I climbed Everest twice
- in 2002 and again in 2003. I made it to about 27,000 feet
(8200 meters) both years before health or weather or my own
judgment caused me to turn back. Just like in 2004,
for 2005, I will be staying home but my heart will be in Nepal
somewhere between Katmandu and 29035. This page is devoted to my
personal coverage of the Everest expeditions during Spring 2005. I
try to provide insight and interpretation of the activities
ranging from politics to weather to conditions and more. Also there
are my own personal videos and pictures I have never shown
on the site. Feedback
and comments are always welcome. There is now an April page
and a May (this) page to reduce
load times.
Click here for 2004, 2005, 2006 or 2007 coverage
or for the climbs of 2002 and 2003.
Visit the Everest 2008 page for my return in 2008
plus live dispatches from Everest during my Road Back to Mt. Everest Journey.
June 12, 2005 - A few last updates
Now that climbers are back home, a few have updated
their sites with summit day reports or general observations of their
experience. A couple worth reading include Martin
Minarik of the Check Republic. He attempted the North after summiting
Cho Oyu. His observations of the politics around Base Camp, the trash,
toilet "norms" and crowds make it quite clear that Martin does not
like crowds!
Another update is from Project
Himalaya. There are some nice pictures of the Steps on the North
side. I also liked Rob Chang's final summary of the Climbing for a Cure
team where he notes the on-mountain cooperation that is normally
ignored by the press.
And finally, I don't know how I missed this but
in addition to chickens, marriages and helicopters on the summit,
there was a marriage proposal! You have to check out the Big
Green Everest site to see the picture ... and what she said!
May you all have a great life!
June 9, 2005 - Summit updates
Himalayan Experience has reported they put 31 climbers
on the summit from the North side. This included 15 clients, 14 Sherpas
and two clients with Adventures to the Edge. I believe this is the
most summits of any Expedition this year. All the action happened
on June 4 and 5 - probably the last summits of this season. Congratulations
to all, especially with their patience this season.
June 6, 2005 - What you said... The next climb
This site developed quite a following for Everest
2005 building on Everest 2004. Over
one thousand of you visited it daily. Not Google but not bad for
a little personal site! And many of you voted in the polls I put
up just for fun. So here is what you had to say.
First on "Why do you follow Everest climbs?"
The majority of you just like mountains and climbing
and find it fun to follow but almost 30% of you want to climb the
Big Hill one day so your interest is more than casual!
Then on the question of "Has climbing Everest become too easy?" you
were very clear - NO! Over 75% said the altitude, climbers still
having to take one step at a time and the sad deaths that occur every
year (6 this year) have not made Everest the cakewalk some people
say it is. Congratulations, you know better.
"Would you climb Mt. Everest?"
Well a surprising 46% said yes! But time and money
are always a problem noted 22% of you. However 10% of you said "No,
I'm not crazy!" I understand....
Your comments here were interesting ranging from
a few I deleted (not appropriate for my family site) to - that it
was too risky and you love your family too much - I can respect that!
One comment struck me in particular "... I started climbing too late
in life ..." I started the my climbing career when I was 38. And
the person going to Base Camp next year - good luck and have fun!
So "Who was the greatest Everest climber of all time?" I put
up 10 choices selected from the climbers you have heard of to some
you might not have. Your favorites were Rinehold Messner who along
with Peter Habler made the first summit of Everest without bottled
oxygen in 1978. Many thought it was impossible at the time! Apa Sherpa
with record 15 summits came in second. Norgay/Hillary were third.
By the way, Junko Tabei was the first Japanese woman to summit and
Cathy O'Dowd was the first woman to summit both sides. These are
very notable since they did it when climbing was mostly dominated
by men.
One more comment on this question was "I think no one is the greatest.
All the humans who attempt Everest... are great." Well said!
Finally, "What is your primary source for news on Everest climbs?" I
put this up kind of in jest since I assumed most everyone got their
primary info from the two monster sites of MountEverest.net and EverestNews.com
and over 20% said just that. But you flatter me with 35% saying this
site was your primary source. Ha! You are so kind! But it
did put the pressure on me to keep the updates swift and accurate.
Speaking of that, why do I do this? Simply put
- climbing is a passion for me even if I am not doing
g it. I am a very active climber and have some
ambitious plans, more on that in a moment. I have tried to use my
two climbs on Everest and on many other Big Hills to provide insight
and interpretation on what was going on up there. I tried to be honest
and not give the rosy side all the time but not to criticize the
climbers either. After all they are there and I am in Colorado. What
they see and experience does not deserve second guessing by anybody.
I spent about 3 hours
a day keeping it updated trolling about 30 websites looking
for the latest news several times a day and tried to
acknowledge my sources. I am not in competition with
any other site, I try to compliment what they report. They have an amazing
network of current and ex-climbers around the world that contribute
to their content and they work the phones, emails, sms and other technologies
to give you the latest many times each day. So why do I do this?
Life is fragile. It is precious and it is a gift.
I believe we have a responsibility to use our time
wisely - what ever that means to you. Obviously readers of this site
are engaged in life and enjoy following the adventures out there.
Some of you are climbers yourself, others are armchair climbers but
it doesn't matter. You recognize that climbing is a sport that challenges
you to the core. It is you against the mountain but it also is not
a contest. The goal is to do your best and come home to those you
love you.
Climbing is simply one channel for fulfilling life
- being the best mom or dad, brother or sister. Achieving that lifelong
dream to be an expert on the history of the pyramids. Serving your
community. It doesn't matter what. Doing is what is important.
 Now, a few words on my next adventure. You might have
noticed a link that has been on this page for a few weeks -"I am
planning an expedition to Broad Peak
and K2 in 2006 and am looking for partners." Well, plans are
progressing nicely. We have attracted some world-class climbers and
will begin to finalize the list in September. We are also looking
at using the expedition to raise money for a worthy cause. I think
it will receive a lot of attention because the press will likely
headline it as "Is K2 the new Everest?" This will be due to
our approach of using guides, high altitude porters (analogous to
Sherpas on Everest), fixed camps and ropes for K2. If you have ideas
on a worthy cause, are interested in joining or just want to come
along via the Web, continue to check out my K2 page.
OK, this is it for 2005. I hope to do it again
for 2006 but will have to see how much time I have since I will be
busy working on my own next adventure! If you have feedback, complaints,
criticisms, compliments, suggestion or just want to say hello, please contact me.
Once again, congratulations and to all the climbers
on Everest this Spring 2005. You dealt with the harshest weather
in memory and did well. Well done, Well done. Bravo!
Climb on and climb safe.
Alan
June 5, 2005 - Weather, weather and summits(updated)
There are still some teams going to the top this
weekend but the main action is over with most teams back at Base
Camps or home. 
Quite a season! The summits on May 21 were the latest first summit
day in 45 years of climbing Mt. Everest. Norgay and Hillary
did it on May 29, the earliest was April 4 in 1984. But
it was still a good year for summits with over 230 climbers
standing on the top of the world. To put this in context, around 150 made
the summit in 2004 with the first summits on May 15.
The season started quickly with teams arriving
early and getting their acclimation trips in by early May. They were
assuming a "normal" season with first summits around May 15. But
the Jet just sat there. It didn't move and when it did, it came back
so quickly that the 3-day window never materialized. So the climbers
sat in Base Camps. Some went down valley to enjoy the rich air and
sleep on real beds, some went on sight seeing trips to nearby Monasteries
and other just sat there. But they entertained themselves with chess
games, concerts, hockey games and swap meets. These climbers are
creative if nothing else!
But Chomolungma was not going to give in easily.
It seems some was amiss on the mountain and early tragedies set the
tone. First Ben Webster broke his leg when the Icefall shifted suddenly,
then Mike O'Brien died in a tragic fall also in the Icefall. Sean
Eagan died on April 28 while going down valley to rest up after not
feeling well at the higher camps. An avalanche of historic magnitude
wiped out the normally safe Camp 1 on May 4th.
