FTA November 2011 Newletter

In what has been a remarkable season to date, our teams have made the summits of Broad Peak, Satopanth, Island Peak, Lobuche, Stok Kangri, and Spantik, the latter which saw 100% of the group making their way to the top.

After battling rain and incessant wet snowfall, the Spantik expedition made the summit in crystal clear conditions just before the trek out deadline. Their patience paid off handsomely, after the team spent an inordinate amount of time waiting out the bad weather at the lower camps along the stunning 8km SE ridge of the mountain.

We very highly recommend this hill to anyone looking for an objectively safe expedition style climb, or an alternative to the crowded and less scenic slopes of Cerro Aconcagua. We'll be heading back in 2012 for our 8th expedition to a hill that is located in one of the most scenic backwaters of the Karakoram.

See all FTA expeditions at www.fieldtouringalpine.com

Our 2011 Broad Peak team worked hard in minimal good weather opportunities to establish their high camps this season on the planet's 12th highest peak.

The expedition, led again this season by Chris Szymiec and Tim Colqhoun, wound their way up the west ridge over 3 weeks to secure a well stocked high camp at just over 7200m. Team members Sophie Denis, Andre Bredenkamp and Wim Smets made the true 8047m summit after a demanding 14hr round trip, part of a wave of climbers who took advantage of the improved wind conditions.

It was during their descent, that Honk Kong based climber Chung Wai Hung slipped and fell from above the camp 3 site and disappeared into a crevasse. Despite efforts by several team climbers to reach the fall site Chung could not be recovered. The accident deeply affected our team, and our thoughts and sympathies remain with Chung's family

Across the Godwin Austen glacier on arguably the world's toughest mountaineering challenge weather, fatigue, and heavy snow conditions thwarted our teams effort on the slopes of K2. This was our fourth expedition to K2 in consecutive years. We'll be taking a break from her next season while returning to Broad Peak and an expected attempt on Nanga Parbat

To join the updates list for our Karakoram 8000m Programs email us at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

It was pleasing to see so many westerners roaming the streets of Skardu this year. While Pakistan has received some bad press of late, the reality on the ground in Baltistan, arguably one of the most scenic and hospitable mountain domains on the planet, remains quiet, and completely secure.

It needs to be borne in mind there has never been an attack on a trekker or a climber in the areas around Skardu for over a decade, the last being the incident involving photographer Ned Gillette 14 years ago near the Haramosh La, when he was believed to have been the victim of a bungled robbery while trekking without local support or guides in a very remote area.

One could actually argue it is safer here than in most medium sized cities anywhere in the world. Tourism provides the primary source of income for many people in this area, from cooks and kitchen boys, to porters, and shop merchants and jeep drivers.

If you have thought about a first visit to the Karakoram, or wish to return but have been concerned about the political or security situation, contact us and FTA founder Dave Hancock, himself a 15+ trip veteran to Pakistan, will be pleased to go through the facts with you.
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Hot on the heels of leading our successful Satopanth trip Australian FTA guide Ben Kane headed for Kathmandu and is currently leading our Khumbu Peaks and Passes trip in the Solo Khumbu.

This is a great program for novice or trek level adventurers to try their hand at a couple of 6000m peaks while taking in the scenery of one of the Himalayas most popular trek areas.

Immediatley following this trip Ben will be off with a strong team to tackle Ama Dablam before finally taking a well eaerned rest after 3 trips in a row!

On this trip we have exped doctor Veronika Bartova who must be setting a record with her 6th FTA trip. She has joined us already for Snow Lake & Workman's Peak, Spantik, Cho Oyu, Tharpu Chuli & Satopanth and will be on her 7th with us next September on our trip to Stok Kangri!

You can follow their progress at our www.fieldtouring.blogspot.com

See images from all of Veronika's trips on her wonderful site www.e-veronika.eu/en

We have current availability on a January 10 departure ex Mendoza for our Polish Glacier trip, and spots are also free for our February 05 Falso and Polish Glacier schedules. With a multitude of summits on last season's trips, and consecutive seasons of excellent snow conditions on the Polish, we are looking forward to another bumper year on the America's highest peak, culminating of course with fabulous Mendocinian wine and hefty steaks at the conclusion of the climb!

» Aconcagua 2012 details

Come and check out the latest adventures and images from amazing trips, treks and climbs from all corners of the globe at our new page. This will also be the place to get on-board our 2012 Photographic Competition with a first prize of an all expenses paid photo assignment to K2 base-camp in the Karakoram Himalaya. Details to be released in January 2012!

Climbing four peaks in Ecuador is more akin to undertaking four separate expedition ascents, with each peak posing a different set of objectives to be overcome, and each being quite geologically unique.

