH THE GEAR THAT CAN BE CARRIED, THEN FORECASTS ARE MONITORED FOR THE WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY. THIS USUALLY HAPPENS AS THE TEAM IS ACCLIMATING SO CAN HAVE A DEGREE OF DIRECT COMPARISON, FINE TUNING CLOTHING, GEAR, FUEL AND METHODS IN REAL TIME IN PARALLEL.

THE SMALL AND LIGHT TEAM WITHOUT A BASECAMP IS NOT AS VULNERABLE AS IT MAY SEEM, BECAUSE THEY ARE MOBILE ENOUGH AND SMALL ENOUGH FOOTPRINT TO REDUCE THEIR PROFILE OF EXPOSURE. FOUR CLIMBERS CAN DIG IN FOR A WEEK IN PLACES MUCH LESS EXPOSED THAN A HUGE CAMP ON A GLACIER, INCLUDING IN SNOW CAVES, UNDER ROCK FEATURES, AND EVEN GETTING ABOVE BAD WEATHER.

PLACES NORTH OF THE HIMALAYAN DIVIDE ARE BETTER SUITED TO THIS CONCEPT, AS FAR ABOVE THE WALL OF MOUNTAINS THE INDIAN MONSOON PUSHES AGAINST AS POSSIBLE. THIS REGION IS DRIER AND OFTEN ORIENTED INTO RANGE PARALLEL TO THE WEATHER OFF THE EQUATOR, OFFERING MORE OPTIONS FOR ESCAPING FRONTS WHICH CAN SIT AGAINST THE MAIN HIMALAYA FOR WEEKS.

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STUFF

NO-BASECAMP DOESN’T MEAN SHIVERING AWAY IN SOME FLIMSY SUBSTITUTE JUST WITHOUT THE COMFORTS – WE TRIED THAT FOR A FEW YEARS AND IT WAS HELL – WHAT IT MEANS IS HAVING ALPINE STYLE CAMPS WHEREVER THEY ARE WARRENTED. THESE CAMPS NEED TO BE STRONGER AND MORE LIVABLE THAN A MINAML BIVY, BUT WITHOUT BECOMING THE HARLEQUIN-TENT FORTRESSES SEEN ON THE CAMPS UP EVEREST.

EQUIPMENT NOW IS GETTING SO LIGHT THAT CAMPS ON A SCALE THAT ONCE REQUIRED PORTERS CAN BE CARRIED BY A CLIMBING TEAM. THE POINT OF LEVERAGE ALWAYS WAS THAT THIS SORT OF STUFF NEEDED TO BE STRONG ENOUGH TO COPE WITH THE DEMANDS OF HIGH ALPINE USE AND SO IT WAS ROBUST YET HEAVY, BUT PRODUCERS LIKE SAMAYA HAVE TARGETED THIS NICHE WITH THE STRONGEST TENTS AVAILABLE COMBINED WITH THE LIGHTEST. CARBON COMPOSITE TOOLS, COMPOSITE SHELTER MATERIALS, SPECIALIST HIGH ALTITUDE STOVES AND REFINED WAYS OF USING INSULATION NOW MAKE A HIGH CAMP WEIGH WHAT A BIVY USED TO AND FUNCTION AT A LEVEL ONLY DREAMT ABOUT A GENERATION AGO, UNLEASHING A SHIFT THAT SURPRISINGLY GETS LITTLE ATTENTION AS OVERSHADOWED BY ADVANCES ELSEWHERE.

WE SPEC OUT OUR ALPINE CAMPS WITH DYNEEMA TENTS AND COMPOSITE TARPS, OFTEN COMBINED WITH DIGGING INTO AND CONSTRUCTING WITH SNOW. COMPARED TO NORMAL ALPINE CAMPS NOT MUCH CHANGES EXCEPT WE ADD A BIT OF EXTRA TENT SPACE BECAUSE THE TENTS WE USE ARE SO LIGHT, SPEND PROBABLY A BIT MORE TIME WORKING WITH SNOW, AND INTEGRATE THE WHOLE THING TO FORM SHARED SPACE WHEN WE CAN. THE EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR THIS IS EXCEPTIONALLY LIGHT BUT AS IMPORTANTLY IT IS EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG AND ADAPTABLE. THE PRIMARY FACTOR HERE IS ADAPTABILITY AND CREATIVITY, AND THE LEARNED TECHNIQUES FOR USING IT ALL.

