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May 3, 20102010 Coverage, Everest

Climbing in Place

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.

May 1, 2010April 6, 20192010 Coverage, Everest, Weekend Update

Everest 2010 Weekend Update May 1 (updated)

There are good weeks and bad weeks on Everest, a bad week is when someone dies. On Monday, April 26, Hungarian climber Laszlo Varkonyi was swept into a crevasse by an avalanche on the North Col. A desperate search ensued, however, by Thursday, the search was called off. Teams on the south, while aware of the north side events, continued their acclimatization rotations with many climbers spending the uncomfortable night at camp 3. The weather continued to play nice and Sherpas took the fixed line all the way to the South Col on the south and to camp 3 on the north. They are now being supplied with oxygen bottles, stoves, fuel, tents and other suppliers needed to launch summit bids. Both camps are roughly at 8000m. As of today, the ropes are not fixed to the summit from either side.

April 30, 2010June 11, 20162010 Coverage, Everest

Climbing for a Cause

As we spend the last day of April monitoring the climbers on both sides of Everest, I thought it would be good to look at their motivations. Climbing historians know of the famous 1923 George Mallory quote, “Because it’s there” but others have more personal reasons. The primary action on both sides right now is working on their acclimatization through rotations to from low to high camps.

April 28, 2010February 18, 20172010 Coverage, Everest, Interview

Climbers Climbing plus Avalanche Update

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:

April 25, 2010May 28, 20162010 Coverage, Everest

The Realities of Everest

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.

April 22, 20102010 Coverage, Everest

Mental Toughness on Everest

Starting with the north today. Teams are now occupying Advanced Base Camp. They will use this as their launching point for acclimatization rotations to the North Col and most will eventually climb to camp 1 on the Northeast Ridge. As we know, the north can be much colder and windier than on the south. Multiple reports are coming in that Everest is quite dry this year. This can increase the difficulty for some people not used to climbing on rock with crampons.

April 21, 2010May 28, 20162010 Coverage, Everest

The Somber Part of Cleaning Everest

Climbers are making great progress with their acclimatization rotations on both sides of Everest. The Sherpas are now starting to fix the ropes to camp 3 high on the Lhotse Face – a great sign. On the north, Adventure Peaks is looking to move to the North Col For some teams, the next climb through the Icefall will result in the almost mandatory night at camp 3. This is quite early at this point. As always, the weather will have the last say. It seems to happen like this every season, great weather through late April when everyone gets excited about an early summit, then the snows start and the mountain is shut down in early May.

April 19, 2010May 28, 20162010 Coverage, Everest

Icefall Woes

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.

April 18, 2010April 6, 20192010 Coverage, Everest, Weekend Update

Teams into the Western Cwm

Right on schedule this weekend, teams mad their way through the Icefall and into the Western Cwm for the first time. Some went all the way to camp 2, or sometimes referred to as ABC on the south side. But most were content to put in a sleep at camp 1 just above the top of the Icefall. Meanwhile over on the north, Bill Burke reports in from their ABC that it is snowy and teams have already made day hikes to the North Col.

April 15, 2010April 6, 20192010 Coverage, Everest, Weekend Update

Into the Icefall

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.