Teams became unsettled and anxious. The ol' Timers
just sat it out but the ambitious took their chances
and pushed the windows. Sometimes they made it and other times they
turned back with frostbite and disappointment. Ropes were late to
go in above the high camps since the Sherpas could never do their
work in the deadly windchill above 8000 meters. The South was socked
in so badly that just getting to Camp 3 was a heroic feat. The action
moved over to the North side while there was speculation that 2005
might not have any South side summits.
Then it happened - a summit ... and no surprise
it was on the North. On May 21, Mike Franks, Rosa Fernandez, Marko
Lihteneker and Viktor Mlinar were among the first to stand on the
summit that Saturday morning. That same night attempts on the South
were thwarted by bad weather. With the route now in, summits became
a regular occurrence on the North but not without tragedy. After
being among the first to summit, Marko Lihteneker died around 8000m
on his descent. It sent reverberations through Alexander Abramov's
team. He ended up putting 22 climbers on the summit.
Meanwhile the South teams finally broke loose when
Willy Benegas led his Mountain Madness team up the mountain. 40+
climbers followed their footsteps and the first South summits occurred
on May 30. With this route now in, the rush took place and almost
50 climbers summited during the next few days.
The season had some unique, interesting and downright
strange events. First, allegedly, a helicopter landed on the summit
on May 14. Some said it was a great adventurer's event just like
a first ascent; others said it never really landed. Time will tell.
Teams using an alternative to the reliable Poisk oxygen system began
reporting up to 80% failure with the system. Teams had to abort their
summit bids and others scrambled to find surplus Poisk systems. Controversy
surrounded rope fixing on the North with teams claiming they were
mislead and others saying all was well. In the end, ropes were fixed
but hard feelings abound. The Chinese had a massive expedition and
put 15-20 climbers on the summit along with a live broadcast for
all of China on CCTV (we don't get that channel in Colorado!). Then
on June 2nd a helicopter crashed at the South Base Camp - no injuries
- the second crash in 3 years in the same spot.
One disturbing item was when an Indian woman became
the focus of worldwide concern when her guide published a harsh plea
for her family to contact her and request she descend. She did and
is fine today but his method left many wondering. A happier note
was the wedding ceremony of Moni Mulepati and Pem Dorjee Sherpa on
May 30 - on the summit!
In my view every climber, guide, Sherpa, cook,
porter, basecamp manager, doctor and crew are to be congratulated
for surviving this season. However there are a few firsts. Danielle
Fischer, 20, became the youngest person to complete the 7 Summits,
Urszula Tokarska - the first Canadian woman 7 Summitter. Jake Meyer,
also 20, becoming the youngest Brit to summit Everest. Apa Sherpa
got his record 15th summit! From Iran Farkhondeh Sadegh, a Graphic
Designer and Laleh Keshavarz, a Dentist, became the first Muslim
women to reach the top of Everest. And Gerfried Göschl made
a true solo, no supplemental oxygen summit on the North - a rarity
these days.
Then there was Mr. Gavin Bates, a true individualist.
He never pitched a tent at Base Camp ... or Camp1 or Camp 3 or Camp
4 for that matter. He used a tea house at Gorak Shep as his base
and traveled fast and light. His summit bid started there and ended
between the summit and the Hillary Step. He said he "couldn't be
bothered" to go the few more meters to stand on the true summit.
Actually, it was very crowded and the weather was worsening. His
audio dispatches were wonderful and his ambition amazing!
But my favorite for dispatches had to be Keith
Woodhouse. He had a numerical scale that showed us on a scale of
1 to 10 how his mental state was, relationship with teammates, attitude
and even his bowels. He wrote with sincere honesty and frankness.
Thank you Keith for bringing us along.
I will do at least one more report since we are
waiting word on HimEx and Todd's South team. Also, I will summarize
what you have said by way of the polls. If you
haven't voted, this is your last chance!
updated
One climber died (details unknown) according to
the Nepal's
Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation. Robert Milne
was from Scotland and was posting some dispatches about
his use of technology. From his site "Simply put, the purpose
of I-X is to provide computer support to people who are performing
some task. This task might range from, say, designing a car to coordinating
an attempt on Everest. The I-X architecture supplies a framework
that encourages a methodological approach to the task, based on cycles
of issue-raising, -handling and -resolution. This is underpinned
by the 'intelligent messaging' of issues, activities and other information
among the agents in the system. This allows users to manipulate,
transform and transmit information in context-sensitive ways that
continually aim to move the process forward." He was reported
on Henry Todd's team but the Press Release showed him on the Jagged
Globe permit. This is standard for teams to share permits.
AAI has posted an outstanding summary of their
summit night written by Tony
van Marken. One of the best personal accounts this season.
One name
caught my attention was David
Tait who, I think, had his own site last year during his third
attempt. Success on the fourth try! He also raised a bunch of money
for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
another report tomorrow or later today as news
breaks
June 4, 2005 - Expeditions: Too Small, Too Big and Just Right (updated)
Wow, what a season. Jagged Globe put more climbers
on the top yesterday - 4 climbers plus 3 Sherpas. Adventure Peaks
was also successful with 2 climber and 2 Sherpas including Jake Meyer
at 20 becoming the youngest Brit to summit Everest.
With the final teams making their bids from the
North side, I thought I would take this chance to look at the different
expedition styles we saw on climbing Mt. Everest this Spring season.
As I said yesterday, there were several styles this year ranging
from the extremely independent Gavin Bates (solo w/o O's) to the
Independents such as Big Green Everest. Then there were the small
teams that ran like an expedition, for example Climbing for a Cure.
And finally the standard commercial expeditions such as AAI, IMG
or the monster Himalayan Experience. Each has it's advantages and
disadvantages.
First, what is the objective for any expedition?
I suggest it is to make a good effort to summit the mountain and
return home safely. This implies the climbers did not create
a crisis during their climb that required others to rescue them.
Some would add - and remain friends with your fellow climbers! Then,
what is needed to make the attempt? The obvious - climbing gear and
food but also knowledge of the mountain and route and access to weather
forecasts (how did those early climbers do it?). Again some
would add "luxuries" such as porters to help with loads, Sherpas
to fix ropes, bottled oxygen and more. Finally is there a link between
accomplishing the objective and the style?
Let's start with the solo style. We had two examples
- Gavin Bates on the South and Gerfried Göschl on the North.
Both were extreme climbers in that they went solo (well Gav had one
Sherpa) and without supplemental oxygen. One summited and one didn't
but both are down safely.
 The "independents" received some notoriety
this year. These climbers buy onto an expedition as individuals or
small teams (usually 2 or 3) as part of a larger group permit. Asian
Trekking (AT) specializes in this approach. They provide Base Camp
services (kitchen tent, dining tent, toilet tent, shower tent, chairs
and tables), cooks, porters and climbing Sherpas. There are no Western
Guides and you have to be careful about the experience of the Sherpas.
By the way, commercial companies such as IMG offer "Base Camp only" services
that compete with AT. Big Green used this style and both Dan and
Greg stood on the top of the world.
The smaller, self organized expeditions are usually
made up of someone who had been to Everest before and wants to put
their own expedition together, Team Honda was an example. They have
contacts for their own Sherpas and Base Camp services. This style
is a case study in networking where experienced climbers use their
contacts to get the best resources. The results were mixed this year
with a relatively low number of summits per attempts.
Finally we have the commercial expeditions that
have made climbing Everest a science. Year after
year they use the same Sherpas, western guides and acclimatization
schedule. They have a formula and rarely deviate from it. Deaths
and problems are rare since they err on the side of conservatism.
Their Base Camp services are what you hear about with sushi, hot
showers, morning tea, extra sleeping pads, sat phones and more. Success?
take a look at the table above and it shows most of the large expeditions
put folks on top.
Another thought on commercial expeditions. Anyone
can declare themselves an Everest guide over the
Internet, take a deposit for the expedition and meet you in Katmandu
There are expeditions prices ranging from a used car to a small home
so make sure you thoroughly investigate what is included and who
is guiding, before signing up.
