Bill Burke: A Study in Tenacity – Over
Update: March 21, 2107 Bill and team experienced deep snow and brutal cold, similar to what Alex Txikon experienced on Everest a couple of weeks earlier. He has an excellent write upon his blog of the decision and his helicopter “mountain tour” near the summit of his mountain on his way out. In Bill’s words: I […]
Close Call on First Ascent of Nepal’s Burke-Khang
“I’ll never trust a mountain photo again” noted Bill Burke summing up his thwarted attempt to summit Burke-Khang in Northern Nepal. Burke is the oldest American to summit Mt. Everest at age 72. After six attempts on Everest with two summits, Nepal became a second home for this retired corporate lawyer. He had established close relationships with […]
Everest 2012: Interview with Bill Burke
This interview with Bill Burke is part of an ongoing series of interviews I do each season with Everest climbers. Not the famous, sponsored ones who get plenty of publicity but the regular people, who have full time jobs, full time families in many cases and climb for the love of climb. Please send me […]
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 […]
A Race to the Summit
The lure of Everest’s summit has taken on new dimensions and is spreading throughout the south base camp. First up, we have an old-fashion foot race on Everest. Two Finish women are literally racing to claim bragging rights to being the first Finish woman to summit Everest. Then in addition to the previously announced summit […]
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.
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:
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.
The Right Age to Climb Everest?
When are you too old to climb Everest; or too young? How about 13 or 80? Does age really matter anymore? Let’s take a look at some of the youngest and oldest climbers thus far on Everest and who is climbing in 2010.
No Everest Traverses in 2010
It seems the Chinese are playing havoc with the more ambitious Everest climbers this spring. Not content with a “simple” summit, several climbers wanted to do various forms of traversing Everest. This involves climbing from one side to the summit and then down to the other side’s base camp. Some climbers wanted to then return […]