CURRENT TENTS FROM SAMAYA AND OUR COMPOSITE TARPS MEAN WE CAN SHELTER THREE TIMES MORE PEOPLE FOR THE SAME WEIGHT AS A REGULAR BASECAMP TENT, AND THAT’S BEFORE WE EVEN START DIGGING INTO SNOW OR BREAKING OUT THE ALPINE TENTS. THIS IS A QUANTUM LEAP FOR SPENDING EXTENDED TIME AT ALTITUDE WHICH IS THE EPITOME OF DEVELOPMENT, RETOOLING THE ENTIRE WAY CAMPS ARE USED.

SUBSISTING ON A MOUNTAIN THIS WAY MEANS USING STUFF MORE EFFICIENTLY IN THE OVERALL EXPENDITURE CURVE. WITHOUT THE MESS SET UP OF A BASECAMP YOU ARE NOT EATING THAT SORT OF REAL FOOD, AND CAN’T REALLY BE EXPECTED TO LIVE OF DEHY AND RAMEN NO MATTER THE CLAIMS OF THE COMPANIES THAT MAKE THEM (YOU HAVE TO TAKE A SHIT AT SOME POINT…). THIS MEANS TAKING REAL FOOD HIGHER, AND THUS THE MEANS TO MAKE IT WHICH TRANSLATES INTO FUEL AND STOVES, AND GOES BEYOND THE SPARTAN AND WIMPY SET UPS THAT ONLY MELT CUPFULLS OF SNOW THAT HAVE TAKEN OVER RECENTLY.

YES, AN ULTRALIGHT TITANIUM MICRO STOVE CAN BE CARRIED FOR THE HIGHEST NIGHTS WHERE YOU ARE BARELY EATING ANYWAY, BUT THE ENERGY GRADIENT WORKS BETTER HAVING SOMETHING MORE POWERFUL, THAT MELTS AND COOKS AT A LEVEL THAT TURNS OVER REAL CALORIES. BY HAVING PREACCLIMATED YOU SHOULD BE KEEPING YOUR CONDITION AND APPETITE HIGHER FURTHER UP THE MOUNTAIN, STAYING AHEAD OF THE EFFECTS OF DEPLETION, ATROPHY AND FATIGUE. DON’T RUIN THIS WITH NASTY DEHY UNDER THE ILLUSION IT EQUALS REAL FOOD, AND EAT PROPERLY UNTIL THE ABILITY TO ENDS – MAYBE IT WON’T.

THIS SORT OF STYLE ALSO SEES THE DISOLUTION OF BOUNDARIES WITH INSULATION, BLURRING THE LINES BETWEEN WHAT YOU WEAR TO CLIMB AND TO SLEEP. BASICALLY YOU LIVE IN A SINGLE SET OF CLOTHES THAT DISPENSES WITH OLD SCHOOL LAYERING, AND WHICH MAKES UP ABOUT HALF OF YOUR SLEEP SYSTEM. THERE IS NO NEED FOR ‘CAMP CLOTHES’ AND ‘CAMP BOOTS’, AND FAST APPROACHES ARE DONE IN A MINIMAL VERSION OF YOUR CLIMBING GEAR. AS YOU GET HIGHER INSULATION GOES ON, IN LAYERS INSTEAD OF A SINGLE BULK SUIT, AND STAYS ON TO BE COCOONED OFF WITH A SLEEPING BAG WHEN YOU REST.

THIS COMBINATION ISN’T NEW, BUT IT HAS GONE LARGELY IGNORED WITH FEW BAGS MADE FOR THE PURPOSE. THE DEFINING FEATURE OF THIS DESIGN IS THE GIRTH TO TAKE THE EXTRA LOFT INSIDE, LENGTH TO RETAIN PROPORTION WHEN SITTING UP, A CENTERED ZIP AND DRAFT COLLAR SO YOU CAN FUNCTION FROM WITHIN IT AND BAFFLES THAT WORK AT ANY ANGLE. THESE BAGS CAN BE SURPRISINGLY LIGHT, FUNCTIONING WITH A THERMAL GRADIENT THAT INCLUDES LAYERS OF CLOTHING AND THE TENT, PLUS A CURVE OF PHYSICAL CONDITION THAT SHOULD MEAN HIGHER CALORIE INTAKE THAN TRADITIONAL ONE.