So which style is best? As you might guess, the
answer is "it depends." Experienced climbers (several 8K climbs)
who do not need the full services will be more comfortable with an
AT style expedition. There are no large group dynamics to deal with
and no western guide telling you where and when to move. If you have
a group of qualified friends, the small, self-directed expedition
is great. Bob Hoffman specialized in this several times on Everest.
Climbers who are nervous about Everest probably should not attempt
Everest but the many who fit this profile should go with a commercial
outfit. But which one?
In my mind, there are only a handful of commercial
companies who have earned the right to guide Everest
- AAI, AC, HimEx, IMG, JG, MM are there. Clearly others can and do
guide as well. My advice is to get reference on the guide, not the
company. These I have listed are all excellent and I recommend them
without hesitation .. until I see the guide. Guides are the wildcards
on commercial expeditions so make sure you speak with your's and
know what is really important to both of you.
But the real question in my mind is not "did you summit?" but rather "did
anything go wrong?" You can plan for every contingency, train like
crazy and have all the experience in the world but when it goes bad
- what do you do and who is there with you. Sadly this year one climber
died on the North apparently all by himself. Accidents happen even
when climbers are roped or climbing closely together.
The reality is that the Sherpas and the large expeditions
are the true safety net on Mt. Everest. They don't have to do it,
they are not paid for it but they do. Several dispatches this year
note the leaders of the commercial teams providing leadership when
there were avalanches, organization needs, the final ropes fixed,
rescue missions, emergency tents for ill climbers and on. And there
are many unreported incidents of Sherpas giving aid to sick climbers,
carrying their loads, keeping an eye on them and serving as the overseers
of the Hill without anyone noticing.
Results? Gerfried had summited Cho Oyu, Aconcagua,
G2 and Shishapangma before Everest. Gavin Bates has been to Everest
three times. Dan and Greg had the fitness (Iron Man!) and experience.
Robert Chang had 5 expeditions to the Nepal Himalaya that include
Mount Everest plus he had Apa Sherpa on his team, 15 summits of Everest!
And those 18 to 40 climbers who summited with large commercial expeditions
.. well they had hot showers and sushi! All deserve congratulations
and credit for getting to the top in one of the most difficult years
in memory.
Conclusion? There are many ways to summit Everest.
If the mountain is kind, almost all will work if
the climber is prepared. But guides and Sherpas and support systems
are like insurance - if you never need them, you think it was wasted
money; but when disaster hits there is no amount of money worth your
life. And on a mountain like Everest, never be alone.
Tomorrow, the final wrap up for this year.
update 1
Everestnews.com reports that there is one more expedition
on the South - Henry Todd. He has 9 climbers at
camp 4 and is going tonight (now). No word on HimEx yet.
It is interesting that is appears these are the
only remaining expeditions on Everest and both have leaders that
are arguably the most experienced expedition leaders on the mountain
this year ... and they are the last to go up in what is reported
to be the calmest weather of the season!
June 3, 2005 - North summits, climbing ages and ATMs (updated)
All the action has moved completely to the North
side and there is plenty. First, multiple teams summited yesterday
including the Indian Air Force, Big Green and a speed climb from
the North! You can follow Bruno Brunod's speed climb on his site -
it is happening now (8 AM MDT)
Jagged Globe put 8 climbers on the summit and have
another 5 climbers plus Sherpas ready to go tonight (basically now).
Several other North teams are going tonight including Adventure Peaks and Jean Pavillard's Adventure to the
Edge, using HimEx logistics.
I am not sure when but Himalayan Experience (aka
HimEx) should be going soon. They have two teams consisting of 11
climbers plus 9 Sherpas and 12 climbers plus 11 Sherpas. Good luck
and safe climbing to all!
Take a look at Big Green's site for a summary of Dan and Greg's summit night. It sounds like
they had a very difficult time for these two "normal" climbers. This
was a small team of 2 climbers and 2 Sherpas. They did not have all
the advanced support of other teams but they made it. More observations
on this approach later. Once again, congratulations guys!
The South teams are moving back to Base Camp. A
great tradition is when the Base Camp cooks and team meet the climbers
as they emerge from the Icefall. Enjoy this dispatch from Mountain
Madness "We made it safely to base camp today. Our cook staff
greeted us with coke-a-cola and cinnamon rolls part way up the icefall.
We all celebrated our successful climb of Mt. Everest. We had a wonderful
team and everyone worked together to make it to the top. It's sad
to see the expedition over.
I know there was a lot of interest in the Indian
woman who was stuck on the North side with Project Himalayan so here
is a link to an Indian website with another side of the story
from her family. She is safe now .. and one brave woman! While we
are on "unique" stories, two Nepalese were married on the summit yesterday. Helicopters, rubber
chickens, marriages ... what a season!
Are you too old, or too young, to climb Mt. Everest?
So with a short break, I did an analysis based on the press releases
from Nepal's
Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation of the ages of
the guides, climbers and Sherpas who summited this year from the
South side. Not every age or title was listed but there was enough
information to get an idea. So here it is and I hope it makes you
more motivated to get out there!
| 2005 South Summiteers |
Leaders |
Climbers |
Sherpas |
| Total |
8 |
39 |
44 |
| Average Age |
38 |
34 |
32 |
| Youngest |
24 |
20 |
20 |
| Oldest |
52 |
47 |
48 |
Finally, good news for those traveling to Nepal!
The Shanghai Daily reports there is now an ATM right in
the Tribhuvan International Airport! For those of you who that have
been there know, getting cash is an art-form involving exchange rates,
finding open banks, hotels lobbies, etc. The most popular places
have been the small stores in Thamel that sell rugs - they always
have the best rates!
This has been an interesting year (and not over
yet) to compare the approach of climbing Mt. Everest. We had several
quality examples ranging from the extremely independent Gavin Bates
(solo w/o O's) to the so-called Independents such as Big Green Everest.
Then there were the small teams that ran like an expedition, for
example Climbing for a Cure. And then there were the standard commercial
expeditions such as AAI, IMG or the monster Himalayan Experience.
More on these comparisons on Saturday.
June 2, 2005 - Success and Crashes (updated - 2)
What a strange season on Everest this year. Unpredictable
weather, early tragic accidents, confusing rope fixing deals and
now a helicopter crashed at Base Camp early this morning. The details
are vague but this is the second 'copter to crash there in the past
three years. It is ironic since this year saw the first helicopter
land on the summit of Mt. Everest. For standard helicopters, their
operating range is a little higher than the level of Base Camp or
17,500'. The crash in 2003 was due to one of the rotors hitting a
nearby boulder but this year the teams cleared a larger area that
would hopefully avoid another incident like that. Again, it is not
clear what happened today.
I remember flying out in 2003 on a big Russian
machine. We waited for a day and half for it to
arrive after our climb. We sat by the small dirt pad with all our
duffles piled nearby. Stupid in hindsight. Hearing the "woop,woop,
woop" of the blades
biting into the thin air, we moved away from the
pad behind some yak-sized boulders. Anxious to get on board, we created
an assembly line to throw the duffels on board and then quickly jumped
on ourselves. Needless to say, there was not a lot of thought to
load balancing. With everyone on board, I sat scrunched between two
of my climbing mates with my knees at my chin because the gear was
taking all the leg room. I felt the chopper lift slowly .. and return
to the ground. Another try got us about ten feet off the ground and
on the third try we gained altitude then swooped back towards the
ground as the pilot headed down valley. I swore I would never take
another helicopter in the Himalaya again!
On a more pleasant topic, Exploradus put several
climbers on the summit Wednesday morning. I am very happy for them
and especially their Sherpa, Nima Tashi. This was his 9th summit.
Also Danielle Fischer made to the summit thus becoming the youngest person to
complete the 7 summits. At 20 years-old she has shown some nice maturity
and strength. And she picked one hell of a season to finish it out!
Congratulations Danielle. Speaking of age related events .... note
Apa Sherpa's record 15 consecutive summit on Tuesday with the Climbing
for a Cure expedition. He is 48 years-young!
So AAI had 6 on top and Exploradus - 6 . Plus .
