Czech Lhotse 2006: Martin Minarik and Pavel Kalny with Winter Makalu on deck

Update 04/17/2006: Hello EverestNews.com, we made it to Base Camp in good time and also good weather with only rain overnight in Namche Bazar. Compared to Tibet, this is warm spot and space for everyone with reasonable amount of privacy.

Tomorrow, we are heading up to Camp 1 and probably also Camp 2.

Martin and Pavel, Czech climbers

Background: Martin Minarik and Pavel Kalny, two Czech alpinists are flying from Vienna to Kathmandu on Thursday, April 6. On April 8, we plan to fly to Lukla, then walk to Everest / Lhotse Base Camp. Within the next 6 weeks, we would like to reach the summit of Lhotse. For Martin, it is 7th expedition to 8 000m peak. Five times he made it to the top of the hill. Solo or in small teams, never with artificial oxygen or support Sherpa porters above base camp.

For Pavel Kalny, this is going to be the first Himalayan encounter. But last year, he succeeded on Mt. Logan in Yukon ( highest hill in Canada and second one in North America) when he made the traverse of the mountain with another fellow Czech climber ( Martin Minarik made the very first traverse of this mountain - alone and without support in 1998).

Small, two man team with no support and artificial oxygen hope to make it up to Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain of the world sometimes in mid May via standard route - via Khumbu icefall.

Zdenek Hruby and Martin Minarik are slowly putting together a team for winter ascent of Makalu ( January 2007).  Lhotse will be the final test before Makalu, the mountain which yet has no winter ascent and recently claimed the life of one of the best alpinist, Jean-Christophe Lafaille.

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