WITH MINIMAL NOISE, BOOTS FOR THESE SORT OF ASCENTS HAVE BEEN ARRIVING ON THE MARKET, NAMELY HIGH ALTITUDE DOUBLES WITH THE ERGONOMICS TO APPROACH IN. MAMMUT, THE NORTH FACE AND SCARPA HAVE ALL TAKEN THE LEAP, WITH LA SPORTIVA TACITLY (OR HALF ASSEDLY?) FOLLOWING. THE BOOTS HAVE THE ROCKER AND ANKLE FREEDOM FOR WALKING AND THE INSULATION FOR COLD CONDITIONS, BASED OFF BETTER INTERFACING WITH THE FOOT USING LOW PROFILE, SEAMLESS LINERS. THESE BOOTS POTENTIALLY DO AWAY WITH THE NEED TO CARRY APPROACH SHOES IF THEY ARE MANAGED WELL.

CARRYING EVERYTHING DEMANDS A PACK THAT BARELY EXISTS ON THE MARKET, AS PRODUCERS ARE TOO SCARED TO THROW HIGH END MATERIALS AT SUCH A SMALL NICHE. INCREDIBLY STRONG PACKS OF SERIOUS VOLUME DO EXIST AT WEIGHTS SO LOW IT LOOKS LIKE A TYPING ERROR, BUT THEY ARE NOT IN COMMON PRODUCTION AND AS EXPECTED DON’T COST LIKE A COMMON PACK EITHER. WE THOUGH THINK IT’S THE PRICE OF ENTRY, BECAUSE IT OPENS UP SO MUCH, AND WE HAVE SEEN ENOUGH CLIMBERS FALL SHORT BECAUSE THEY JUST COULDN’T MOVE THE GEAR. THIS IS A CHANCE TO SAVE KILOGRAMS OFF BASE WEIGHT, AND TURN THAT INTO FOOD OR THE ECSTASY OF NOT CARRYING IT.

THE REALITY OF A ‘ONE PACK’ SOLUTION IS NOW HERE, WITH PACKS LARGE ENOUGH TO MOVE 80L AND 30kg THAT THEN STRIP TO THE MASS OF A SUMMIT PACK THAT CLIMBS. ONCE A HOLY GRAIL THAT OCCASIONALLY WAS CLAIMED BUT NEVER REALLY MEASURED UP, A MAJOR CHUNK OF THE EQUATION OF SELF-SUSTAINED HIGH ALTITUDE TRIPS FALLS INTO PLACE.

THE TIMELINE OF SUCH TRIPS USUALLY MEANS 12 – 20 DAYS SUSTAINMENT, WHICH WITH THE RIGHT BALANCE OF TEAM SIZE, EQUIPMENT CHOICES AND CLIMBING STYLE IS CARRYABLE WITHOUT NON-TEAM ASSISTANCE WHEN ACCLIMATED. WE HAVE DONE THIS WITH 2 WEEK TRIPS FOR YEARS, WHICH ALLOWS FOR EXPLORATORY FIRST ASCENTS UP TO 6000m IN EARLY WINTER, AND NEW INNOVATIONS ASCERTAIN THAT EQUATION CAN NOW BE SURPASSED. LOADS ARE ABOUT 30kg EACH WHICH MEANS DOUBLE CARRIES ON SOME TERRAIN, OR CAN BE WORKED AROUND WITH TIMELINES, TEAM SIZE AND ADAPTABILITY WITH THINGS LIKE SHELTER.

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TIME

REMOVING THE BASECAMP PARADIGM DOESN’T REMOVE IT’S FUNCTION, IT SIMPLY SHIFTS IT TO ANOTHER PART OF THE TIMELINE. YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ACCLIMATION, ADJUSTING TO THE MOUNTAIN, OBSERVING THE ROUTE AND PREPARING GEAR – BUT YOU CAN DO IT IN ANOTHER CONTEXT THAT IS SAFER, MORE EFFICIENT AND LESS CONFINED.