Luckily they had a calm night and made the climbs at a very fast
pace. In fact, Canadian Urszula Tokarska climbed to the summit in
8.5 hours from the South Col and became the first Canadian woman
to complete the 7 summits. I wonder if this is a speed record for
a woman climber on the South? Take a look at the three or four AAI dispatches from last night. Ellie did a nice job of
keeping everyone informed plus some very interesting time tables
showing previous times for the climbing legs from C4 to the summit.
Thanks Ellie!
Over on the North, it was overall quiet on dispatches
with one exception involving an Indian woman with Project Himalaya.
An update on the DXCP site states she is descending. I hope
she is safe today and it was all a misunderstanding due to the stress
of the expedition.
I believe the South side teams are finished ...
except for getting back to Base camp through the
crumbling Icefall. My favorite solo climber, Gavin Bates noted on
his down climb two days ago that "the Ice fall was as bad as he
has ever seen it... One of these crossings Gavin reports was massive
at 45m with only six inches of ladder each side holding it in place." And
Everest veteran and expert, Eric Simonson said "...With the end-of-the-season
warm-up the conditions with the ladders and crevasses
starts to deteriorate, so it is definitely more dicey now than it
was a month or two ago. Keep your fingers crossed that the Icefall
continues to be kind to the team for another day or two! ". As
Yogi said, it ain't over till it's over.
So now on the North. I believe there are several
expeditions left including the huge HimEx team,
which includes Adventure to the Edge. Also climbers from Abramov's
team and Jagged Globe is still there as is Adventure Peaks and perhaps
the reclusive Martin Minarik. Maybe Sigrid from the Norwegian Women's
team. There are probably others from the Indian Air Force, Army,
Marines and women :) but I cannot track them easily.
Since there is no Icefall on the North and permits
are usually longer, the time pressure is eased somewhat. At this
point it is the resources and patience of the teams plus the desire
to get back home after two months in a tent! However, most teams
are looking at a summit bid around this Saturday, June 4. Look for
30 or more summits!
Dan and Greg from Big Green Everest were reported
on their site to be attempting the summit last night but there is
no word thus far. Everestnews.com did report on pair summiting but
it was not them so it was possible last night.
update 1
Abramov's team reports 7 more summits in " ...9 o`clock in the
morning local time. The weather is clear, but a strong wind blows. "
Sounds like the weather is horrible on the North.
Jagged Globe North is still pushing "David, Tore, Fred, Sibu and
Alex spent two nights in Camp 3 being battered by atrocious winds.
David described last night as “the worst night I have ever spent
in a tent”. If you consider that David’s career for the
last 20 years has been leading mountaineering expeditions to the
Himalayas, it must have been a pretty rough night! Two out of three
of the tents in Camp 3 were broken by the wind. Plus their second
team "... are currently in the remnants of camp 3 (7,900m) alongside
Russell Brice’s team."
Everest Base Camp
Medical Clinic has a good report on the helicopter crash ... the tail rotor hit some boulders.
Luckily, no one was hurt.
The newspaper Hindu reports "Indian Army's women mountaineers
created history today by becoming the first women's expedition to
scale Mt Everest. Captain Shipra Mazumdar, Captain Ashwini Pawar,
Cadet Tshering Ladol and Trainee Dechin Lhamo scaled the 8848-metre
high peak between 0615 and 0939 hours this morning. The peak was
also summited by five members of the support team -- Major S S Shekhawat,
Subedar Surjeet Singh, Naib Subedar Jagat Singh, Havildar Topgey
Bhutia and Commando Kaman Singh. "
update 2
Great news! Greg, Dan, Ang Mingma and Mingma Dorjee,
the Big Green Everest team made the summit this
morning. Their site has all the details with more promised but "...started
their traverse from Camp 3 to the Northeast Ridge
at 11:30 PM, June 2 Nepal time. Ten hours later, at 9:30 AM, they
made the Summit. The technical climbing was more difficult than expected,
but did not give them any particular problem. Weather was clear,
sunny, warmer (nearly 0 F), but windy. The view from the Summit was "Awesome".
Congratulations guys. Well done!!
June 1, 2005 - The toil of a summit (updated - 5)
There were some brave souls last night high up
on Everest!
AAI reports from the South Col " Last night there were 3 teams
in position to go to the summit yet we didn't get a let up in the
winds for the entirety of the evening. The past couple of days have
seen higher winds with many lenticular clouds over the summit and
on the summits of surrounding high peaks. This morning we have high
winds remaining but the skies are clear in all directions."
The winds picked up again last night thwarting
many efforts. From 7
Summits on the North "We are still in camp 3. There was too
much storm last night to go up. Alex and Nate will go down today.
Lorenzo, John, Dmitri and I will stay at 8300m and try again tonight." The
team spend an uncomfortable night in their tent, waiting for the
winds to reduce to allow them to go up, but it did not happen."
Also on the North, DCXP reports
tough conditions "...they started at midnight in strong 30-35
knot winds, blasting directly onto the North Face at them. Some stronger
gusts buffeted them about and kept the temperature cold. They made
it to the second step at about 8500m only 350m below the  summit of Everest! At this point everyone was getting
very cold feet and hands and Jamie called it a day, they returned
to high camp took off boots and gloves to rewarm in the tent and
thankfully there are NO PROBLEMS." They have reset their attempt
for 2 of their climbers until June 4, Saturday
I am still looking for an update from Exploradus.
Thus far well over 150 climbers have stood on top
or valiantly tried. While there are more than 50 climbers in various
expeditions looking towards the end of the week weather window, those
who have returned from the summit are just now recovering.
 I have climbed enough mountains to have some insight
into how these climbers feel after spending 18 hours on their feet.
They are spent. 100% exhausted. Nothing left. And it doesn't matter
if they summited or not. It takes every ounce of energy to make a
summit climb and even more on Everest.
I remember seeing a climber retuning from his (or
her's) summit bid in 2003. He stumbled down the summit pyramid base
and onto the semi-flat South Col. Upon finding a boulder, he just
collapsed on it. Head by his knees he cried out "help me." Those
in their tents looked out at the mountain warrior and soon his friends
went to him. Arm in arm, they took the final steps painfully slowly
to the tent.
Each climber has an empty look in their eyes. While
some may actually think about what they have accomplished, most stare
blindly ahead. Sherpas continue to be the heroes upon a return. While
they are just as tired, they look after the climbers as the family
they have become. Sipping hot tea and sucking in oxygen at the maximum
rate, they feel slightly better. But to be honest, all they want
to do is sleep.
The recovery from a summit attempt is twofold -
physical and emotional. Bodies heal and strength
returns with some solid rest and improved food. However it make take
weeks, months or years for the emotional scars to heal from an Everest
climb. Even the summiteers will talk about the trails they went through.
some will say it wasn't worth it. Other can't wait to return - perhaps
on the other side. Friends and family will ask
over and over "how
was it?" but the climbers search for words that cannot explain the
depth of their experience ... just look into their
eyes to see the answer.
For some South climbers in 2005 one obstacle remains
- the Icefall. With the late date and warm temperatures, the 'fall
will be even more dangerous. This means that ladders may slip, anchors
pull out and seracs move. So most teams will try to get through it
as early in the morning as possible - well before the sun has a chance
to inflect any more damage.
Let's hope the weather window opens soon and they
get this thing done. It may already be too late for the South climbers
given the Icefall doctors will leave on June 4. I really hope everyone
get's their chance...
update 1
Jim Williams reports they did not go up last night
and will try tonight "Last night after quite a bit of discussion
the group decided not to go out in the strong winds and risk a failed
summit attempt. They agreed to wait another day and then try with
others on the S. Col tonight. At the moment there will be a strong
team from AAI and a Singaporean team trying to summit on 02 June
2005.
Jagged-Globe notes some acts of kindness up high "David has just
called in from C3 on Everest. You can hear the wind in the background.
It is very windy, but they're going to stay put for the time being
in the hope that it's going to calm. They lost one tent which was
shredded by the wind, but HimEx have kindly loaned them a tent.
