News travels quickly on Everest. Teams on both sides are sadden by the avalanche incident and have a heightened awareness of the dangers of high-altitude mountaineering. However, they push on knowing that danger comes with the sport. For teams on the north is has been a difficult few days with the avalanche on the North Col. The missing climber is László Várkonyi is a well known Hungarian climber. I contacted Ang Tshering Sherpa who is the Founder and Chairman of Asian Trekking who provided them with logistical support. He sent me this immediate reply for which we deeply thank him:
Interviews
Apr 282010
Lei Wang may be about to accomplish something by her calculations only nine other people have done thus far: stand on top of the 7 Summits and ski the last degree to north and south poles – assuming she summits Everest about 3 months from now. Growing up in China, Lei spent her weekends catching fish and shrimp but not thinking of climbing mountains and adventure. Her dream was to be a doctor, a scientist or maybe a writer. Her parents never considered her hidden passion for exploration. But all that changed when she stood on top of Kilimanjaro. Something [continue reading]
Feb 232010
A constant debate within the climbing community is not what you climb, but how you climb. Style. It is all about style. Mike Farris found himself in the middle of this argument on the summit of Everest last spring. He climbed with style but paid a price with the removal of portions of seven fingers, both big toes, and portions of six smaller toes. Climbing pundits will rate Reinhold Messner as a superior climber to Ed Viesturs even though both climbed the fourteen highest mountains on earth without supplemental oxygen. Messner climbed new routes and Viesturs used standard routes. Messner [continue reading]
Interview with Anne-Mari Hyryläinen: The First Finnish Woman on Everest?
Climber, Everest 2010, Interviews
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Feb 212010
Finland is usually associated with Nordic sports like ski jumping and cross country skiing. Now Anne-Mari Hyryläinen wants to make history by being the first Finnish woman to summit Everest. An accomplished marathoner, she saw Mount Everest for the first time while bicycling from Lhasa to Kathmandu. She stopped at the north side base camp and the dream was born. Her training has taken her to Europe and Asia including Mount Blanc (traverse, Goutier 3-summits route) and several 6/7000 meter high peaks in Nepal (incl. Tukuche Peak, Chulu West, Kang Guru). She currently lives in Dubai with her husband so [continue reading]
South Side Update from IMG’s Eric Simonson
Everest 2010, Guide, Interviews, South
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Feb 192010
Last week we looked at the north side of Everest for 2010, now let’s have a quick look at the south for 2010 through the eyes of IMG’s Eric Simonson. As many know, IMG is one of the largest operators on Everest and the other highest peaks around world. They were featured on the Discovery Channel’s Everest: Beyond the Limit in Season 3, which aired in late December. By my count we are approaching over 20 teams for spring so it will be quite crowded. Safety is always the primary concern of climbers and operators so I wanted to see [continue reading]
It is about a month before teams from all around the world pack their duffel bags for the flights to Kathmandu. Thus far the south looks like business as usual with about 16 teams already announced. To put this in perspective, in 2007, when we saw a record number of Everest summits, there were about 17 teams on each side. One question for 2010 is how the north will shape up. It has been a few years since climbing was open from the north. The Chinese closed Everest with their desire to celebrate the 2008 Olympics in Beijing by taking [continue reading]
Interview with Ellen Miller – the Quiet Climber
Climber, Interviews
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Feb 072010
Ellen Miller is a quiet climber. She is so quiet that many people would never know the achievements of this accomplished athlete and mountaineer. For example, she is the only woman to summit Everest from both sides within the span of one year. I first met Ellen in 2002 on the expedition where she summited from the Nepal side. She was a quiet and confident person with a natural bent towards giving encouragement to others. She was clearly the strongest climber on our team. I remember on summit night as we all left the South Col together, watching her and [continue reading]
Not everyone who attempts Everest, succeeds. And I should know! Last spring French climber Eugene Constant made an attempt with Russel Brice’s Himex team – complete with the Tigress Production cameras rolling for season three of Everest: Beyond the Limit. Climbing Everest was his dream. He had trained for years, even managed a delay of one full year after the Chinese pulled his team’s permit due to the Olympics conflict in 2008. He was determined to do his best and to raise money for his cause. However, Eugene called a halt to his climb. Often we focus on the summiters [continue reading]
In 1999, at the age of forty-three, Lori Schneider awoke with numbness in over 50% of her body. Two months later, her entire body was numb. She had Multiple Sclerosis – MS. MS is a disease that attacks the central nervous system, and often goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years, because the symptoms come and go. Lori had been experiencing symptoms of numbness and tingling for 10 years prior to that total body attack, when they told her that it was rapidly progressing and she could be in a wheelchair some day. “It scared me. I was really afraid that my [continue reading]
