Cleaning the Mountain (updated)
It looks like the Everest season has finally ended with a big cold slap in the face to many teams on both […]
Tag: Summit Climb
The Everest Rescues and another Death (update 3)
With the summits mostly ended, climbers are making their way back down to Base Camp. As they recover from their summit push, […]
Wave 4 Recap (updated)
On what could have been the final push for 2010, many climbers summited from the south including a record 12th summit for […]
Wave 1 Summit (update 4)
update #4: the next wave of summits are moving up in good weather. Best of luck to all these climbers. Saturday morning […]
Reading Everest Weather
More teams have made the decision for a summit bid this weekend. The latest include the Malta Everest team, half of Peak Freaks and a two person team from First Ascent. They are now at camp 2. Why are these climbers going to the top in marginal weather? Well maybe the weather will not be marginal – at least according to some weather forecasts. Before looking at the weather, an quick update on the teams. There is movement on the north perhaps to fix the rope to the summit. On the south, the vast majority of the teams have chosen to wait for a longer weather window and the teams at C2 are resting up and waiting for the winds to calm before going higher. Most top teams pay for a professional weather forecast. These are teams of meteorologists who not only look at the data but also interpret it and then communicate the forecast and recommendations to their members. Climbers pay for these services and keep them private since it is a value to their team members and a safety issue.
Threading the Needle on Everest
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.
Life in the Western Cwm
Climbers continue to spend time in the contradictory environment of the Western Cwm on Everest’s South Col route. One minute they are freezing; another stripping off clothes trying to cool down but not so much to risk severe sunburn. Many teams climb to camp 1 at the top of the Icefall and then take a day hike to camp 2 to get the red blood cells working. This is their first introduction to the Cwm – a welsh word for valley.
Basecamp Life
Life is getting into a rhythm at Everest Base Camp. Report after report note the cold nights and warm days. They will wish for the cold once they get into the heat of the Western Cwm! Over on the north Bill Burke reports heavy snow overnight, not unusual for the north side. He also said that ABC has not been established on the north. We may see the first summits from the south this year. Also, an update on Jordan Romero.
Teams Settling into Base Camp
More teams arrived at base camp today. One of the early chores is to set up the electronics. This means solar panels, deep cell batteries and generators. All this drives the never ending thirst for power. As is normal these days, many climbers have their own blogs. In 2009, I counted 25. I have 23 listed already for 2010! EverestER reports some interesting s and just how tall is Mt. Everest?