Al Hancock, <\/a>attempting Lhotse noted the illness:<\/p>\n For the last several days different illnesses has swept through our team sending some climbers hiking to lower altitude settlements for recovery and many others in worse condition taken out by helicopter. Others like myself are staying put. We are lighting incense and sending out positive energy to our teammates that they have a speedy recovery and can make it back for a summit attempt.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n Adventure Peaks<\/a> is all set when the weather is right:<\/p>\n We\u2019ve had an update in from Sean and the team, they are back down at base camp after their latest rotation on Everest. \u00a0This time the team have been up to tag nearly 7500m, everyone is feeling strong, but are glad to be back down for a rest, and to recover for the next time up! \u00a0 This time up the team have went to the highest they will go before their summit attempt. \u00a0They have spent 2 nights now sleeping at the North Col and will have seen quite clearly now the task that lies ahead of them. \u00a0A few reports of weird dreams at altitude, (mainly steak and wine) that will intermittently distract them from their dreams of standing on the summit. \u00a0Not long now, as the team will rest at base camp, and the luxuries it provides and they will wait for \u00a0the winds to lift, that will allow a summit attempt.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Summit Climb<\/a>‘s David O’brien said Sherpas will set the lines to the summit around 10 May.<\/p>\n we walked the long ABC to base camp rocky trek yesterday and we’re all looking forword to some well earned rest. Our acclimatisation is now complete and the next time we head up will be on our summit push. There was a big meeting this morning to decide who will fix the section of rope above 8300m. One team with extra Sherpas has agreed to provide the fixing service with input from other teams to get ropes etc to the high camp. The rope fixing is expected to be completed by the 10th May earlier than usual for the North side.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Transcend Adventures<\/a>, an Indian based company with 23 members and 23+ Sherpas has taken on the rope fixing role from the CMA. A curious shift since the Tibetan rope fixers have set the route since 2008 when Russell Brice left\u00a0the north aside for the south side. Brice’s Sherpas had total responsibility for years.<\/p>\n Pool Table Included<\/strong><\/p>\n Before you feel too sorry for those climbing on the north side with it’s cold winds, and steep rock Steps, take a look at these pictures from 7 Summits Club<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alex Abramov prides himself in having the best base camp complete with big screen TV, espresso maker, ping pong table and, wait for it, yes a pool table! Ah, the benefits of being able to drive to base camp.<\/p>\n Click<\/a> to see more decadent luxuries or as some of my friends would say “glamping”. Oh, Alex charges from $59,900 to $74,900 depending on level of support – pool table included.<\/p>\n Alex posted (I had a Russian native speaker translate and I’m still confused!)\u00a0 \ud83d\ude1b<\/p>\n Final second day of rest at the Base Camp. Since we recommended everyone not to wash or scratch, everyone was crowding at the base camp. Cards, table tennis, pool, TV, internet, beer, coffee and all kinds of chatting. So, the day has passed and to … (hell) with it.\u00a0 Tomorrow we leave for Advanced Base Camp (6400m) and then off to North saddle. We won’t have reception again. For 4 nights. Hold out without me.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Ready for the summit<\/strong><\/p>\n Lucas Furtenbach<\/a>\u00a0uses altitude tents to “pre-acclimatize” and seems\u00a0quite pleased with the results. I met Lucas last year on Everest and\u00a0was impressed with his operation. I hope to interview him after the season and explore his philosophy on climbing 8000 meter mountains where he believes Everest can\u00a0be done in a month or less. He will provide members with 16 bottles of supplemental oxygen and charge $95,000.