Everest Helicopter Landing CAANed.

Last Spring there was substantial controversy over whether a French helicopter landed on the summit of Mt Everest. The pilot said yes, eyewitnesses said yes (maybe) and the Nepalese Government said no (maybe). The climbing sites weighed in with in-depth reporting nothing short of a WMD investigation. So did the copter land or not? Today as reported by Nepaleyes, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) said "We strongly refute the claim ... We have sent a letter to the FAI stating that the feat was never achieved." but the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) and Europcoter not only said yes but displayed the special aircraft at a show according to rotorhub.com (now that is a site name!). CAAN said it landed on the South Col and only hovered over the summit.

Will the North win again?

Mounteverest.net started their annual coverage of the spring Everest season by releasing the expedition lists. To no one's surprise there are significantly more expeditions on the north side than the traditional south. There are several reasons for this. First is Money: the Chinese Mountaineering Agency charges much less than the $70,000 permit from Nepal. Second is violence: with all the violence from the Maoists in Nepal, even the most courageous climber is having second thoughts when there is an alternative. Third is bragging rights: as absurd as it sounds, climbing Everest from the south is perceived, incorrectly, as as easy feat that anyone can do. The north side has the edge in the danger public relations war. And finally is organization. While the south side has always had large expeditions, they were usually under 10 clients. Organizers such as Himalayan Experience's Russell Brice and 7Summitts' Abramov and Kikstra are putting together monster teams. Last year Brice had 30 climbers and this year Abramov/Kikstra have 20 already. With all this power on the hill it allows smaller teams to "draft" off the fixed lines and routes. However, this drafting creates serious ill-will and negativity on the mountain. It will be interesting to see how it plays out this year. I will be covering it as usual at my Everest2006 page

But if you want both the North and South...

Then there are the climbers who are not satisfied with climbing Everest from the north or from the south, they want both! RussinaClimb.com reports a Russian/Polish team will attempt the Everest traverse - south to north -without supplemental oxygen this year. It was attempted last year by Piers Buck but stalled when the weather almost stopped all the summits from the south.

Patagonia - still a challenge

For a great read, visit climbing.com's report of 4 Belgian climbers successful summit of the Central Tower in the Torres del Paine. It is very well written with great pictures.

Posted by Alan Arnette at 09:42 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Everest 2006

Climbing Everest is an annual event for many guides and Sherpas. While it is always exciting and dangerous, there must be a sense of familiarity as they set up base camp, fix the ropes and wait out the weather year after year. You can tell from the dispatches if this is someone's first attempt or their tenth. That is why I like to follow the smaller teams and specific individuals on their first climb. They share with us an incredible view of a world 99.999% of the population will never see up close. They share their feelings, hopes and dreams and some do it with enviable wit and skill.

So as the expeditions list for Everest 2006 continues to grow, I am very happy to see the site of Paul and Fiona Adler. I "met" Paul through this site during my coverage of previous Everest climbs. This young Australian couple have been training for couple for years now and did a great job of chronically their 2004 climb of Khan Tengri. It will be fun following their south side climb and I am counting on some excellent dispatches and pictures! Another individual to follow in Ken Stalter. He has entitled his expedition "Climbing to Cure Childhood Leukemia" or CCCL. Ken lost his daughter to this disease in 1991. He attempted Everest in 2004 but weather kept them from the summit. I wish him the best on this try.

Taking the cold plunge for Everest

Alexander Abramov talks about his training for Everest on his site. In addition to the normal running, climbing and weights, the Russian organizer adds a cold-water plunge to his routine. I wonder if he has hot water at base camp for the showers?

How fast can you run up Aconcagua?

Aconcagua.com reports that the fastest ascent of Aconcagua took place in February by Peruvian Holmes Pantoja Bayona. He went from basecamp to basecamp on the normal route from the Horcones Valley in 13 hours. This shattered the previous record by Willie Benegas of 23 hours. His diet during the climb/run consisted of chocolate bars.

Posted by Alan Arnette at 01:42 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The beaches of Mt. Everest

2005 was one of the worst weather years in memory for climbers on Everest. They dealt with horrible winds as well as frequent snow. But 2006 may be different. Shanghi Daily reports that Everest may be dry this year. It hasn't snowed in most of Tibet for over two months. While clearly there will still be snow and ice on both sides, the avalanche danger may lessen while the rock-fall danger may increase.

Torching the Summit

With the Olympics now in full swing in Turin, the Chinese took advantage of the publicity to announce they are taking the olympic torch to the summit of Everest for the 2008 games in Beijing. They will use 15,000 runners to get it there. Gee, I wonder how they will afford the permit for all those guys? :)

And the winner is ...

Municipal elections were held in Nepal last week. There was a low turnout of about 20% of eligible voters and the results were no surprise with the incumbents winning and declaring a victory against the Maoists. Criticism of election rigging quickly came from the international community which the Nepal Government immediately denied. Nepal continues to be a country in chaos. With the Everest climbing and trekking season to begin in a couple of months, the unrest always creates anxiety with climb organizers and teams. But if history is any guide, the Solo Khumbu will be peaceful - at least for the foreigners.

