Everest 2013: Weekend Update April 14
Right on schedule, Everest Base Camp (EBC) in Nepal filled up this week as climbers finished their trek from Lukla. On the other side, a few have arrived but most teams are half way through their drive to the Chinese Base Camp (CBC) after crossing the border mid week. The north bound teams take day hikes during the travel to further their acclimatization. Sunday is a bit of a celebration at EBC as it is New Year’s Day for the Nepali. The Big Picture Pausing for an overview of the task ahead, ambulance mid April is when the serious climbing begins for Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse. Teams will have traveled for days to arrive at their respective Base Camps. There are probably 1,000 people at EBC (17,500’/5334m) and soon, several hundred at CBC (17,000’/5182m) Once settled in, they will begin the process of acclimatization using the ‘climb high, sleep low’ technique where they climb to increasingly higher camps to spend several nights before returning to Base Camp to rest between climbs. Each round trip climb to a camp is called a rotation. On the south, most teams will do at least three rotations before the summit push in mid May. This upcoming week, almost every team will do a rotation to Camp 1 (19,500’/5943m) on the South. On the north, at the end of the week or early next week, they will climb to Advanced Base Camp (21,300’/6492m). Throughout this week, I will take a deeper look at climbing in the Icefall and the first look at the Western Cwm. A few teams, for example IMG and Himex, skip one rotation by using an acclimatization climb on nearby Lobuche East (20,075’/6119m) which is a trekking peak. While still serious climbing, it avoids the danger of the Icefall for at least one rotation. Other teams like Peak Freaks use Kala Patthar (18,192’/5545 m), and others use Mera (21,247’/6476 m) or Island Peaks (20,305’/6189m). Then some some skip these early climbs all together by spending a month in a pressure tent back home to simulate sleeping at 9,000′. Of course the weather has the final say in all these plans. Base Camp had reports of wind and snow on and off all week preventing some carries to the higher camps. It is somewhat concerning that the winds have been very high thus far, while normal for the summit, usually in mid April they are a bit calmer lower down. But after all it is weather. Second Thoughts Arriving at Base Camp can be a defining moment for many people. Trekkers are there to visit, perhaps laying the groundwork for future dreams. First time climbers arrive with anxiety and anticipation that grows by the minute, and for those returning, well it can be life changing. Russian climber Liudmila Mikhanovskaia, known as Mila, works as a translator in Kathmandu. She summited Everest last year and is now attempting Lhotse, the world’s 4th highest mountain at 27,940’/8516m. In one of the more powerful dispatches I have ever read and easily the Blog of the Day, she shares with us her emotion upon arriving at EBC, and a big decision. Please read her entire post but this is an excerpt: ‘Are you afraid?’ I ask myself. No. I am worse than afraid – I am indifferent to the task, which lies ahead of me and the outcome thereof. This feeling – indifference – has been with me ever since I landed in Kathmandu after my stay in Bangkok. I carried it on my shoulders all the way up to 5300 meters; I slept with it; I fed it; I hoped to appease it, so, satisfied, it would leave me and give room to the passion and love I used to always feel for the Himalaya. Yet, my indifference only grows bigger and fatter as I approach the foot of Everest. After trekking for 6 days, ill, I kneel beside my backpack in my tent at the foot of the Icefall and Everest, – home to be for the next month-and-a-half – and like a ghost of somebody long-gone, indifference kneels by my side and wonders: ‘If this is truly your dream still, to climb Everest for the second time, then, why am I here? And if it isn’t your dream, then, why are you here?’ These are good questions, even put to one belatedly, and they must be answered before it is too late. Base Camp Life As climbers settle into Base Camp, they are discovering what makes things run i.e. the kitchen. This post from Chris Jensen Burke talks about their kitchen with the Himalayan Ascent team This year, Himalayan Ascent (HA) has gone to great expense to introduce stainless steel benches into the kitchen area to increase the chances of good hygiene. These benches were carried to Everest Base Camp by porters! The yaks are too rough with anything fragile or which you don’t want damaged. It is not too unusual to have this level of detail. I did an in-depth look at the famed Himex Base Camp last year. Also, I know that IMG, Adventure Consultants, Jagged Globe and most major operators have put hygiene as the top priority for their kitchen for years. But it is beyond amazing what the cooks can produce, especially baked goods at 17,500 feet! One of the priorities in establishing Base Camp is to make your tent your home away from home. Once again, David Tait gives us a detailed look at his routine, including the middle of the night call of nature. It is a great read: I am very lucky – I can sleep standing vertically, so it isn’t long before I have slipped into unconsciousness. However, many are tortured, night after night by an inability to fall asleep – an altitude side effect – and a few have even succumbed and returned home, such was their misery. One can stare into blackness for only so long. The Adventure Consultants team gave this report
Everest 2013: Crossing the Ladders of Everest
