Save the Snow Leopard Climb
MUSTAGH ATA 2007
CLIMB FOR THE SNOW LEOPARDS
To benefit Big Cat Rescue and Snow Leopard Conservation
Read
climb updates from the field HERE.
In June of 2007 four Florida mountaineers will attempt to summit 24,758 foot Mustagh Ata in the Pamir Mountain Range of China’s remote Xinjiang province. This range is one of the last habitats of the endangered snow leopard. For this reason the team will be using the climb to draw attention to the plight of the snow leopard and to raise awareness and funding for Big Cat Rescue and snow leopard conservation. All of the expenses of the expedition are being covered by the climbers themselves, sponsored in part by Adventure Outfitters of Tampa.
USE OF DONATION FUNDS
Donations will first go toward much needed improvements in the snow leopard “cat-a-tat” at Big Cat Rescue. We would like to reconfigure this large enclosure to allow us to rotate the two snow leopards, Hercules and Chloe, through the three separate sections of the enclosure. The intermittent change in location provides a form of enrichment to make their lives more interesting and allows us to better allocate their presence on the tour route. Funding beyond that will be applied to their ongoing support, with a portion to be allocated to the Snow Leopard Trust for their efforts to protect the wild brethren of Hercules and Chloe. Donation levels and benefits are explained below.
ABOUT THE TEAM
The team of four will be lead by Leon Watts, Managing Owner of Adventure Outfitters, pictured here with Hercules. In addition to operating an amazing “gear shop”, Leon leads climbing, scuba and other adventure trips and is a nationally recognized speaker and writer on scuba diving, ship wrecks and adventure travel. His previous climbs include ascents of Cotopaxi, Imbabura, Ruminahui, Sincholagua, and Gua gua Pichincha in Ecuador, Aconcagua, Mexican Volcanos, Cascade summits, the White Mountains as well as the Colorado Rockies, Table Rock, North Carolina, Africa and a couple of low ones in the Himalayas. Photos from the summits of some of those climbs, like the one here from Cotopaxi, can be seen at www.adventuretampa.com/Leon.htm. The Florida team has been preparing for the climb for a number of years with ascents of Mt. Rainier in Washington State, El Pico de Orizaba in Mexico, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and a number of other peaks in North and South America. Expedition members are Tampa residents Leon Watts, Isaac Shaffer, John Pando, and John Hansen. This climb is a precursor to a 2008 Mt. Everest Expedition.
ABOUT MUSTAGH ATA AND THE CLIMB
The mountain was first climbed in 1956 by a Sino-Russian Team. Mustagh is
relatively “easily” approached and its gradual western slopes entice
many climbers, but its elevation makes ascending to the summit a serious climb.
The climb will utilize a Base Camp and two intermediate camps, Camp One and
Camp Two, the latter also known as “High Camp”. Base Camp
is large and well stocked. Camp One is higher up. This is a smaller and less
comfortable camp where the team will rest when preparing to go higher and set
up Camp Two. Camp Two is usually a small tent in which the team will spend
a night or so getting ready for the summit attempt.
The team will go from Base camp to Camp One several times carrying loads and
acclimatizing. Then, once settled into Camp One, they will start carrying smaller
loads to Camp Two, returning to One for rest. “CLIMB HIGH SLEEP LOW” is
the mantra for acclimatizing. Once Camp Two is stocked and established they will
retreat to Base Camp to rest, eat, and prepare for the final assault. Then
they will move to Camp One and spend one night, move to Camp Two and spend one night,
and finally attempt to summit. If the first attempt is unsuccessful, they can
retreat to either camp for rest or shelter and begin again.
DONATION LEVELS AND BENEFITS
Support levels are based on how much you would like to donate per foot of
the 24,758 feet of the climb. The levels start at one tenth of a cent
per foot, or $24.76, as listed below. At the higher levels you “participate” from
home by having your name or company logo on a sign that will appear at media
events and in the photos taken at the camps and summit, or at the top level you can even have your name or logo on the climbers’ jackets! The
levels are designed to allow participation by anyone interesting in helping
our snow leopards and those in the wild, from the most modest budget to those
who are able to have greater impact. Benefits involving photos and video
of the summit are contingent upon successful ascent. Every donation
counts and we appreciate your participation at whatever level your budget permits.
Thank you for considering supporting our snow leopards and snow leopard conservation by donating to the climb!
For more information about snow leopards and the Snow Leopard Trust click here.
Can you guess if this fur is tiger, lion, leopard, jaguar, or which big cat? |
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Greetings from the far northern Province of China.
We arrived in Kashgar this morning after a rather grueling 63 hour train trip from Beijing.
We travelled the width of China and spent hours watching the small villages and vast open spaces go by. The sunsets over the distant plains were breath taking. One evening we were astounded to see a large number of camels roaming free on the arid desert.
It is in the high 90's here of course we find ourselves on the fifth floor
of what was once the Russian Consulate now a hotel, no elevator and no air
conditioning.
The rest of our team should arrive this evening or early tomorrow. We will
have a couple of days here in Kashgar to explore the markets as this was once
the largest stop on the "silk road" Then we gather our gear and move
to a higher point to gain acclimatization.
We are 220km from the mountain but it looms in our minds.
All our best from The Climb for the Snow Leopards- Mustagh Ata 2007
Leon Watts
and
Brianna Brauhn
Kashgar China
Get the lastest update HERE