THE 2kg HIGH CAMP

THESE DAYS WE ESCHEW TRADITIONAL DIVISIONS BETWEEN BASECAMPS, HIGH CAMPS, CAMPS ON ROUTES AND BIVYS, SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY DON’T FIT OUR OBJECTIVES. WE CAN DO THIS BECAUSE THE UNIQUE CONDITIONS ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE HIMALAYA AND KARAKORAM MATCH UP WITH THE CUTTING EDGE RESOURCES WE USE, CHANGING THE TIMELINE AROUND HOW PEAKS ON OUR DANCE CARD ARE CLIMBED.

AS PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED, ‘BASECAMP’ HAS LITTLE DISTINCT MEANING FOR US, AS WE DO MOST OF OUR ACCLIMATION BEFORE ARRIVING AT THE MOUNTAIN THEN MOVE RAPIDLY ONTO THE CLIMBING. IN FACT EVEN ‘HIGHCAMP’ BECOMES A RELATIVE TERM BECAUSE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT’S HIGH, WHAT’S ON ROUTE, AND WHAT’S A BIVY IS ALL BLURRED, BEING BASED MORE ON WHAT A ROUTE DEMANDS THAN THE WEIGHT AND BULK OF IT ALL.

THESE DAYS IT’S COMMON FOR US TO BIVY SOMEWHERE MARGINAL WHERE A TRADITIONAL HIGHCAMP/ADVANCED BASECAMP/OR CAMP 1 WOULD GO, THEN PUT OUR HIGHCAMP ABOVE THAT. THIS IS BECAUSE HAVING ACCLIMATED ELSEWHERE WE DON’T NEED TO ROTATE OUT OF A 5500m (WHERE MANY ABC/HC/C1s GO), AND GO STRAIGHT ONTO THE CLIMBING TO GET A SUSTAINABLE CAMP IN AROUND OUR THRESHOLD.

.

A HIGHCAMPS ESSENCE IS TO BE LIVABLE AND ACTUALLY ON THE ROUTE. UNLIKE A TRADITIONAL CAMP ON A BIG ROUTE WHICH IS ONLY A PLACE TO STAY BETWEEN STAGES OF CLIMBING, A HIGHCAMP NEEDS TO BE SOMEWHERE YOU LIVE ONCE HAVING LEFT THE BASE. THIS MEANS SPACE TO HANG OUT, ACCESS TO BOTH WATER AND THE ROUTE, SHELTER FROM BAD CONDITIONS AND HIGH ENOUGH TO MAINTAIN ACCLIMATION. GOOD HIGHCAMPS MEAN NO RETURNING TO THE BASE, HAVING EVERYTHING NEEDED AS LONG AS THE CLIMB IS ON.

THIS 2kg COVERS THE ACTUAL NUTS AND BOLTS OF A CAMP, MEANING THE SHELTER ITSELF. THE TENTS NEED TO BE BIG ENOUGH FOR PERSONAL SPACE AND LOTS OF GEAR, AND THE SITE NEEDS TO BE CONFIGURED TO BE STRONG ENOUGH FOR RELATIVELY LONG TERM USE. THE ACTUAL STUFF IS NOTHING SPECIAL TO LIST, WHAT IS SPECIAL IS THE DEGREE OF SHELTER, COMFORT, ADAPTABILITY AND RESILIENCE THAT CAN BE HAD FOR 2000g, THIS BEING A TRUE AUTONOMOUS TEAM CAMP AND NOT A FIDDLING OF NUMBERS.

2 X 2 PERSON TENTS 800g EACH (1600g)

CONNECTING GROUP TARP (275g)

THIS OF COURSE IS SCALEABLE TO TEAM SIZE, WITH SMART DESIGN MEANING A SLIDING SCALE RATHER THAN EACH CLIMBER ADDING THEIR PROPORTION AS A TEAMSTER. A THIRD CLIMBER DOESN’T ADD 50% MORE AS THEY DO IN PEOPLE NUMBERS, INSTEAD ADDING ONLY ABOUT 15% MORE TO FORM A VERY EFFICIENT EQUATION WHEN SQUARED WITH THE TEAM CARRYING CAPACITY.

.

