On 17th Aug (my birthday) 2003 Annie Seel reached 5305m on Mt Everest North side as the first woman on a motorcycle. Here's an extract from her diary - the day of the record attempt
Base Camp (5150 m)
Everest report 16: 2003-08-17
Expedition day 12: BC- Record attempt
We woke up very early to get to BC at dawn so we had as much daylight during the offroad climb. It was still shit weather, snow, fog, rain and really cold. Really terrible.. Christina didn’t feel well when we came up to BC again, but I felt quite OK. We had lost valuable time on the way up, because the back-up jeep had fuel problems and we were stuck for a while. I felt a bit worried about loosing time. At BC we discussed about the conditions for our climb attempt and it almost felt like some in the team didn’t feel very tempted. But I had deciced to go, no matter what weather. I just had to put on more clothes and waterproofs, and go for it. Today was our only chance to do it, no way I was going to sit there not even trying. So there was 4 of us leaving Bc at 10am, Christina and Henning who both felt better, Ajs and I. Krishna and the two Tibetan guides walked along with us. The water level in the river was low so everyone crossed without getting wet. We rode along the rocky slopes until it started to get tricky and we had our first stop. Then Henning took the lead on the narrow trail, that was very rocky in some parts. Then we reached a steeper climb with gravel, and my bike could not get up it even if I had full throttle, the bike was too heavy and too tired. I slid backwards and stopped below. I realised that if the bike would not make this fairly easy climb, my day would end here. Really I should need an ultra light trials bike, specially prepped for this, instead of a 21-year old, too heavy and too weak and poorly mainatined one. But this was not an option here. I concidered taking one of the spare bikes instead but the mechanic thought my bike still was better than the others, so instead we removed the airfilter on mine so it would get more air. It worked a little better and made the climb. There I stopped and rested, it is really exhausting at this altitudes… 5170 m. We had only climbed 20 m above BC. Now it got rockier and harder, and more boulders. I wonderes what kind of environmental devastation us 4 could possiblly make here - not even a mega sized bulldozer would manage ruining anything… The terrain was difficult and I could only ride whilst paddeling for 50-100 m before having to stop, rest and drink. We reached 5264 after approx 2 hours, and this was a new ”group record” with motorcycle on the Mt Everest north side!! The bad weather got worse and the rain and wind increased, so Henning decided to go back because he didn’t enjoy it anymore. Ajs thought both Christina and I should go with him because he thought we were too tired to continue, but we wanted to go on. Slowly we continued, sometimes walking ahead to check out the easiest way moving some rocks, and then going back to get the bike. At one point we had to get over a big rock and the tiberatn guides had to help us push the bikes. Then we rached a more open plateau where we stopped to rest and look for the best way to continue. The problem now was that the only narrow trail consited of big rocks, where it looked almost impossible to drive our tired bikes through because we would get stuck all the time. After this there was a fairly steep gravel climb also with some big rocks. I estimated that if we could reach the top of the gravel climb it would be 5300 m, which I felt I wanted to reach instead of having to turn back from here at 5290 m. Those 10 m were very important… The long stop here made me get cold and we were running out of time. But the Ajs continued with the tibetan guides helping to push through the hardest rocky bits. Christina and I walked along to move rocks and look for the easiest way. I thougt I could make it, but Christina was too tired, so I had to go back alone to get my bike. Because the tibetans were ahead of me I had to get through the rocky bit on my own. I was almost through it when my bike gut stuck between two big rocks, so I had to signal my horn so the tibetan guides would come and help me lift the bike – damn it was heavy! So now I was at the last climb up to 5300 m, but Ajs came to tell me I was stupid trying to get up there and that he was a competitive person who would go as far he could to beat me… as if this would stop me(?). With pure anger I drove up the climb with no problem and saw the altitude meter: 5305 m. Now I am the girl who has reached the highest on Mt Everest north side on a motorcycle – YIPPEEE! I took photos of me, the altitudemeter and the bike. Unfortunately I could not see Mt Everest because of the clouds, but I saw the glacier only a couple of hundred meters further on, where I think the East Rongbuk river runs.
There was no chance of going further, we had to go back to BC before it got dark and we only had the one day climb permit. Now I had to go all the way back…
It was easier to go back, but I started to get headache of all the starin in the thin air. On the way back a Yak-caravan and hikers overtook me. They had been up to Camp3. The yaks managed the terrain perfectly and easily – they are simply the ultimate mountain climb vehicles! Talked a little to the hikers and they said it would have been impossible for us to cross the East Rongbuk river with motorcycles. This was a little comfort, because now I realized that even if I had had a newer, stronger and lighter bike, I wouldn’t have reached very much higher than what I did now. Below I could now see the BC and I felt relieved, soon the mission was accomplished. There is a big difference in the feeling when crossing the finishline in a race, because then you gan give it all you have to the finishline. Here when reaching 5305 m, I had to consider having strengt to go back to BC again. In the evening Henning fried egges and potatoes to celebrate. First day without rice or noodles on this trip!
My Challenge it to get higher than 5305m and become the woman who has ridden the highest up Everest
