Anidesha Chuli

Anidesha Chuli (6900m), aka White Wave, is located in North-eastern Nepal, and had been attempted by another New Zealand party a year earlier. The approach was from Kathmandu to Taplejung by bus, and then a 10 day trek to base camp at 4800m on the Ramdang glacier. John became ill on the walk in, but responded to a change of antibiotic. Camp 1 was set up at 5200m, where Paul showed signs first of Acute Mountain Sickness, and then of High Altitude Cerebral Oedema, so he was evacuated to base camp where his condition slowly improved. John and Shelley continued with acclimatisation to Camp 2 at 5400m, and then to 5600m, struggling through waist deep snow. After a thunderstorm and heavy snow they retreated to base camp, and a week of poor weather followed. It was decided that Paul would stay at base camp during the next attempt, so John and Shelley returned to Camp 1 in the first break in the weather. They pushed on to 5700m, but found snow conditions worse, sometimes chest deep, and when another storm hit they decided to abandon the climb.