9 Dec 2018, SOTA on YO/EC-007 "Giumalau"

Essential Summit Info

Target summit: 8 pointer YO/EC-007 "Giumalau" - http://www.sota.org.uk/Summit/YO/EC-007
Our Route: From Saua Fundu Colbului we hiked on the trail marked with a red band. We climbed the last bit (above the treeline) straight up to the ridge instead of going on the summer trail to avoid avalanche prone terrain. Check the GPS track for details.
GPS Track: http://www.wandermap.net/en/route/3549630-giumalau-yoec-007/
(download the track by clicking on "Export GPS data").
GSM coverage: Fair.
Summit conditions: Open, no cover. There's a huge concrete cross on top and a concrete table.
Other info: Medium steepness, can be medium-hard during winters because of snow accumulation.

---

Activity Report

One year later we returned to Giumalau and it was even more extreme than last time. The winds blasted us and what was supposed to be a clear day turned to complete white-out. At the top there were 60 km/h winds with even more aggressive gusts.

At one point I got slapped in the face by something which I thought it was maybe my hood or another piece of loose equipment. I double checked everything and there was absolutely nothing loose that could have hit me. So I concluded I was slapped by a massive gust of wind.

In the bottom panel, wind speed plotted in dark-green. It peaks 9 Dec, exactly in the middle of the day. We were just lucky, I guess.

I was recovering from a cold and argued that we should not attempt deploying the short-wave antenna, as it would've taken too long. On such winds it was probably nearly impossible to hold it up, anyway. Thanks to our local chasers we managed to make the QSOs on VHF/UHF.