Avalanches on Way to ABC

[Andrees]

Just on the beginning of march an avalanch killed three Germans an their Nepali guide on the way back from MBC.
This happens nearly every year so I would like to writhe about some precautions one should have in mind.
The most dangarous part is surely between Deorali and MBC, but avalanches can com down till bamboo. You are walking in a deep george and dont see any snowmountains at all, so its diffucult to even think about snow. But the step slopes of the hiunchuli are ful of snow. If an avalache start there somme thousend meters higher, it will be funeled in the valleys abowe and sudently fall down over the wall.
There a two dangerous situations , first if there has been heavy snowfall. Then you should consider to stay one ore more days just in the lodges, waiting that possible avalanches have come dawn. It is crucial, that you have planned this already from the beginning in you time shedule. Thes avalanches can come down at any day time.
The second situatione is in the warm spring months. As the sun gets stronger, it will warm up the snow on Hiunchuli. Thes avalanches get normaly down after 10 o clock.
1. ask for information from lokals and groups coming down. If they tell you not to go, dont go. Nepali tend to be quiet fatalistic and dont worry to much about possible dangers, if they do, its really dangerous.
2. If there have been avalanches in the past two weeks, start very early in the morning for the strech between Deorali and MBC. In April 2001 I started at 5:30 am from Deorali and on the way back from MBC and I stoped later to have breakfast.
2. Be aware tha the smal snowfields you encounter on the way are not childern playgrounds but the remains of former avalanches! There the chances are high that a new one will come down again. These thinny little snowfields ar the most dangerous parts of the Trek. Just cross them very quickly and dont make a single stop.
3. When travelling in a group, have a distance from at least 50 meter between the persons when crossing the snowfields, the most of the avalanches are not that large, so that only a part of the group could be catched and the other can help . When i was going with a group in April 2001, we did this for most of the part between deorali and MBC.

I wish every one wonderfull days in ABC, it is still one of the best places I can imagine. You can look at some pictures in my site www. nepal-dia.de
Andrées

[Daniel]

Andrees caution is timely. Appart from recent events already mentioned, in March 2000 three Australians and an Israeli died in the area described, specifically between Hinku Cave and Deorali. They apparently ignored the advice of the lodge owner at Himalaya, as well as the other Nepali guides at the lodge, who did not take their tourists up that day. I have been on that stretch twice in Dec 2000 and Jan 2002, but the winter is probaby the most uneventful time. You should not have a problem if you talk and listen to the locals, generaly do what they do, and in March, April or September walk that stretch early in the morning, as Andrees says. I also understand that there is a new track in parts of that area, on the left hand side of the Modi Khola - your right as you go up, in other words not walking right under Hiunchuli, but walking on the other side. This apparently is safe. I guess guides should know where this is. I have not done that, there again there was no recent snow or hint of danger the times I have been there. There seem to be between one and four victims there almost every year during March-April or in September, so caution is advisable. Despite all that, if you take the right precautions, talk to the people in the know, listen to your guide, etc, it should not deter you at all. The amaxing stuff at ABC (and even MBC) are definitely worth it. Plus, you are more likely to be hit by a bus in your own home-town, than to die in an avalanche in the Himalayas.