The summit push is on and the south is pushing hard. Teams are at camp 3, Sherpas are at the South Col with tents and oxygen ready for the summit push. If the weather window holds, per some forecasts, teams should arrive at the South Col mid-day Saturday, Nepal time and start their summit bids later that evening, May 15th. This would have summits on Sunday morning, May 16th starting perhaps as early as 6:00Am. Of course all of this assumes the winds die down enough for them to climb. The competition continues and now is a bit ugly with feelings of deceit designed to trick the competitors. The Sky Climber team down at base camp report Carina Räihä at the South Col prepared to go for the summit anytime and Anne-Mari Hyryläinen has climbed to Camp 3.
With teams now heading higher, the race between Carina Räihä and Anne-Mari Hyryläinen to be the first Finnish woman to summit Everest is being explained fully by their support teams, Peak Freaks and Altitude Junkies. Both are viewing it as a friendly race (kind of) and this is supported when I interviewed Anne-Mari back in February. She commented then on the “race”:
It is getting interesting on Everest. Almost in Vegas fashion, teams are placing their bets on multiple weather forecasts but the stakes are higher than the table minimum. Most are content to stay at base camp and socialize, rest and wait for the clear window that appears year after year. Others are more aggressive with their bets looking to position themselves at the high camps and then take advantage of the next narrow opening. As we saw last week, this can work, but the most experienced teams are content with a wait and see approach.
Teams on Everest seem to be taking the day off and sending best wishes to all their mom’s back home. Most teams are down valley looking to stay for at least 3 nights. But Peak Freaks has issued a call for their climbers to return to base camp by May 11th thus portending the start of a summit bid. However more than likely we will see the next wave of summits around the 19th.
This was a busy week on Everest with the first summits for the 2010 season along with a risky gamble. And several accidents and, sadly, a reported death on nearby Lhotse. A team of nine Sherpas fixed the ropes to the summit on the south side. They included Sherpas from IMG, Alpine Ascents and Himex. One western guide who was doing route work high on the mountain also joined them to the summit. Over on the north, it is an entirely different story. According to teams, the ropes are currently fixed only to camp 3 or about 27,300′, far short of the summit and thus stopping most summit attempts. The weather has been difficult this year. As usual, the north receives more snow and wind than the south and increases the difficultly of climbing on that side. It appears no summits attempts until May 11th when the winds could begin to ease but more likely it will be a few days later than that.
Threading the weather needle and taking a gamble that paid off, Domnhall O’Doughartaigh, an independent climber, and Lucille deBeaudrap from Tim Rippel’s Peak Freaks team along with their personal Sherpas Tshering Sherpa and Pemba Sherpa made the summit of Everest on Friday, Nepal time. On the north, Bill Burke reported in from ABC on the north that the fixed lines are not in to the summit thus no summit push for him and David Liano. The lines are only up to 27300 or camp 3. The China Tibetan Mountaineering Association (CTMA) is responsible for fixing lines on the north.
There is a summit bid currently underway in what could be difficult conditions. But first a small surprise on yesterday’s summits. Previous reports emphatically said no western climbers were to be allowed to join the Sherpa rope fixing team, however, it seems that western guides were exempted.As I have previously mentioned the search for Sandy Irvine and the infamous 1924 camera might be underway again this season. This has become an annual event with most searches conducted under a tight veil of secrecy. The question everyone is trying to answer is did Mallory and Irvine summit Everest in 1924? Well, Jake Norton is writing a multi-part series on his site about the mystery.
With yesterday’s fresh snow, teams were content to take a day or so to let it settle. Unlike expeditions on Denali where you are stuck for a week at the 14 camp or High Camp in your tent or snow cave, on Everest, climbers have the luxury of large tents, folding chairs and tables. And at Base camp, heaters! … One more item to note, Tim Ripple tells us that Nepal Telecom has turned on coverage for Everest. When first announced they said it would reach the summit but let’s wait for confirmation before making that claim.
On one of my Everest climbs, I was told outright – “If you can’t get to camp 3 in under 5 hours, you are out.” After a discussion with my grim reaper on people skills, the logic of the statement made sense. Speed is your friend on any mountain, much less the highest in the world. The Lhotse Face is the eastern side of the world’s 4th highest mountain Lhotse, 8516m or 27,939 feet. Many climbers attempt Lhotse itself in pursuit of all 14 8000m mountains or as a difficult 8000 meter mountain. The route is identical to climbing to the South Col but takes a hard right, upwards, just above the Yellow Band to the technical and rocky summit. But the Lhotse Face is the gatekeeper to all of this.
The north has become quite busy in spite of some difficult weather, meanwhile on the south, climber after climber has slept at camp 3 – their ticket to the summit – and are back at the lower camps.
For most Everest climbers this is week three or four away from home. They are making good on their acclimatization efforts with over 100 climbers now having spent a night or two as high as camp 2 on the south however significantly fewer even touching the North Col on the north. The fixed line on the south is already to the Yellow Band above camp 3 and should be to the South Col in a few days. This will enable the Sherpas to begin the incredibly hard work of ferrying hundreds of oxygen bottles for their climber’s summit bids.
The Khumbu Icefall is quite the busy place these days. Teams are starting as early as 3:00AM to avoid the heat of the day and thus the melting and instability of the ice. But some reports are showing an extra long time this year. Peak Freaks said the normal 5 hour first trip took some of their members 10. Tim Rippel commented that there were more ladders and congestion with climbers and Sherpas ferrying gear to the high camps. Adventure Consultants also commented on the speed with their reported 7 hours.
It is getting busy! Climbers finally started going through the Icefall on Thursday, Nepal time. It is always surprising during the first trip to see where the route goes. Climbers look for the milestones: the Prayer Flags, the Popcorn, the Football Field, Vertical Ladders. At each break, they look ahead in vain for the top but are rewarded with a full layout of Everest Base Camp down below.
RMI and Peak Freaks have arrived in Everest Base Camp in Nepal. The first of many. It is critical to take your time getting to BC. Tim Rippel explains that two of his climbers are going lower, not higher, due to the impact of altitude. He does an excellent job of explain what is happening:
Interview with TA Loeffler
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]
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