ON OUR TRIPS OUR HIGHCAMPS CONSIST OF VARIOUS SAMAYA TENTS, WITH CUSTOM MADE TARPS THAT CONNECT THEM LIKE TO FORM AN ALL-CONDITIONS CAMP. THE TENTS HAVE VARIOUS CUSTOMIZATIONS (DON’T ASK), AND THE TARPS ARE SHAPED AND SIZED AROUND THE SORT OF TENTS WE WILL USE. INTEGRAL TO THE COMBINATION IS THAT THE TENTS ARE FREESTANDING, AND STRONG ENOUGH TO BEAR THE WIND AND SNOW ON THE PROFILE OF THE SHELTER. MIDS AND TARP TENTS, WHILST LIGHT, DON’T STAND A CHANCE IN A TIBETAN WINTER, AND OFF-THE-SHELF TARPS SHRED DUE TO BEING TOO FLIMSY.

ALL OUR TENTS AND TARPS ARE MADE OF UHMWPE, RIGHT DOWN TO THE GUY LINES, BECAUSE NOTHING ELSE HAS THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY FOR THE WINDS AND SNOW BLASTS. UHMWPE ALSO DRIES MUCH FASTER, NOR DOES IT SAG, MEANING THE CAMPS STRUCTURE ISN’T DEGRADED FROM FROST OVER THE EXTENDED TIME IT IS USED.

THE NATURE OF MOST HIGHCAMPS IS THAT THEY ARE DUG IN TO SNOW, OFTEN USING ROCK AS PART OF THE SITE. YES, THE LIGHTEST HIGHCAMPS WILL ALWAYS BE SNOW HOLES, WHICH ARE WARMER, SAFER, STRONGER AND ONLY REQUIRE A SHOVEL, BUT WHICH CAN’T ALWAYS BE RELIED ON WHEN A ROUTE IS PLANNED FROM AFAR. ELEMENTS OF UNDERSTANDING SNOW HOLES CAN USUALLY BE INCORPORATED WITH TENTS AND TARPS, INCLUDING TUNNELS BETWEEN TENTS, CAVITIES NEXT TO ROCK AND SHARED CAVE SPACE FOR COOKING.

.

A PRIMARY FEATURE OF THIS CONFIGURATION IS THAT THERE IS THE ROOM AND STRUCTURE TO ALLOW COOKING INSIDE TENTS WHICH VASTLY UPS THE EFFICIENCY OF THE FUEL CARRIED. THIS ALONE SEPARATES TRUE HIGHCAMPS FROM MERE BIVYS AND OVERNIGHTS ON LEDGES, WHERE DISCOMFORT IS ACCEPTED FOR THE SAKE OF CARRYING AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE.

IN THESE HIGHCAMPS FUEL COMBUSTION IS ALSO CIRCULATED AS WARMTH, AS WELL AS A WAY TO INCREASE AMBIENT PRESSURE SO THE FUEL BURNS CLEANER AND SMOOTHER. THIS REQUIRES DEAD AIR SPACES WITH MINIMAL THERMAL LOSS IN ORDER TO CREATE A SPACE WORTH HEATING, WHICH AT ITS MOST EFFECTIVE TRANSLATES INTO A DOME TENT WITH INSULATION COVERING FLOOR.

THOSE NUMBERS STATED ABOVE FURTHER REDUCE WHEN THE GAS EFFICIENCY IS INCLUDED, DROPPING HUNDREDS OF GRAMS AS THE STOVE USE IS PERFECTED. FOR A HIGHCAMP THAT MIGHT GET AROUND 12 DAYS USE THE GAS REQUIRED MIGHT BE A KILOGRAM LESS, THAN THE EQUIVALENT TIME SPENT IN FLAPPING MIDS OR EXPOSED BIVYS WHERE THERMAL LOSS IS HUGE.

.

DONE RIGHT, A PROPER HIGHCAMP ON TOP OF PROPER ACCLIMATION MEANS A BASECAMP IS UNNECESSARY, AND THE PARADIGM OF HAVING A LONG TERM TEAM SHELTER THAT IS STILL SMALLER THAN MOST SINGLE ALPINE TENTS CHANGES THE WAY YOU PLAN FOR BIG PEAKS. COMBINED WITH INCREDIBLY LIGHT PACKS AND INCREDIBLY INSULATED SLEEPING BAGS AND CLOTHES, ALL THIS CHANGES STRATEGIES THAT GO INTO EFFECT THE MOMENT WE ENTER THE AREA, REDUCING LOGISTICS AND SPEEDING UP TIMELINES RIGHT FROM THE AIRPORT. WHEN ONE END OF THE CONTINUUM IS SUSTAINING OURSELVES FOR LONGER HIGHER ON THE ROUTE THAT TRICKLES DOWN THE PROCESS TO MEAN LESS CARRIED, FOR LESS TIME, MOVING FASTER ACROSS MORE REMOTE TERRAIN, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SEASONS AND ACCESS TO GET ONTO STUFF NO ONE ELSE HAS IMAGINED.