Everest 2006:  Team No Limits make final preparations for departure

Everest 2006:  Team No Limits Dispatches

©EverestNews.com

Excitement is in the air as the remarkable men make their final preparations for their departure. Last minute checks and goodbyes to loved ones characterize these last moments as the team sets out for their journey of a life time.

Background: Team No Limits is a Colorado based expedition. The team has been in the making for three years and has endured a great deal of uncertainty and attrition. After the unfortunate loss of several team members, Team No Limits is now comprised of four members. The members of Team No Limits hail from throughout the United States. None are professional alpinists, but climb purely for the love of the sport. All are experienced mountaineers and have a wealth of experience climbing worldwide. They share a common philosophy of safe climbing and respect for the Nepalese people and culture. Team members are: Doug Tumminello, Matt Tredway, Larry Rigsby MD, base camp manager, Roger Coffey, and Climbing Sirdar, Apa Sherpa.

In spite of some hardship, the spirit of this climb has prevailed. As the journey of a life time is about to unfold, these inspirational and dedicated men are unified and prepared to take on what waits for them in the days to come. The members of the team chose their name, Team No Limits, to fit their belief that there is no limitation to what the human spirit can achieve or overcome. The primary mission of the Team No Limits Everest 2006 Expedition is to get as many team members as possible on the summit of the highest mountain in the world, and then back home safely! The team is dedicated to safety over summit success.

Team Member Introduction

Doug Tumminello  lives in Littleton, Colorado, and is a practicing attorney with a Denver law firm. He is a West Point graduate and served in the U.S. Army as an infantry officer. Doug is a multi-faceted climber and excels on rock and ice. Doug has led expeditions to Denali, the highest mountain in North America, and Argentina’s Cerro Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the western hemisphere. Doug has had numerous ascents in the "lower 48" as well. In 2002, Doug’s team on Denali was awarded a "Denali Pro" commendation by the National Park Service for their efforts in assisting a solo climber whose camp was destroyed in a storm. Doug’s other hobbies include telemark skiing, mountain biking and rugby.

Matt Tredway  resides in Steamboat, Colorado. He is the father of two great daughters, and a math and science instructor in the public school system. His love of the outdoors started at an early age, and by the time he was in high school he had climbed many of the Colorado "14ers". In the early 1980s, Matt served as an instructor for The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), specializing in climbing, backpacking, and winter mountaineering. His NOLS experience carried over into the public schools making him an excellent teacher. In addition to teaching, he founded and is the director of the outdoor education/recreation program, Everything Outdoors Steamboat (EOS). EOS is designed to give kids a chance to discover outdoor skills they can become passionate about, and carry with them throughout their lives. (See EOSteamboat.org for more information.) Rock and ice climbing have led him to extensive trips in Western U.S., Canada, and Alaska (Denali, Summer 2005). Other hobbies include running, skiing, and making equestrian saddles.

Larry Rigsby, MD.  resides in Signal Mountain, Tennessee, and is a practicing internal medicine physician in Chattanooga. He has a great interest in high altitude medicine and writes a medical series for EverestNews.com. In 2004, Larry conducted a sleep study on the north, or Tibetan side, of Everest. He has climbed in Alaska in the St. Elias, Chugach and Alaska ranges, including Denali and Moose’s Tooth. He has climbed Rainier and has had multiple winter ascents in Colorado. He has climbed Ama Dablam in the Himalayas and was on an Everest North Col expedition in 2004. Larry's hobbies include: ultra running, medical research, and training at his home in Leadville, Colorado.

BASE CAMP MANAGER

Roger Coffey is originally from Knoxville, Tennessee and is currently on a temporary work assignment in Las Cruces, New Mexico. As a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Roger has taken advantage of being a traveling physical therapist. Having lived and worked in 10 states, he has had the opportunity to backpack and climb in multiple eastern and western national parks, and to log several hundred miles of hiking in the southeastern U.S. When he isn’t walking in the wilderness, Roger can usually be found traveling throughout the United States by motorcycle, a sport that has led to well over 100,000 miles of riding. He is also an avid runner and has enjoyed multiple hobbies including martial arts, photography, and scuba, much of which was discovered during his Army enlistment as a paratrooper.