Climbers are working hard to adjust to the altitude and their new environment. Multiple reports are coming in on restless nights, high heart rates, low oxygen saturation and the usual litany of GI issues. All normal. The weather is also dominating reports with snow, low clouds and winds covering Base Camp and obscuring the top of Everest. Dave Hahn posted an amazing picture on Facebook of a wave cloud over the summit. But as usual, the next day will probably be crystal clear. Edita Nichols climbing with Altitude Junkies has a nice post on their early journey through Tibet. It reminds me of my first trip there in 1998! The drive from Zongmu to Nyalam was rather quick, about an hour drive from Zongmu which is on the Chinese-Nepalese border, along the Friendship Highway. Nyalam is not a very nice place, a single street town, damp and grey. Last night it started even snowing. The only way to stay warm is in your sleeping bag! The altitude here is about 3,500meters and the air feels thiner. From here, you can see a range of hills in the distance. Those arriving at Base Camp on the South are experiencing life on the glacier. Chris trekking in with the IMG team made this observation: While I’d expected it to be cold I hadn’t expected it to be quite so noisy. Avalanches and rockfalls from the surrounding peaks were frequent, and sounded rather like a rumble of thunder. The often strong winds made a similar sound as they barreled up the valley, so that it was sometimes only possible to tell the difference when the wind buffeted the tent – or not. The shifting of the glacier itself made sounds ranging from the gentle creaks of an old house when the heating goes off, to the slam of a car door, to a gunshot – the latter more than a little disconcerting when it came from directly beneath my tent, and doubly so when I could feel it. I consoled myself that the Khumbu is a ‘dry’ glacier, so a crevasse was unlikely to open up beneath me. But there was still the regular sound of a ball smashing through a greenhouse whenever the movements of the glacier cracked the ice on one of the many frozen pools. With all that racket, I can’t say I slept well while at Base Camp! Ladders One of the famous features of climbing Everest are the ladders used to cross crevasses. In the Khumbu Icefall, there are between 20 and 30 crevasses. In the Western Cwm, there can be a few more and finally a couple at the base of the Lhotse Face. One the north side, there are several near crampon point as climbers ascend to the North Col. Most Nepal side climbers will make at least four round trips through the Icefall meaning they will cross over 200 crevasses. The ladders are not always straight across a crevasse, in fact almost never. They can go down, straight up, be positioned at an angle, anything but horizontal. There can be dual ladders in high traffic areas. Sometimes an up ladder and a down ladder. Most teams will practice crossing ladders with their full size 8000 meter boots and crampons on while at Base Camp just to get the feel for it. But the experience is “interesting” as in what you would read from a fortune cookie. Approaching the ladder, you pause for an inspection. How many ladders are lashed together? Not too bad if only one, but three, four or more, it sinks in the middle, it bounces. Watching a Sherpa crossing ahead, you see the wobble – left, right, up, down. It is 3D. The safety lines are in place so you look at the anchors, the place where they are secured to the ground, or more accurately, the snow or ice. The thin nylon line is tied in a squirrelly knot through a hole in an piece of bent aluminum – a picket. That’s all? Looking across the crevasse you see the rope tied to an ice screw, but in the hot sunlight the hole has melted out and the ice screw bobs freely. Knowing you have little choice, you approach the ladder as one would approach a live chicken. Carefully, slowly, you move your feet towards the edge. Bending over, you grab the right hand safety line, then with your other hand you press the locking mechanism of your carabiner inwards and clip onto the line. Your ‘biner is tied to your harness with a short piece of nylon webbing. Repeating this procedure, you are now hooked on both safety lines. Your life is now in the hands of the makers of nylon. Your crampon’s front points jut out from your boot as you focus your eyes on the first rung. The question is whether to put the mid part of your sole on the rung or to gingerly put your front points on one rung and the back of your boot on the trailing rung. The latter runs the risk of being caught when you lean forward, forcing the rung tightly against your crampons. Only a Cirque du Soleil move would allow you to free yourself. Seeing the Sherpas make this move gives you confidence so you move forward. The right boot settles on the ladder, then your left foot moves quickly in place. You hold onto the ropes with a grip so tight that if you fell, your shoulder would dislocate before your grip would release. Your hands are slightly behind you to pull the line taught. All of a sudden, the line goes tight from both sides. Teammates have squatted at both ends of the ladder to pull the rope tight making it more of a rail. You appreciate this and return the favor at the next crossing. One step is followed by the next and then a third. Your eyes focused on the ladder, your boot, your
Everest 2013: Tributes to the Sherpas
The death of Icefall Doctor, search Mingma Sherpa, is still echoing throughout the climbing community. Anytime there is a death, it shakes the Sherpas and climbers to their core. It causes everyone to consider their goals, to think deeply about why they are there. For some it is a job, for others it is a dream; but for all it is a risk. Everest is often dismissed as an “easy walk-up” but the sad reality is that every year people die. It is part of high altitude mountaineering. When a Sherpa dies, the implications are wide. The novice climbers reconsiders their own skills, their own capabilities and frailty. The Sherpas, mourn the loss of a friend, a teammate, probably one of their extended family members. Everyone struggles to makes sense of the tragedy. The Sherpas have great experience and strength. Many have amazing climbing skills. Others are learning more at the Khumbu Climbing School, started by Conrad Anker and funded by the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation. It is located in Phortse, Nepal (in the Khumbu) and offers eight and ten day classes in the off season. Started in 2003, over 700 Nepali, both men and women, have gone through the program. You read more in this excellent article. A fundraiser is being held on April 20th. For those teams in Nepal right now, feelings run deep. Dave Hahn, RMI, made this post today: But it is time to acknowledge the loss of one devoted climber and of the selflessness of our own Sherpa team, who played a key role in the rescue effort. Chherring Dorje flew by helicopter to the scene and managed the retrieval while Lam Babu conducted things from the heli-pad at Everest Basecamp. Although there was a sad