Expeditions

Photo: Ultar (ca7300m), Hunza Valley, Karakorum. A few years ago this was the highest unclimbed peak in the world open to expeditions - a serious undertaking that saw over 15 attempts before it was finally climbed in 1996. The face in this photo has been attempted twice by British Expeditions and is still unclimbed. It is the sort of target that would make a good objective for a technically competent team.

Finding a team: This is probably the second most difficult part of an expedition. Your team needs to be suited to both the objective and each other. Whilst a certain amount of "fire in the belly" is usually essential for success, team members ideally need to be fairly laid back, sociable and easy going. They also need to be committed to the project - a large financial deposit is the most suitable means of ensuring this and it should be made clear from the start that this deposit is refundable only at the end of the expedition, and then only if no financial loss to other members would ensue. Whilst with a large team there may be a certain safety in numbers if things go wrong, it will probably fragment into several small teams once basecamp is established. A small team can often respond more quickly to changes in circumstances and will be easier to form. If you are chartering an aeroplane or helicopter in the course of your expedition then the size of the team may be decided by the payload of the aircraft - if you are attempting to keep costs to the minimum that is.

You will need to select a Leader. This is not an honorary post. Generally all permit granting bodies will demand to deal via a leader. Also the leader's role will be as far as possible to ensure the objectives of the expedition are met, and in order to do this he or she may have to exert their authority over the other members of the expedition. The leader will inevitably end up doing a large part of the organisation of the expedition, however much they try and palm off on other team members. In fact, the golden rule of of leading expeditions is don't - try and get some other mug to do it.

It is also important that the team has a Medical Officer whose job is mainly to gather together an impressive collection of drugs and first aid kit and somehow get them through various customs checkpoints without getting arrested. It helps if this person is a doctor or medical worker of some sort, but in any case it is essential to take a basic book on mountaineering medicine. Medical advice for expeditions is available from MASTA and the UIAA Mountain Medicine Centre.

Photo: A typical basecamp in Greenland.

Insurance: It is essential to have adequate insurance in case a mountain rescue is required. Meeting the cost of a full helicopter search for a missing person in Nepal, Alaska or Greenland etc. doesn't really bear thinking about. The BMC offers a very good Insurance Service to expeditions.

Getting Permission: This may not be necessary, but for many areas of the world some sort of permit will be required. It is up to you to find this out and apply in good time (often up to a year in advance). Some idea of which areas currently need permits and how to apply for them can be gained from the list below. For many areas, a permit will necessitate paying a Peak Fee or National Park Fee and you may also need to take a Liasion Officer who you will have to feed and clothe.

You may have restrictions placed on the type of food you can import and rules regarding the disposal of waste.

There may also be specific rules regarding the employment of porters and in any case it may be easier to employ them via an agency - the permit issuing authority should be able to help you here.

You will almost certainly have to provide adequate clothing and footwear for any porters you employ even though most of them won't use any of the kit you supply, preferring to sell it asap.

Photo: A porter crossing a rickety footbridge in the Karakorum - you may be responsible for their safety.

Grants:t is true to say that the days of expeditions being sponsored to the hilt by industry and climbing gear manufacturers are long gone, there is still the chance of some money/gear/food free or cheap for your expedition if it is either cutting edge or exploratory, or both. Major sources of funding for UK expeditions include the British Mountaineering Council (more concerned with technicality than exploration) and the Mount Everest Foundation (more concerned with exploration than technicality). The application for for both grants is the same and must be made in the year before the expedition takes place. You can download it from the MEF site. There are extensive lists of other grants available on the BMC, and RGS sites. As far as gear, equipment and food goes, best of luck!

Further Info:

For more help, the BMC, UIAA , MEF and the RGS have very useful information pages on expeditions, such as Mountain travelling, How to plan an Expedition - part 1,How to plan an Expedition - part 2 and How to plan an Expedition.

Commercial Expeditions: There is of course a short cut to all this, and that is to pay some-one else to do it for you, ie go on a commercial organised expedition. These are highly suitable for the better heeled mountaineer with limited time of their hands. However, it is one of life's truisms that you get out of any venture just as much as you put into it and this is just as likely to be the case with organising your own expedition. Moreover, many commercial expedition organisers show little imagination when it comes to selecting objectives, returning time and time again to the same peaks such as Meru and Island Peaks, Aconcagua and Everest. Others are more adventurous: Martin Moran regularly features unclimbed peaks in his brochure, as do John Biggar and Paul Walker.

We would be pleased to advise on and quote for any expedition kit list.

Equipment:

Much of what you need will no doubt already have, but if you are going to high altitude or operating in especially cold environments (it is essential when doing your expedition planning to work out the minimum and maximum daytime and night-time temperatures that you are likely to encounter), Needle Sports stock and/or can obtain many items of specialist equipment not easily available else where. These include: http://www.needlesports.com/Information/Shop-By-Brand/Buffalo

The Trip Itself

If you have got this far, the expedition itself should be a doddle, and, assuming you avoid illness, accident, arrest, theft of equipment, passports or money, riots and acts of terrorism, you should have a great time. You may even climb your peak.

That more or less covers it, but feel free to ask or email for further advice.

“The first question which you will ask and which I must try to answer is this, "What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?" and my answer must at once be, "It is no use." There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behavior of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron. We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food. It's no use. So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won't see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for.” and you thought he just said, “Because it’s there!” (well, he said that too).