Wave 2 Recap (updated)
updated with more team summits. more than 108 for both sides now! It was another long day on Everest for an estimated 200 climbers, check split evenly on both sides. The weather at the high camps was reported to be so warm that climbers were in T-Shirts and complaining about their down suits. The ever-present wind was nonexistent. At that point their biggest concerns were getting ahead of the crowds to avoid the bottlenecks on the way up, and down. However the weather forecast had a nasty kick up in the winds for Sunday afternoon. And there were summits! Starting with Adventure Peaks on the north and Peak Freaks on the south, the reports came in slowly over the next 18 hours. You can visit their websites for all the names since there are over 50 named on them but we had summits from (total number of names listed including members, guides/ Sherpas): Adventure Peaks (5+/6+) Altitude Junkies ( Anne-Marie and Jussie plus more) Australian Everest (3/3) Extreme Everest (6) IMG (15/15) Patagonian Brothers (8/5) Peak Freaks (6/8) Melissa Arnot, Dave Morton Mountain Trip (7/12) 7 Summits Club (10) 7 Summits club reported going up but no word from them yet. The winds did pick up as predicted per this update from Adventure Peaks: We’ve just had some broken communication with Stu – unfortunately the radios between C3 and ABC give broken communication so we could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation. Things are not great in C3 and they have decided to stay the night there – this includes Stu, Nigel, Brendan, Steven +1 — . There are 8 sherpas at C3 to assist Stu to assist everyone down tomorrow. The weather up there right now looks terrible and Matt Dickinson confirmed that conditions were extremely challenging. Having said that, the forecast for tomorrow looks good so hopefully the gusts will die down over the next few hours. Their next update confirmed the entire team was down to ABC (north). For those following 68 year-old Bill Burke, he turned around per this from his wife Sharon: I got a phone call tonight from Bill at 7:50 PM. He was back at Camp 3 after reaching the “Second Step” and turning around. He said it was dark, windy, cold, and his legs got very weak and wobbly. He said it was the same feeling he had in 2007 when he turned around. He knew he couldn’t make it to the summit and then back down. He will be posting when he gets down to a lower level and gets some energy back. I’m so proud of what he has accomplished and now I want him to get back home. Great effort Bill! There has been no information posted on Chad Kellogg who was doing a speed ascent. He was scheduled to be back at the south Base Camp at 10PM on the 23rd, 7 hours from this post time. I have updated the location chart with all these numbers. We have well over 300 summits from both sides as of Sunday night Nepal time. A new post will cover the summit bids starting Sunday night, wave 3. Congratulations to all! Climb On! Alan
Summit Wave 2 (update 6)
update #6: As we are in mid afternoon, online Nepal time, it appears the south side had a lot of success with over 50 new summits. The north remains very, very unclear with limited reporting. IMG reported 100% success with 15 climbers plus 15 Sherpas summiting and are back down now. Patagonia Brothers puts 8 Argentinians and 5 Sherpa on the top of the world. The Australian Everest placed 3 there as well. In a bit of a mystery, Mountain Trip’s home team said they received a phone call that went dead then a brief audio blog implying a summit and now their logistics company out of Nepal has confirmed seven summits from the team (Scott Woolums, Bill Allen, Cynthia Lou Abbott, Paul Fejtek, Denise Fejtek, Ania Lichota, Vivian James Rigney). On the north, Bill Burk turned back at the 2nd Step. His wife posted this on their site: I got a phone call tonight from Bill at 7:50 PM. He was back at Camp 3 after reaching the “Second Step” and turning around. He said it was dark, windy, cold, and his legs got very weak and wobbly. He said it was the same feeling he had in 2007 when he turned around. He knew he couldn’t make it to the summit and then back down. He will be posting when he gets down to a lower level and gets some energy back. I’m so proud of what he has accomplished and now I want him to get back home. and Adventure Peaks reports 11 summits and: No news for definate in the last few hours, we are still waiting for Stu to give an update. It is understood however (not confirmed) that a number