outcome, I was extremely proud that our partners were able to offer help to the Icefall Docs, whom we admire very much. This small team of about a half dozen men are hired by the National Park to establish and maintain the route through the Khumbu Icefall. It is physically demanding and dangerous work. The docs do an incredible job each year, and the same men come out year after year. They never boast or recognition… They aren’t rewarded by being able to tag the summit and run up their “count” on the mountain, and they are paid modestly. Mingma was from the village of Dingboche and leaves a wife and several daughters. Of course many of us will try to help out with donations… Mingma was working on our behalf… but there is no getting around the reality: this dangerous work has once again taken the ultimate toll. The US Air Force team adds some thoughts on the role of the Sherpas: As most everyone who has read about Everest climbs knows, the Sherpa are the heroes of the Himalaya. Almost no western climber has any chance of getting to the summit of an 8000 meter peak without the enormous contributions of highly trained Sherpa, and that support begins long before you even get to base camp. Climbers tend to get all the attention on an expedition, but just like an Air Force pilot who gets to wave at the crowds at an airshow, he or she wouldn’t be there without dozens of other people to support them. Georgina Miranda has a wonderful post today as she continues her trek towards Base Camp. She reveals many lessons she is receiving from Lama Geshi and the Sherpas. It is the Blog of the Day. This is an excerpt on meeting Lama Geshi: His soul beams joy and was really a special to meet him. As part of the blessing, he gives the climbers a card to take up with us to the mountain, a blessed Kata, and a blessed Synge to put around our neck. He also gives us a prayer to take with us on our journey and to set our intention. This time the prayer was: The Buddha said: You yourself are your own refuge, Nobody else can be your refuge. If you really tame your mind, You can attain the highest realization of the Buddha! May the precious mind of enlightenment, Arise where it has not arisen. Where it has arisen, may it not wane, But further and further increase. It also has a request to all sentient beings on Earth: Give up all intentions to harm others from your heart, and do your to benefit them all. If each and every one feels the Universal Responsibility to do so, we will all enjoy the feast of PEACE! Chris Jensen Burk, climbing Lhotse with Himalayan Ascent, has has a nice recap as she is now in Base Camp and looking to go to Camp 1 on Friday: Oh, but to put our mountain movements into perspective, our Sherpa team has already been through the icefall TWICE (in each direction) carrying loads (including tents). First time they went to C2 and second time they went to C1. They are there and back before you can flutter an eyelid. These guys are LEGENDS. They open the Himalayan mountains to western climbers. They are amazing. Ueli Steck, attempting a new route with Simone Moro posted this on his time in the Khumbu: Only four days ago we flew from Kathmandu to Lukla. We stayed an extra day in Namche Bazar, just to let the bodies get used to the altitude. This is exactly what we will be focusing on over the next couple of weeks: Getting used to the thin air. As usual I cannot just sit around. The extra day in Namche I used to run to Tame. It’s a perfect run, not steep, quite a flat trail, so it is possible to run even at these higher elevations. If I think back to when I tried to get prepared for this Expedition a few weeks ago. I stayed overnight in the Mönchsjoch hut (3600 meter) where there is only glacier and snow. I climbed up several
Everest 2013: First Steps into the Icefall
There is progress to report all around today. Teams are in Base Camp making their first trips into the Icefall. Others are finishing up their trek in the Khumbu and the North side teams have crossed the Chinese border and are starting the first of four nights en-route to the Chinese Base Camp. Several teams including Adventure Consultants are getting close to South Base Camp and only have a couple more nights on the trek. Ang Dorge reports on the weather today: The weather has changed, turning windy, medicine cloudy and colder than before. Flurries of snow flakes have come down this afternoon, and they sky is grey. Dorjee says this often happens when the Sherpa calendar changes into a new month. Touching the Icefall Wally Berg’s Berg Adventure small group made their first sortie into the Icefall. They reached an area known as the popcorn where the moving glacier has become quite jumbled and broken off looking like a field of popcorn. They used this climb to be introduced to crossing the ladders while wearing crampons, rope safety and the need to stay clipped in to the safety rope while crossing the ladders. Dave Hahn’s RMI team also went in to the Icefall to the Popcorn area but they also are in search of something else: We went up about an hour, the consensus was that we’d reached close to 18,000 ft, but we stopped just before the “popcorn” section of the Icefall where the risk ramps up a bit. Back down to camp we came, stopping off for a cyber break, of course, in a safe place where we were finding the all-important 3G signal out of Gorak Shep for our smart phones. The 3G cell phone signal provided by NCELL is spotty at in Base Camp. Sometimes you can get it in your tent, but most most often you have to walk around holding your phone high in the air similar to a divining rod looking for water. Once found, you immediately sit and do not move a muscle for fear the signal will be lost. Even if it means cramping, your call will go through! Sometimes it seems it takes more dedication to make phone call than it does to climb the mountain! The first steps onto the Icefall represents a huge milestone for an Everest expedition. Sitting crossed-legged in your tent, you try to visualize what you will need. It should be easy, you have had this vision daily for the past two years. But now it is real. You will only be gone for a few hours, not overnight, so the pick list is short: snack, water, normal layers (base, outer, wind, warmth), gloves, hat, sunglass, sunscreen. And the fun stuff: harness rigged with cordelette to attach to jumars, carabiners, ice