The season started with controversy as the political unrest in Katmandu delayed many expeditions and created uncertainty that gear and climbers would arrive on time. However it all got sorted as seasoned leaders guided their teams through the bureaucracy, small arms fire and chaos that comes with a country in turmoil. But by early April basecamp on both sides were established and teams got settled in. However there was a huge surprise for this season! The weather was spectactular and teams on the north took advantage of it by aggressively fixing the ropes to the summit (and beyond!).

However, an early omen occurred with the highly unusual death of a Sherpa on the north. He died from HAPE upon returning from higher altitude. The north side was rocked by this unexpected tragedy. Only 12 days later, climbers on the south and many around the world, were in a state of disbelief when three Sherpas were killed in the Khumbu Icefall. A serac collapsed while Sherpas were carrying loads to C1 killing three and injuring several others. In spite of desperate attempts to save their lives, the tons of ice did not allow that opportunity. A day of mourning was declared on April 22.

But climbers being climbers regrouped and refocused on their goals. Teams began going to the North Col and Camps 1 and 2 on the south as they worked hard to acclimatize their bodies to the thin air. With the exception of a few windy days, the weather continued to hold and Himex surprised everyone when 5 Sherpas made the earliest summit in years - April 30th. Meanwhile, similar to last year, the teams on the south took their time, perhaps due to the Icefall tragedy.

While "team" is often used in describing Everest climbing activity, the individuals are often what we remember most. And the names started to become familiar: Paul and Fi, Tomas, Thomas Webber, Mark Inglis, Rob and James, Ken Stalter, Blair and more. Their poignant dispatches brought us into their lives, their hopes and their dreams as they worked toward their goal of a summit. Many had special situations: blindness, amputee, youngest, oldest and some were just regular folks climbing a mountain. But each had a story and told it well. Collectively we all sat a little closer to our monitors as we read their dispatches each day.

The first "western" summits occurred on May 11 with Dave Watson and John Bagnuilo making the summit from the north. Many teams now followed and the rush was on. Rob and James became the youngest Britons to summit on May 17.

But a disturbing incident occurred that forecasted the next several weeks - Tomas Olsson disappeared after he and his teammates summited. They called from the summit telling about a difficult climb in sketchy weather and were starting their dream to ski down from the north. He and Tormod Granheim skied hundreds of meters until they came upon a steep rock cliff. They set a rappel and sadly Tomas died when it failed. His body was found at the bottom of the mountain a few days later.

The British Army attempted to climb the unclimbed West Ridge and was doing it in style. Their world-class website provided a multimedia smorgasbord of maps, videos, audio and reports as they executed their plan with military precision. I felt like I was in the war room with their language, specificity and discipline. It was in that spirit that the conditions were declared too dangerous and they called the whole thing off!

Another interesting story was that of Lance Trumbull and his Everest Peace Project. Lance had worked for several years to bring climbers of different nationalities and religions together for an Everest climb. On May 18, ten summited and brought a welcome message of cooperation and peace from the summit.

Climbers on the south finally reached the South Col and soon were standing on the summit. Leveraging the work of other teams fixing lines to the Col, Jagged Globe worked hard to set lines to the summit and claimed the first south summits of the season on May 17. Meanwhile Paul and Fi stayed the course and fought a variety of illnesses as they worked their way up and down the Hill. They set May 23rd as their summit day based on the weather forecasts and how they were feeling.

But deaths seemed to capture everyone's attention. A climber on the Lhotse Face who's death is still somewhat of a mystery. Three north climbers on separate days died during their descents. But it was the death of David Sharp that caught the world's attention. Media reported that "40 climbers passed the dying man huddled under a rock on their way to summit without providing aid." People were outraged and pundits weighed in on the risks of Everest and the responsibilities of climbers to one another. Even Sir Ed spoke up condemning the climbers and Everest expeditions in general.

But as with every mountaineering death I have ever followed, the initial reports proved very wrong. Climbers did stop and try to help Sharp. Two Sherpas gave up their oxygen and administered drugs to try to save him. They desperately tried to get him to his feet but all this was for not and he passed away.

I hope his death was not in vain for it did bring a new perspective to the differences between climbing on the north and the south. Perhaps the industry that benefits from all the paying climbers will take notice that they need to make some significant changes to how they run north side expeditions.

In the midst of this media frenzy, an Australian couple made some news of their own. Fi made the summit on May 23 (as predicted) but her husband Paul turned around at the south summit due to oxygen issues. Their website was flooded with comments of support, questions and praise. Paul tried again only 24 hours later but he was spent. Paul and Fi captured our imagination and inspired us all with their dedication and courage. It was a bit of good news in an otherwise sad season.

And the sadness continued. The south teams completed their summit bids with excellent success. Many of the majors put almost all their clients on top and returned safely - several had monster expeditions of 20 climbers. On the north a few teams remained including the DCXP/Project Himalaya and the 7 Summits team for Sight on Everest with Thomas Webber. They waited out another round of poor weather and made their bids. Tragedy again - Webber died as he climbed higher and within 12 hours another climber, Lincoln Hall was reported dead. That made 12 dead this season - the most since the 1996 disaster - and all in perfect weather.

But never discount the human spirit. The final teams making their bids found Hall alive! Dan Mazur reported finding him alive and stayed with him until help arrived. The 7 Summits team along with Jamie McGuinness, DCXP, mobilized a rescue and within a few hours 12 Sherpas were at 8700m. They brought him back down, including over the technical and dangerous Steps. Soon Hall, suffering from HAPE, was at the North Col and the next day to ABC. With the return to thicker air, drugs, rest, hydration he is reported as doing well in spite of severe frostbite. Amazing!

So, that is it. I don't think there are any more teams going for the summit on either side. I don’t have the final count but 2006 saw hundreds of summits of both sides. No new routes were opened. What started as a dangerous season with guns and politics turned more dangerous with altitude and illness. Death took precedent over summits. Climbers plotted their climbs with care and some with appropriate conservatism. The well established, long term stable operators on both sides did not see death of their clients. The independent climbers took the toll.

Mountaineering is a dangerous sport. It attracts people are fiercely independent and sometimes too stubborn for their own well being. But climbers are attracted to summits like bugs are to light. I am not sure what we learned in 2006 or even if there are lessons for the observers from climbing Everest. It is a sport like many others that people enter voluntary and understand the risks. If anything, it is clear that steps could be taken on the north to improve the safety for all climbers - guided, solo or independent. But should those steps be taken?

I for one say yes. Climbing deaths are always sad and devastating to the families. In some ways the sport has become accomstomized to them. Some of the most famous names in the sport are of the ones who died doing what they love: Hall, Fischer, Boukreev, Lowe, Lafaille. Some of these died trying to save others. Some worked to promote safety for their sport. Some were just climbers.

2006 has the opportunity to be a wake-up all for the industry the way 1996 was. In spite of a tremendous increase in guided expeditions the next ten years, fatalities went down.

How will the industry respond this time?

Posted by Alan Arnette at 10:15 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I guess when things hit the absolute bottom, there is only one way to go. Lincoln Hall is now at the North Col after being rescued by a combined efforts of the remaining expeditions on the north side. Mounteverest.net has a full detailed report.

