The North Face

Alpinist | Simone Moro

Simone Moro has a passion to explore, a passion which has led him from his home and playground in the Italian Dolomites to the very highest places on our earth. He started to climb at the age of thirteen and it will remain a life long love. He is world renowned for his all round prowess as an alpinist - on rock, on ice, mixed and at altitude. His drive, his boundless energy, his humility, his happiness and his love for life are inspiration to all of us.

Learn more about Simone Moro.

Sep 29 | Chapter 9c

By Simone Moro

Chhukung 4730 meters, Khumbu Valley - Nepal.

Lat. N 27°54’14.08”
Long. E 086°52’17.81”

We just came back from Island Peak 6189 m. We are editing the videos of the three days spent approaching and on the mountain. We reached the summit yesterday at 2,30 pm and than we established an high camps at 6000 m, spent the night to better acclimatize and get ready for the future high camps.

Today we received the news from Nima Nuru, our trekking agent in Kathmandu, that had been confirmed the closure of the Tibet/Nepal boarder till the 8th October. So we decided to remain 1 week more here in the upper Khumbu to continue and finalize our acclimatisation for a future fast ascent of Cho Oyu.

So the trilogy expedition will continue even with compressed time. Our goal remain to climb Cho Oyu, snowboard down from the summit, ride and run back to Kathmandu. We will climb other peak here around Chhukung village and spend other night around 6000 meters. We want to arrive in Cho Oyu base camp (even late due the Chinese authority decision) ready and motivated. We just hope that the weather condition will be good for a safe attempt.

- Simone Moro

Sep 28 | Chapter 8

By Simone Moro

Scherzo Cinese

Le cose ovviamente non possono andare lisce almeno per una volta… Infatti anche stavolta è arrivata la sorpresina. I cinesi hanno chiuso le frontiere dal 24 settembre fino al giorno 8 ottobre. Nessuno, proprio nessuno ossia spedizioni e turisti possono entrare in Tibet per la ricorrenza del 60° anniversario della proclamazione della repubblica popolare Cinese il 1° ottobre 1949 e le celebrazioni organizzate a Piazza Tienanmen. Le spedizioni presenti ai campi basi verranno lasciate i loco ma non saranno permessi spostamenti in Jeep o altro al di fuori dalla montagna su cui stanno operando. Per noi questa notizia è uno sgambetto perché riduce a soli 15/giorni la possibilità di tentare e salire sul Cho OYU. Infatti il 30 ottobre abbiamo il volo di rientro in Italia da Kathmandu e ciò significa lasciare il campo base tibetano il giorno 25 o 26 ottobre. Se consideriamo che vorremmo rientrare a piedi o in Mountain bike e non in Jeep questo significa che abbiamo bisogno di tempo.

In queste ore stiamo decidendo il da farsi. Saremmo dell’idea di cancellare la spedizione al Cho Oyu e tentare una montagna qua in Nepal, magari vicino a dove già siamo (siamo a Chhukung sotto la sud del Lhotse). Vorremmo però essere sicuri che i Cinesi non ci chiedano comunque i soldi del permesso del Cho Oyu perché in quel caso butteremmo al vento circa 40.000 dollari. Inoltre essendo una MULTISPORT expedition stiamo valutando di avere un opzione che permetta ad Emilio di scendere in Snowboard, a Lizzy di correre a Kathmandu e a me ed Hervè di effettuare una prima salita o via nuova. Forse io ed Hervè saremmo i più facilitati nella scelta perché qua c’è tutto da fare…. Ma non vogliamo condizionare troppo i nostri compagni di spedizione. Lasciateci qualche ora e decideremo…

Ciao

Simone

 

Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

 

Chinese Play

Also this time we have something bad. Another unexpected news that change our programs. The Chinese decided to close the Tibetian border from 24th September till 8th October due the 60° anniversary of the Chinese Republick born the 1st Octobre 1949 and the celabrations organized in Tienanmen Square. So again and again the Chinese decided to close the country from the rest of the world and all the Turist and visitors that already planned and paid to enter in Tibet are now obliged to stay far till the 8th October ( hoping they will not decide for another late date). So we are excluded to Tibet till that date and our remaining time for a Cho Oyu climb and run back to Kathmandu is too short ( we have to fly back the 30th October). In these hours we are discussion an alternative project. We would like to cancel the Cho Oyu expedition and focus on an alternative peak here around Chhumjung. There are a lot of peaks and big mountains and new routes to climb... But it is not so easy to combine also a snowboard descent (as Emilio like to do) and a Mountain bike / run way back to Kathmandu. We are also still afraid to loose the money for the Cho Oyu climbing permit and in that case the problems will be bigger. Let’s see what will happen in the next hours/days. In the meantime we continue to acclimatize here around…

