Story thread

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>>1069199
In two days reached the morenas, and camped there, oppic. the altitude was 3800-4000m. It was very cold and silent there, felt like I was on another planet, so as I planned my challenge started when I reached the first glaciers. I was going to spend two or three days getting ready for the ascent. Two days passed, the night I was to leave my camp came but the freezing cold and wind mde me stay in the tent that midnight. The next morning I felt weak. I had no heat sourse and was drinking grey cold water from morenas, one candy and a few bread with canned fish two times per day. I was sure it's too much for this easy trip, ''those guys from Bonongton expedition on the Ogre haven't been eating for a week and still managed to climb on 7000, so stop whinning''. The nights became very cold long, almost endless, I was laying on the stones shaking hard from freezing cold, waiting for the first glimpses of dusk, just to realize something other than this endless cold dark still exists. With the first light I was falling into absolute delirium, I was seeing the weirdest dreams ever, they became so real and intense, It took me quite a time to come back to reality, which was frightening, there was nothing to make me feel safe or comfortable, so I preffered to stay lucid. Every night I struggled with my weakness and fear to make that burst and start ascent, it seemed my thoughts were still sleeping and not realizing the reality, so when I was making an enormous effort to open the one layer ice covered tent flap, the killing cold and darkness made me say to myself I'm freaking crazy, and I covered my head with icy jacket to keep the last warmth of my breath. On the seveth day I woke up at 3 pm and made a strong decision that today's gonna be the day, I tried to make some exersises to make the weakness go away, and to my surprise I couldn't raise my arms, it was funny at first, tried to pick up a stone and lift it up, barely stood up,

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>>1069201
I felt myself like a ghost that couldn't interract with material world. Never mind, the night came, and I finally left my tent, first half an hour everything felt unreal and scary, the layer of snow made the planned path look unfamiliar, but I kept walking, when the dusk came I felt super uplifted and full of strength, the most difficult part of the route that I was thinking may appear too hard for me, was really easy and I passed it fast. Then the slope began, it was covered with snow, but the ice underneath was rock solid, crampons barely held on it, above the slope there was a range of high rocks, soon I heard a weird bullet like noise, that came from the stones falling as the sun heated the rocks above. When they started to fly by my feet like shadows, leaving carves in the snow, I felt very uncomfortable. By the end of traversing the slope my crampons got filled with wet snow, and on the next step I suddenly fell and started to slipp into the abyss very fast, I tried to scratch hold wih my bare hands on ice, rocks or anything, since I was sure it was the end,

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>>1069203
but I felt sudden shocking pain, it was my habitual dislocation on the shoulder that poped out, I still was falling very fast, to the place I was looking every day, the glacier below the slope with vast open cravasses. Up to this day I don't know what stopped me, but I found myself on the same inclined slope, managed to get up shaking from adrenaline rush, with crazy force turned the shoulder into its place, one finger was turned weirdly, so my left hand got completely useless. I was disturbed, but after thinking about all the stuff I went through I continued my way towards peak, I could risk myself going back throught that stone shooting traverse, remembering the stories those stones can crash your knee, leg, head, that was scary. One crampon was gone after falling, I started to avoid ice\snow, and step only on rocks, they were covered with transparent ice but still felt safer than snow. I had a huge slope 60-70% inclined ahead of me, but it had a thin ridge of rocks along its side so I started to gain elevation. It took me very long time to rech the end of the slope, and at it's end it had vertical ice wall that i couldn't see from the distance, and it had a cravass right under the wall, so the wall was going deep into the ice. I looked down and nearly fainted, I climbed too high and couldn't go back, I would 100% fall when trying to climb down. So I had to cross the wall. The snow under the wall was very deep, the entire stick was buring into it, inclination reached became almost vertical, every step took 1-2 minutes, buring the stick tyed to my hand tightly, so if I fall it may hold me, I wasn't controlling the last steps and climbing the wall, I was totally aware of the consequences, and was too desperate to do anything else, so the last climb was on the edge, I remember I felt my body leaninig back, it was scary, the end was so close and easy, with some crazy body effort I managed to hold myself and overcame the wall,

>>1069199
Don't you dare end a story with "Thats it." again you hear me anon.

How old are you now ?

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>>1069204
the next moment I saw a vast plato, laid on it for about an hour like a starfish, senseless, with bursting lungs and banging heart, I felt relief and greatfullness for surviving. I looked up at the slope that was leading to the peak through the rock gates I was dreaming to go through for so long, tried a few meters, but it was so hard, I had one crampon, one arm, the day was ending and the rivers of clouds below were crawling higher and higher, I was risking to stay here forever. I walked the opposite side of plato, the slope on that side was easier, it had a lot of tiny rock temples sticking out from snow, so I made a classic deceision-to descend, no matter where, to drop the altitude, to reach the melting level, morenas, the bare rocks, anywhere but here. I started slipping(glissering for what it became known lately) in a sitting position using my stick as a brake, very slowly going from one rock to the other, trying to not gain speed by any means. Is wasn't an easy thing to do but I was too exhausted to walk or plan,

Nice blog, anon.

