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1 September 2009Australian mountaineer returns to ‘death zone’A Sydney man will leave for the Himalayas early September in his second bid this year to be the first Australian to climb all of the world's "death zone'' peaks - those in the oxygen-starved heights above 8000m.
Andrew Lock, arguably Australia's most accomplished high altitude mountaineer, will join an international list of elite climbers when he reaches the 14th and final 8000m-plus summit, Tibet's Mt Shishapangma. It will be Lock’s third attempt at the summit. Forty-seven year old Lock, who lives in Canberra and works fulltime to pay for his expeditions, is one of the world’s foremost mountaineers. Aside from Mt Everest, he has completed all of the world's most famous climbs, including K2 - the second highest peak - and the deadly Annapurna, a mountain that claims the lives of one in two climbers who attempt it. In March this year he travelled to the Himalayas determined to finish his 15 year campaign by standing atop Shishapangma but was unable to get the necessary permit to enter Tibet. “I had already spent two weeks trekking and acclimatising in the Khumbu (Everest) region in Nepal and another two weeks preparing equipment and buying food for the expedition. It was disappointing to have to come home without even seeing the mountain but that is the nature of mountain climbing. There are so many variables – including administrative hiccups – that can send you home,” explained Lock. His awakening to serious mountaineering came with a roadshow by well-known former mountaineer Tim McCartney-Snape in the back room of a pub in Wagga Wagga, NSW, where Lock was living and working as a country cop in 1985. "I was already active in the outdoors but was looking for something more. As soon as I saw Tim's presentation I was inspired and knew I'd found my path. I moved back to Sydney, learned to rock climb, then went to New Zealand where I learned to climb alpine mountains. Since then I've been in the high mountains of the world every year of my life. “It’s taken me into a different stratosphere of physical and mental effort. But it’s taken its toll. It’s not just the financial cost. I’ve made personal and professional sacrifices as well and so many of my friends were killed along the way, some in my arms. “But now I’m on the cusp of completing the toughest mountaineering project there is and being the first Australian to achieve it. Climbing the '8000ers' has forced me to push well beyond any psychological or physical barriers,” said Lock. Lock will leave Sydney on 6 September bound for Kathmandu and Nepal from where he will cross into Tibet and commence the trek to Shishapangma. He plans to summit Mt Shishapangma by mid October. If he succeeds this time, Lock will celebrate his achievement by returning to Nepal in March 2010 and attempting to summit Mt Everest - which he has conquered twice previously - but this time solo, without the aid of oxygen and via the dangerous north ridge. If successful, it could be the last expedition for the seasoned climber who doesn’t believe his luck will hold out. “It may be time to hang up my ice axes after Everest,” said Lock. “I’ve survived where so many good climbers have died. I’ve been incredibly lucky but I can’t keep rolling the high altitude dice and survive.” |
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For further information or for an interview or photo, please contact: Penni Lewer
OR Corinna Frankham T (02) 9978 1410 Corrina@writeway.com.au
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