axe with the grip wrapped in duct tape to stop the cold and your crampons. Your boots lie in your tent vestibule looking ready for action, the tongue of the inner boot seems to wag like an excited pup. OK, your visions have crossed the line and it is time to go. All of the gear gets stuffed into one of the small day packs you brought. You tug the boots on with a hard pull and give the laces one extra inspection. Crampons are lashed on the outside of the pack and the ice axe is in your hand. Hmm, you are no longer trekking the Khumbu. The sun is just below the top of the Icefall and it is a bit cold, you pull the hood around your neck but not over your head. The Sherpas are not wearing jackets. The walk to the edge of the Khumbu Icefall is short or long depending on where your Base Camp is located. In this case it is on the edge of the main camp so it takes 20 minutes to walk to a flat area known as Crampon Point. You will get to know this place well. It is flat, a frozen stream of glacier melt water surrounded by ten foot high snow and ice banks. The last time you come through this area in late May, it will be a rushing river. Other teams arrive, Sherpas are already making the Icefall their own by carrying load after load to establish Camps 1 and 2. The Icefall Doctors come by with a long ladder tied to their backpack. It looks like a wing. Taking a deep breath, you kneel on one knee as you position your heavy climbing boot out front. You step onto the crampons, giving your foot a small twist, exerting slight pressure to seal the gap between tool and boot. With one quick move, you latch the heel lever into the boot groove. This time you have your gloves off to manipulate the straps. One crosses the toe, then around to the other side and into a latch. You feel good going through the mechanics of putting on your crampons. It is familiar, and comfortable, it makes the start of the day. But you know you need to do this with your heavy gloves on, so a doubt creeps in. The Sherpas stand by quietly, observing but not judging. Once everyone is ready, a Sherpa starts walking. He goes slowly. He is going very slowly. You take your first steps up a small ice ridge. There is no fixed rope. You use your ice axe for balance. On top of the ridge, you see your mission. An endless expanse of ice, huge ice blocks, some standing straight up, some on their side. It is like nothing you have ever seen, felt or experienced. The short pause allows the vision to become reality. You are climbing the Khumbu Icefall. Saying Goodbye I often talk about the difficulty on those left back home while their loved one climbs. David Tait is going through a reverse sort of emotion. His wife and two
Everest 2013: Base Camp Puja
The teams climbing from the Tibet side have now left Kathmandu. According to Phil Crampton of Altitude Junkies, > the delay in crossing the border was due to lack of “vehicles available for all the groups to enter around the same time so they have staggered the entry dates.” Climbers and trekkers are required to hire a 4WD vehicle, typically a Land Cruiser, along with a Chinese driver from the China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA). This driver will be with the team all the way to Base Camp where they will be handed over to a CTMA Liaison Officer. Early reports show only seven teams climbing from Tibet and 47 different teams have permits on the south side. I would break this down as a very rough estimate to be 47 teams, 500 climbers, 700+ Sherpas/Staff on the South and 7 teams, 90 climbers/125+ Sherpas/Staff Before the Climbing Begins As the teams continue to arrive at Everest Base Camp, they have some serious business to attend to before climbing – their Puja. Himalayan Ascent reports “Due to the unfortunate accident yesterday where a Sherpa (part of the route setting team) fell to his death into a crevasse, today’s ceremony was subdued” Eric Simonson, IMG, say his Sherpas are now ready to start the serious climbing after having their Puja: “Tomorrow we have 27 Sherpas headed to Camp 2 and 22 Sherpas headed to Camp 1 to start building those camps.” His climbers will continue their acclimatization schedules by returning down valley to climb on Lobuche Peak. Teams will start entering the Icefall for their first rotation around April 11th. But let’s look at the Puja ceremony a bit closer. Tim Rippel, Peak Freaks, posted this today on their Puja: Before any work begins on the mountain we’ll have a Puja ceremony, this ceremony is believed to make contact with divine Sagamartha (Mount Everest) and ask her for clear the passage for everyone, the Sherpa climbers will not climb before they are blessed, this will take place tomorrow morning so the trekkers can be part of it too. This is the most important blessing for our team; Western climbers, Sherpa climbers, food and equipment. Climbing boots and axes and crampons will be piled around the Stupa, it’s a moving experience for anyone who has had the opportunity to be part of one, the burning of juniper and the chant from Lama Mingma, the tossing of rice and drinking of chang (or beer) all adding to this magical and spiritual event. Of course there is also a monetary part to help support the local monasteries. And Dave Hahn, RMI, added this about their Puja: this day had auspicious written all over it. Our Sirdar Lam Babu consulted the Tibetan calendar and made a few calls. This was the day for our Puja ceremony. A lama was brought up from Pangboche and our Puja Stupa was made ready. Today was the day for the entire team to get together for a Buddhist ceremony asking the gods to look favorably on our expedition. The Pangboche lama was actually pretty busy as several other teams were similarly in need of blessing. The drums started beating and the cymbals started clashing for ours just after lunch on another big blue sky day. A number of Sherpas from neighboring teams joined us in our celebration. There were chants and prayers and various offerings of juniper smoke, food and drink. There were a number of things tossed into the sky and onto each other, principally rice and tsampa (barley flour) and a little chiang -a lightly fermented homemade rice wine with bits of orange. The climax of the ceremony begins with the Puja mast going up with strings of brightly colored prayer flags going out in all directions from it. Finally we all