It appears that Hall, similar to 1996 survivor Beck Weathers, was given up for dead but survived the night against all odds. More on this later today but thankfully this climber has a chance of surviving.

Posted by Alan Arnette at 07:38 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

What a season. Yes, there were over 200 summits on both sides but 12 people are dead - 9 on the north - not a successful season in my mind. As the details are revealed Everest was an embarrassment this year to mountaineering and reduced the expeditions on the north to selfish amateurs. Harsh? Unfair? Judgmental? You be the judge.

EverestMax has a scathing first person report on their summit bid with comments such as " ... He clearly had HAPE and if left to his own devices was going to die on the mountain. He had no colleagues with him and his Sherpas had abandoned him. I too tried to encourage him to climb the 10m up to the North Col – he couldn't." and another comment "...Eventually I had to clip him into my harness and pull him up to the North Col. His tent was too far away so I just put him in nearest empty tent. Meanwhile Dom had tried to mobilise help from the 7 Summits team - they refused to help despite being a large organisation."

Media around the world have reported on the death of solo climber David Sharp and comments such as "We came across a chap sheltering under a rock, who was perhaps hours from death. That was probably only 21/2 hours into the climb. ... Trouble is, at 8500 metres it's extremely difficult to keep yourself alive - let alone keep anyone else alive."

The media has focused on "40 climbers passing by without providing aid". Actually that is not true. Sherpas tried to give Sharp oxygen but all he wanted do was "sleep" - a sure sign that death was near - especially at 8000m. Sadly I have helped bury climbers above 7000m and often there was nothing anyone could have done to save the person. But our world likes to point fingers and find the villians.

I commented on the deaths a few days ago but I have been thinking a lot about this since then, especially the huge difference between the north and south sides. Please let me think out loud for a moment.

First - saftey net: The south side has a long history of major commercial operators who use the same Sherpas, camps and routes year after year. Yes, this is similar on the north but the operators on the south have established an informal network committed to helping one another in an emergency - no questions asked. The network was demonstrated again this year with the rescue of injured Sherpas and climbers in the icefall. This network includes IMG, AAI, Adventure Consultants and others. The south also has a group medical clinic that provides assistance to anyone.

Second - costs: The permit costs charged by the Nepalese discourage price-sensitive climbers from climbing on the south. The low Chinese permit charges have encouraged the lowest cost operators to focus on the north thus attracting, sometimes, climbers who need more guiding help but do not get it. Seven of the eleven deaths this year were climbers who were not on major commercial expeditions.

Third - discipline: The Ministry of Tourism in Nepal manages Everest with a tight first - financially, ecology and safety. For all the jokes, the Liaison Officers do pay attention and report problems. Operators with poor records can be banned. Followers of Everest know the names. Such discipline is sketchy on the north side.

Fourth -competition: The south has several majors who compete for the business year after year and most climbers always ask about their safety record. On the north, there is one dominate commercial operator who has such power that they fix ropes and dictate schedules. Their record is perfect for clients and they serve as a model for other operators. But the north needs more large scale commercial operators to bring order to the chaos.

Fifth and finally, the climbers themselves: They bring a lot of the problems. While it is seductive to be the first to do this and that; mountaineering is not an X-Games event. It is dangerous, deadly and real. I am afraid that all the commercialism has made Everest seem like a Colorado 14er, Aconcagua or a nice climb in the Alps.

While I personally think Hillary has taken his argument too far in that "... it is just ridiculous having 15 or 20 or 30 expeditions all attempting the mountain at the same time." He does have a fair point in comparing his time to now "...We would have definitely abandoned the ambition to reach the summit in order to get the other person to safety." But should another team have to do that?

Mountaineering is a sport of intense independence. It is a sport where the participant can find oneself completely alone, without food, water and shelter in mind numbing cold and flesh-freezing winds. The mountain does not care. It is really a test of the climber, not the Hill. Should a climber who has never climbed Everest be allowed to climb Everest? A silly question? Well in so many words, that seems to be the feeling of many in the industry. But that robs people of their dreams - the heart and soul of alpine mountaineering.

Sadly many operators will take anyone on an expedition if they have money. There are four tiers of operators: 1) established commercial companies with long histories and stable ownership, 2) budget operators who run safe, no-frills operations, 3) local ground agents who provide basic logistics and Sherpas for the lowest cost and finally, 4) the upstart operators without a track record. The point is you can die on any of these but some have a better record than others.

I am actually very dissapointed about this year and for the sport I love. I am dissapointed that the largest mountaineering websites just repost dispatches and rarely comment or offer solutions on what is happening (except for mounteverest.net). I am dissapointed that the large commercial operators continue to post rosy statements about their team’s success and ignore the cancer in their industry. I am dissapointed that climbers continue to put their lives at risk based on the lowest cost operators. I am dissapointed that climbers die when it could have been prevented.

Climbing is a wonderful sport that delivers challenges and rewards rarely found in this day. It should not be the domain of the "professionals" nor the wealthy. But governments, operators and climbers should dedicated themselves to running safe climbs with proper safety nets, qualified staff, sufficient resources and a moral compass.

I wrote an editorial called "When Good Guides Turn Bad” a few years ago that was focused on the problems with guides and how they treated clients. While I do believe the quality of the guides has improved, the industry continues to have serious and deadly issues. Everest 2006 - North has shown that there is still a long way to go. And it is up to the operators to solve it. They have the power, the knowledge and vested interest to make it happen.

Now will they? Until then it will remain "climber beware".

http://www.alanarnette.com

Posted by Alan Arnette at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

I know from my emails, polls and surveys that you love mountaineering so please let me share with you my next adventure that starts next week: a climb of Broad Peak and K2 in Pakistan. You might have read on this site about this climb. I have spent the past year working with Dave Hancock of Field Touring to pull together an international team. We meet in Islamabad in early June and after 14 days of flying, driving and walking our team of 28, including 6 trekkers, will arrive at our basecamp for Broad Peak.

The plan is to take our time on this 26,401' Hill. There are 3 or 4 camps depending on conditions. It should take anywhere from 10 to 20 climbing days depending on the weather. The route up the West Ridge is straightforward with few extremely difficult sections. Broad Peak is more about altitude than anything else. That said, the risk of avalanches and crevasses are real. There is a false summit a few hundred feet below the true summit, my primary goal, which is another half mile across the summit ridge. There have been about 275 summits but 18 deaths. This compares with over 2500 summits on Everest and 300 deaths. So statistically, Broad is a little safer.

About half the team will depart after Broad leaving 14 of us to attempt K2. We will move basecamp a mile up the glacier and prepare for K2. The theory is that we will be very well acclimatized after Broad thus can make a swift climb of K2. That is the theory! I have researched this Hill and spoken with a lot of people including some with K2 experience. They all agree it is the hardest mountain they ever attempted and most say they would never go back. There are four camps that follow the Abruzzi Ridge. Two famous sections are Houses Chimney between C1 and C2 and the Black Pyramid above C3. The Chimney is a steep 150' rock climb at 20,000' and the Pyramid is about 1200' of very steep rock and ice. My primary goal is C2 with C3 if I feel great.

