Everest 2006: ANDALUCIA EVEREST EXPEDITION: ANDALUCIA EVEREST IS STILL AT ADVANCED BASE CAMP

WE HAVE HAD COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS IN THE LAST FEW DAYS

ANDALUCIA EVEREST IS STILL AT ADVANCED BASE CAMP

BUENO AND BLAZQUEZ ARRIVE TO KATMANDU

Katmandu, April 27, 2006

Andalucia Everest Expedition remains at Advanced Base Camp at 6,400m of altitude, surrounded by more than 300 tents of other expeditions.  With their Sherpas Pemba, Mingmar and Thsering and Carlos Garranzo, they acclimatized for a couple of days at that altitude before attempting the assaults of the different high altitude camps.  At the intermediate camp (5,800m) and due to the persistent impossibility of communication, journalist Javier Blázquez and cameraman Daniel Bueno decided to start their return trip.

It took them a day and a half to go back to Katmandu, a little calmer after the incidents of the last few days.  After a trip by car to the China-Nepal border and their later flight by helicopter to the capital of Nepal, after many long hours waiting and the religious payment in Yuans and rupees in important amounts, Blazquez and Bueno still hope to get plane tickets for their return in the next two days.

At ABC the conditions are not good, but the quantity of expeditions, among them a few Spanish, will let us make alliances.  This season there is numerous group from Castilla La Mancha attempting to assault Everest, and the Basque group of Josu Feijoo, Jose Diego Esteban, the civil guard, who is going solo and a Catalan group that has just arrived.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

HUISA AND LOPEZ REACH ADVANCED BASE CAMP 

Blázquez and Bueno go back to Spain because of the bad conditions 

Advanced Base Camp, April 26, 2006    

Early this morning, due to the bad conditions, and that all the devices fail - satellite, portables, etc. - and because they are not getting along with the acclimatization, the four of us decided that Daniel Bueno and Javier Blázquez should go down to Base Camp, to start their return to Spain from there.  Pedro and I left towards Advanced Base Camp, at 6,450m.  The climb was striking and beautiful, through and endless route of several kilometers, with glacier stretches on both sides and with slopes and vertical ice formations that reached up to seven or eight meters. 

So, the ascent has been spectacular, but very hard.  We got there very badly and the mountain sickness is hitting us.  It is the first time we sleep so high, so the mountain sickness is very evident. 

Javier and Dani told us that, once in Base Camp, they hired a car and they went to the town of Tingri, where they wait for news to go back to Katmandu. 

Advanced Base Camp is located on the slopes of Everest.  From here the entire ascent route is seen.  It is spectacular and threatening at the same time.  3,000 tents can be seen on the mountain with groups of climbers that try to ascend.  Pedro and I will be here three days acclimatizing.  When we fell Ok, we will proceed to the assault of Camp 1 to stock it up.

ANDALUCIA EVEREST EXPEDITION GETS TO INTERMEDIATE CAMP AT 5,800 METERS OF ALTITUDE

 Intermediate Camp, April 25, 2006 

After a morning organizing the shipment on the yaks with almost 800 kilos of material and assuming the bribe of 400 extra dollars we had to give to the liaison officer, we started climbing to intermediate camp around 13:00.

 The journey has been long, making a difference of altitude of 600 meters and more than 15 kilometers.  Some film shots have been made for the documentary.  As the hours passed, Dani was getting weaker and weaker; finally, after seven hours of a long ascent, we got to intermediate camp at 5,800m.

 The cameraman and Javier Blázquez arrived in bad conditions, so we are planning their return.  Especially because the communication failures, technically unavoidable and because they have not been able to do their job, along with the weakness at this altitude, tomorrow we will decide if they go back or not. 

Huisa noted the professional level shown by both of them "because despite not being mountain climbers and not being used to spend nights at 20 degrees Celsius below zero, they have been dodging the inconveniences very professionally.  Pedro and I are now in good physical condition and we hope that tomorrow's journey could be done without incidents".

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