stand and toast each other, shake hands and ask each other to be careful on this climbing trip. The birds certainly enjoy the day as a whole flock of black Himalayan Chuffs (a little smaller than a crow) descend to get the spare offerings. We also enjoyed watching smaller sparrow and finch types joining in the festivities. The Puja The announcement is normally made at dinner, “Tomorrow we will have our Puja. Bring your harness, crampons, ice axes and anything sharp to the ceremony.” If you have never been to a Puja, your interest is now raised. Breakfast comes early as the cooks and Sherpas are anxious to start the ceremony. A large stone Stupa has already been erected primarily to hold the flag pole and to hold a picture of the Dali Lama. Blankets are laid out for the climbers to sit on during the long ceremony. The Sherpas are busy stringing the mulit-color prayer flags across the camp, all centered on the flag pole at the Stupa. Soon the sounds of the fluttering flags cover the entire camp. Each flag has different meaning: yellow-earth, green water, red-fire, white-air, blue-space. More Sherpas are busy starting a small juniper fire. The smoke will cover the entire camp. It is hazy, and fragrant. It marks the beginning of something special. This is not the last time to see this smoke. Every time before leaving Base Camp, each climber and Sherpa will pass by this same spot, letting the smoke from the juniper boughs cover them. Everyone takes their place on the blankets after resting their climbing tools against the Stupa. Part of the ceremony is to ask forgiveness for hurting Sagamartha with the sharp points of the tools. But the most important part is to ask permission to climb the mountain and for safe passage. The Lama begins with a low chant as he reads from the 300 year-old Tibetan prayer book. Everyone soon quiets down as the chanting occupies the entire team of Sherpas. Soon, a Sherpa laughs, others smile, the environment is respectful but not overly serious. One Sherpa begins to walk around offering bread, and chiang to everyone. It is OK not
Everest 2013: Icefall Doctor Dies
It is sad to start the week with the report of the death of Mingmar Sherpa. One of the Icefall Doctors, he is reported by AFP and the Himalayan Times to have died after falling into a crevasse between Camps 1 and 2 in the Western Cwm. His body will be retrieved by helicopter once the weather allows. He was 45 years-old and was from Goratapting of Solukhumbu. He lived in Dingboche with his wife and son. He had been an Icefall Doctor for nine years. It has been a difficult season for the Doctors when the long time leader of the Icefall Doctors, Ang Nima Sherpa, died at his home in Pangboche at age 59 in January. The fixed line and ladders have been set all the way to Camp 2 just under the Lhotse Face and is open to climbers. Currently only Sherpas are actually using the route to establish those camps as most teams are still trekking to Base Camp or climbing lesser peaks to acclimatize. The Western Cwm is heavily crevassed around Camp 1. The Doctors regularly set ladders across them both at the top of the Khumbu Icefall and just beyond Camp 1. It is common to see three to five ladders lashed together to cross some of the widest crevasses. The Icefall can move up to three feet a day at the steepest sections and moves slower in the Cwm proper but is still moving thus the need to reposition ladders throughout the season. The Icefall Doctors are a small team of four to six Sherpas who are paid to establish and maintain the route from Base Camp to Camp 2 in the Western Cwm. This entails carrying heavy nylon rope, anchors, stakes or pickets and aluminum ladders into the Icefall. They work on behalf of all the teams. It is dangerous work as they are the first to see the route each year. This is the first reported death of an Icefall Doctor during the season according to Asian Trekking founder Ang Tshering Sherpa. Back in 2001, famous Sherpa, Babu Chiri Sherpa also died after falling into a crevasse near Camp 2. At the time he held the record for summits with 10, had spent 21 hours on the summit without supplemental oxygen, and claimed the fastest ascent at the time of 16 hours and 56 minutes. Last year, Peak Freaks’ Namgyal Tshering Sherpa fell from a ladder into a crevasse near C1. Sherpas are known for not using the fixed lines or clipping into the safety lines on ladders. New Route Update ExplorersWeb has a report on Denis Urubko and Alexei Bolotov and their attempt to climb a new route on the Southwest Face. There is not a lot of new information and a bit vague because they do not know the route conditions but is a good read for those interested in their effort. North Side Update North side teams are preparing to cross the Nepal/China border on Wednesday. There are reports that the north is not very crowded this year. Altitude Junkies, SummitClimb and 7 Summits Club all report their members are in Kathmandu and ready to go. Adventure Peaks is climbing Island and Mera Peaks in the Khumbu area to get a jump on acclimatizing. To get an insight into the pre-climb thoughts, Phil Crampon’s Altitude Junkies team posted a very well done video. The video is courtesy of Berta Tilmantaite, a Lithuanian filmmaker who is documenting Edita Nichols’s ascent of Everest. Videos have become very popular for Everest climbers with the advent of GoPros. But don’t expect too many as it takes a huge amount of satellite time, a stable data connection and money to transmit them to websites. Base Camp Update The Khumbu remains filled with climbers and trekkers. There are only a few teams now at Base Camp but this week most of the large teams will arrive. One of those teams, Dave Hahn’s RMI team is passing the time while adjusting to their new home by doing a little treasure hunting: We were also keeping our eyes peeled for artifacts on the ice. Yesterday James and Seth each found crampons from 1962 (as evidenced by the 1962 Indian newspaper I found with them Again a sad start to the season proper. There have now been 13 Sherpa deaths since 2000. My sincere condolences to his family. Climb On!AlanMemories are Everything
Everest 2013: Weekend Update April 7