The team is well balanced with a lot of experienced climbers. Eleven have been to Everest, there are a combined 20 summits of 8000m mountains amongst the 22 climbers. And two climbers have been to K2 before. Finally we have three women on the team, two who will attempt K2.

Some of you have been to Everest with me via my website. I have been working on improving my dispatch system and now have the ability to post text, pictures, audio and video immediately and directly from the mountain. This has taken as much time as my training! But all this is based on my satellite phone functioning properly. In any event, I hope it makes following the expedition more enjoyable. There is an automatic notification system available if you visit the site where you enter your email and then you will receive an email every time a new dispatch is posted. As always I will write honestly about what I am feeling and try to bring you a little bit of mountaineering in Pakistan.

I always enjoyed the people and children in Nepal and am eager to see the Pakistani kids. There has been so much said about that part of the world that one of my goals is to see for myself what the people are like. I truly believe most people are good and decent and only want the best for themselves and their families. I will try to capture that element of the human spirit through pictures and my writing. They have been through a lot in the past year with a devastating earthquake that killed 75,000 people and left 3.5 million homeless. Everyone on the team is donating money to earthquake relief.

OK, so that is the background and plan. I will be honest, I am very nervous about this climb. First, it is another climb above 8000m (26,000'). My last time there was less than ideal :) I have taken a very different approach to my preparations this time including gaining weight assuming I will loose 20 pounds or more, also I have not put the endless miles running, like I did for Everest. My knees just won't take it anymore. I have pushed hard on my training climbs including a nice climb up Pikes Peak with my great friend and Colorado climbing partner Patrick. My pack was always loaded and I have stressed my body over and over every weekend this year. I still put in some running and weights but tried to pace myself. I am continuing my training up until I leave.

I am working with Everytrail to have them repost my dispatches along with a map showing the location similar to what they did for Everest this year.

Thanks for reading this and I hope you follow the climb. More on Everest soon as well as my thoughts on the controversy on David Sharp death and the amazing difference between the north and south sides this year.

http://www.alanarnette.com

Posted by Alan Arnette at 09:16 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Some of the final teams on the south side successfully summitted last night including the second part of the huge Adventure Consultants expedition - the Canadian team. Also the South African team, Turkish and remaining IMG climbers made the summit. Basecamp MD reports that basecamp is looking like a ghost town with the vast majority of teams now headed home. A few teams remain on the north so keep watching! Also, I will be sharing some details about my upcoming climb to Broad Peak and K2 starting next week plus a summary of this year's Everest Spring season.

While every climber who summits or tries to summit is unique in my mind, there is the occasional person who catches my attention. Yes, I am impressed by the record climbers: youngest, oldest, fastest, disadvantaged, first to summit and on and on. Congratulations to all and this season had a lot of these cases. But it is the regular person, just trying to do something special for themselves. Not trying to make a statement nor serve as a symbol. While the record climbers sometimes do good for many, the ones who are quiet sometimes makes a louder statement.

Paul Adler is a case study here. While not exactly "quiet" considering his and his wife, Fiona's website; Paul did something that even the professionals rarely attempt. By now most readers know the story. Paul and Fi, married couple from Australia, worked for the past year to get their bodies in shape to climb Everest on the south side. They were on a logistics permit with IMG, hired their own Sherpas and did not rely on the IMG western guides. They arrived in basecamp early and began the acclimization process. But Paul caught a throat infection delaying their climbs. Fi also showed some signs of catching the infection running around basecamp. They both showed wisdom and patience by taking their time to get well and not pushing their bodies.

Soon they got out of sync with the other climbers but made the trip to C1 and back, then C2 and up the Lhotse Face, the weather delayed them before another trip through the icefall and to C3 - the final test before a summit bid. After a few days in BC and watching team after team summit, they identified a weather window and targeted May 23rd as their summit day. The world began to follow their story. They even received a letter from the PM of Australia wishing them luck!

The evening of May 22, Fi, Paul, Da Sona, Mingma Ongel started their climb about around 9:30. Everything was going fine up to the South Summit, 28700'. Both climbers were tired but Paul had oxygen issues and made the decision to return to the South Col while Fi and Mingma continued. As FI reported in her excellent summit night dispatch "... the only option being for him to go down. What a heart-breaker. Of all the scenarios we'd thought might happen, this was certainly not one of them. He urged me to go on saying "you've got it in the bag!". Which was anything but how I felt at the time." Fi went on to summit in good style and return to C4 in great time. Her strength to continue her dream, to push on without her partner, to stand on top of the world - and return safely - she lived the word courage.

She met Paul in their tent.

I remember retuning to my tent in 2002 and 2003 after turning back just below the Balcony. I sat alone in the dark shivering from the cold. My Sherpa offered hot tea which I gladly took but he went off to bed - as he should have. My thoughts ran the range but the primary emotion was pure exhaustion. I feel asleep only to wake up to the sunrise and thereafter to my teammates returning. As I downlcimbed both years, the enormity of what I had tried set in as did the total and complete fatigue in every part of my body.

I do not know what Paul and Fi said that night or the following morning but Paul made the decision to try again - 24 hours after his initial bid. Paul started out but turned back just below the Balcony. But that is not the point. He did not give up. He continued to put everything he had into reaching his goal. He pushed his body - and mind - to the limit. He refused to accept ... He showed a unique courage. He is a mountaineer, a climber.

Paul and Fi were not the first, not the fastest, not the youngest or oldest. In fact that were not the bravest to climb Mount Everest. They are regular people, living regular lives and doing courageous acts. An inspiration.
http://www.alanarnette.com

Posted by Alan Arnette at 06:52 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

According to their website, the Army has stopped all attempts to the summit from the West ridge due to dangerous snow conditions "... I have taken the difficult decision not to go for a second attempt. Knowing what I know, I am not prepared to risk any of the lives in my team. As climbers, we accept that there is always an element of risk but our Army training, judgment and decision making mitigate that risk."

Both Sight on Everest, Harrry Kikstra/Thomas Weber and team plus Project Himalaya/DCXP are at C2 on the North. They are looking at a bid in a couple of days.

IMG reports that 3 climbers and 3 Sherpas are on their way on the south right now. This includes Paul Adler.
http://www.alanarnette.com

Posted by Alan Arnette at 11:34 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

May 23, 2006 - Paul to try again!

In the "never give up department", Paul Adler is going back up for another try at the summit. He has oxygen problems last night as he and Fi made their bid - Fi made it. She has written an excellent summit night report on their site - well worth a read. This is the advantage of going with a large expedition such as IMG. They have the spare resources (oxygen, sherpas, food, etc) to support a second attempt. If Paul and Fi had gone wit a local ground agent only, another attempt, while not impossible, would have been unlikely. So another long night for those us following him! Climb safe!

http://http://www.mountainguides.com/everest06/everest06.html
http://www.adlers.com.au/
http://www.alanarnette.com

Posted by Alan Arnette at 08:29 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Fi summitted around 7:55AM May 23rd. Paul turned back, wisely due to oxygen problems. Fantastic job! well Done. Now they need to get down. Conditions were ideal and they made excellent time. I am so happy for both of them. they worked for the past year for this chance and they did it. I don't give a damn about the summit (but I am thrilled for Fi), I am just so happy that they both put themselves out there, did their best and will get down safely. Well done, well done!!

