Outside

The Wild West of the East: A Ski Expedition to Nepal

For decades, far-western Nepal has been ski-mountaineering’s version of outer space—a collection of 20,000-foot-plus Himalayan peaks begging for company, but no safe and easy way to get there. Contributing writer Devon O'Neil ventured to Nepal in September along with a team of North-Face sponsored ski mountaineers to see if they could change that. Follow his adventures here.

November 2, 2009 SKI Magazine

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Breckenridge-based writer Devon O’Neil and North Face-backed ski mountaineers Kris Erickson, Jamie Laidlaw, and Kip Garre went on a 40-day expedition to the remote Saipal region in far-western Nepal, where they intended to climb and ski multiple unnamed peaks. You can read his installments in this six-part series here.

Check out a gallery of photos here.

Part I: A bit of Maoist history, checking Google Earth images, and an introduction to the team.

Part II: Arriving in Nepal without bags, a four-hour dinner, and a rickshaw attack.

Part III: Lessons from Nepal, including which hand to eat with and how to improvise when getting your sherpas to keep hiking is like moving a herd of legless rhinos.

Park IV: On day 26, the crew finally goes skiing. And starts dreaming about cheeseburgers.

Part V: Skiing steep couloirs. Then starting the journey home.

Part VI: Heading home.