Who said alone? Ozturk and Richards for a new route on winter Tawoche
David Falt and Vassiliy Pivtsov, currently on their way to Kwande Lho, thought they had all of Khumbu to themselves. But Renan Ozturk and Corey Richards are about to give winter Tawoche a shot.
Aiming for the unclimbed South Central Buttress, Renan and Corey are posting dispatches on Ozturk’s blog.
“Turn up the RADIO! Coming at you live from 17,000 ft. below the South Central (Gangsta) Buttress of Tawoche… Renan and I are stuffed in a tent suffering from pounding altitude headaches,” Corey posted yesterday.
“After our 4,300 ft elevation jump yesterday on our final approach to BC, this comes as little surprise. We have never actually been accused of being the sharpest bowling balls on the shelf…so go figure.”
“Tawoche in all her glory rises above us another 5,000ft. With the view, comes the all too familiar rollercoaster of emotions that precede any alpine endeavor. Balancing fear and intuition, angst and energy, the action vs. the idea….They all flow into your already pounding cranial vault, leaving you exhausted before you’ve left the ground.”
“Since our last dispatch, we are one man, one camera, and one crucial lens down,” Corey added. “Chhewang accompanied us to BC, but has since descended to Pangboche to wait. One 5D was tragically lost to a windstorm last night, as well the lens attached.”
Sponsored by The North Face, Renan Ozturk and Corey Richards are attempting a first ascent on Tawoche’s South Central buttress.