So as near as I can tell, four teams (sometimes
1 climber) are at the South Col and will attempt the summit again
tonight, Wednesday June 1, leaving around 8:30 PM Nepal time - quite
a bit earlier than the standard 10. Perhaps they are trying to climb
mostly at night hoping the winds will stay clam. If successful they
will summit on the following morning Thursday June 2 perhaps around
9 AM or about 9 PM mountain daylight time June 1 in the US.
The teams include: Singapore (Edwin), IMG (Pete,
Mingma Ongel and Ang Pasang ), AAI (Dave, Lakpa, Jose Luis, Esther,
Tony, Danielle, and five sherpas), Exploradus (Neal, Chris, Urszula
plus Sherpas led by Nima Tashi)
So South Col teams will be climbing during the
day (US time) starting NOW!!
Climb Safe...
update 2
AAI is off as well "Everyone is feeling good and excited to be
on their way. Conditions are still good – clear and calm – and
we are hoping for the best for them.
update 3
Jim Williams notes excellent progress for his Exploradus
team "The team just checked in from just below the balcony. They
are making very good time - in fact if they keep up this pace they
may reach the South Summit before sun rise. This is excellent
in that it has been about 3.5 hours since they left and some climbers
can take 5 to 6 hours!
IMG has pulled their final climber "... now in the process of
pulling off the hill. Peter, Rex, and Ed made it safely down from
the Col to Camp 2. The Sherpas have already pulled most of the gear
from C3 and C4 and everyone is heading for Base Camp."
From the North, Big Green Everest's Dan and Greg
are off "Greg, Dan, Ang Mingma and Mingma Dorjee, are ready and
will all attempt the Summit. Weather is not favorable for success.
Yesterday, strong winds caused the two teams that attempted to turn
back. Today's forecast is no better." Good luck guys! I'm pulling
for you "independents"!
update 4
AAI is at the Balcony in only 5 hours at ... another
great pace! And Exploradus is already at the South Summit - before
sunrise. Canadian Urszula Tokarska is leading the pack - OH Canada!
These folks are burning up the Hill!! There could
be a summit in the next few hours. I believe it might be the last
for the South for this season. And then we shift back to the North.
update 5
Jim Williams Exploradus's Nima Tashi summited at
5:00 AM with Urszula Tokarska - the 1st Canadian 7 Summiter. This
is an incredible time - 8.5 hours from the South Col. There are others
just behind and the weather looks good. Finally a real window! Congratulations
Nima and Urszula!!
More tomorrow.
May 31, 2005 - HAPE, HACE and Summits (updated)
More summits last night! Everest
Base Camp Medical Clinic reports cases of serious of edemas on
the South but no one seems to be in trouble at the moment.
Here is the recap from this morning's 25 summits
on the South:
Team Honda put 2 climbers and 2 Sherpas on top.
IMG notes cold and windy conditions with 6 of their 8 clients turning
back before the South Summit .. it must be bad up there ... but they
did get two climbers and two Sherpas on the summit. And the Singapore
team put Lindley up there. The no o's attempt is tonight.
No word from AAI on Danielle Fisher. The last report
I saw she was at C2 and preparing to go for the summit. Meanwhile,
Australian Rex Pemberton at 20 years-old is reported by IMG to have
summited. Ah, the youth of our world!
On a odd note, Eric Simonson said "Apparently one of the other
teams on the mountain, Jagged Globe, had a climber hit on the head
by a rock near the South Summit and Dave Hahn and Doug Brockmeyer
(the brain surgeon!) are staying at the Col to see if they need some
help."Helmets are not normally worn on a South side climb since
falling rock is actually not common. You have to worry more about
ice chunks hitting you. I hope the JG climber is OK.
Duncan Chessell reports one summit from his team in
a very through dispatch. He reports on more trouble
with their oxygen system and had to switch to the Poisk system. This
is a must read report in that it shows great maturity and judgment
by Duncan in handling his problems up high: "So combined it meant
I should go down. I was mindful that often in these situations people
don’t
listen to their bodies and push too hard, resulting
in death. It was a hard decision after so much time and effort, but
I am sure it was the right decision for me and in retrospect back
at ABC now I know I would have been in serious trouble if I had elected
to continue the ascent."
For tonight, Jagged-Globe North reports from their
team at C3 "They're feeling good, but report that the winds are
picking up again. This concurs with the most recent forecast, which
suggests stronger winds again over the next couple of days - not
good news! These forecasts are frustrating to say the least, so we'll
just have to see. Big Green is probably already at C2.
Jim Williams and the Exploradus team did not leave
last night as planned and is going up now!
Also HimEx states in their latest North side dispatch
that they are sending their 40+ climbers and Sherpas up in two waves
targeting summit bids around Saturday, June 4th. This may be the
last summits this year ... but who really knows!
More later today as news develops...
update
I just received an email from Jeff Rosenthal, a
close friend of Mike O'Brien who died on May
1 in the Ice Fall. I strongly endorse this cause.
Here is an excerpt from his message:
I am asking for your help; please make a donation
to HDF in Mike’s memory www.hdfoundation.org . The donation would be 100% tax
deductible as HDF is a 5013C federal non-profit organization and
has been for 36 years. HDF funds research for cures for all hereditary
diseases including Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson's,
Lou Gerhig's Disease, and even cancer. 100% of donations are given
to research.
AAI just reported "Meanwhile Team II, consisting of Esther, Dannielle,
Tony, Dave, Jose Luis, and Lakpa are moving from Camp III to Camp
IV in hopes of improving weather, which has deteriorated somewhat
in the past two days. They are optimistic yet realistic about the
winds abating in the next two days, which is all the time they will
have to attempt the summit and make it back down through the icefall
before the June 5 cut-off date."
May 30, 2005 - Summits, turnarounds and giving it up (updated)
Well it finally happened, South side summits. And
a few from the North. But the action is not over with an estimated
200 climbers in the que on both sides, the action will continue tonight
and this week on both sides. But after it is all over with, 2005
will be remember more for the weather than summits. Nepal’s
ministry of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation, who has the final
say on "official" summits on the South published that
there were 46 summits on May 30. One female Sherpa climber and two
Muslim females (the first ever) were amongst the summiteers!
Let's try to run down what happened yesterday and
today.
First on Gavin
Bates. You have to listen to his audio dispatch. I listened several
times since he was breathing hard and seemed slightly out of it but
still well in control. He turned around just below the summit citing
safety, high winds and fearing "another 1996" with so many climbers
moving up. He also said there was a "4-hour wait" to stand on the
true summit! However he seemed very satisfied with his effort and
eager to get off Everest as he ended with "I'm sick of this mountain." I
am proud for him. He gave it his best and performed some miraculous
physical feats with his final summit bid starting at C2, not the
South summit. Oh, and he was not using supplemental oxygen! He is
reported back at Camp 2 and will spend the night there.
Mountain Madness, led by Willy Benegas, drove all
teams to the summit. Take a look at my pictures from 2002 (left)
and 2003 (right). Both were taken from the South Col and you see
how deep the snow was in 2003. This year was worse. And it got deeper
as they approached the South summit. MM summited at 9:20, remarkable
given all the work that was required to fix the rope in thee conditions.
The names and villages of the Sherpas are rarely
noted so here they are for this wonderful team as noted from the
MM site: "Lhama Jungbu from the village of Kari Kola and has summited
Everest 9 times. He has two sons. - Mingma from the village of Kari
Kola has summited Everest 4 times. - Pasang from the village of Kari
Kola has summited Everest 3 times. He has 1 daughter and two sons.
- Undi from the village of Kari Kola has summited Everest 2 times.
- Lakpa from the village of Namche has summited Everest 1 time. Lakpa
is our Sirdar who is in charge of our Sherpa staff. - from the village
of Kabra has summited camp 2 three times. He's our camp 2 cook, but
also helps stock camp. He has three children."
Shaunna Burke, on her second attempt in as many
years, made the summit. She teamed up the Mountain Madness after
her leader Ben Webster broke his leg. Well done!
To no one's surprise Dave Hahn got his client,
Doug Brockmeyer, along with Sherpas Mingma Sherpa, Danuru Sherpa
and Phunuru Sherpa on top. They followed Mountain Madness' rope work.
Dave shows what kind of person he is as he acknowledges Willy' Bengas
effort "... the route wasn't in until Willy Benagas put it in.