Ciao

Simone

Sep 28 | Chapter 7

By Simone Moro

Simone Moro & Hervé Barmasse: Cho Oyu, Trilogy Expedition

Sep 24 | Chapter 6

By Simone Moro

Hello!

I am in Chhukkung again, 4720 m, Khumbu Valley, Nepa. I don’t honestly remember how often I have been here; maybe more than 30, but for sure every time I was loaded with energy, dreams and the will to realize a new adventure.

The last time I have been here I was with Denis Urubko, acclimatizing to climb the Makalu. Maybe it is the nice hospitality of the Ama Dablam view lodge that helps us in acclimatizing, last time it worked, because we succeded on Makalu, and hopefully we will succeed again. This time my friend Lopsang opened the lodge in advance to host the Trilogy expedition team.
Everybody feels good, the vibe in the team is great and we are following the planned schedule.

Today we did another bit of our acclimatization schedule, we reached the top f the Chukkung Ri 5,555 meters and we are now back in the lodge, having the delicious Veg Fried Rice that Lopsang prepares.
Tomorrow will move to the B.C of the Island peak; the plan is to climb it and to spend one night on top.

Stay tuned for more…
Ciao, Simone.

- Simone Moro

Sep 23 | Chapter 5

By Simone Moro

Chhukung

Feb 04 | Still Windy!

By Simone Moro

Today the weather is fantastic (in base camp) and the wind continue to be over 120Km/h above 7400. So after 4 days rest we decided to make some training going to camp 1 and back quite fast… 1 hour 10 minutes to go camp 1 and 28 minutes to come back (I recorded with my heart rate monitor and GPS POLAR). Just to keep feet our muscle. It look that the weather will remain sunny and the wind should decrease the speed till 90KM/h in the weekend. So we are thinking to start Friday to camp 2, Saturday to C3 and Sunday …maybe…summit push…. It will be very important the weather forecast that Karl Gabl will send us tomorrow. We want to send our best wishes also to our friends to Broad Peak hoping that will have soon  3-4 days of good weather and low wind.

Ciao

Simone and Denis

Jan 28 | Windy Makalu...

By Simone Moro

It was 3:00 a.m. when I get the line on my computer thanks the new Thuraya DSL modem just arrived few hours before. Now is a sunny morning, we took breakfast and I start immediately to work with my PC and modem to recuperate the missing time…. Tomorrow our plan I to go to Camp 2 at 6900 m than to Makalu La 7400 and go also higher if the wind will be not so impossible…

Last night had been terribly windy here in BC and really I had the sensation to fly away… I was inside my sleeping bag, working with PC and Modem while the hurricane tried to destroy our ABC. Thanks God and thanks The North Face tends we have no damages and everybody and everything are safe. This morning we have sun and no wind in BC. On the mountain the wind speed looks lower than usual…. 

Now I will publish some photos of our previous days…

Ciao

Simone

Jan 01 | First day of the new year in Kathmandu

By Simone Moro

Yesterday I arrived here in Kathmandu few hours before the new year and at midnight I was in my hotel room working at Pc…. Denis and Nima Nuru (chief of Cho Oyu trekking) pick me at the airport and after drove me at the Yak and Yeti hotel, we went to eat a good pizza to Fire and Ice Restaurant. There were 24 hours that I was travelling and I had a long wait in the Doha airport and I was dreaming for a nice sleep but when I came back in the hotel I started to work at my laptop and I stopped around 2 am. So at midnight I was not doing party, but working for my coming winter dream…

