Steve House, Vince Anderson and Marko Prezelj, Makalu 2008: Is that Red Light Supposed to be On?

Steve House / 1 Min Read / Climbing

Located 14 miles east of Mt. Everest, on the border between Nepal and China, Makalu is the fifth highest peak in the world (27,762 ft). Photo: Marko Prezelj

What do you do when the helicopter you booked is suddenly grounded with engine failure? You repack everything, get as close to the mountain as possible and haul ass on foot.

In today’s sat phone update from Nepal, Steve House describes how the Makalu trip almost ended in disaster, and he shares some tips on how to be successful at this game called expedition climbing.

Listen to Makalu Update 3 (mp3 – 7:27 – right-click to download)

Previous posts from the series:

A Day at the Desk
Update One
Trekking, Snakes and Snow Monkeys

Author Profile

Steve House

Reinhold Messner called Steve House “the best high-altitude climber in the world today.” But for Steve, climbing is about process, not achievement. He says, “The moment your mind wanders from the climbing at hand will be the moment you fall.” Steve has earned Messner’s praise by leading the charge to climb bigger routes, from the Himalaya’s to the Canadian Rockies, faster and with less equipment than anyone before. He is the author of two books: Beyond the Mountain and Training for the New Alpinism: A Manual for the Climber as Athlete (cowritten with Scott Johnston). In 2012, Steve and his wife Eva cofounded Alpine Mentors a non-profit organization to mentor young climbers to safely become better alpinists.