Himalaya Fall 2009: Summits!!

It appears as if the Fall Himalaya Season for 2009 is rapidly coming to an end, with teams reporting successful summits on a variety of mountains, while others prepare to go home empty handed.

Field Touring Alpine has an update on their blog stating that their team has reached the top of Island Peak yesterday, with six climbers topping out on the 6186 meter mountain. All of them have also successfully returned to base camp, where they got some much needed rest and celebrated their success. Today, they left the mountain, heading back to Dingboche. The team isn't done yet however, as they intend to head to Pumori next for a little more action.

The IMG blog has also been updated with news of their success, although they were climbing on Ama Dablam. Their summit also occurred yesterday, with the team setting out from C2 at 4 AM and proceeding up to the top by 10 AM. They then made the descent all the way back to BC, ending their day at 8:30 PM. Whew! What a long day. On a good note, the guides report that the route to the summit is in good shape and the stage is set for others to go up too.

The word is not so positive from Pumori, where the Peak Freaks are packing it in after an attempt on the summit that was halted when they came across a large ice shelf high on the mountain. After testing it for stability, they determined that it may or may not be safe, and the "may not" part was enough for them to call of their bid and head back to BC. The team is happy with what the accomplished this year, but weren't willing to go further and put themselves at risks, so as of today, they are preparing to pack up and go home.

They weren't the only team to call it a day, as the Climb With Us Team is also coming home. An audio update on their site says that despite great weather conditions over the past few weeks, the ice found on the upper peaks, formed from the melting of snow during the day, and the re-freezing at night, has caused them to also call off their expedition. They are also happy with what they accomplished, but a bit disappointed that they won't stand on top of the mountain. They'll be back in the Himalaya next spring however, with their eyes on Everest, and an even bigger prize.