Willy led every pitch from the Balcony, from 27,500 on, it was really
something to see, but it was really something cold to see, because
we were standing around pre dawn waiting for the route to set in..."
Adventure Consultants reported on their site that
they will not attempt the summit at all. The cite running out of
time and the closure of the Icefall by June 4th.
On the North Alexander Abramov's team put 13 climbers
on the roof. However he reports "“Now on the high slopes
of Everest the weather has deteriorated. Right now all the summit
group is back in Camp 3 at 8300m. Most of them will spend the night
there...". I hope it holds for tonight's rush.
As for the next push, JG is preparing to go from
the North eyeing a Wednesday morning summit. Dan and Greg for Big
Green Everest (my vote for the best expedition name!) are moving
to C2.
Both Singapore teams are in position with the first
team at the South Col and will start time climb around 10 PM Nepal
time today. They note about 60 climbers at the South Col! JG-South
are sending 5 climbers plus Sherpas up tonight.
My favorite quote today is from Jim Williams as
he sends his team to the summit today "This weather window may
prove to be quite short. We are all hoping that
the members are given the chance to stand on the summit by the goddess
of Mt Everest - Sagarmatha - Mother Goddess of the Earth. As one
of the sherpas told one of the members before leaving BC - pray to
the god and not to the girls.... Advise to be heeded if you wish
to summit with the support of the sherpas and the goddess Sagarmatha." Good
advice!!
I am keeping an eye of Nima Tashi from Jim's Exploradus
team since he was a house guest of my friend Joe Acero this year.
They were on Ama Dablam last Fall. A strong friendship developed
resulting in Joe arranging a hearing aid for Nima. I know Joe is
following the climb closely. You can read more about Joe and Nima
at his site.
updates throughout the day...
updated
His local television station reports that
Iowa Iowa City climber Chuck Huss turned around
on his 4th summit attempt. He probably feels very disappointed but
you have to admire his courage and determination.
The IMG guided team has left for the summit as of midnight
Nepal time "...These climbers' decision to go ahead and climb
now was prompted in part by the updated weather
forecast, which predicts a possible new disturbance
forming 1,000 miles to the west and moving toward Mt. Everest. This
might cause the winds to start increasing again over the next couple
days. From what Mark tells us, it sounds like everyone considered
their options (to climb now or wait 24 hours for hoped-for improvement
in the conditions) and ultimately decided that it was not likely
to improve much after waiting another day, could in fact get worse,
and that made more sense to go now, especially with the route already
kicked in by yesterday's summit climbers." Sounds
like the weather is getting dicey and they want
to slip in before the Hill closes completely. Success
only!
May 28, 2005 - Climbing is a gift. (updated)
Climbing is a gift. Not everyone can go climbing.
Not everybody wants to. Those who do, sometimes gets the chance.
And then those who do, sometimes do not.
This season on Everest is validation that it is
the Mountain that decides who climbs, not the climbers. Michael Franks
was chosen. Keith Woodhouse was not. This does not make Mike good
or Keith bad. It is just the way it is. Those who climb know the
deal. They go to the Hill. They give it their best. Sometimes they
get a shot. Sometimes not.
The next few days will show who stands on top and
who gave it their best and took home something different. Any climber
who is in touch will tell you it is not about the summit. But the
pressure is there. The desire is strong. Everest 2005 has tested
every climber like no season in recent memory. There are no explanations.
Some got fed up and left, others hung in there. Neither was right,
neither was wrong.
Climbing is very personal. It is individual. Climbers
are on a team but it is a team of individuals. Yes they support one
another, they give aid when needed. But climbing in the dark, hearing
only your breath, seeing only your boot; you feel very alone. And
you are. They think of home. Those they love. Those they miss. And
they keep climbing.
Teams on both sides have moved into position for
summit bids. As previously noted some teams are sitting fast at lower
camps not willing to take a chance on this window. But some are going
to make a run for it.
Gav Bates is one of those climbers taking a gigantic
gamble "Late tonight [Sat 5/28] he is going to head for
S Col in one go! From there he'll wait for few hours and go for summit.
This runs against what other teams seem to be doing so it's a huge
decision. This worries me since he is going solo, without supplemental
O's and no sleeping bag - no tent. To climb from C2 to the summit
and return safely is a huge feat. The only climbers I have ever heard
of doing this are several Sherpas trying to set speed records. They
have tremendous support at each camp with food and water waiting
for them. Also they typically go after 100 people have already summited
so the route is hard packed. Good luck Gavin.
Jim Williams of Exploradus reports his schedule: "we are planning
to leave for our summit push on the morning of the 29th May from
Camp 2. We will move Camp 3 and then on to Camp 4 at the South Col.
This is the place where the wind is funneled between Mt Everest and
Lhotse (the 4th highest mountain in the world. It is here where the
winds can blow camps to pieces. We are still hoping for the winds
to taper off for our final summit push on the 31st May and 01 June
2005."
Eric Simonson reports a similar schedule that has
Dave Hahn leading a small team of strong climbers along with their
Sherpas to get out front of the crowd. AAI and AC have similar comments
so it could be crowded next week!
updated
Make sure you check Gavin
Bates site every 6 hours or so this weekend. He is sending audio
dispatches regularly. It will be interesting hear
how his voice holds ups. His last one was at 3:00Am
as he was getting ready to go to the South Col. Climb safe Gav!
IMG reports that Dave Hahn and team is at C3. Also
Shaunna Burke is reported at C3 and will go for the summit tonight.
May 27, 2005 - The South Col ! (updated)
One the guides I respect the most, Dave Hahn is
with IMG this year. He posted this report on the team's plan "... we're
going to go for it tomorrow morning, {Friday May 27} -we're
going to head up the hill, so this whole thing will be figured out
in the next few of days and were all pretty anxious to know how it
turns out. We got some good forecasts and we want to be on kind of
the front end of that good forecast, so we're going to shoot for
the summit on the 29th, but it will be real interesting as we go
to Camp III tomorrow up the Lhotse face and Camp IV and the South
Col after that, it will be real interesting to see whether the winds
are howling or whether it's starting to slack off like our forecaster
is saying it will. The forecaster is also saying it's going to be
good in June, but right now the icefall is starting to really warm
up and starting to move around so we don't have unlimited time we
need to get this thing done so we're pretty excited about getting
up tomorrow and making it happen. We'll let you know how it goes."
As if getting ready for the summit push wasn't
enough, some teams have had to deal with oxygen problems. Duncan
Chessell notes "We have coped with replacing all our UK Summit
Oxygen systems with Poisk (the Russian system) as it seems the UK
systems are having major problems very high on the mountain. " I
described the two type of systems back on May 16 and was very interested
in the Summit Oxygen system since we were looking at using it on K2 next
year.
For most teams their task is "simpler". They are packing whatever
high-altitude gear they don't already have at the higher camps and
eating and drinking as much as is humanly possible. And they are
thinking...
One of the most sobering moments of a South side
Everest climb is arriving at the South Col and seeing Camp 4. The
Everest pyramid dominates the view. And it is almost impossible not
to let your eyes trace the route (tomorrow's update) to the balcony,
up the southeast ridge to the South summit. You cannot see the true
summit from here. The Col is about the size of a couple of football
fields. There is absolutely nothing up there. Small rocks and a few
large boulders cover the Col. Tents are pitched on the smooth ground
where rocks have been moved over the years. The wind blows like there
is no tomorrow. Finding a place to take care of nature's business
is a challenge!
You often hear that the South Col is littered with
discarded oxygen bottles, bodies and such but I did not see any of
this in 2002 or 2003. There have been many expeditions to clean up
the South side of Everest and now there is one planned by the Chinese
for the North. Also, every expedition is required to bring down every
oxygen bottle, tent and waste or forfeit their $4000 garbage deposit.
Once you clear the top of the Geneva Spur (described
on May 19) you take a short, flat walk to the South Col proper. The
first site are all the yellow tents. Relief is the only emotion.