They followed Will Cross, who on his 3rd attempt proved diabetes is not the debilitating disease it once was - with proper care. Also Dave Hahn's team made the summit at 4:20AM according to Paula Stout, former Evereest BC Manager.

Mary has reported that both Paul and Fi have made the Balcony. They left the South Col around 9:00PM and she reported them at the Balcony around3:00Am (all local times). They are doing well and the weather is good according to another report from Eric Simonson at IMG. There are several climbers going up so the trail should be well established. If all the climbers continue on the current schedule look for summits starting around 8:00AM Everest time on Tuesday, May 23rd. The return trip typically takes about 6 hours so they should be back in at the South Col in mid afternoon, maybe 3:00PM.
http://www.adlers.com.au/

http://www.alanarnette.com

Posted by Alan Arnette at 03:13 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I hope you have been following the Australian married couple Paul and Fi Adler. Well as I write this they are making their summit bid. They arrived at the South Col in good condition Monday afternoon (local time).  I am sending them positive energy, please pitch in - for all the climbers can use some! I am glad to see that there are other climbers who will be also on their bid including some of the other members of IMG. Also there is Will Cross and the Dave Hahn led team still on the south side who will go in a day or so perhaps.

A few of the many summits to note include Rhys Jones has become the youngest Briton to master the 7 Summits. His father, Alan, wrote me "Rhys has claimed the british record as the youngest to climb Mt MacKinley and we believe the youngest person to summit Vinson. The previous British 7 Summit record was Jake Meyer aged 21yr and the World record holder Dannielle Fisher also aged twenty yr but older than Rhys. Rhys completed his final summit with Jagged Globe mountain leader Kenton Cool and were the first team to summit Everest from the South this year." I find it amazing that these records now come down to time of birth!

An excellent summit report is from the Everest 2006 team on their Blog. Well worth a read a it provides some details of the north route not normally discussed. Well done guys!

The season is not over with DXCP/Project Himalaya now looking at a summit on Thursday, May 25. And of course the British Army is still on the West Ridge. They cancelled their attempt when they discovered dangerous snow conditions that most likely would result in avalanches along their route. No word on when they will try again. Stay tuned since this will be a first and make for some exciting reading and viewing of pictures and videos on their site - the best one this year.

Posted by Alan Arnette at 07:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Mountain LInk is reporting a summit bid right now, Saturday night Everest time. Jeff Justman, JJ, reports that ".. Tap just called from Camp 4. He along with Heidi, Mike, Garrett and our five Superstar Sherpas have just left the south col for the summit of Mount Everest! " It is interesting that some teams have continued to climb and others have returned to lower camps.

May 20 -2006 - Teams moving up on the South and West Ridge

This is not all that unusual since the best teams with experienced climbers and Sherpas often listen to their inner voice as well as the Everest weather forecast emailed from Seattle or Sweden. None of the methods are right or wrong and in fact the most successful teams (defined as returns home safely and in one piece) use all available information to be make the best decisions. In any event, best of luck to Tap Richards and team.

The British Army is moving towards the summit right now as well. Their site show an ETA in 9 hours!

Lance has posted another excellent video of his Everest Peace Project team on the north summit. Worth a look for sure.

I just saw where Joost has posted that Tomas' body has been found. This is a tragic end to a brave adventure. My thoughts are with his family and friends

May 20 , 2006 - Update on the South Side

Thanks to a former BC manager on a 2005 expedition, there is some updated news to report. First several teams that were thought to have attempted a summit last night have retreated back to C2 or even BC based on some high winds and forecasts. WIll Cross is now at C2 and is now looking at a Tuesday AM summit. He is reported to be sounding strong. Dave Hahn also took his team down. The 23rd now looks to be the day for the south.
http://www.alanarnette.com

Posted by Alan Arnette at 01:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Last night saw more south summits with AAI (13) on top and IMG putting more of their team on the summit (13 thus far) with more to come from them. Brenda Walsh and Danuru Sherpa on the IMG team made the round trip from South Col to Summit and back in 8 hours- an amazing time for a westerner!

On the south a few teams are positioned to go for it at almost any moment including Paul and Fi and the team from Mountain LInk. Mountain LInk did post a report that several of their team were returning from C3 including "Chris and JJ" I assume this is Chris Balsinger, the only client and financier for this team. He was going for his last of the 7 summits so it appears he will not make it. A shame but somehow I bet he is OK with it.

Will Cross, also on the south, has kept a low profile this year on his third attempt. The diabetic is reported to be at the South Col so should be going to the summit tonight - weather permitting.

Two large teams are left on the north. Both make comments on the dangers on the north. Harry Kikstra's sight on Everest team of 24 reports they will go for the summit the morning of the 21st "... so far we count 10 or 11 dead climbers for 2006, while many people have not even started their summit bid. Too many take Everest not seriously and notable is that quite a few fatalities are from low-cost, budget expeditions, without proper sherpa support. It makes us think a lot ..."

Project Himalaya/DXCP is at ABC "...Many groups have been going earlier this year and there have been a much high incident of accidents so far. We are hopeing to find a little later, warmer, less windy and safer window to summit in. Its a hard game waiting though. We did get a lot better forecast for next week that we will be watching. From here in ABC we are 4 days away from the summit once we leave."

On the north it must look like a Yak sale with hundreds of yaks hauling barrels of gear and waste down the mountain and valley. Remember that all human waste is now carried out of the large base camps in an effort maintain the mountain. This is true on both sides. Himex notes the exit in the last newsletter of the season.

With the mountain starting to get quiet a few thoughts of those left. The north side still has over 50 climbers it appears working towards the summit. On the south, it is far less In fact maybe less than 20 including Paul and Fi. This is a good new, bad news scenario. The good news is the route is well established with strong steps kicked in at the most difficult spots. The line is obviously fixed. But there has been a lot of stress on those lines and anchors so climbers must give an extra tug and visually inspect suspect anchors. There will not be crowds clogging up the route at the difficult sections but there will not be extra climbers and Sherpas available to help in an emergency. So the last waves must be very committed as well as prepared to be more self sufficient that the early or teams in the middle.

My best to all of them.

This has been one of the most deadly years on Everest in a decade. I will take a look at those deaths and explore what went wrong and what to consider about future Everest expeditions next week. Also a preview of my own adventure to Broad Peak and K2 starting next month.
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Posted by Alan Arnette at 07:18 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

After a spurt of summits this week, high winds have hammered teams on both sides. Adventure Consultants reports one of their best summit performances in years with 12 climbers on the summit. It appears that having "The Guy" there made a huge positive difference! Cotter summited as well -a rarity these days for one of the major's owners to climb. Congratulations Guy. Everest Peace Project culminated a 4 year effort to get multiple nationalities on the summit at the same time - 10 made it!. Congratulations Lance and team - well done!

Ken Stalter and some of the SummitClimb team reported "The winds were very high and it was not safe to go higher." Two members did make however.

Himalayan Project/DXCP have hunkered down at ABC on the north. They are looking 3 days before another attempt.