of team members turned round between 8600-8700m. All these are without doubt below the first step and probably in the high camp at 8300m. Geordie was the last person who may have made the summit before the turn around time. We await news. Dave Pritt There has been no information posted on Chad Kellogg who was doing a speed ascent. He was scheduled to be back at the south Base Camp at 10PM on the 23rd, 7 hours from this post time. Please visit various team’s websites for all the names and congratulations to all! There are still many more teams on both sides looking to start their summit bids on Sunday night. update #5: My thoughts only: With the large number of climbers, it may take longer than you would expect for them to go from the South Summit to the top. They have to negotiate the Hillary Step and now there are climbers coming down. There should be two ropes, an up and down rope to aid in moving people along but it can still be a bottleneck. Similar situation on the north with the 2nd Step. If you have not head from your team, this is probably what is going on. Winds were expected to pick up later today but still expected to be manageable albeit a bit uncomfortable for some. Posted at 9:30AM Nepal time update #4: Summits beginning: These teams are already there or very close: IMG, Patagonian Brothers (Damien and Willie Benegas), Peak Freaks on south and Adventure Peaks on north. Good weather, calm winds and clear skies. Views should be incredible! Check your team’s website for current list of names. Congratulations to all! update #3: IMG reports climbers above the South Summit and others near. Adventure Peaks is at the 2nd Step on the North commenting on great weather. Summits should happen between 7-8 Nepal time (see sidebar). update #2: South teams that left earlier should be approaching the Balcony in early morning, Sunday May 23rd. Usually this is where oxygen bottles are swapped out for fresh ones. Over on the north, with the good weather (albeit some wind), teams are taking advantage of it. It looks like there could be some bottlenecks on the north according to this update from 7 Summits Club: In the camp 3 at the altitude of 8300 meters there are about 100 climbers. In such situation, a turn on fix ropes could be a major obstacle for success. Therefore, our first group decided to go to climb before everyone else – in 9:30 p.m., before getting dark. It looks as a new word in tactics of Everest climb. According to our calculations, our group should reach the top of Everest in the 4-30 – 5-00 a.m. local time. The second group came to the camp 7700 meters, everything is OK. First group: guide Noel Hanna (Ireland), Andrey Filkov, Vadim Nadvodnyuk, Mikhail Turovsky (all – Russia), Steve Berry (UK) , James Wilde (USA). update #1: Many teams have left for their summit bid including the IMG and Peak Freak climbers. Melissa Arnot has changed her mind and will climb with supplemental oxygen after a long climb to the South Col. Winds are reported manageable. There are around 100 climbers on the south side headed up today. Probably a similar amount on the north. Bill Burke is headed up tonight on the north for those following the 68 year-old who summited from the south last year. start of original post With excellent conditions and a successful summit wave the previous day, new teams are now leaving the high camps once again on Saturday evening, May 22nd to the top of the world. On the north, there are a large number of climbers heading higher including Adventure Peaks and 7 Summits Club are at Camp 3 for a few hours. There were 100 climbers reported at the North Col a day ago. On the south, several teams are at the South Col. AAI will spend 24 hours there and go for the top Sunday night. They report lite winds and mild temps as well. Altitude Junkies, Peak Freaks, IMG, Mountain Trip and the Patagonia Brother’s team plan on going up today, Saturday. Also Melissa Arnot, climbing without supplemental oxygen is there with her teammate Dave
Inside the Climber’s Minds
With teams mostly enjoying the comforts and electricity of low villages or base camps, the blogs are full of rich details about their recent acclimatization climbs. As I have said so many times, I deeply appreciate it when a climber takes the time, and sometimes risk, to describe what is happening on the mountain. Not so much for the mountaineering details but for the insight into the human experience of climbing Everest. Thanks to you all. But first some mountaineering status.