<\/p>\n He\u00a0posted from base camp that their team is ready for the summit when it comes and comments on the wind thus far:<\/p>\n Pre-acclimatization with the hypoxia casts proves itself. The nights were partly very windy and some tents were again torn by other teams at the Nordsattel. With us all remained well. Rock solid Marmot Mountain Europe<\/p>\n you can only say! Very soothing in such situations …The wind is so far the main theme this year at Everest. It intensifies the feeling of cold extreme and thus increases the risk of frostbite. In addition, it also mutes mentally, if one moves for several hours in the strong wind. But every year the winds have subsided, so we are confident that this will be the case this year.<\/p>\n The route is set up to Camp3 on 8300m and will be assured in the coming days to the summit. Our sherpas are currently in the process of setting up C2 and C3 and the oxygen depots. They are just performing unbelievable work. Thanks to our Sherpa team!<\/p>\n Our team will go to the last place in front of the Basecamp to recover in deep, oxygen-rich conditions. So we are ready for anything that will happen in the next 2-3 weeks! Because slowly it becomes serious …<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And just to make the point, another post about wind. This one from Tony Mills<\/a>\u00a0with Adventure Peaks\u00a0on the north:<\/p>\n Just returned from our 2nd rotation from Everest North Col \/ camp 1. We were supposed to tag camp 2 at 7800m but had to turn around before then due to high winds. Back at bc now recovering for a few days rest period while we wait for the jet stream winds to finally drop to safe levels so that we can finally start our final rotation and attempt a summit push. Hopefully a few days at lower levels will help me recover some of those lost energy levels!!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n My climbing partner here in Colorado, Jim Davidson<\/a>, \u00a0spent the night at an extremely windy Camp 3 on the Lhotse Face this week.<\/p>\n This is interesting in that it has become out of fashion to\u00a0actually spend the night this high on the south side, with many teams\u00a0feeling it is adequate to simply “tag” it or even just climb up the\u00a0Lhotse Face a bit and calling it good. A\u00a0consideration is how much supplemental oxygen is available to the members. Some guides are putting members on O’s starting at Camp 2 instead of the traditional\u00a0C3 or even South Col.<\/p>\n Jim is climbing with IMG and posted this picture climbing up a windy Lhotse Face. See his Facebook<\/a> for the video:<\/p>\n Sherpa Falls Down Lhotse Face – OK<\/strong><\/p>\n Ben Jones, Alpine Ascents<\/a>, noted a dangerous situation on Saturday when they were climbing towards Camp 3 on the Lhotse Face. This story is a good reminder of why it is critical to stay clipped into the fixed ropes on steep icy sections:<\/p>\n We started off great this morning heading towards the Lhotse face in some gusty wind. Today is a day to wrestle with our down suits and face systems to get comfortable in climbing with no exposed skin to prevent frostbite, frostnip, and windburn. We made good time getting to the Lhotse face and then began climbing above the bergshrund (big crevasse). This can be a tricky section to get through.<\/p>\n Myself and a couple of our climbers had just passed this section and we began climbing a little higher on the Face when we witnessed someone falling down the face and over the Bergshrund. Jangbu was first on the scene and then myself and a few others came to help in the beginning and then there must have been 30 people around to help move Tenzing to a landing zone for the Helicopter.<\/p>\n When an unfortunate accident does happen it is nice to know the amount of support and resources that are available from many teams on the mountain. The great news is that the Sherpa who fell is alive and was later evacuated by helicopter to Kathmandu where he is now in the hospital. I hope that Tenzing will have a full recovery and he is doing well!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Russell Brice sent me an email\u00a0just now with an update:<\/p>\n It was one of our sherpas who fell off yesterday and despite falling about 300m he is totally fine. He was helicoptered off directly to a Ktm hospital within about 3 hours.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Summit Ropes Stalled<\/strong><\/p>\n Mike Roberts, Adventure Consultants<\/a>, also noted that the winds have stalled the rope fixing to the summit:<\/p>\n Our hardcore Sherpa headed for Camp 4 for the second day in a row. Viscous winds whipped the upper Lhotse Face and threatened to freeze and frostbite any exposed skin. Wisely they retreated to C4. Loads undelivered, summit rope fixing stalled. Sleep deprived and hypoxic they retreated to C2 to lick their wounds and contemplate one of the hardest occupations in the world.