You are tired. I don't care who you are: Viesturs, Messner, Habler
or The Yeti - you are tired. The first order of business is to find
your tent. More than likely your mates or Sherpas are keeping an
eye out for you and will wave you in like an airplane on the tarmac.
Next is to get some liquid into your dehydrated
body. Again, no matter how good you are, you probably did not drink
enough on the climb from C3 to C4 and you are dehydrated. Usually
the Sherpas have some hot lemon tea ready. Sitting on your pack,
you gulp the drink and begin to let it sink in ... you are higher
than all the mountains on earth except for 14. Higher than Denali,
higher than Kilimanjaro, higher than Mont Blanc - but not your goal.
Each direction brings an amazing view: East - the
Himalayas with Cho Oyu at 26, 907'. West - Makalu at 27,765' South
- Lhotse - 27,939' and North - Everest - 29035' .. and the goal.
But you really don't spend a lot of time looking around.
Climbing into your tent, you pull out your sleeping
bag knowing that it will be your friend for only a few hours. More
than likely you are sharing a 2 person tent with 3 or a 3 with 4.
No matter how many it will be crowded but you really don't care!
The snow or ice melts in the pot while you look
out the tent door. You look at the pyramid and wonder. Just how hard
is it? It doesn't look that bad. Oh, I am at 26,000'. Will the weather
hold? Can I do it?
After a small meal, you crawl into your bag to
get a few hour's sleep. You are about to climb Everest!
So today most of the teams will get to Camp 3 on
the South. The North teams are on their way as well. After all the
delays, they are rest. I would bet no climber is thinking about the
time spent in Base Camps. No thoughts about yesterday or last week.
They are 100% focused on tomorrow, the day and night after. And the
summit.
I am thinking the same for them .. and their descent
to safety and home.
updated
It seems that the weather forecasts are not being
interrupted the same by all the teams. First Gavin Bates on the South
posted "There are vastly conflicting reports as to the weather
over the next couple of days so Gav may well now go down to Camp
1 or BC and wait.
Later Big Green Everest (BGE) said they will stay
at ABC on the North " The BGE team remains at ABC as it looks
like the summit window will not open as soon as initially forecast.
They will assess their situation again tomorrow. The British, Russian,
and Indian teams plus a few others are moving to the North Col today
and tomorrow. The Norwegians left yesterday"
Now AAI has posted extreme disappointment "Well, it's been a very
difficult day here at Camp II on Everest. Emotionally
draining and disappointing for the team as a whole. We received weather
forecasts that contradict our optimism of the last few days on our
move up. It seems that Chomolungma is not ready to have climbers
on her upper reaches. These forecasts were the end of some of the
team members' optimism and motivation. Therefore we are losing 3
teammates tomorrow morning that have decided to head back to BC and
onward towards home. The reason for this is commitments at home as
well as a general feeling that this season is just not 'the one'. .
IMG has a similar posting.
These guys must be very disappointed and very tired.
However they are showing great maturity and excellent judgment in
not pushing it. The time is just not right. They will hold at C2
and see what happens.
May 26 part 2 - What is next???
Oh. My. God. What is next? First we had a helicopter
land up there. Then a rubber chicken on the summit :). Now we hear
the Chinese are planning on taking the Olympic torch to the summit
and ... televising it's summit live!!!! What's next? Paris Hilton?
May 26 2005 - And there off!
updated
Many teams left for higher camps yesterday and
today targeting the windows this weekend and early next week for
their summit bids. Duncan Chessel, who is turning into my favorite
author! says "The best thing going for us is the winds are predicted
to be from 240 degrees (South-West), which means we should be protected
from the wind for most of our climb along the summit ridge and north
face, but the summit will be windy. I expect we will only have time
to be on the top for 2-3 minutes, not long to enjoy the view but
with strong winds we will have to be quick.
The mountain must be busy. AAI has Sherpas at C3
and I am sure there are others making final carries to the South
Col. AC has left as well. The weather ruined their arrive late and
miss the crowd plan! IMG has 20 Sherpas and 12 climbers! Eric Simonson says his IMG team will get out front "I
think the consensus is that they would like to be at the front of
the parade, rather than at the end...even if it means more work getting
the route put in."
On the North, some complex math by Alex Abramov shows a whole lot of climbers going up
at the same time "How many climbers are on northern side of the
Everest ? Russell Brice has told, that he has collected on fixing
ropes 17 thousand dollars. It means, that 170 persons have handed
over on 100 dollars. And approximately 150-170 climbing Sherpas are
here. So it is possible to assume, that for 2 days on the slopes
of Everest there will be from 200 up to 300 climbers. It will be
a chaos on May, 30-31."
This is when it gets interesting on the Lhotse
Face! Climbers and Sherpas going up and Sherpas going down. Usually
there is only one line and everybody stays clipped into it. When
two climbers pass each other they must stay clipped in with one carabiners
while removing the other, reach around the other climber and clip
in before removing the first 'biner. A little complicated but it
is critical to always have one 'biner attached. Climber have two
points of contact to the fixed line - a piece of webbing attached
to their harness and another piece of webbing attached to their jumar
or ascender. This last item has teeth pointing "uphill" so that if
a climber falls, the teeth catch on the line preventing a fall.
There are some reports of new ladders on the Icefall
due to movement. Other dispatches make note that climbers are making
good time getting to C2. For example, Gavin Bates reports it took
him 5.5 hours to climb to C2. This is good news demonstrating that
their lengthy delay has not hurt their fitness too much. But there
are also sporadic mentions of team members dropping out. All in all
it will be an interesting next week!
May 25 2005 -Ready, Set, ... Ready, Set ...
This season seems like a continuous series of false
starts. Teams go up and come back down. They return to be positioned
for the next window and BAM it shuts in their face. With time running
out it literally is now or never ... well for this season anyway.
The Icefall Doctors will maintain the ladders in the Khumbu until
June 4th and then they are out of there. It is already warming up
and the Icefall is stating to melt so every day it becomes even more
dangerous than before.
The climbers have been patient beyond belief. At
this point in a "normal" season most climbers have made their summit
bids and some might have returned home! But this year all the activity
on both sides will be compressed around June 1. Duncan Chessell notes
two windows emerging " Summit push is planned for a 30th May or
1st - 2nd June. There are two windows of opportunity appearing on
the radar. The first on the 30th May will is predicted for 20 Knots
of wind and -23? C, which is upper level for safety, but is firming
up as a reality. The Second window is more like the 1-2-3 June, still
some way off, so not 100% yet, but predicted lower winds in the range
of 5-15 Knots is much more friendly to the fingers and toes.
Some preliminary schedules are starting to come
out like this one from Jim Williams of Exploradus:
26th May - Climb to Camp 1
27th May - Climb to Camp 2 all members will be in Camp
2 on this day.
28th May - Rest day in Camp 2
29th May - Climb to Camp 3 sleep on Oxygen for the first time.
30th May - Climb to South Col using Oxygen
31st May - Begin summit push 1st June ? Summit and return to S.
Col
2nd June - Return to Camp 2
3rd June - Return to BC and begin clearing the mountain of our
gear.
David Hamilton with Jagged-Globe reports on the
activity from the North "Today's forecast indicates that the jet
stream is still about 745 miles north of Everest, with winds of 90
knots at 12000m. Between now and 31 May, it is due to move to 1500
miles away, to the north and northeast. Winds are forecast to be
lessening to between 20 to 30 knots at 8000m on 31 May. Into the
first few days of June, these less strong winds should remain at
about the same level. Monsoon activity is starting to occur to the
south of India, but precipitation isn't expected to reach Everest
until at least 1 June.
The satellite picture today from the Weather Channel
site shows the activity in the Bay of Bengal. When compared to a
similar image on May 14 you can see that the Everest area
is now clear of clouds. But this year it seems winds are the major
problem. A scenario is building for two massive pushes to the summit.
The first this weekend with summits on Sunday morning and a second
wave a few days later with summits on Thursday, June 2. I would bet
most of the big teams will hold off until the second round and let
the crowds sort themselves out.
