Tag: Leif Whittaker

2010 Coverage, Everest, Weekend Update

Everest 2010 Weekend Update May 9 (updated)

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.

2010 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.

2010 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:

2010 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.

2010 Coverage, Everest, Weekend Update

Teams into the Western Cwm

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.

2010 Coverage, Everest

Leif Whittaker: Following His Father’s Footsteps

Leif Whittaker is walking in large footsteps. You see, his father, Jim Whittaker, was the first American to summit Everest. He and the nephew of Tenzing Norgay, Sherpa Nawang Gombu, summited on May 1, 1963. They ran out of oxygen but managed to reach the summit. Now Leif is on his Everest climb with the RMI team lead by Dave Hahn. Also, teams are well into Tibet and the south route is all the way to Camp 1 in the Western Cwm.