Jan 272010
In the climbing world there are a few people who uniquely stand out: Messner, Viesturs, Moro, House, and many more – you know the names. And then there are those climbers who have forgotten more climbs than most people have attempted. They may not have been the most difficult or garnered the fame but they were climbs nonetheless. Gerry Roach of Colorado has a lock on this category. If you live (or climb) in Colorado you know him from his famous guide book simply called Colorado’s Fourteeners: from hikes to climbs. It is the premier guide book for all things [continue reading]
Jan 242010
The human spirit is an amazing creature. Somehow, climbing big mountains brings it out. Cindy Abbott is no exception. With a broken leg on Aconcagua, she hobbled down from the high camps to be helicopter out, had surgery and was climbing again seven weeks later. Now she is going to Everest. Oh and she has a rare disease that baffles doctors to this day. Cindy has the disease Limited Wegener’s Granulomatosis or WG. The Mayo Clinic describes it as an uncommon disorder that causes inflammation of blood vessels, which in turn restricts blood flow to various organs including kidneys, lungs [continue reading]
Jan 162010
You are upside down, wedged in a deep crevasse at 19,000 feet in the Khumbu icefall. Your team mate is on top of you and you think another is nearby. Everyone knew the serac would give way, they just didn’t know when. Walter Laserer found out, up close and personal. He not only lived to tell the story but went on to summit Everest on an extremely harsh day in the spring of 2009. The 49 year-old, runs one of the largest guide services in central Europe, Laserer-alpin, from his office near Salzburg, Austria. Walter has been a UIAGM guide [continue reading]
Interview with TA Loeffler
Climber, Everest 2010, Interviews
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Jan 072010
We hear a lot about the famous people on Everest so I like to focus on the not so famous; however you might define that. In her hometown of St. John’s Newfoundland, TA Loeffler is quite famous; even a legend. If you have ever read her Blogs, book or had been fortunate to hear her speak, you know why. TA is one of those individuals who brings you into her world by inspiring you to be the best in yours. She will be climbing Everest this spring with Canadian Tim Ripple’s Peak Freaks. When not climbing, TA teaches outdoor education [continue reading]
Interview with Dave Hahn
Guide, Interviews
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Jan 022010
Dave Hahn has always stood out to me the consummate mountain guide. While some will certainly argue this point, I have witnessed Dave in action a few times. Once in the Khumbu Icefall, Dave was guiding a huge client. When I say huge, I mean 6′ 3″ 250+lbs – not fat just large, huge. The client was struggling with a big move in the Icefall and Dave was gently providing guidance in footwork. He could have easily taken on the impatient guide persona but Dave showed his patience. The climber made it. On another expedition, I was sitting in our [continue reading]
Interview with Brad Jackson and Sandy Hoby
Climber, Everest 2010, Interviews
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Dec 232009
Occasionally I meet people on climbs that leave a lasting impression. Brad Jackson and Sandy Hoby cross that requirement and more. I met them on Everest in 2008. They were on a different team but also climbing from the Nepal side. As is the case on Everest, you get to know other climbers over dinner in Base Camp, crossing a crevasse in the Ice Fall or struggling to breathe at a high camp. Brad and Sandy stood out for many reasons but mostly for their dedication to one another as well as their climbing ambitions. Now they are returning to [continue reading]
Dec 152009
Everest 2010 looks to be special for an interesting reason – no drama. The past two years have been difficult with last minute requirements by the Chinese that resulted in almost every team climbing from the south. 2010 looks to return to normal – whatever that means on Everest – but we have come to expect the unexpected recently. The owner of Altitude Junkies, Phil Crampton, took some time to discuss the upcoming 2010 season with me. I wanted to look at the politics, the realities and if the events over the past several years would have any impact on [continue reading]
Double Traverse Attempt Announced
Climber, Everest 2010, Interviews, Traverse
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Dec 072009
Everest is a mountain of lifelong dreams and huge ambitions. Most climbers are happy to just try to reach the top of the world. A few dream to climb up one side and down the other – a traverse. Then there are those that want a return trip aka the double traverse. By the way, it has never been done. A single traverse is incredibly difficult – physically, mentally and logistically. A double amplifies the challenge. It has been tried a few times, most recently with a world-class effort by David Tait with one of the best Sherpas in the [continue reading]
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