The high mountain climbing team Veikka G. and Kazuya H. are waiting for heavy snowy weather to clear. It’s another important day to ensure that there is a full recovery from the long trek to base camp. Physiologically the body and especially red blood cell production needs to be fully recovered from previous work loads that it can adapt and develope to increasing altitudes and harder climbing. The recovery is the most important factor to ensure that a climber is fit to push ahead. The recovery also plays a very important role in preventing altitude sicknesses with the climbing speed, which also has to be monitored. The ratio between work loads (the amount of climbing hours and altitude meters a day) and recovery should be well balanced.
“The waiting is the hardest part …”, it just adds the psychological stress factors.
The weather has proven many forecasts wrong for many frustrated climbing groups at the Gasherbrums: “The predicted good days produced snow and the bad days produced sun”.
Avalaches on the Gasherbrums. The avalanche risks increase with heavy snow fall and warm temperatures. Photo credit Veikka gustafsson.
Forecast predicts very unstable weather between sun shine and heavy snow. Tomorrow might be sunny in the morning, but prediction is that it starts to snow again in the afternoon. It also seems to snow during the tonight.
Very risky climbing weather, very hard decisions for the climbing team.
Latest forecast for Gasherbrum I at 18.28 on Friday 03.04.2009
Forecast for Gasherbrum I Saturday 04/07/2009
Morning 05:00 – 11:00
 |
 |
Partly cloudy. Light air, 1 m/s from south. 0 mm precipitation.
Midday 11:00 – 17:00
 |
 |
Snow showers. Light air, 1 m/s from south. 0.4 mm precipitation.
Night 17:00 – 23:00
 |
 |
Snow. Light air, 1 m/s from south. 0.3 mm precipitation.
Forecast for Gasherbrum I Sunday 05/07/2009
Morning 05:00 – 11:00
|
|
Partly cloudy. Light air, 1 m/s from south-southwest. 0 mm precipitation.
Midday 11:00 – 17:00
 |
 |
Fair. Light air, 1 m/s from south-southwest. 0 mm precipitation.
Night 17:00 – 23:00
 |
|
Partly cloudy. Light air, 1 m/s from south. 0 mm precipitation.
Forecast for Gasherbrum I Monday 06/07/2009
Morning 05:00 – 11:00
|
 |
Fair. Light air, 1 m/s from south-southwest. 0 mm precipitation.
Midday 11:00 – 17:00
 |
|
Fair. Light air, 1 m/s from south-southwest. 0 mm precipitation.
Night 17:00 – 23:00
 |
 |
Fair. Light air, 1 m/s from south-southwest. 0 mm precipitation.
Teaching wellness counseling, focusing on:
0 Responses to “Snow day at Gasherbrum base”