It was a good week for all those heading towards Mt. Everest. The weather was fine and reports from Base Camp included cold and snow – both good news after the dry and dangerous 2012 season. In 2012, salve I posted this for the April 8th Weekend update: In Nepal, Everest Base Camp received a few inches of fresh snow throughout the week but there are reports that Everest proper is pretty dry which will make the climbing a bit more difficult with crampons on rock. But we have heard these reports before only to find the route above the South Col fully snow covered. Well, those reports were spot on with little snow the winter of 2011/12. That combined with high winds created a missile zone of flying rocks that injured many Sherpas. It was one of the most dangerous seasons on record. The difficult weather of 2012 conspired to squeeze all summit efforts into 4 days instead of the normal 8 to 12 thus creating the massive traffic jams at the bottlenecks. However, those crowds had nothing to do with the deaths of 10 climbers on both sides. You can read my recap of last year at this link. Thankfully, it looks like 2013 will be quite different. With more snow, the rocks are cemented in place and less likely to tumble downhill hitting climbers. It is easier for the Sherpas to place anchors for ropes and generally easier for climbers to gain traction with their crampons. Let’s hope this is the case and 2013 will be a safe season for all. The blogs were active as trekkers used the high speed Internet available in Namche. As they trekked higher, there were fewer posts with less pictures as the connection went from slow to absent. Those with satellite phones are saving their minutes. The excitement grows for both trekkers and climbers as they reach the higher altitudes of the Khumbu. Almost everyone flew into Lukla at 9,250 feet. The next milestone was Namche Bazaar at 11,300′ then Tengboche (12,683′), Periche (13,907′) and finally Gorak Shep (16,924′). It took most teams 10 days to reach Base Camp at 17,500 feet. The 38 mile trek is designed to allow the climber’s bodies to gently adjust to the higher altitude through creating more red bloods cells and adapting the body’s chemistry. But even with this, they will feel the real effects of altitude once they settle in at Base Camp. A few teams have already arrived at Base Camp including the Dave Hahn lead RMI team and Wally Berg’s team. IMG’s Eric Simonson reports on progress of fixing the rope in the Icefall: Jangbu reports that the Icefall doctors have now opened the route up the Icefall, and tomorrow the IMG sherpas will be heading up to claim campsites at Camp 1 and Camp 2. Good news! Teams climbing from Tibet are still waiting for the Nepal/China boarder to open. This is more or less a normal occurrence with the Chinese often changing dates, but for now it looks to be open between April 8th and the 10th. Some north side teams, like Adventure Peaks, are trekking in the Khumbu to get a jump on their acclimatization during the wait. This weekend is a unique time for Everest climbers. They are finishing up their trek but shifting their thoughts to the climb ahead. For most teams, they have trekkers with them, so reaching Everest Base Camp becomes their ‘summit’. Bonds are made between the groups so saying goodbye is always tough. The first order of business upon arriving in Base Camp is to find your personal tent and get your gear sorted. This means taking out your sleeping bag, and maybe an additional pad. Putting up pictures of important people in your tent. Changing into some clean clothes from the dusty trek. Perhaps making a quick call home to let everyone know that you have arrived. For the next few days, most people will rest, drink and eat. They will makes short walks around camp, perhaps to the edge of the Icefall. Some will take a quick skills review on a nearby ropes course the Sherpas set up on the glacier. But overall, it is a time to prepare mind and body for the next part of climbing Mt. Everest. Climb On!AlanMemories are Everything
Everest 2013: Blessings from the Lama
One of the key moments for any Himalayan climber is the blessing they receive from a Lama before the climb. Many teams arrange multiple blessings: one in Kathmandu, sick and other during the trek in and the most important one at Base Camp which is also called a Puja. The one during the trek in for Everest, order Lhotse and Nuptse climbers often occurs with Lama Geshi. Regular readers of my blog know I have deep admiration for Lama Geshi and a special connection with him. He became critically ill in 2010 but survived and is now back to his normal routine at his home in Pangboche where he lives with his wife and family. He is the highest ranking Buddhist Lama in the area. The team from Himalayan Ascent gives us this good account of meeting with the Lama: Then we hiked a leisurely 2 hr stroll transversing the valley to Lama Gheshi’s house. Pangboche is the highest permanent settlement in the Khumbu, the last established village before reaching Everest base camp. The lamas residing in the monastery here are some of the most respected in the area. Hence, we came to Lama Gheshi to receive blessings for our expedition. He conducted a special ceremony for us, which included reading some prayers to provide us safe passage and success, and then he honoured us each with a kata (white scarf) and an evil warding necklace. For our climbers and guides (who also make a point to visit a lama before beginning an expedition), this is an important ritual. Buddhist locals believe that the mountains are inhabited and controlled by mountain spirits. Sherpas are able to live in harmony amongst the biggest mountains in the world by paying respect to the mountain spirits. We follow an unwritten climbing code to climb according to local customs. My own experiences were similar. I was pleased to see Lama Geshi before my 2011 climb but more importantly, I along with my teammate Mirjam, returned after our summit to thank the Lama for his blessing. He was so pleased because few people ever stop by on their way out. You can read about my experience in 2011 at this link. Memorials for the Fallen The blog posts from climbers and trekkers remain in full swing with many commenting on the increase in altitude as they get closer to Everest. One of the more poignant moments is when they come upon the memorials for fallen climbers and Sherpas just before the village of Lobuche at Dugla Pass. A long ridge holds fifty or more chortens, or rock memorials. Each one has a name carved in the