FTA Cho Oyu 2011 Spring

In April of 2011 we embark on our 4th expedition to Cho Oyu. 

We will have dispatches from the field beginning on the 10th of April and will have updates every 3-4 days during that time. Plan to follow along at our recent dispatch page as well as our blog at blogspot. If you want updates by twitter please follow us!

 

2011 Spring Cho Oyu Team

Ben Kane, Leader (Australia)

This will be Ben's second trip guiding to Cho Oyu and his 4th expedtion to an 8000m peak. In addition Ben has multiple ascents of Aconcagua (Falso, Normal and Polish) & Ama Dablam and a multitude of peaks in Nepal & New Zealand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Siddhi Bahadur Tamang, Sherpa Guide (Nepal)

Siddhi has been a lead sherpa for FTA on Ama Dablam, Island Peak & Cho Oyu and is one of our strongest and most repected sherpas. This will be Siddhi's 9th trip with FTA and we could not be more excited to have him along. This will be Siddhi's 3rd trip to Cho Oyu and it is great to have a long such and experienced sherpa!

Siddhie is also the resident nepali language instructor and takes great pride in helping our members to gain facility in nepali and during snowy days at BC this activity can be a life saver when the cards are worn and the batteries low! 

 

 

 

 

 

Priit Melnik, Climber (Estonia)

Priit has extensive climbing background and we are excited to have him aboard our team along with his partner Pille. He has made climbs on Mt .Elbrus, Mt.Mckinley, Pik Lenin, KhanTengri(Tien Shan), Gasherbrum II, Aconcagua, Vinson, Kilimanjaro, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo and more! 

Pille Saluvere, Climber (Estonia)

Pille has joined Priit for many of the expeditions and she has made trips to Elbrus, Pik Lenin, Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo and more. 

 

Sophie Denis, Climber (France)

Sophie is a very experienced mountaineer with Everest and many technical ascents already to her credit. She not only climbs but has dedicated herself to improving the places she visits and you can read more about her and her projects at:

http://followtheclimb.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 

 

Keith Melnik, Climber (USA)

Keith was born in the flats of Indiana, and his family moved east when he was young, eventually settling in a small town in Massachusetts.  He used his Boston driving skills to get himself west to college, however, he realized half-way through that the capitol district of NY doesn't really count as "west".  When a thorough search under every small rock in New England failed to turn up any glaciers, it was off to Portland Oregon, backyard chicken capitol of the world, where he now lives, raising three chickens, putting on funny hats, and spending way too much time playing with expensive and dangerous chemicals in a clean room as a Process Engineer in the semiconductor industry.  To sum up his profession, he "puts rat poison in sand to make it think."  Oh yeah, and he's climbed all over the Northwest for the last 10 years, as well as Pico de Orizaba and Aconcagua, and is both a Mazama Climb Leader and an active member of Portland Mountain Rescue.

 

 

 

Ratnaman Gurung, BC Manager & Chef

< Prev		Next >