I always enjoy following certain individuals with
interesting stores. Last year there were several. Some of my favorites
were RAF Ted Atkins with was his third attempt and he made
it! Oath 7 climber
Dan Lochner had a sobering report of his north side summit, a must
read. And in the non-writing department, Dave D'Angelo's of Explorer'sWeb
had multiple videos from his North Side summit climb. It is a remarkable series of
sharply edited footage matched with head bobbing rap music that results
in a fast paced approach. But my favorite last year was an excellent dispatch by
Martin Boileau of the Mexico/Canada expedition.
This year it has been difficult with few individual
web sites and the large commercial dispatches have been fairly generic.
A couple of individual who are already finished are Keith Woodhouse
who did a great job as did the Michael Franks and Boealps team.
I am looking forward to Big Green Everest's reports
and it was good to see Danielle Fischer's picture on the recent AAI
dispatch. To remind you, Danielle is 20 years-old and is attempting
to become the youngest person to complete the 7 Summits. I
wish her the best. Another story is of Piers Buck. We exchanged some
emails a while back. He was attempting to traverse Everest from the
South but has now abandoned that plan with a move over to the North
side. He will attempt the summit over there. Best of luck Piers.
Of course there is the return of Irishman Gavin
Bates. He has attempted Everest twice - once from the South and then
from the North. He is also raising money for a good cause: hydo-electric
power plants in Nepal. His third attempt will be from the South,
he will go solo and without supplemental oxygen. He has done some
interesting audio dispatches. Go for it Gavin!
And of course there is Shaunna Burke who lost her
teammate and leader Ben Webster earlier in the season with a broken
leg. She has shown amazing perseverance by staying on the Hill. I
really hope she finishes what she started last year when she almost
made it. We are pulling for you Shaunna!
And finally is Chuck Huss with the Climbing for
a Cure expedition. He is the expedition doctor and this will be his
fourth attempt to summit Everest. Fourth attempt! I'm pulling for
you buddy!!
May 24, 2005 -Rubber Chicken summits Everest!!
It had to happen one day. After all the common
wisdom is anybody can summit Everest!! And apparently it is
true with the summit of a small rubber chicken .. and there is proof
- take a look at this picture by Michael Franks! (All the pictures I have
shown thus far are from my own collection but this was too good to
pass up) In all seriousness, Mike has posted several stunning pictures
of his summit on the Project
Himalaya site.
The big news today is the planned movement to higher
camps on the South, The Singapore team, AAI, Mountain Madness will
move to C2 tomorrow looking at the May 28/29 window for a possible
attempt. Most of the IMG team is already there. AAI is also moving
and is looking at the end of May projected window . Apparently Willie
Benegas of Mountain Madness has taken a strong leadership role in
coordinating the expeditions to try to avoid bottlenecks as they
all make their summit bids within the same narrow window. It is nice
to note some positive cooperation up there.
AC reports on a collapse at the top of the Icefall
that will keep the Icefall Doctors busy installing some new ladders
and ropes ... the 'fall is moving! The climbers will need to hustle
through some of the more dangerous areas.
So back to that rubber chicken. Who is the greatest
Everest climber of all time? Vote for yourself on one of the polls I
have put up on the site just for fun!
May 23, 2005 - Stay or wait?!
The waiting game continues on Everest. Duncan Chessell
at DCXP captures the mood " the 4-6th of June is the first GOOD
weather window, but this is a long way off (so it could disappear
and the small chance window on the 28-29th might improve, many teams
are leaving the mountain as they run out of food and gas for cooking.
Many climbers are losing so much physical condition that even if
the weather does come good, many will be too weak to climb fast.
We have supplies through to the 7th June."
As I have commented before it will be patience,
resources, weather and the Hill that determine if anyone climbs Everest
from the South in spring 2005. With today the birthday of Buddha,
I am sure many Sherpas are forming the opinion that Sagarmatha does
not want to be climbed this year. Perhaps the Lamas who performed
the Pujas are feeling the same way. As temperatures warm, the icefall
becomes more dangerous it will be interesting to see if expeditions
lose any Sherpas to "bad karma". This is serious in that the Sherpa
people are very spiritual. Many have strong beliefs that it is wrong
to climb some mountains since they are religious places. But the
harsh economics of Nepal create this dichotomy we see today.
Michael Franks of Boealps post his summit report. He was one of the first to summit from
the North on May 21. It makes good reading and exposes the dangers
of climbing. A few points stand out to me: confusion within his own
team as to their plan, climbing on smooth and slanted rock with crampons,
no fixed ropes near the summit, "squatters" in his tent and his report
the two people died that night. Thus far only the only death widely
reported was Slovene Marko Lihteneker whose body was found by the
Chinese surveyors. My condolences to his friends and family. I believe
Mike is mistaken about the second death.
I really like Mike's report in that he shows the
human side of climbing and the determination it
takes when conditions get tough. Congratulations
Mike - a great job!! Mike's report also brings out how tough the
North is. The weather is harsher than the South side. There is more
exposed rocks. The steps are technical and require more skill than
on the South. When comparisons are made between the two sides, it
is often said the South has the Ice Fall and the North has the Steps.
In the end, both are difficult.
Big Green said " 21 climbers and 14 Sherpas summited from the
North Side. This is less than 10% of the estimated 250 climbers still
active on the North." But Gavin Bates reported that " On the
North side about 60 people have summited but on the south side no
one has made it up yet. This is common to have different reports
of summits, deaths, attempts, weather and the rest. My little chart
on the top of this page is based on direct reports from dispatches
from on-mountain teams. But I could be wrong! For the official numbers,
we will have to wait for the final official report from Nepalese Tourism Ministry once the season is over.
Lepzig posted a dispatch that said they are leaving
the mountain. His posting has some fascinating comments about the
emotions of aborting their attempt and the politics with the large
commercial expeditions. One comment I found amazing was about the
climbing Sidars (the Sherpas who lead the climbing Sherpas and are
the most experienced climbers on the mountains) about future plans
: "All people of distinction met each other, but the famous Shirdars
like Apa Sherpa (14 times on the summit) or Pemba Dorje were not
invited. I wondered about this discussion, in particular because
no Shirdar (the chief of a sherpa team) was there. But they talked
about things that affect mostly the sherpas! And no one accepted
the fact that the Everest cannot be pushed from South this year."
This goes to the point that climbing a big mountain
is a hobby, a passion and a business.
The next forecasted "window" is on May 28/29. You will see several
teams making moves back to the South Col to get in position.
May 22, 2005 - A must read!
It is too early for a full accounting of who summited
last night but a couple of interesting notes. First, a large Chinese
team put a TV antenna on the summit an sent some live pictures and
they also left a GPS beacon in order to measure the height of Everest
(called Mount Qomolangma in China).. again.
But for me, there is a must read dispatch from
Keith Woodhouse. I have thoroughly enjoyed his writing thus far and
this time he does his best work with a vivid description of his summit
bid ... I won't spoil the ending. Take a minute and read it now.
Well done Keith, well done!!
It sounds like it was a tough night on the South.
More later today as the dispatches come in from the mountain
update 2
It looks like those on the South are resigned to
wait until early June for their summit bids. I can only imagine what
they must be thinking. This will mean some climbers will have a gap
of almost a month since their night C3. Ideally you want a week or
less in order to maintain your overall "mountain fitness". But in
addition to the physical it must the mental that is starting to wear
on them. Everest Base Camp is not the best place to spend your Spring
Break! Yes, the scenery is awesome and you are at the foot of the
most famous glacier in the world and you are on a mission, but day
after day after day...
Jim Williams of Exploradus comments "At the moment the likely
window will develop at the end of May or early June. As of today
this will be the latest summit day in the past 45 years from the
South side. Our team seems to be ready to wait until a real weather
window is in sight before heading back up the mountain for another
summit attempt.
This year's Everest is looking more like a Denali
or K2. Maybe the mountaineering community has been spoiled over the
last 10 years with semi-predictable weather, teams that work together
and some semblance of organization on the world's highest mountain.
This year, it seems that everything is up in the air. The on-mountain
politics seem stranger than normal. The small teams lead while the
big teams wait. Early and frightening deaths and accidents. And the
weather is not letting go.
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