stone or perhaps a more elegant brass plaque. The vast majority are for Sherpas who have died helping westerners their goals. It is a sobering moment when you begin to understand that the Sherpas are earning a living to make a better life for their families but also that 13 Sherpas have died on Everest since 2000, the most of any single nationality. If this is your first time to trek the Khumbu, the memorial can be a startling sight. Walking along a smooth dirt trail at the bottom of a steep hill side, you hear the rushing water of a stream fed by the Khumbu Icefall to your left. Ahead you see a small teahouse with the signature blue tin roof. A steep hill lies beyond and gives you pause as you stop for a break at the teahouse. While sipping tea you look up the hillside tracing the dirt trail as it switchbacks up the steep hill. Refreshed you leave with purpose in your step. After 45 minutes, it seems much longer, you crest the hill to be greeted by a large chorten to your right. As you pan around, you see what looks like hundreds of these rock pillars. Walking over to one of the closest ones, you see a name, Scott Fischer. Now you understand. Putting your pack down you walk around, looking at each alter. Most of the names have been eroded away leaving you to only see the remains of name or a date. Some were famous – Scott Fischer, Babu Chiri. Most were not familiar. Names long since forgotten by the climbing community. Names remembered daily by their families. You stop at each one. How did they die? Weather, health, accident? There were climbers from many countries: Belirous, Japan, Austria, Canada, Nepal. Most were young. Climbers following their passion. Chasing their dream. Doing a job. The dates are old, some from the 1970s. Your head bows in respect. Leaving the area, you walk a bit slower thinking about your purpose, your home, the task ahead. It is now clearer than ever that climbing Everest is deadly serious. Updates Dave Morano with the Berg Adventures team is quickly becoming one of my favorites writers this year. In yesterday’s post he talks about pre-dawn hours at Namche: A soft hue of pre-dawn light was settled upon the snowy peaks above. The shops were shuttered. A lone black cow starred me down from the other end of the alley. No people moved about. Very few windows shown light. I climbed higher up the terraces, taking the uphill fork whenever the path split. There were pastures and gardens, one-room homes and brightly painted prayer wheels. A man in a yellow jacket emerged from one teahouse with a tripod and camera. He had set them up by the time I passed. It seemed likely he knew something I did not, so I lingered for a moment. The day’s first light suddenly grabbed the tips of the highest peaks around us. Magic. Another great post from the US Air Force team, Rob Marshall, as they saw Everest for the first time: We got our first look at Mt. Everest. The winds were blowing hard up there and a long trail of cloud/snow blew to the south of her. The Air Force climbers were all smiling and patting
Everest 2013: The Trek Goes On
Just a quick update today as teams are still on the trek to Everest Base Camp. Many of the updates are about what they are seeing, here and feeling along the way. However, this may be the strangest collection of updates I have ever posted! I’m seeing several reports of stomach issues the past few days. This is fairly common as Westerners adjust their systems to the local food. Most climbers will get things sorted by the time they arrive at Base Camp. Steve Whittington gave us this insight: I was suffering from a G.I. bacteria that has worked it’s way through almost every team member. I was feeling so bad that every day after the trek I just reed into my sleeping bag for the night. The pre-everest weight I had put on is already starting to shed. Namche! To further complicate this situation, climber Dave Mauro posted this about the accommodations in one teahouse: There were two twin beds and a bare incandescent light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The Proprietor explained there were only 3 working toilets at the Inn, and they did not work particularly well. We were instructed to place toilet paper in a waste bin instead of flushing it down. All of this might be off-putting if not for the simple fact it was still much better than tent camping …and this was Nepal. By the way, Dave is posting his resting heart rate (68) and his blood oxygen saturation level (SPO2) 93 as he goes along. Not bad for 8,691 feet! But David Tait’s post is one of the most disturbing I have ever read, and I mean that with a smile on my face. His wife is on the trek with him to EBC and dropped her sunglasses down the ‘hole’. David, being a fine British gentleman, went for the rescue. This is bathroom humor at its worst or finest depending on your stomach: … Owing to the fact that she didn’t have a spare pair, and sunglasses are crucial at altitude, I elected to try and rescue them, which entailed plunging my hand into the foul recess and praying. Sadly “u” bends had not been employed and it appeared the glasses were lost forever. Trying not to gag, I set about trying to scrub the filth off my hand – and thought I had done a good job. Minutes later dinner was served; potatoes, tinned tuna, coleslaw and pita-bread. No sooner had I swallowed the last mouthful, I started to feel “strange” … You must read the rest as this is the first Blog of the Day of Everest 2013. I like this update from the US Air Force (USAF) team as they landed in Lukla: So, what I anticipated to be a terrifying flight actually became a hilarious nerd-fest for our team’s aviation enthusiasts (picture five guys crowded around the cockpit cracking jokes about how ridiculously outdated the controls of our plane was and then promptly arguing over who would be more capable taking control if the pilot became incapacitated). Anyway, we landed safely and the rest of the day turned out to be really pleasant as we weaved our way up to Phakding. It was awesome to finally be out of Kathmandu and into a world that is absent of gas powered machinery. Everything from here on up is powered by people and Yaks and the strength of that effort is amazingly impressive. In my mind, seeing the Sherpas lug loads up the valley affirmed their status as the world’s premier badasses. Some of them were portering giant