I am not sure where the MountainLink team stands after their comments on Wednesday "We have enough spare oxygen and spare food that in case we don't get to go on the 20th, we can go on the 21st. We have pretty much committed that that's our window. We're heading for a summit then on the 20th or the 21st. If it goes beyond that, we're done and we'll back out." AAI are stopped their climb and have returned to the South Col. Another excellent decision by one of he best, in my opinion, Dave Hahn.

More later today.
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Posted by Alan Arnette at 05:39 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

A big night last night with the Nepal MOT reporting 42 total summits from the south side. IMG reported 11 climbers (including 6 Sherpas) made the summit from the south side last night. Adventure Consultants and AAI are moving to the South Col today and will most likely do their bid tonight. AAI comments on how "hot" it is up there! Mountain Link is also on the Col and notes "...There are over 100 climbers anticipating a summit attempt during the next 4 days, so we should have a well established route by the time we go for the top!" Once again in spite of planning to not have crowds, there are crowds!!

On the north, Blair Falahey made it! Of note from the EverestMax team " ... Pauline Sanderson became the first person to complete the longest climb on earth from the dead sea to the summit of Everest." Well done!! But there are still many climbers trying to get to the summit including Ken Stalter and some of the SummitClimb team who are reported to be at C3. DCXP/Himalayan Experience is at ABC. Everest Peace Project goes for the summit tonight.

Tomas Olsson Missing

It is a sad day for most of the mountaineering community and for those who follow Everest climbs. After a successful summit Tomas Olsson disappeared during a rappel in a dangerous area of the Norton Couloir on the north side. He and his partner, Tormod Granheim, successfully summited and started their dream to ski down Everest. Tomas fell when an anchor came lose and he has not been located yet - almost 24 hours after the fall. The story is now well covered on several sites. It is hard to understand this accident from many angles but there are many positives. A young man who is an obvious expert in his sport living his life large and full. Family and friends providing strong support for his lifestyle. Courage to attempt the most severe challenges. I followed his writings on his blog over the past year as he trained in France for this adventure. He is full of optimism and energy.

As far as I know from other reports the search continues.
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Posted by Alan Arnette at 07:16 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Lots of summits last night: Rob and James made it and became the youngest Brits to summit Everest. They summitted along with several other climbers with Adventure Peaks. The first summits of the season for the south happened with Jagged Globe with 6 on top. They reported a late summit due to deep snow. It had been snowing on and off all week. Also a Korean team and Swiss climber, Benedikt Arnold, and Sherpas made the South.

Lots of summits last night: Rob and James made it and became the youngest Brits to summit Everest. They summitted along with several other climbers with Adventure Peaks. The first summits of the season for the south happened with Jagged Globe with 6 on top. They reported a late summit due to deep snow. It had been snowing on and off all week. Also a Korean team and Swiss climber, Benedikt Arnold, and Sherpas made the South.

The "official" report for south side summits come from the Nepal Ministry of Tourism and is posted quickly on their site. Every Nepal expedition (and Chinese) have a Government employee called a Liaison Officer (LO) who spends much of the expedition at basecamp. It is the LO's responsibility see that rules are followed and to report any accidents, etc. but also to watch over the official summit report. Of course they are solely dependent on what the Sherpas and climbers say since they never actually climb!

On the north, there were multiple summits as well (the summit is not so big, I wonder if they took turns getting their photos?). The Everest2006 team put 6 on top and Adventure Peaks put 7 in total. As for our ski team, there were actually four skiers: Tomas Olsson (Sweden), Tormod Granheim (Norway), Olof Sundström and Martin Letzter. All summitted and skied down on two separate routes - black diamond, I believe :)

On yet another sad note, British climber David Sharp's death was confirmed ont he north side. It is unclear how and when it happened according to a report on mounteverest.net.
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Posted by Alan Arnette at 06:31 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

It may seem that all the action has been on the north this year and to some extent it has. No climber has summited from the south or west yet and it seems like everyday we read about another team making it to the North Col and then to the summit. Well that is about to change. IMG notes that ropes are fixed above the South Col to the Balcony, the bottom of the ridge leading to the South Summit. Jagged Globe is at the South Col today and reports that they are gong for the summit tonight so they could be the first summits of the season on the south and ahead of the crowd.The three major commercial expeditions of International Mountain Guides (IMG), Alpine Ascents (AAI) and Adventure Consultants (AC) are all between C1 and the South Col preparing for summit bids Thursday or Friday. Mountain Link is also at C2. This has the potential of being a traffic jam!

But all three of these teams are lead by professional and have some of the most seasoned Sherpas in Nepal. Well before it gets to this point in the expedition, the team leaders sit down and discussing summit strategy to try to avoid having everyone clogging up the Hill on the same dark night. Yet in spite of this teamwork, it seems to happen like that every year. Reports come in of 50 climbers moving up between the Balcony and the South Summit. Tales of climbers getting frostbite waiting for a slow or hurt climber to clear out of the way. But somehow it all works.

I am especially excited for Paul and Fi Adler. By now you know this impressive young couple from Australia by their excellent dispatches and pictures. They are on the IMG permit but with their own Sherpas. They have been cooking all their own high altitude food and making their own decisions about acclimization schedules. We have watched Paul suffer through a chest infection and now a sore throat while we have listened to Fi be interviewed by the ABC. They have unselfishly shared their pains, joys and excitement almost everyday for the past six weeks. Well, now they are off to the summit of Mt. Everest. They have trained for over a year for this week and by my estimate are ready. It will be tough for sure. But they are strong, smart and have wonderful attitudes. Their Sherpas are experienced and by now have created a lifetime bond with one another. But you know - for me - the summit for them has become the icing on the cake. I am so impressed with their smiles, optimism and courage that they have already benefited from the Everest experience. That said - go get that summit!

Meanwhile over on the north more teams are moving up to go for their summits in a few days. Everest Peace Project has moved to Camp 2 at 7600m. Lance published another nice video following the skyline from the North Col to C2 and showing some climbers off in the distance. Project Himalaya/DCXP have split into two teams with one moving to the North Col today and the other to follow in a day or so. They are targeting a summit bid next week. The Sight on Everest Team with Thomas Weber, the blind climber attempting the north side summit, are down at Taschi a small town at 4200m. They have suffered through several health challenges and are resting up for probable end of the month attempt.

Rob and James climbing with Adventure Peaks are trying to be the youngest Brits to summit. They are reported at the top camp at 8300m so should be going for the summit bid now. The EVERESTMAX team has an interesting set of satistics on their members showing weight, heart rate and other functions. I have not written too much about them but their mission is " ... expedition aims to be the first team to complete the ascent from the shores of the Dead Sea to the summit of Everest." They are now on their summit bid.

Now that Himex has completed their mission (mission accomplished?) and they fixed the ropes to the summit and beyond, I wonder of they are going to leave them there or take them down since there is still a lot of traffic on the north. The deal was that each climber would pay Himex $100 to use the lines but earlier reports noted that Brice was having a hard time collecting his money.

The Army continues to march on "The Summit Team has now left Base Camp and is making its way towards  Camp 1 as planned. It will then continue up through the successive camps until it reaches the lower slopes of the Summiot Pyramid. If all goes well, the team hopes to be standing on the summit at the weekend."

Check this site a lot over the next day or two since there will be a lot of activity!