CLIMBING SIRDAR: Team No Limits’ Climbing Sirdar (head Sherpa) is the incomparable Apa Sherpa. Apa holds the record for the number ascents of Mt. Everest, at fifteen, and is looking forward to a sixteenth summit with Team No Limits. Apa is from the village of Thame in Nepal, which lies in the higher Everest region. Apa’s climbing career began in 1985 when he worked as a kitchen boy on a climb of Annapurna. Apa first reached the summit of Everest in 1990, and he has climbed with such notable climbers as Anatoli Boukreev, Rob Hall, Pete Athans, Todd Burleson and Peter Hillary. Apa has climbed extensively throughout the Himalayas and his experience on Everest is unmatched. As climbing sirdar, Apa will be responsible for directing the Sherpa members of the climb, who will be fixing ropes, establishing camps, ferrying loads and assisting team members in their summit bids. Team No Limits is proud to have Apa Sherpa, an Everest great, as team sirdar. 

The Route

The team will be taking the traditional route up the mountain and their journey is expected to take approximately two months. The team will climb Mount Everest, 29,029 feet (8,848 meters), from the south, or Nepalese side. They will climb via the South Col (Southeast Ridge) route. This is the route first climbed by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953.

Base Camp is approximately one-week’s trek from the town of Lukla, and is located at 17,500 feet, on the glacial moraine below the Khumbu glacier.

The notorious Khumbu Icefall is located between 17,500 feet and 19,500 feet, and is a sea of constant motion with the daily shifting of enormous ice seracs and opening and closing of gigantic crevasses. The Khumbu Icefall is the terminus of the Khumbu glacier, which originates in the snows of Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse and flows down the Western Cwm. Ladders are used extensively to bridge crevasses in the Khumbu.

Camp I is located at 19,500 feet, at the top of the Khumbu Icefall.

Between Camp I and Camp II, climbers negotiate the gentle slopes of the Western Cwm. "Cwm", pronounced "koom", is the Welsh word for cirque. The Western Cwm runs two miles long and about a half-mile wide (encircled by Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse). George Mallory named it in 1921 on the first reconnaissance of the area.

Camp II is at 21,000 feet. As climbers leave Camp II, they move toward the Lhotse face (Lhotse, at 27,920 feet, borders Everest).

Camp III is at 23,500 feet. To reach Camp III, climbers must negotiate the Lhotse Face. Though not very technically difficult, it is a steep, shiny, icy wall; one slip here can mean death, and indeed many have lost their lives through just such mishaps. Climbing this section of ice demands skill, stamina and concentration.

Between Camp III and Camp IV, climbers negotiate the Yellow Band at 25,000 feet, on the Lhotse Face en route to the South Col. The Yellow Band is a distinct band of sandstone, which was once below sea level! Climbers then negotiate the Geneva Spur, an anvil-shaped section of black rock. The Geneva Spur is the last major obstacle before Camp IV, high camp, at the South Col.

Camp IV is at 26,300 feet (8,000 meters) on the South Col. The South Col is a broad, wind-swept saddle between Everest and the neighboring peak of Lhotse. This will be a climber’s first overnight stay in the "Death Zone." The so-called Death Zone is above 26,000 feet, and it is generally at this point that the human body loses its ability to continue acclimating to altitude. Team members will be using oxygen to sleep and climb at this altitude and above. Camp IV is the final major camp for the summit push. It is at this camp that climbers will make their final preparations. Camp IV is also a haven for worn-out climbers on their exhausting descent from summit attempts, successful and otherwise.

