Gosainkund is a holy body of water, located so high up in the mountains (4400m) of Langtang that the lake is frozen almost year round. I've been trekking to that scenic lake 10 years ago, but never from the south side, through the cultural interesting Helambu area.

This is not a zoo, this is the real thing! We encountered rhinos, crocodiles, wild boars and a plenty of other wildlife.

I've been trekking and climbing a couple of times before in the Annapurna Himal of Nepal, but I've never done the Ghorepani trekking loop (including Poon Hill) and the Annapurna Sanctuary. So we decided to combine those two spectacular treks in a single 10-12 days trek.

I have not visited Pokhara in Nepal since the autumn of 2000, so it was about time to return to this tranquil lakeside town, before we go trekking in the Annapurna mountains.

Baruntse (7220m) is a mountain in eastern Nepal, in the very remote Hunku Valley. A nice adventure away from the crowds. The corniced ridged proved to be a challenge, but we summited October 30.

Mera Peak (6476m) is one of the most crowded peaks in Nepal. We did this as an acclimatization climb before Baruntse (7220m), but I'm quite surprised and disappointed that we only aimed for the central summit (6461m), which in fact is the false summit. But so do everybody else, being fooled by Sherpas and other locals to believe that this is the highest point of Mera.

After having spent 10 lazy days in Kathmandu, we will now fly into Lukla to climb Mera Peak (6500m) and Baruntse (7220m). This wonderful trek and climb will take about one month. Watch the progress here: www.summitclimbnews.com

I was not very keen on returning to Cho Oyu this autumn, but Erik finally convinced me to give it one more try. While the weather kept me from summiting last year, a bad troath and chest-infection stopped me effectively at 7500 metres this year. But failing to summit is nothing compared to the fate of Guy. He never got down again.

Erik and myself arrived Kathmandu a couple of days ago. Tomorrow we will leave to Tibet together with the other members on Cho Oyu 2008 expedition. You can follow the dispatches at Fieldtouring.

Boudhanath in Kathmandu

Disappointed after the unsuccessful attempt on Cho Oyo, I decided to hastily organize my own small "expedition" to Pisang Peak (6091m) as soon as I got back to Kathmandu.

I recently arrived back to Kathmandu after the Cho Oyu Expedition. I did not summit because of difficult weather, but climbed at least to 7400m.

After having endured several weeks of hard work and technical climbing in thin air, Marcus and I left Camp 3 going for the summit....

After two comfortable days of rest in basecamp, I've finally decided to go for the summit. I'm certainly aware of my limited time spent above basecamp so far (2 nights only), but the weather forecast is good and so are my health. No reasons to wait it out any longer.....

Because of a throat infection I was already delayed compared to some of the other team members. When Marcus, Stu, Brad B, Marc, Sue and Herb decided to go up to ABC and sleep one night, I was envious like hell, but I had the sense to stay behind in BC and fight off my infection.

And so it came to pass under a golden halo sky that all members of the Ama Dablam quest came to meet in Namche Bazaar unimpeded by the ever-present windstopper ninjas. Vanessa bought up the rear and despite her humble denials, credible reports have surfaced that she came to Namche fresh from summiting two further 6000m peaks.

I'm finally back in Kathmandu again, a city where I have spent maybe 30-40 nights the last few years. And I have a confession to make: "I LOVE THAMEL, KATHMANDU AND NEPAL!". So much will happen during the next few weeks and I really look forward to the Ama Dablam climb. But first I have some shopping and sightseeing to take care of....

A brief presentation of the team members on the Ama Dablam 2005 Expedition, including climbing resumes etc

Part of the team in Pangboche

Returning from a vacation in Colorado late in September 2005, I had rather few ideas what to do during the next months. My desire was to go back to the Himalayas in order to climb a major peak, but I didn’t have any particular ones on my mind. Ama Dablam, however, had been on my wish list since the autumn of 2000, when I first saw her remarkable silhouette from a small village above Namche.

The southwest-ridge route of Ama Dablam

In March/April 2005 I will travel to Asia together with 3 other guys from Norway. We are planning to go bi-cycling from Ulan Bator to Kathmandu, a journey of 6000km through stunning landscape in Mongolia, China, Tibet and Nepal. The bike trip will take 4-5 months, and we will spend most of the nights in our tents, except from the more populated areas of China, where we can stay in guesthouses along the road and eat delicious Chinese food.

The cycling route from Ulan Bator to Kathmandu

After a successful climb of Lobuje East (6.119m), the majority chose to go down to lower altitude in Pheriche (4240 m) to rest and recover before the climb of Island Peak.