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Med Kits (and how to use them)<\/strong><\/p>\n Tim Mosedale’s<\/a>\u00a0small team is ready for their summit push. I like this picture\u00a0that member Ronny Rein<\/a>\u00a0posted of the med kit Tim provides for his members. He also holds\u00a0a training session on how, when and how to use\u00a0these emergency meds. Yes, they practiced injections on an orange! \u00a0Ronny\u00a0is climbing Lhotse:<\/p>\n Theft at Base Camp<\/strong><\/p>\n Benegas Brothers<\/a> are climbing from the Nepal side and made a disturbing discovery:<\/p>\n Rest day in base camp. A peaceful sunny and downright beautiful day, members relaxing after their rotation, shaving, catching up with family and laundry\u2026 Bliss.<\/p>\n Dining floor a little wonky, we lift the floor (wooden plates each on a metal frameworks, supported by rocks) to fix\u2026 What do we find?! A stolen Gouda cheese, a corner nibbled, an untouched kit Kat, and various empty chocolates too?! This can\u2019t be \u2013 a mouse?! Or in fact super-mouse to carry items of this size from high shelves to this comfy (and heated!) hideout??!!<\/p>\n Shiva, our beloved waiter and rock of all our expeditions says hang on!! 7 eggs missed from kitchen! Left out for alpine start breakfast and disappeared! The plot thickens\u2026 This is noooo mouse\u2026 Or rat\u2026 Could it be a weasel!?<\/p>\n Willie has seen a beautiful long tailed weasel in Gorak Shep, they do live at altitude. And what better choice than BBE\u2019s luxury base camp?!<\/p>\n We have named him Josecito. Finally a BC pet, I hope he will come and snuggle with my hot water bottle. Proof: only some LARGE footprints\u2026.. CCTV to come!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n More Dogs<\/strong><\/p>\n OK, to continue this year’s theme of Everest going to the dogs, The Adventure Consultants<\/a>\u00a0family has adopted a Tibetan Mastiff (kind of) pooch and named him\/her Blizzard. Courtesy of their team Doc Sophie Wallace<\/a>:<\/p>\n “Touch Grass”<\/strong><\/p>\n It has become almost universal on the south side to descend down valley for a few nights of R&R before the summit bid. Anatoli Bourkreev coined the phrase “touch grass before the summit”. Mountain Trip<\/a>\u00a0made a post on their plans:<\/p>\n Jacob checked in from Everest Base Camp,\u00a0…<\/p>\n As they descended the Khumbu Icefall, it was very apparent that the Icefall is ever-changing.\u00a0 There were a few gaps that had not been there a few days ago, requiring each climber to take a literal \u201cleap of faith\u201d to cross (roped of course!).\u00a0 There is a new ladder bridge across a crevasse that consists of five ladders strapped together to span the gap.\u00a0 Exciting!!!<\/p>\n The team will descend down to Dingboche, a village situated at about 14,000\u2032 (4270 m) for four nights, enabling everyone to rest in the relatively thick air and build up some reserves that had been depleted during their stay up high.\u00a0 They will stage their ascent back to Base Camp with another night at the village of Lobuche at 16,200\u2032 4937 m) before returning to Base Camp to prepare for their summit bid.<\/p>\n Sherpa climbers and guides will start fixing lines on sections of the route up to the summit next week, and to help in that effort, a number of our Sherpa team will head up to Camp 3 and then to Camp 4 this weekend.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nClimbing from\u00a0Tibet – High Camps, High Winds<\/h3>\n
![\"7](\"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/62357-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"7](\"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/62358-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"7](\"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/7-Summits-Club-on-North-side-Everest-2017.-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nClimbing from\u00a0Nepal – Cold and Windy<\/h3>\n
![\"Wind](\"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Wind-on-Everest-by-Jim-Davidson-for-alan-640x360.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Tim](\"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Tim-Mosedale-Med-Kit.-courtesy-of-Ronny-Rein-1-640x480.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Blizzard,](\"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Blizzard-courtesy-of-Sophie-Wallace.jpg\")
<\/a>Mountain Madness Returns<\/h3>\n