The Weather Game
Once again we find teams all over the Khumbu. Many are down valley in the village of Periche enjoying some time at the teahouses and the richer oxygen environment but others are still high on the mountain. The weather continues to play havoc with those climbers. AAI reported an aborted attempt to reach camp 3 on the Lhotse Face due to high winds. They will try again on Tuesday, Nepal time. But as usual, try the Sherpas rarely get a day off as described by Phil Crampton of Altitude Junkies: Our Sherpas have been doing a fantastic job of getting the respective high camps stocked and ready for our anticipated summit bid hopefully in the coming days. On May 1st, six of our Sherpas collectively carried oxygen and tents to the South Col. The weather the following day was not so good so they rested at camp two with the help of our two full-time camp two cooks. May 3rd saw an improvement in the weather but Dorjee Sherpa and myself were concerned about the snow accumulation above the Yellow Band, so the Sherpas only climbed to camp three and dug the necessary tent platforms for our intended stay there. Today they completed another load carry to the South Col and will return to base camp later today for a well deserved rest and plenty of Tuborg beer. They are looking at a summit window between May 13 through the 19th. IMG reports their Sherpas did make a carry to the North Col and expect to see the fixed lines to the summit in a few days. We had 14 sherpas carry to camp 3 today to finish building that camp and support the move up there by the Hybrid team today, for their overnight. The rest of the team has split into three groups and is also moving up towards C3. Greg moved to C2 today with the lead group, we have more climbers at C1 tonight going to C2 tomorrow, and Justin moves up to C1 tomorrow with the last group. The sherpa plan for tomorrow is another big push to the South Col. We have Nima Karma, Phinjo Dorje and Phu Tshering along with 6 other sherpas from Himex and AAI that will try to fix up to the Balcony and then sleep on Col. They will then fix to the summit the next day (weather permitting). The Adventure Peaks team on the north has tagged 7300m and is back at ABC on their way to BC before their summit bid. They also commented on the recent weather: Stu has been in contact this morning to confirm his group have had a successful but wild and cold period of acclimatization on and above the North Col! He described their walk up the North Ridge to 7300m as the worst weather (cold and strong winds) he had ever experienced on Everest during his three previous expeditions. So well done to those who were able to complete their acclimatization. If all goes well, they are looking at a summit on May 16th. Of note, four of their members have decided not to continue their climb based on the avalanche and death lat week on the North Col. This is a bit similar to what happened last year when an avalanche in the Khumbu Icefall discouraged several climbers as well. Meanwhile back in Kathmandu, Billie Bierling with Himex and a Kathmandu resident reports on more problems in the capital: While climbers are busy moving up and down Mount Everest to acclimatise to finally reach the summit, the Nepalese capital Kathmandu has completely shut down as the Maoists have called an indefinite strike. They are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister, Madhav Kumar Nepal, and the leadership of a national unity government. Apparently most of the shops in the capital have closed down and only emergency vehicles are allowed onto the streets. “Thousands of people are demonstrating in support of the Maoists but the atmosphere is still quite peaceful,” my friend Alex reported from Kathmandu. Hopefully things will settle down before the teams return for their flights home. But once again, this illustrates the instability in that par of the world. Climb On! Alan
North Col Avalanche (updated)
There was a large avalanche near the North Col on Monday, Tibet time. Before going further, remember that breaking news of accidents from Everest, especially from the north side, in almost every case is inaccurate. The early reports from multiple teams are contradictory. Some say it was a rock fall but most eyewitness are saying it was a large serac or cornice that collapsed near the fixed ropes.
The Realities of Everest
The north has become quite busy in spite of some difficult weather, meanwhile on the south, climber after climber has slept at camp 3 – their ticket to the summit – and are back at the lower camps.
EBC on the North Gets Crowded
Everest south receives a lot of attention due to the sheer number of climbers but let’s not forget the north side. Adventure Peaks’ large team of 21 climbers have arrived and now will spend the next 5 days adjusting to the altitude before trekking to ABC via the Interim Camp.
From Sea to Mountain Top
This is a unique approach! A Dutch team has officially started their 2010 Everest climb with a dive to 152 meters (500 feet) under water off the coast of Egypt on December 16, 2009. The principle climber is Jantoon Reigersman and he will be climbing Everest’s north side as a member of the UK’s Adventure Peaks team lead by Dave Pritt. Next up for Reigersman is training in the Alps, then Aconcagua. Not content with just diving and climbing, ment he will cycle from sea level to 1300m (4265 ft) in the Pyrenees; then from Kathmandu to the Tibetean basecamp at 5200 meters (17060 ft). The cycling section is similar to what the late Swedish climber/cyclist Goran Kropp did in 1996 when he cycled from sea level in Sweden to Everest base camp and then made a successful summit. The 27 year-old Reigersman is a scuba dive instructor and has worked for Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. From the team website 9000meter.com.nl the overall goal is to bring awareness of biodiversity. 9000METER is a statement to the world how important biodiversity is for humanity. We hope to show people the wide range of biodiversity present in ocean, land and mountains within the 9000 vertical meter range. We aim to inspire young people to take action to explore their own world, learn about the importance of biodiversity and take on the fight against global warming and environmental degradation. 9000m is a clever play on 192 – the dive depth plus 8848 – the height of Everest. You can follow their progress on their blog. Climb/Dive On! Alan