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mustwalk
16th March 2006, 03:30 PM
After all the enquiring I did re Possibility of avalanches, it certainly looks like I put the mocker on myself. I think if I use this site again I will change my name to mustrun!

About an hour out of Himalaya Hotel, gentle rain turned to snow which didn't stop for 24 hrs. At MBC the next morning it was piled at least a metre high.

This is apparently "unseasonal" and Pokhara hadn't seen rain for 5 months.

Tracks down and up to ABC were snowed over and the young Nepali guy running the lodge said we might be stuck here for days or weeks! It really looked like it would snow for ages and when a Japanese guy offered to pay two local kids to pave a track down to Deoralli I considered my options and then made what could have turned out the most deadly wrong decision of my life.

Me and the Nepali guy (bless him) carrying my pack made the nervous 1 hr run down in scary conditions. Couldn't see more than a few metres in front of us amidst this frightening sound of avalanche rumbling around us.

About a third? of the way down we got swamped in a ferocious windswept, blizard like pile of cold white powder. It was as though it was coming out of a giant fire hose. Dead set thought this is it. It lasted about 30? seconds.

We obviously made it down OK and I write this from the comfiness of an internet cafe in Pokhara.

Hey... I followed the advice given to me by locals and subscribers to this site.
Weather patterns just can't be predicted. I know I made the wrong decision to come down... should have just stuck it out.

This site publicises much about Maoist problems which is sad for the people of Nepal, but I would be interested to here from someone from this site who knows just how many western lives (and Nepali) that have been lost over the last say 10 years through avalanche. I've heard it's heaps.

Safe travelling everybody

Tony

julia
16th March 2006, 03:54 PM
:eek: Scary, glad you got to safety ok,

we saw a least 6 avalanches in the Khumbu area in the month of April, but were luckily never close enough to be in harms way.

Had an extemely close call in Peru though ! That was in August.

Lisa
17th March 2006, 11:47 AM
julia,

6 avalanches in the Khumbu area in the month of April?!

which section of the khumbu area? i'll be there soon in 2 weeks time......:eek:

Lisa
17th March 2006, 11:47 AM
julia,

6 avalanches in the Khumbu area in the month of April?!

which section of the khumbu area? i'll be there soon in 2 weeks time......:eek:

julia
17th March 2006, 04:48 PM
Dont worry Lisa, they were far away enough from the trails to not worry about them. The closest was in Gokyo, but you will be ok, sorry i have caused you too worry. Dont. Have a good time. :)

Oli
27th March 2006, 01:26 PM
there was a spell of unseasoanbly bad weather for a few days, we had extremely heavy rain in Ghorepani for a couple of days, followed by snow. When we got to Chhomrong we really didn't like the look of the weather and didn't venture up higher - others did, some made it to ABC but some didn't.

I don't know how many trekkers have died by avalanche, Modi Khola or elsewhere, but I'm sure it's more than "none" and less than "lots". Probably not a statistic the NTB would not advertise too much. In bad weather the mountains can be dangerous, even more than the roads.

Tony: sounds like you had a very close call. I'm gad you are still with us.

.Oli