Today it had been a very busy day. I wake up very early and after breakfast I meet Miss Hawley, the famous old lady (journalist) that since 1983 is following, doing interview and recording all the expedition in Himalaya. It had been as usual a nice meeting and I gave her present my new book about all the 8000 meters peak history with all the photos, all the faces and all routes of the 14 peaks above 8000 meters. I had been proud to receive her appreciation and congratulations. She was surprised about my job for that book When I finished that meeting I went to Nima’s office talking about the logistic and the detailed costs of all the expedition. Than we went to ministry of tourism doing the briefing  (and waiting 2 hours before to start that meeting). Than again to Nima’s office preparing all the climbing equipment, food and base camp equipment. Tomorrow all those equipment will fly to Tumlingtar and Jagat Limbu (my cook and sirdar) will start to trek to base camp together his assistant Mingma and around 40 porters. I and Denis will stay one day more here in Kathmandu and than we will fly in Everest region to trek and  have 2 weeks acclimatisation program. 

- Simone

Aug 12 | Shimshal Climbing School

By Simone Moro

We had been in the remote valley of Shimshal. We met the local people and authorities and we visited the families of the 2 high altitude porters died on k2 last week (rescuing 2 foreign climbers).

The project started and we did the first "lesson" showing videos and explaining our goal with the school. The responsible of the school will be Qudrat Ali and Shaheen baig who are 2 famous shimshali mountaineers and high altitude porters and had been with me in my last broad peak attempt It will be the first climbing school in Pakistan involving males and females TOGETHER...

My idea is to visit regurarly (1-2 times per year) and participate in teaching the students how to climb on rock, ice, mix and how to guide a client in low and high altitude. We also will organize some small climbs with some selected students on the 6000 and 7000 meters around shimshal. Many of those mountains are still unclimbed.

Very soon I will provide some basic TNF products to the students and I will try to involve some my sponsor in providing climbing gear and equipment (ice axes, crampons, harnesses, helmets and so on). The students need all the basic products and equipment to start their activity.

The local people of Shimshal asked me to express their gratitude to the company and to all of you. They appreciated very much our sensibility and the soul of our project.

Ciao!

- Simone Moro

Aug 10 | Finally the Summit!

By Simone Moro

SUMMIT!! SUMMIT!! SUMMIT!!

Beka Brakai Chhok nearly 7000 m (6940m) in not more a virgin mountain…. It had been difficult, delicate and had but finally me climbed it.

We knew about 2-3 attempts before and also this year in June there had been a couple of alpinist that attempted it. Beka Brakai Chhook is really a beautiful mountain . Before to describe our climb we would like to express or sadness for the tragic events on K2 and Nanga Parbat some weeks ago…

I and Hervè decided to avoid the 8000 meters this summer (too many people) and try something different in a wild area as Baltar Glacier (we thought about Batura II). I had been before in 2005 and I knew the high potential of this area.

When we arrived we had the bad surprise to find a big Koren expedition, using heavy stile and high altitude porters to attempt the same mountain we thought… So we decided to let them completely free and change our program after the Batokshi peak acclimatisation/speed ascent.

We immediately decided to attempt beak Brakai Chhok and we requested and paid regularly the climbing permit to the Pakistani authorities. We thanks our trekking agency (hunza Guides) and the Minister of Tourism to support us and accept our request.

So after a 13 days bad weather period and the climbing permit wait, we started for our climb at 5 a.m form the base of the face. We climbed in pure alpine style. No tends, sleeping bas, stove, nothing…

We climbed all the days on difficult section also vertical ice parts and mix climb. At 9:30 p we reached 6500 meters after a super delicate traverse on thin and exposed ridge. We decided to organize a bivouac and we jumped in a small crevasses under a serac and we spent the night there…. (very cold night). The day after we waited the sun to warm up and then we continued our climb till the top. The last part had been again very difficult and we climbed on rock and mix sing all our abilities and experience. At 14,30 we were on the top where we find and touch a huge cornice…

We were super happy and satisfied but simply at 50% of our climb…. We started to come down immediately and we choose a different route…more direct but dangerous. That’s why we tried to be as fast as we ca and taking care about the huge seracs on our heads…. Thanks us and God everything went in the right way and at midnight we returned to our tend at the base of the mountain. We took all our equipment and than we went directly to base camp that we reached at 3:00 a.m.

We are of course very satisfied about our climb. Fast, in super light style and on a virgin high peak. Exactly what we was looking for. This area has many other future possibility and probably I will be here again…soon…

- Simone Moro