Posted by Alan Arnette at 03:11 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Last year it was the rubber chicken carried up to the summit that made me smile. This year it is Tomas Olsson skiing down from the summit on the north side. He actually did it!

Himex put another 15 on the summit yesterday after their 12 on Sunday. That broke down to 10 clients, 2 western guides and 15 Sherpas . But their most famous member, and an incredible feat, was the summit of double amputee Mark Inglis.

Several other teams are now in a position for

north side summits with Adventure Peaks and EverestMax at the top camp.

The south teams continue to make great progress with IMG, AAI and AC will go over the next couple of days. Paul and Fi have started their move.

This is one of the most "interesting" moments of an expedition - the days and hours just before the summit bid. You feel every emotion in the book: excitement, fear, joy, sadness, and more. During the climb to the top camp you cover familiar ground - and it feels easier yet harder. You know this is the last time you will climb UP to the camp - the next time you may go right by on your way down. The top camps are new. For the vast majority of climbers they have not been there before. But if you had, then the feelings are very strong. You know this may be the last time you attempt the summit - ever.

Lying in the tent you close your eyes but check your watch every five minutes. You are horribly tired yet cannot got to sleep. Most likely you are one of three people in a two-person tent. You can hear every breath and feel every movement. But you don't care. You are going to climb Mount Everest.

Congratulations to all the summiteers thus far and safe climbing to the rest.
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Posted by Alan Arnette at 08:44 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

With the weather playing with the climbers, some teams hit the window while others continue to wait. There seems to be very short windows of perhaps a day or two that allow well positioned teams to summit but those down mountain to simply watch and wait. Of course the gamble is that by going to the highest camp assumes a window will appear, and when it does not, climbers spend more time in the "death zone" than they need to. Above roughly 26,000' or 8,000m the body dies.

It is impossible to eat enough food to counter this slow death since the body cannot process the food not to mention almost all climbers simply do not feel like eating. And of course there is less available oxygen for the body to consume. All in all not a place for humans to hang out!

So in this context, Himex, using their experience and weather forecast, played the game and won with reports of four summits on the north side early Sunday morning with the next summit wave predicted for Monday morning. The first clients to summit for a commercial expediton this season. Their latest dispatch notes "perfect weather". Meanwhile in a dispatch dated Sunday the 14th 2:00PM Everest time, Project Himalaya reports from ABC on the north "... Today the mountain is enveloped in cloud with a lot of high winds. Lots of teams are rallying for attempts in what seems to be another short window starting right now. We are not quite in position to try ..." The difference in weather observations is probably related to the time of day as well as their locations on the Hill. But suffice it to say, the conditions are "variable".

To summarize the situation on the north, Himex has summited safely one team and is going for round two probably right now. Several other teams are at the North Col and will climb to the high camps for summit bids later this week, probably Thursday or Friday. This includes Everest Peace Project (EPP), Rob and James, Blair and Tomas - who will ski down. Finally Adventure Peaks, Project Himalaya and others are at Chinese Base Camp and will probably leave for the North Col soon.

An interesting audio dispatch is from the Everest Peace Project, a multi-national team attempting the summit on the north. The team takes turns making some brief comments before they leave for the North Col and hopefully a summit attempt this week. Worth a listen.

Let's see what is happening on the south side. Progress has been a little slower than on the north this year, similar to last year when weather was a strong inhibitor to fixing lines to the South Col. But this year, it seems that teams are taking their time and have not pushed as hard - a good thing in my view! By setting aggressive schedules, the brunt of the work falls on the Sherpas to carry loads, fix ropes and break trail often with short turn around times preventing sufficient rest breaks- even for the strong Sherpas.

IMG is at C2 today thus a summit bid mid week- weather permitting. Adventure Consultants are at C1 on their way to an end of the week summit bid. AAI leaves for their bid tomorrow, Monday.

In anticipation of teams climbing to the South Col this week, let's take a look at the climb above C3 and onto the South Col. As I have said before the terrain starts out fairly steep from C3. Most climbers are on supplemental oxygen and leave their tents after sunrise. It can be extremely cold before the sun moves over Lhotse and if the winds are the least bit strong, it is miserable. But as soon as the sun hits, and there are no clouds, then it can become horribly hot. Many climbers are in their full down suits trying to minimize the weight in their packs.

After about an hour they approach the Yellow Band,a strip of limestone that cuts through the Himalayas in this area. They leave snow and climb on smooth rocks at a 30 to 45 degree angle. This is only for about 100 - 300 feet depending on the route but it takes concentration. A jam usually occurs in this area if several teams are going for the summit on the same day. Once clear of the Band, it flattens out until the bottom of the ridge defining the South Col. This is actually on the Geneva Spur. Climbers are a little weary at this point more from the altitude than anything else so when they see 150' of 60 degree rock, ice and snow, it causes a long pause. But it is actually easier than it looks. From all the traffic, there are decent steps but also the uneven rock allows for good foot placement.

Topping the ridge, climbers follow a rocky "path" worn by other climbers and soon step on the South Col proper - an area the size of a football field with ten or twenty or thirty tents huddled together on the west end. But most climber notice the tents second - after they see the actual summit pyramid of Mount Everest for the first time. All the pictures, all the movies, all the stories do not prepare you for this sight ... and tonight they are going to climb!

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Posted by Alan Arnette at 07:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

What a difference a few days make! Climbers on both sides knew they were experiencing a great stretch of great weather but all good things must come to an end - apparently.

The film crew on the Himex team have been allowed to break their oath of secrecy and reveal that high winds have delayed their attempt until today, Saturday, or maybe Sunday. This excerpt was dated today, May 13 "... the teams made it to camp 2 and 3 respectively, but had to spend 2 nights at these camps as the winds were higher in the morning than expected. Today they headed up to camps 3 and 4, ready for the first summit attempt tonight." They also report on a wealth of cameras, microwave links, video monitors and more space age technology that will be used to record their summit bid. Remember that Mark Inglis, the double amputee, is on this team. Take a read of the Tigress Productions Blog for more on all this excitement on the north side.

The Tigress report also noted something interesting about the Himex Sherpas fixing the ropes on the north "... fix ropes all the way to the summit (they reached there on 30th April, which Russ thinks is a record – and for good measure fixed another 100 meters down the south side, so anyone coming up there will get a surprise)." Well, the Korean team must have either known this or been surprised as they summited from the North on Thursday and then descended on the south side. The "traverse" is unusual but not unheard of. Last year Piers Buck attempted the same feat except from the south but was thwarted by the worst weather in decades. In any event, congratulations to Mr. Park and team on their summit!

Over on the south the IMG team is positioned at C2 and, weather permitting, should go for the summit on Tuesday or Wednesday. Mountain LInk is back from their holiday in Katmandu and are looking at the Friday the 19th for a summit day as is the Adventure Consultants team. It looks Fi and Paul may be going for the summit next weekend.

Scott Woolums (Project Himalaya) just posted a nice video of climbing on the north side from the North Col to Camp 2 at 25,000'. Very nicely done!

The British Army's West Ridge Team executing with - well, um, what do you call it? - military precision - is set for the summit "...With fine weather on its side and all the teams set in place, the EWR 2006 expedition is now 24 hours ahead of schedule. Support Team A is currently forging ahead, breaking the trail, clearing ropes of snow and dropping off essential gear. They are closely followed by Andy Nelson's team whose job it is ..."