WITHOUT HAVING A BASECAMP DOMINATING THE TIMELINE BETWEEN THE APPROACH AND THE CLIMBING, YOU TAKE DAYS IF NOT WEEKS OUT OF THAT SERIES OF ACTIONS. YOU LEAVE THE ROAD, APPROACH THE ROUTE, STOPPING AS NEEDED DUE TO TERRAIN, WEATHER AND CONDITION, AND SIMPLY TRANSITION SEAMLESSLY INTO THE CLIMBING. WHEREAS BEFORE THIS MAY HAVE ENTAILED A WEEK OR MORE IN BASECAMP AND CYCLING THROUGH FORAYS UP AND DOWN, YOUR PROCESS IS NOW ONE EVEN CURVE WITH NO BIG BLIP ON THE MIDDLE OF IT, MAKING POTENTIALLY A ONE MONTH CHAIN OF EVENTS A TWO WEEK ONE.

NO-BASECAMP RELIES IMPLICITELY ON BEING PREACCLIMATED, BECAUSE IT TAKES AWAY THE VERY BASE FROM WHICH THAT IS USUALLY DONE. NONE OF THIS IS RELEVANT WITHOUT FIRST ANSWERING HOW YOU WILL PREACCLIMATE, TRANSITION TO THE ROUTE AND MAINTAIN CONDITION OVER THAT GAP. WHEREVER YOU ACCLIMATE IT TAKES TIME, AND THE ONLY ‘SHORT CUT’ IS TO DO IT THE MOST COMFORTABLY BECAUSE IT IS WHEN YOU ARE SLEEPING THAT YOU GENERATE THE EXTRA HORMONES AND BLOODCELLS. WHEN AWAKE, YOU CREATE THE STRESS TO DEMAND IT, BUT IT REQUIRES TIME IN THE PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM TO MEET THE NEW NEED. DONE OPTIMALLY IT TAKES UP TO FOUR WEEKS TO REALLY ACCLIMATE TO THE HUMAN THRESHOLD OF ABOUT 6300m, SOMETHING THAT MEANS MULTIPLE DAYS AND NIGHTS AT THAT THRESHOLD TO THE POINT YOU CAN SLEEP, EAT, AND FUNCTION THERE AT A NEAR-NORMAL LEVEL.

WHAT MATTERS IS MATCHING UP THE ACCLIMATION SCHEDULE WITH THE TRANSITION SCHEDULE AND THE BALANCE OF RECUPERATION SO YOU RETURN TO YOUR ACCLIMATED ALTITUDE EFFICIENTLY. AS YET NOT ALL MOUNTAIN AREAS ALLOW FOR THIS BECAUSE EITHER THE PREACCLIMATION IS TOO INEFFICIENT, THE TRAVEL BETWEEN ASCENTS IS TOO CUMBERSOME, THE APPROACH IS TOO COMPLICATED OR THINGS ON THE MOUNTAIN ARE BOGGED DOWN IN HUMAN TRAFFIC. YOU NEED TO ACCLIMATE FAST WHICH MEANS MINIMAL LOSS TO EXERTION, TRANSITION WITHIN THE WINDOW THAT OVERLAPS RECOVERY BEFORE LOSS OF ADVANTAGE, APPROACH WITH MINIMAL ENERGY EXPEDITURE AND RETURN TO MAYBE ABOVE 6000m ALL IN ONE SEAMLESS PROCESS.

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ON OUR TRIPS

BASECAMP-LESS ASCENTS WORK WELL WITH OUR SMALL AND FAST TEAMS, THAT HAVE PREACCLIMATED COMFORTABLY AND CLIMB IN STABLE WEATHER WINDOWS. IT’S NOT THE ONLY WAY WE DO THINGS BUT IS BECOMING MORE POPULAR, WITH SOME OF OUR CLIMBERS KNOWING NO OTHER WAY AS THEY PUSH THEIR ASCENTS HIGHER.

WITH OUR UNIQUE ELEMENTS, MOST CLIMBERS SEE THE ECONOMICS AND CHOOSE SOMETHING THAT INCORPORATES SOME ELEMENTS OF THIS, ALMOST ALWAYS OPTING FOR PREACCLIMATION, BETTER HIGH CAMPS AND SCALING BACK ANY TRADITIONAL BASECAMP ON TRIPS THAT STILL HAVE ONE. IT’S A WORK IN PROGRESS, BUT CLIMBERS THAT DO SUCCESSIVE TRIPS WITH US TAKE THE CONCEPT FURTHER EACH TIME, AND NOW THAT FULL ACCESS HAS RETURNED TO PLACES LIKE THE NORTH SIDE OF THE KARAKORAM THE FULL EXTENT OF POSSIBILITIES IS THERE.