loads that easily weighed 200 pounds—and keep in mind most of these guys are barely 5’ 6”. It is quite common to have strange dreams at altitude. Chris Jensen Burke tells us of her’s and the aftermath: On my first night arriving at Namche, I had my first altitude dream of the trip. I made the ‘mistake’ of sharing it with the team. It had a lot in it to do with the wilds of Africa and several hundred gorillas (!!). Warren, who works at Taronga Zoo, decided to interpret the dream … On the way down, Sumit wanted to take an ‘action shot’ of the team and Warren broke into an impersonation of the late and great Steve Irwin. I’m a big fan of the late Crocodile Hunter and I was in stitches. It was way too funny. At every other opportunity on the walk, other team members brought my gorillas into the conversation. You can tell we have far too little to occupy our brains (and too little oxygen) at altitude! Let me end this section on different note. The trek often causes people to become introspective, this is a good example from Melissa Arnot , who has summited four times and is leading a womens trek to EBC and working to support Sherpa families killed while guiding. She is going for her fifth summit this year: Seeing Everest for the first time was emotional for much for the group, including me. It’s hard to wrap my brain around exactly how special that mountain is to me. The goddess that lives in the mountain is said to ride a tiger and hold a basket of fruit in her right hand, and a mongoose that spits wealth from her left. The mountains around offer support and have goddesses of their own. As I look around at the sun cresting the other peaks, I can feel the energy of that support, and I know I am in the right place. Lhotse Not all climbers are going for Everest. Lhotse at 27,940 feet or 8516 meters is the world’s 4th highest peak and is increasing in popularity. It is often termed slightly more technical than Everest due to climbing a narrow, rock filled gully on the final summit push. But a Lhotse expedition is 90% identical to an Everest climb. You follow the same acclimatization schedule, use the same camps from Base Camp
Everest 2013: The Secret to Climbing at 80
Some of the largest teams have now arrived in Kathmandu including Himalayan Experience, no aka Himex and Russell Brice. Himex has a smaller Everest team with 10 climbers but an additional 6 going for Lhotse and an all women effort on Nuptse of 4 climbers. Himex’s overall lead guide is Mark “Woody” Woodward from New Zealand who has eight Everest summits. In their first newsletter for the season, Russell addressed his large team with these thoughts: I am really happy to inform you that it has been snowing at base camp and it is a lot colder than last year. It looks as if the conditions were back to normal. This bodes very well for a better season and I am pleased that some of last year’s members have come back for another and hopefully safer chance to reach the summit. If you are following someone as they trek towards EBC and have become used to receiving emails, or blog posts with pictures, be aware that when they hit the village of Periche, the Internet service is notoriously intermittent. This is surprising since that is the home of the Himalayan Rescue Association. Oddly the highest village before EBC, Gorak Shep has better connectivity. Separately, those using smart phones with the NCELL service can also experience spotty data service; voice service is generally good. Unique Climbs As much as Everest is known for crowds, Sherpas, and standard routes, it still attracts veteran climbers wanting to test themselves. For 2013, we have multiple examples of this. As I reported in February, there are several new routes to be attempted this year. One effort has been postponed due to lack of funding, but the other two seem to be on track. As one might expect, details are scarce as the famous climbers reserve the right to change their plans based on the conditions. Ueli Steck and Simone Moro made a short tease video for Epic TV saying as much. But one climber who is open with his plans is 80 year-old Japanese, Yuichiro Miura. This will be his third climb of Everest. His first summit was in 1973. He returned in 1975 to attempt to ski down Everest. His spectacular crash on the Lhotse Face was captured in the legendary documentary “The Man Who Skied Down Everest” In 2008 he returned with his son to summit. He was then 75 years-old. I love to tell this story as I met Mr. Miura in the Icefall in 2008. He was taking a break looking strong and confident. I went over to him and politely introduced myself and said it was honor to meet the man who skied down Everest. He grinned and said “I am not the man who skied down Everest. I am the man who fell down Everest.” We both laughed. I asked him what was his secret to climbing so well at such an advanced age as he was peeling back the top to a thumb size container. He paused and continued his work but then, smiled once again, held up the container, smiled and said “honey”. He is a remarkable man with an amazing spirit. He has a history of heart issues and underwent surgery to correct recurring arrhythmia last November and again in January this year, as he did before his 2008 expedition. In 2009, he had a skiing accident that left him with a broken pelvis and fractured thigh. If he summits, he will set the record for the oldest man to summit Everest. The record is currently held by Nepalese Min Bahadur Sherchan, who summited at age 76 on May 26, 2008. There was a story he would make another attempt this year at age 81, but I cannot confirm it is true. He is quoted in this article “When I was 75, I did it again and realised nothing is impossible. Making another attempt at 80 will boost my courage, willpower and motivation, bringing the ultimate anti-ageing effect as a result.” The BBC has a brief interview with Mr. Miura. Another inspiring climb is by Indian climber Arunima Sinha, who lost her left leg in 2011 after being thrown off a moving train. She has consulted with Kiwi Mark Inglis who as a double amputee summited Everest in 2006. She is a national-level volleyball player and has been training extensively. She reached 21,110′ on Chamser Kangri in the Ladakh mountainous area in September of last year. She will be climbing with Asian Trekking from the south. Climb On!AlanMemories are Everything