An update on the climber who died near the yellow band this week, he was Lhotse climber Pavel Kaney. Details are still unclear on exactly what happened. My sincere condolences to his friends and family.

Posted by Alan Arnette at 02:24 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

May 11,2006 - Summit Fever and some North Side Summits

The excitement is building for summits this weekend as teams anticipate continued good weather. But Tomas from Ski Everest writes "... people in base camp are getting frustrated, some even give up and leave to go home. But most people stay and I have a feeling there will be a massive summit attempt within days." He goes on to note the need for coordination ..."Most of the big group are getting tactical since they don't want to head up at the same day as everyone else risking crowds that could mean traffic jams in the technical and exposed passages (like the second step) high up, and maybe even trying to avoid having to take part in potential rescue actions of other climbers and thereby risking there own lifes." I hope Tomas can ski around all those climbers when he skis from the summit! Check out his ski pictures on Tomas' site.

In the midst of all this buzz, however, there are reports that several climbers summitted today on the north side. MountEverest.net and AP reports that several climbers including Dave Watson and John Bagnulo summitted today on the north side - the first non-Sherpas of the season. Watson was to have climbed the yet unclimbed Fantasy ridge but aborted the route due to dangerous conditions. There has been some speculation (amongst thousand of other ideas!!) that the Fantasy ridge might have been used by Mallory and Irvine in 1924.

My, my what a change from a few years ago! Then the buzz was all about crowds on the Hillary Step on the south side and the "congo" line up from the South Col. But with many teams now fosucing on the north the same congestion concerns have emerged. Remember that it is less expensive to climb on the north due to lower permit fees charged by the Chinese versus the Nepalese.Also the north side does not the infamous Khumbu Icefall but it has the notorious "steps" that are technically more difficult than the upper route on the south So in other words - pick your poison!

But not every team is anxious to jump in. Project Himalaya notes "... A lot of people are moving up for early summit pushes. It should be very interesting what happens ... We are going to be a little more conservative and look towards a bit later in May. It may be a very good thing to let a bunch of teams summit and then the rest of the season will be a lot less crowded. There really are a lot of teams on the North side this year." Wise words!

I commented on the south side teams retreating to lower levels, including Katmandu, to rest before their summit bids. Well the same thing happens on the north in spite of the lack of permanent villages nearby. From the Everest 2006 team site "...short walk down to the Base Camp village to have a coke and a change of scenery. This village has to be seen to be believed! It is made up of a number of temporary huts with yak dung burning stoves in the middle to heat the space. Local villagers come up here to live for the season and try to eek out a living by selling drinks and fossils from Everest." The picture on the right is one I took in 1997 of a Grandmother with her grandchild in their tent at a nomad camp near Tingri, Tibet.

And another travel log is from Ken Stalter on his longer trip via jeep "Although this involved some traveling it is much less boring than base camp. Everyone is hopeful to get back up for a quick summit but we have to be patient. Jangmu is an ugly place but our room is clean and able to get a warm shower yesterday for $3 per night."

A non-Everest note is the tragic report on MountEverest.net of seven deaths and four missing on Elbrus, one of the 7 Summits and highest is Europe. Details are unclear but they experience temperatures of -50C. It is easy to think that alpine mountaineering is  simple and anyone can do it with all the publicity, technology and stories we read .. but the evidence challenges that view.

Also, yesterday was the 10 year anniversary of the 1996 disaster on Everest that took the lives of multiple climbers and world-class guides. One of the rescuers that year, David Breashears, is making a movie about the tragedy which should be in theaters in 2007.

Posted by Alan Arnette at 07:37 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Paul and Fi Adler reported on their site the news of a Czechoslovakian climber who died on the Lhotse Face. As Paul writes "...found in the snow on the face below the Yellow Band. He was barely alive and had severe frostbite after spending the night out in the open. He was found by Sherpas heading up to the South Col. They had him on oxygen pretty soon, and moved him over to the fixed line. They were joined by a doctor from the Chilean team. They then attempted to get him down to the tents at camp 3, but by the time they got him there he was pronounced dead by the doctor." My condolences to the family and friends of this climber.

This is always sad news and questions start up as to how a climber on the primary route could possibly be left alone overnight. Further, this fuels the discussion about exactly how crowded is Everest south side aka the "Yak Route". Let's explore this is a little detail.Above the Yellow Band

The area above the Yellow Band flattens out before a short, but steep climb over the Geneva Spur to the South Col. This "flat" area is a maybe a quarter mile long and on the west side rises steeply to the summit of Lhotse and on the east side drops sharply several thousand feet to the Western Cwm. The "trail" is usually packed by all the traffic and yesterday it was surely trodden given the lack of snow over the past week plus the traffic from the hundreds of Sherpas establishing Camp 4 on the South Col. There are fixed lines along the entire route and the only confusion is near the Geneva Spur where there are a lot of old lines so it is important to clip into the new one and not the old, weak lines.

Climbers going to the North Col usually leave about 8:00 in the morning from C3 to give the sun time to warm the area. The normal pacing of climbers soon strings everyone out with some climbers way ahead and some way behind, including those who might have left later from C3. On my 2003 climb, I drifted to the back of the line and soon found myself climbing with only one or two other people. I remember feeling like they were watching me and I know I was watching them since I did not want to be alone in this area. However, if I had slipped - caught my crampon on the line and fallen down the Face or blacked out and slipped a few hundred feet, they would never had noticed if they were ahead of me.

The details of most deaths on Everest are never known or revealed but there are many causes - some within the climber's control and most out of their control. In any event, another sad moment for everyone.
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Posted by Alan Arnette at 08:33 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

With a good weather window now predicted for the upcoming week, teams are "scheduling" a summit for this Saturday - May 13. On the north, HImex is looking at 2 teams attempting the summit on Saturday then Sunday. Mark Inglis, the double amputee, will be part of the Sunday team along with his camera crew. To see a picture of his prosthetic leg, click here. I am very impressed by this person.

Over on the south, base camp must be deserted with several teams now lower in the Khumbu for a few days of "recovery" before their summit bids. AAI is in Deboche, Adventure Consultants is in Pheriche. But the winner is this high altitude limbo contest is Mountain Link who returned to Katmandu!!! The theory of this deep descent is that your body will never really recover and rejuvenate at the 17,500 base camp altitude. So by spending a few nights at a lower altitude, say 15,000' your body will regenerate itself, start to heal cuts and bruises with increased blood flow and, of course, generate massive amounts of red blood cells which are the key to bringing oxygen to muscles. This approach is a variation of climb high, sleep low - the fundamental theory behind acclimization.

The other item this demonstrates is the difference between a standard commercial expedition where climbers pay upwards of $45,000 and a pure custom expedition with a rich Texas oilman who paid $400,000! See this article for the details.