We offer a variety of schedules and objectives including the Himalayan scale Chimborazo, touted as being the closest point on the Earth's surface to the sun, due to the plants equatorial bulge.

» Check our site for dates and options

Next season FTA will become the first commercial organizer to mount an attempt on the 7450m Noshaq inside the Whakan Corridor in Afghanistan, the highest peak in that country, since before the area was closed by the Taliban in the late 1990's.

Over the past several seasons a multitude of small private groups have begun returning to the area, with several bagging Noshaq in the process, and with the official re-opening of the Whakan to organized commercial groups we plan to use the expedition to help promote the re-establishment of adventure tourism in this truly extra-ordinary location. Noshaq is an exceptionally safe climb given her height, but will remain a very demanding undertaking for that same reason.

FTA founder and occasional documentary maker Dave Hancock will be joining this trip and hopes to film the program. To join the updates list for this very exciting project please email us at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

» FTA Noshaq web page
» Noshaq Image Gallery at FTA Facebook Page

Kilimanjaro is the highest continental summit in Africa and is the largest of a chain of 20 volcanoes. It is also the highest free-standing mountain in the world. One of the most important aspects of a successful ascent of Kilimanjaro is acclimatization. By using the stunning Mt Meru, team members are well prepared to tackle the main objective. The 3-day ascent of Meru is also a fantastic opportunity to see the African wildlife whilst climbing and staying in comfortable huts.

Join FTA Guide Sean James for a December Holiday summit climb!

» Read More

While in Skardu in August FTA Principal Dave Hancock was alerted to the devastating mudslide that had cut the village of Talis in two and destroyed over 120 homes. Along with our Pakistan ground agents ATP, he and Essar Karim organised several jeep loads of warm clothes, blankets, food staples, and a large number of tents suitable for housing whole families and delivered them personally to the village. Fortunately it was a slow moving slide and most people managed to get out of their homes, however several lives were lost along with most of the villages livestock. If you would like to make a donation, no matter how small, it would go a long way to relieving the plight of the villagers, who still face the prospect of spending a cold long winter inside donated tents.

Email Dave at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for info on how to help.

» See images from the village here

With our 2011 post monsoon expedition about to get under way the next opportunity to join us on this Nepalese classic mixed route comes on May 01 next year, unless of course your super organised or already in KTM and want to jump on our Nov 04 trip (2 spots remaining!) We are a world leader in Ama Dablam guided and assisted ascents, with exceptional summit rates and a schedule that takes in Island Peak before the main event to fast foward members acclimatisation.

» Ama Dablam Info

FTA Director of USA operations Stu Remensnyder managed to get off on a trip to Denali in the northern summer, only to miss the top when he pulled out early in order to get our Pakistan 8000m members underway. The rest of Stu's team waited out the bad weather and managed to top out! He was joined on the trip by FTA guide Matt Schonwald and FTA alum Brad Jackson (who was one of the summiteers!)

We welcome new guides Tim Colqhoun, Brad Jackson and Meaghan McGrath, Tim was the first West Australian to summit Everest and led our successful Spantik expedition and held the support role on our Broad Peak trip. Brad Jackson brings Everest, Ama Dablam, Denali and more to his years and will be assisting on Ama Dablam as well!

Canadian Meaghan counts the 7 Summits and a solo walk to the South Pole in her already impressive resume, and will be joining us as an assistant guide on Ama Dablam on Nov 04.
» Read an inspiring interview with Meaghan in Adventeer Magazine

FTA founder and occasional Nat Geo documentary maker Dave Hancock headed for the open ocean off the remote NW coast of Australia in a solo visit to a dozen uninhabited islands in his new but very small 7m boat. After the sea trials he teamed up with 2 friends for a remarkable 1200km journey through the Kimberley oceanic wilderness, enduring 10m tides, crocodile attacks, and nearly losing the boat one night in a reptile infested mangrove swamp! From the oceans to mountains and a visit to Pakistan to meet clients and staff, and then on to Laos for a solo motorbike ride from north to south (highly recommended he said!).

Dave's Kimberley trip, which he noted was one of the most extra-ordinary things he had ever done, will be the subject of an upcoming magazine article, in the meantime you can see a handful of the images he captured at his facebook gallery page here

A big congratulations go out also to long-time FTA guide Chris Szymiec who summited Everest last season, but even bigger news was to follow - just last week he wed partner Samira, an Iranian born big-wall climber, in Kathmandu. Now that has to be a fairytale story with a happy ending!

Congratulations once again Chris and Samira from all the crew at FTA!

Elbrus in June, Noshaq in July, Spantik in Aug, Stok Kangri in Sept.

Can you take 4 months off in a row and want to be a true climbing bum?
Talk to us about the grand tour, hitting all four of the above - its kind of like the silk route but on steroids!

» 2012 Expedition programs

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