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>>1069209
I was simlpy going with the flow. After two hours the steep hills began to show up from the windows in fog, this was inspiring, meaning I getting closer to the bottom. Finally I was the glacier below and headed towads it, since the route on the mountain was going through the glacier, since it was getting dark my goal was to reach morenas, they seemed like a place where I can feel safe, at least I won't spend a night on high altitude, catch the sickness and sleep forever. Close to the twighlight I reached glacier area and manageg to orientate myself on the main path leading to camping area. I felt like I lived several lives, felt no hunger, no tiredness, little bit heroic, the chaos of the labirinths of huge stones, rocks and ice in this lifeless alien zone felt like the most safe place to be, I could easily lay on the ground and sleep very comfortably, coz it was nothing like stuff up there. I the camping area I met the guides I knew, ate a lot, slept there, on the next morning travrsed the mountain and went to my tent, packed up, and started to decsend the same way I came, into the green. It was absolutely mindblowing, the colours, the scents, the warmth, everything, it was like a second birth for me, everything felt so magic, like a fairytale, down in the valley I met the local kids, they were catching wild horses there, and were returning home, so the restof the route I spend on a horse, which was totally amaizing. The experience of relation with people bacame so unusually special and deep, it was so exciting to watch those kids messing around, calming and whispering the horses, joking and playing. Everything felt so different.

>>1069211
Fuck me, so many mistakes, lol.

Sorry for my grammar, sould have read before posting.

Pretty dank yarn, original poster

>>1069205
he meant "that's all the food i brought". lrn2readingcomprehension.

how old are you?

what is mountains

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Cool story bro.

Seriously.

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>>1069199
What a great story. You write better than most people in the author threads on /lit/.

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>>1069355
I'm in my twenties now, still want to repeat that kind of adventure some day)

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>>1069199
>soloing Kazbek through new route
Lucky you didn't die there. Also what year was this and why didn't you have an ice axe/other vital equipment?

Tried to climb it twice myself, failed both time due to weather and hip injury. Third attempt in September. Cool to see some pictures from non-standard route though.

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>>1069956
>ice axe/other vital equipment
Didn't have one back then, and honestly thought I don't need all that stuff, I wanted it to be something else then usual ascents, that's why I left on the route most of my provision, clothes, proper sleeping bag, pad.
Two weeks later reached the top in a mixed us+germany team, the route was super easy and boring. On the next ascent (uk\israel) returning from the peak the guides lost the way on the plato near the peak( we basically had to turn back when it started to snow, soon it was like 1m visibility) and we were about to descend to the russian side just to save our asses, that was fun, we sat in tight circle and desided to wait for the the breaks in weather, since the wind was hitting people to the ground and they were slipping causing chain effect, the snow was blinding the mask, and we literally couldn't walk. Luckily about an hour ago the break in this dissaster showed a piese of nearby mountain(twinpeak) and we headed towards it, reached the glacier and found the path, the level of freakness was 99% in the group. The mountain is known to be super easy but the weather conditions may turn it into a trap. I think mountaineering is only real when going in couple, or being one by one with the mountain. Pic related(skhara) is the previous onsight route.
Is it free now to climb main route alone? I remember norwegian team was sent down because they didn't have local guide and didn't want to hire one.

>>1070048
>weather conditions
Not a surprise when you take into account how exposed Kazbek is, it's a 1000 m higher than the surrounding peaks.

Don't know about Shkhara permits though, but if you were in such a predicament in Kazbek what makes you think climbing the second highest and hardest mountain of the Caucasus solo is a good idea?

Can you mark where you fell on the mountain?

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Awesome story, m8. Glad you lucked out. Hope you learned a lessen. Here is my story:

Once i was lost in the Alps and lost my corkscrew. I was forced to live on nothing but water and food for days.

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>>1070471
It was at the end of crossing that slope.
>>1070309
>Don't know about Shkhara permits
I meant the permits on your attempts(solo I assume) on kasbec, if you needed any, I haven't been there since then, it's interesting how the things changed.
>is a good idea?
It was my first time actually walking on the mountain snow or ice, funnily, I remember stepping on it and it was such an amazing thing, all the time before I only saw these white sheets soaring in the clouds, and now I walk on them, it was really magical.
The history of any outdoor activity is built on predicaments, which are the driving force of any expedition, the harder they are, the sweeter is homecoming.

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>>1070309
Shkhara massive has different routes, my goal was reaching the top of the ridge and a short traverse towards the main peaks, and then descending. The peaks are too deadly even for pros.
>>1072075
Haha, thank you, that's exactly how I looked when I lost my cigarette lighter and spent an entire week no smoking)

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>>1072075
Kek on you, well said anon.

Good posts anon

>>1069199
Good story m80

>tfw britbong and have nothing over 1500m
I doubt I'd want to climb something like Kazbek but something a little more Alpine would be nice.