The route has been in on the north for about two weeks now and on the south it is up to the South Col. Fi Adler reports on the Sherpa traffic as she and Paul returned from a successful night at C3 "... On the climb down we met over a hundred Sherpas on their way up. As of yesterday, the lines to Camp 4 (The South Col) are now fixed so all the teams are now doing massive load carries to C4 - setting up camps and getting their stocks of oxygen cylinders in place. IMG alone moved 40 oxygen cylinders to camp 4 today. This made the climb down a little cumbersome at times - every time you meet another climber, one of you has to unclip from the rope and reclip on the other side of the climber." With their current schedule, we can expect to see them going for the summit around the night of May 16 or 17 - weather and health depending.

On the very difficult West Ridge route, tha British Army hasreached the ridge itself and established their Camp. Once again, if you have not visited their website, take a look - it is absolutely one of the best ever for covering an Everest expedition. Also, the writing is not bad either as shown here by climber Shaun Phillips "..All your romantic thoughts about climbing big mountains go out the window when you are stuck on a 50/60 degree slope trying to haul 40lbs plus of equipment up in near white out conditions, minus 20s and howling winds. Your only thoughts are how many more steps you have to do before you can stop for a rest..."

Bloody Hell!

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Posted by Alan Arnette at 07:42 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Lot's of progress to report on both sides as climbers take advantage of good weather. Note this good summary from the Project Himalayan team "...This morning the summit was clear and the sun was as strong as we’ve seen it. By 8:30 one of our Sherpas, Tarke, was sighted at 8,200 meters, just 100 meters shy of our highest camp on the mountain, in the ongoing effort to get our oxygen into place for our summit bid. In the meantime, we’re witnessing a remarkably early summit window and many climbers have been working hard to get into position for an early attempt to reach the top. " Just about says it all!

Most of the dispatches from the north tell of climbers reaching 7300m and spending nights at the North Col or even higher camps. Teams are plotting their summit bids as evidened by Scott on Everest in his recent dispatch "...Once we receive news of the weather window, we'll try and make the following moves ..... Day 1:move to ABC 6,300m, Day 2:rest ABC, Day 3:move to North Col 7,050m (Camp 1), Day 4:move to Camp 2 at 7,800m, Day 5:move to Camp 3 at 8,300m, Day 6:summit attempt 8,848m... "

Many of the dispatches comment on health since that is a key factor after 5 weeks on the Hill. Blair Falahey has the most discouraging comments I read "...Unfortunately I have had the runs,so did not get much sleep.I have also got an acid feeling in my chest which meant that I could not eat or drink much at all.A Mars bar and a little water was all I felt like." He does go on to say he is ABC resting and will go for the summit soon.

The Everest Peace Project has released another nice video. These guys are in strong competition with Sight on Everest team for best video production. Actually, take a few minutes to watch and turn your sound up!

And over on the south, the route is almost to the North Col according to IMG. With AAI already spending a night at C3, they appear to be in the best spot for the first summits followed by the main IMG team then AC. Once you spend a night at C3, you normally return to BC, rest a few days and then go back up - about an 8 day turn around before the actual summit bid.

A few days ago, basecamp MD reported on a case of frostbite. This is a serious condition to be sure. This picture was of a friend of a friend who was on the north side in 2003 and he took his glove off for only a few moments to assist in a rescue and - well the picture tells the story. The issue is that our bodies are remarkable in protecting our organs (heart, lung, kidneys, etc.) at the expense of our extremities (fingers, toes, nose, etc.). So when a harsh situation like sub zero temperatures is combined with strong winds, the fingers and toes are usually the first to go - even if the exposure is for a brief moment. This is why it is so important to learn how to manuplate carabineers and ropes with gloves and mitts on and avoid taking them off  - even for a moment.

Posted by Alan Arnette at 07:04 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The past few days have challenged climbers on both sides with high winds but many on the north have spent a night or two at the North Col including Rob and James, the youngest Brit team who spent two nights at the North Col and climbed to 7300m. They are now back at ABC for some rest before returning for their summit bid!

On the south, C3 is the goal. AAI and some members from IMG and AC have spent a night at C3 and the other south side teams are on their way. Camp 3 is a difficult place. It is literally carved out of steep hard ice. It has been noted in several dispatches that you must use your crampons at all times  - even when moving between tents since the angles are steep and the footing is so slippery. This is not the time be casual. More on C3 later but first the climbers have to get there and here is an overview of what they will face:

Climbing the Lhotse Face is a big challenge after the Khumbu Ice Fall on the way to the summit. There are many ropes attached to the face with ice screws and anchors. Each rope is about 200' long so climbers must unclip their carabineers and jumars at each junction. This is a two step process so that the climber is always attached to the fixed line by at least one device. It is very normal for a long line of climbers to be going up and another long line coming down - usually Sherpas returning from carrying loads to the higher camps. So, in the middle of the Himalayas, you have a traffic jam!

It becomes very interesting when you need to pass someone since you share the same line. A high altitude ballet takes place. Like in an old west gunfight, you eye the other guy. As you get closer, you make your move to the right or left. Standing close to each other, you make sure your footing is fixed. With a few grunts and a smile, you unclip one of your carabineers keeping the other one attached to the lifeline. Reaching around the climber, you clip back into the line around him, then move the other ‘biner above this new placement. All this happens in a moment and you move on. Not every swap is this complex but everyone requires caution. One mistake and there is no recovery on the steep Face. Once you start to fall, there is nothing to stop you for thousands of feet. It is real. It is harsh. It is climbing Everest.

Depending on the weather, the Face is usually rock hard blue ice. You have to kick your crampon points into the ice stealing precious strength with each step. After a a few weeks, the path is fairly well set due to the thousands of kicks into the ice but one storm can have you starting all over again.

My experience has been that getting to C3, while hard, is where the real climbing of Everest begins. C3 is at 23,600'. The climb to the South Col, 8000m, is long, typically hot and exposes problems. It was on this climb, both times that I began to have doubts. I took the picture on the left of C3 from the Yellow Band. The yellow band itself is soft, crumbly limestone and is an extreme contrast from the ice or snow. There are two short (5 meter) sections that are a little steep. Again, not too difficult but the altitude really starts to take a toll in this part. Since this may be the first time some climbers have used bottled O's, the added discomfort of the mask, heavy bottle, gear, rock and some "real" climbing - this is the crux of the Geneva Ridge.

More on these challenges but it still looks good for climbers on both sides with the route already in on the north and progress on the south. Even though it has not been widely reported, I assume Sherpas are fixing line above C3 and are well on their way to the South Col.

Posted by Alan Arnette at 10:07 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

One of my favorite sayings is "life is like an NBA basketball game, all the action happens in the last 2 minutes of the game." Well the recent dispatches may have me modifying my saying to include mountaineering. Teams continue to move up and down the Hill on both sides. Thankfully there is little negative news to note as the teams execute their acclimization schedules. The weather has turned a little ugly withhigh winds reported on the south side causing the AAI team to retreat to BC early in the Icefall.

You may wonder what climbers do when they have an unscheduled rest day at basecamp. Over the past few years, our creative and talented explorers have put on concerts with the musical instruments they brought, played the world's highest football (soccer) match and this year had the 1st annual Khumbu Klassic Golf Tournament - compete with color commentary. For a laugh, visit the video on the Mountain Link site.

On a couple of more serious notes, Mark Inglis is attempting to be the first double amputee to summit Everest. He is on the north side and had a "slight"  mishap a few days ago - he broke his leg! Normally this would be