A close call on Annapurna I

Mont is proud to support Jason Krishnan from The Altitde Gym on his mountaineering expedition through Nepal and India. Over 34 days Jason made an incredible push of Annapurna 1 making it 350m from the summit and made the tough decision to turn back with severe stomach pains and a head-torch that stopped working. A very wise decision as a storm hit and a large number of climbers couldn't descend for close to ten hours. Resulting in three long line rescues and critical injuries. We are so glad to hear that Jason and the other mountaineers are all safe.

Read Jason's story below...

Annapurna

The name “Annapurna” came after the Mount Annapurna, which is the 10th highest mountain in the world. Annapurna is a series of peaks in the Himalaya, a 55km long Massif who’s highest point, Annapurna I, stands at 8,091m. It is located east of a great gorge cut through the Himalaya by the most famous river, Kali Gandaki and which separates it from the Mount Dhaulagiri. Annapurna is a Sanskrit name which is translated as Goddess of the Harvests. In Hinduism, Annapurna is a goddess of fertility and agriculture. The Region, Annapurna is surrounded by many Himalayan ranges which include the Annapurna range, Dhaulagiri and Machhapuchhre – the famous fish-tail mountain that dominates the skyline above Pokhara. In addition this area possess the Kali Gandaki, the world’s deepest gorge.

"Summit photos seldom tell the story of the journey to reach there. For me, after 34 days on Annapurna 1 (8,091m), it seemed like a sure win, but I decided to turn back ~350m from the summit due to severe stomach pains… and head-torch failure.

Jason wearing the Supersonic Jacket and Micro Pants

There was hard technical climbing with heavy loads especially between camps 2 to 4, after which it was steep snow traverses to the summit. There was constant avalanche danger… even right at the end, one headed straight behind me on the descent but I was too tired to film it or run away. Luckily it was just snow. A few day’s rest to hopefully settle the stomach then I’m off to Kanchenjunga. The real heroes by the way are the support staff without whom these endeavours would’ve been much harder if not down right impossible."

Credit: Words and images - @jkdai_mountaineering and The Altitude Gym