And the winner is... (part deux)

The prestigious golden axe was awarded to Steve House and Vince Anderson for their ascent of Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat in Pakistan, Kairn.com reports. The Piolet d'Or ceremony is an annual event in France for the top mountaineering ascent of the year. In addition to being one of the toughest big wall climbs in the world, the American climbers also found what turned out to be remains of Reinhold Messner's brother Gunther who died on the descent. Also of some note is that this is the first time Americans have won the Piolet d'Or ever.

And the real winner is ...

Our sport often focuses on the tough men and women on the big walls, highest mountains and most remote peaks but a new book caught my eye. Carol Stone White's "Women with Altitude: Challenging the Adirondack High Peaks in Winter." covers the exploits of 29 women who summitted all the 4000 foot peaks in the Adirondack mountains in the Northeastern United States - all in winter. The article on Newsday.com had a quote I really liked from White "... "Why do we climb mountains? The analytical mind yields no final answer because mountain climbing is an experience of the body, the senses, the heart, the will _ cumulatively, of the spirit ... "

http://www.alanarnette.com

Posted by Alan Arnette at 09:07 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

So what do you do after you climb all 14 8,000m mountains - without supplemental oxygen? If you are Ed Viesturs, you go get a job! Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. and Ed Viesturs announced via the RMI newsletter that Ed has "signed on to guide exclusively with us" and "...Our agreement sets the stage for the direction Ed and RMI are planning to take over the next decade, especially as we begin operations in the Himalaya in 2007." Sounds like Ed is returning to the Big Hills after all!

RMI is best known for guiding thousands of aspiring mountaineers up Mt. Rainier each year. But last year the National Park Service authorized more companies to guide the most popular routes like the Disappointment Cleaver thus ending the monopoly RMI has enjoyed since 1968. Lou Whittaker, a legend on his own, co-founded the company and has 250 summits of Rainier plus some macho climbing experiences on Everest, K2 and elsewhere in the world. RMI's guide list reads like a Who's Who of guides and climbers. It seems that most US guides worked for them at one time in their career.

Big Ed is best know for his 8,000 meter quest and least known for his cameo role in the horrible movie "Vertical Limit". He has been climbing the world's tallest mountains without using supplemental oxygen since his first summit of Kanchenjunga in 1989. His critics say he always took the easy "yak routes" but his admirers point to his safety record, summit success and his ability to leverage his love of mountains into a well-paid career. His endorsements and sponsorships include Mountain Hardwear, Rolex, Jansport and others.

So the industry has a new 500lb gorilla. The New RMI will make a big splash in the international climbing scene. They already guide to Mexico, Ecuador, Elbrus, Aconcagua, Vinson and Kilimanjaro. I predict they will add an extensive Himalayan schedule including Cho Oyu, Ama Dablam, Shishapangma and of course Everest. Plus I bet they will have a 7 Summits program. Also I predict they will offer top shelf programs that cater to high-end clients. Considering they "touch" over 5000 climbers a year with their Rainier programs and now have Ed's name, they will have no problem getting business!

All this means that the big high-end US operators like Alpine Ascents, International Mountain Guides will have a new competition. Likewise for the international operators like Adventure Consultants and Jagged Globe. Will prices go down? I would not be on it. In fact I think the recent price increases will hold for the big name Hills like Everest. Adventure COnsultants announced their 2007 Everest top-shelf trip will go from $55k to $60K. Himalayan Experience announced their North Side climbed went from $35K to $40K.

The good news here is that the safety and professionalism of high-altitude climbing should increase with the reputations of Whittaker and Viesturs now on the line. Companies like IMG, AAI and AC have stellar safety reputations but there are many shoddy operators out there. So welcome Ed to RMI and welcome to the New RMI as you expand. Climb on!

Posted by Alan Arnette at 09:21 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Deaths in the Mountains

Climbing is a dangerous sport. Almost every periodical, website and piece of literature includes disclaimers and warnings about the dangers. Almost every casual conversation amongst climbers eventually leads to the death of a friend or high profile individual. Almost every conversation about Everest includes the '96 deaths. K2 chats include the deaths of the women climbers. And now Makalu will almost certainly include the apparent death of Jean Lafaille. The news is widely reported that he is presumed dead high on Makalu after going silent for a few days. A helicopter reconnaissance found his tent but no sign of life. A dim hope remains that he will emerge just like he did after disappearing for 5 days on Annapurna.

While the world-class, most courageous climbers such as Alex Lowe, Anatoli Boukreev, Scott Fischer or Rob Hall receives the attention they deserve, there are more climbers who die silent deaths only to be mourned by their families and close friends. Everest 2005: Marko Lihteneker, Mike O'Brien, Sean Eagan, Robert Milne and more. In 2006, we have seen deaths on Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua and Ben Nevis plus many more not widely reported but felt just the same.

Mountaineering, alpine, rock and ice climbing are such wonderful challenges. They test each individual to their core. Lessons are taken home after each experience. And experience is built. Sometimes death can be avoided but most times it simply comes.

So this week the climbing community mourns the loss of Jean-Christophe Lafaille. And let's also remember all the others.

Posted by Alan Arnette at 11:14 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)