David Trippett

Things have detiorated significantly all throughout the region, 2003 is long gone. Even the Khumbu has seen better times. Its unfortunate. I don't know know anything about "posing" or being a "poseur" as the french would say, others may have knowledge regarding such items, but being safe means being smart. IMHO Maybe if everyone felt as much responsibility for the state of the planet, and put their necks on the line, as often as americans do things may be better. Gather lots of info and make up your own mind. Its easy to become emotionally over-run with feelings of angry nationalism over these things....but forget about it...just wait a few years...in the mean time go to the Andes...just as nice and less crap. People are nuts about americans right now and its really ridiculous. If I come off as alarmist....great....thats my goal. Its really not worth it. Maybe not what you want to hear? If you simply must have the Himalaya for this seasons trendy traveler, try Sikkim and the lovely and safe Kangchenjunga trek. What a amazing trek, really underrated, and lots of minor peak bagging opportunities along the way, and you get to see Tenzing Norgays tomb in Darjeeling and those friendly Sikkimese women in Gangtok(!!). Another underrated and less known option is Arunachal Pradesh, wow....that place is amazing. Lots of plum picking to be done....permits can be a pain though...but the work is worth it. As for Ladakh, if you want to see burnt out Canadians and Aussies....come to Vancouver and go to the Cambie. BTW... the only travellers not carrying passports and ID are Americans so no matter what they figure it out...

I would stay away from Ladakh right now if you are American. I work in the area and was part of a group that was accosted by bandits. The bandits picked the Americans out of our group (being Canadian most of us were spared) by means of finding their passports and threatened to kill them. Only by chance did one of our local porters know one of the group and told them how these men had been employing locals and were "good". Needless to say the Himalaya are not safe for Americans right now. This was not the first such incident I witnessed either. I was in Nepal last year and the group we were with was stopped by Maoists and they picked out the Americans(see a pattern emerging?) and were roughed up and had all their things taken....save their clothes. I suggest you think long and hard before you take yourself over there. You may go and be fine, but is it really worth dying for? It's dangerous enough for westerners, but in the past few years I have seen the animosity towards Americans grow way out of proportion all through those mountains. Why not try the Andes?

often used as pro on the sandstone crags of eastern europe....

My Bumper Sticker....

great link "willstrickland" the flat fishermans appears to be the way to go.

how does everyone like to link ropes for rappel and why? i like single overhand and ~50cm tails.....please feel free to sound/slag off. thanks in advance.

www.climbinrio.com

Brazil mate... Just got back from three months...its cheap and the people are fantastic. Lots of trad, sport, bouldering, deep water soloing and bigwalls...all minutes from the beach. I'm going back in April. See www.climbinrio.com Brazil is fantastic...although its no Squamish....thank god for Squamish.