Climbers begin their summit push from Camp IV at approximately 11:00 p.m. at night, and climb through the night toward Everest’s Southeast Ridge. Climbers reach the Southeast Ridge at 27,700 feet at a place known as the Balcony. At this platform, climbers rest and watch the dawn rise to illuminate the mountain ranges to the east. From the Balcony, climbers push on to the South Summit, a small dome of snow at 28,700 feet. From here, climbers can see the final obstacles ahead: the Cornice Ridge, the Hillary Step, and the final summit ridge.

The Cornice Ridge is a 400-foot long horizontal traverse of rock and snow, and is a very intimidating section of the climb. A misstep to the right would send a climber tumbling down the 10,000 foot Kangshung Face. A misstep to the right would bring the same result down the 8,000 foot Southwest Face.

The famous Hillary Step is a 40-foot snow, ice and rock section that is climbed with fixed ropes. It often becomes a bottleneck, as only one climber can ascend or descend at a time. Although the Hillary Step wouldn’t present much of a challenge for an experienced climber at a much lower altitude, at 28,800 feet on Everest it is considered the most technically challenging aspect of the climb.

The summit is at 29,029 feet and the top of the world. The summit is generally covered with various prayer flags, photographs of family members, prayer packets, and the like. The picnic table-sized summit affords views of the Tibetan Plateau to the north, and the great Himalayan peaks of Kangchenjunga to the east, Makalu to the southeast, and Cho Oyu to the west. Here, climbers take pictures, gain their composure, briefly enjoy the view, and then begin the long descent to Camp IV. 

Team’s Itinerary glacier.

April 1-3 . . . Arrive in Kathmandu / Team Organization (4,265’)

April 4 . . . Fly to Lukla (9,359’)

April 5 . . . Hike to Namche Bazaar (11,300’)

April 6 . . . Layover in Namche Bazaar

April 7 . . . Hike to Deboche (12,500’)

April 8 . . . Hike to Pheriche

April 9 . . . Hike to Lobuche

April 10 . . . Arrive at Base Camp (17,500’)

April 16 . . . Climb to Camp I (19,500’)

April 17 . . . Descend to Base Camp

April 20 . . . Climb to Camp II (21,000’)

April 22 . . . Descend to Base Camp

April 26 . . . Climb to Camp II

April 28 . . . Climb to Camp III (23,500’)

April 29 . . . Descend to Base Camp

April 30 . . . Descend to Deboche

May 4 . . . Return to Base Camp

May 8-13 . . . First summit attempt

May 14-18 . . . Descend to Deboche

May 19 . . . Return to Base Camp

May 22-27 . . . Second summit attempt

May 28-May 31 . . . Return hike (earlier depending on summit outcome)

The schedule will allow the team to remain flexible to adjust for weather and other delays. Weather will be the ultimate determining factor with regard to the team’s summit schedule. In addition, the importance of being fit, acclimatized and ready for the summit on the appointed days cannot be overstated. This schedule is designed to allow ample time to climb at a reasonable rate; for the rest necessary to recover from minor injuries and illnesses; and for rest and recuperation at tree line in the days leading up to our summit attempts.

Team no limits will utilize the expertise of Asian Trekking and is under the guidence of Climbig Sirdar, Apa Sherpa, who holds the world record for the number of summits on Everest. The team is very honored to have Apa Sherpa as part of their team and hope to be with him on his 16th summit of the mountain.

Team No Limits is committed to the highest standards of environmental awareness, and the team will adhere to the principles of "leave no trace" climbing during the expedition. Indeed, our goal is to obtain "positive impact," whereby team members will not only remove all of their own equipment and waste from the mountain, but will also strive to remove waste left behind by past expeditions.

As Team No Limits begins their journey, we should all be inspired. The unwavering determination of this team and its members clearly exemplifies that the only limits we have in this life are the one we place on ourselves.

Thoughts and prayers go out to all friends and family members who will be following this climb!

Everest 2006:  Team No Limits Dispatches

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