In 2021’s Live Tracking we followed British Expedition Guide Jon Gupta on his series of high altitude ascents in the Himalaya and Karakorum. Jon can look back upon an incredibly successful year 2021, starting with the Everest & Lhotse Double on May 11th and 12th.
An attempt on Makalu, just a few weeks later, was unfortunately stopped in camp 3 @ 7.500 m. Poor decision making by a third party prevented the team from making use of the small weather window for a summit attempt. A couple of weeks later, Jon and his client where already working their way up the steep slopes and ridges of K2, the second highest and most demanding 8000er, summiting on July the 28th.
From the Karakorum he then moved on to the Tian Shan and a serious attempt on the demanding Jengish Chokusu (7.439 m) followed, that was only stopped a mere 200 m below the summit.
The disappointment was only short lived, as Jon was able to summit Manaslu (8163 m) alongside his client Becks Ferry, only a few weeks later. A déjà-vu experience followed on Dhaulagiri, when waist deep snow forced Jon to turn arround, once again just 200 m below the summit. Their positions can be reviewed here.
Jon’s outstanding year was topped off by a speed ascent on Ama Dablam and another summit success with a client, shortly after
Interactive map: Live Tracking 2021
Jon Gupta and Becks Ferry @ Everest, Lhotse & Makalu
“Visiting the routes virtually and evaluating options step by step in combination with tour reports was very valuable for my preparation – at the same time, the 3D live tracking made communication a lot easier and helped many people to participate”
(Jost Kobusch)