THE DECADES WE HAVE SPENT CLIMBING IN CHINA MEANS WE HAVE THE LEVEL OF TRUST THAT LETS US HAVE ADMINISTRATIVE ADVANTAGES THAT FREE US FROM BASECAMPS. WHERE FEW OTHER TEAMS ARE GIVEN THE OPTION OR HAVE THE STAFF WITH THE EXPERTISE TO DISPENSE WITH A LARGE STATIONARY BASECAMP, THE POWERS THAT BE ARE FINE WITH US HAVING TOTAL FREEDOM BEYOND THE ROAD BECAUSE WE KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT.

OVER OUR TIME IN TIBET AND XINJIANG WE HAVE CLIMBED THIS WAY FOR FIRST ASCENTS, EXPLORATORY ASCENTS, ASCENTS INTO VERY CONTENTIOUS AREAS, MULTI-PEAK TRIPS AND OF COURSE LOTS OF ASCENTS TO ESTABLISHED AREAS DONE IN MORE EFFICIENT WAYS. WHILE WE WILL NEVER CLAIM TO HAVE ORIGINATED THE CONCEPTS WE WILL SAY THAT WE HAVE OWNED IT, BY MAKING IT A FOCUS OF OUR BUSINESS, OPENING IT TO OTHERS AND GETTING THE RESULTS.

WE CREDIT THE PARTNER COMPANIES WE ROLL WITH FOR MAKING THE GEAR THAT SHIFTS THE BALANCE ON THESE THINGS, MAKING THE LOADS WE CARRY AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE LIGHTER AND THE TOOLS MORE RELIABLE INTO HARDER CONDITIONS. AT ONE TIME THESE IDEAS WERE BORDERLINE ACCEPTABLE BECAUSE THE PHYSICALITIES WERE MARGINAL, BUT THANKS TO DEVELOPMENTS IN MATERIALS, DESIGN AND THINKING, HIGHER, LIGHTER & FASTER NOW HAS LESS RISKS.

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THE FUTURE

CONRAD ANKER POSTULATED THAT THE NEXT GENERATION WOULD DO TECHNICAL HIGH ALTITUDE ASCENTS IN A DAY, AND THIS IS A HUGE PART OF HOW. THIS SORT OF IDEA WILL BE BASED ON SEVERAL THINGS INCLUDING TRAINING, ABILITY, PERSPECTIVE AND ATTITUDE, LAID ON TOP OF RADICAL LOGISTICS. AS WE ARGUED IN A PREVIOUS ARTICLE, THE NEXT STAGES OF ALPINISM WILL DEMAND PARADIGM SHIFTS THAT REINTERPRET HOW LOCATIONS AND THEREFORE CULTURES ARE LEVERAGED FOR CLIMBING, AND THAT MEANS RETHINKING THE LOGISTICS AND STRATEGIES AROUND WHERE AND HOW CLIMBERS SLEEP.

WE THINK THIS CAN EVENTUALLY EXTRAPOLATE TO 8000m CLIMBING, WITH ALL THE PIECES PRESENT, JUST NEEDING TO BE WORKED INTO SHAPE. IT MAY TAKE A DECADE AS IT INVOLVES CHANGES TO PERSPECTIVES THAT THE CURRENT GENERATION OF CLIMBERS STRUGGLE WITH, EVENTUALLY ONE DAY A SMALL TEAM WILL LEAVE THE ROADHEAD AND CLIMB TO ABOVE 8000m WITHOUT ANY TRADITIONAL SUPPORT.

THIS WILL NEED WELL PREPARED CLIMBERS, WITH EXCEPTIONALLY REFINED RESOURCES, WHO ARE PREACCLIMATED TO THE METABOLIC MAXIMUM, FULLY RECOVERED AND CLIMBING VERY EFFICIENTLY. CLIMBERS IN THIS SPACE EXIST, WHAT IS NEEDED IS THE PLATFORM FOR THEM TO DO IT, TO BE MOTIVATED TO STEP OUTSIDE THE INDUSTRIAL PLATFORM MOST CURRENTLY USE. OUR TOTEM ANIMAL, CHARLIE FOWLER, MASTERED THIS TWO DECADES AGO WITH PIRATE ASCENTS ACROSS TIBET, SO IT’S NOTHING REALLY NEW, IT JUST NEEDS TO COME OUT OF THE SHADOWS.

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