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:
Everest 2010 Weekend Update April 25
For most Everest climbers this is week three or four away from home. They are making good on their acclimatization efforts with over 100 climbers now having spent a night or two as high as camp 2 on the south however significantly fewer even touching the North Col on the north. The fixed line on the south is already to the Yellow Band above camp 3 and should be to the South Col in a few days. This will enable the Sherpas to begin the incredibly hard work of ferrying hundreds of oxygen bottles for their climber’s summit bids.
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.
Interview with Lori Schneider – Inspiration for All
In 1999, at the age of forty-three, Lori Schneider awoke with numbness in over 50% of her body. Two months later, her entire body was numb. She had Multiple Sclerosis – MS. MS is a disease that attacks the central nervous system, and often goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years, because the symptoms come and go. […]