 |
 |
|
©EverestNews.com |
This report is written in an attempt to explain the tragic
loss of Peter Kinloch. We only spent 6 weeks with Peter, however, during that
time we were a team climbing and resting together for many days, so were able
to get to know one another well. Peter seemed to be a fit young Scotsman with
an interesting life of experiences. He worked for the Police in Merseyside as
a member of the civilian support staff dealing with incident pattern analysis
and the extraction of management information from crime and incident
databases, a specialist in which he held a PhD. Peter was shortly due to take
up a new post in Belgium. From what we know of Peter, a great loss has
occurred with his passing, and we are extremely sorry this has happened. We
wish to send our deepest condolences to Peter's family, loved ones, and
family.
Peter passed away shockingly and unexpectedly on the night of 26 May in the
early morning hours, after 2:00 am, at 8600 meters, while climbing down from
the summit of Mount Everest.
Peter's summit day started at 10:00 pm on 24 may at camp 3 at 8300 meters.
After dressing and preparing his kit, food, and water for the summit, he and
the rest of the team set off for the summit at 12:00 am in the early morning
hours of 25 may.
Our team went upward and passed the obstacles one surmounts in the climb of
Mount Everest from the Tibet side, including first step, mushroom rock, second
step, third step, final snow slope, and dihedral. On the way up the final
obstacles, Peter was in good spirits, moving steadily and sure-footedly
together with our team, reaching the summit at around 1:00 pm on 25 May.
Summit team leader David Obrien radioed leader Dan Mazur, who was in camp 3 at
8300 metres, at 1:18 pm on 25 May to say the team was on the summit and
everyone was in fine spirits and good health. David said it was very cold and
windy and it had been a long and difficult climb.
On the summit Peter was elated, cheery and bubbly. Earlier during the
expedition while dining with the team, he had said that climbing Everest would
be the realization of a dream he had had for 25 years. While standing atop
Everest, Peter took summit photos with the team. Conditions were sunny, but
extremely cold, windy, with blowing snow and some cloud.
Descending from the summit, Peter surprisingly seemed to lose his
coordination and took a few slips and stumbles. These moments of clumsiness
were interspersed with normal walking. Finally, reaching the top of the second
step at approximately 2pm, he asked leader David Obrien, if David would show
Peter how to descend the ladders. Peter told David that he (Peter) was having
difficulties seeing, then finally that he couldn't see anything at all and was
blind.
Peter seemed unsurprised about his blindness and explained to David that the
blindness had happened before, although never in mountain conditions. Peter
was perfectly coherent at this time and calmly explained that the condition
was not snow blindness as he had no pain and he recognized the blindness from
a previous episode.
In camp 3, several of the team's sherpas had descended earlier in the day with
other members. 3 sherpas were sent up to assist over a period of several
hours: Jangbu (Junior) was sent first, then later Phurba and Gyelje.
Over many hours of slow progress helping the now blind Peter, he, David and
Jangbu reached the area of "Mushroom Rock" at 8600 metres at approximately six
o'clock.
Here they stopped for a rest, David gave Peter food and opened Peter's
backpack to take out some of Peter's water for him to drink. The temperature
was very cold with high winds. Upon examination, Peter had initial signs of
frost bite on two fingers. Peter was mentally coherent as he was able to
recognize the symptoms via his sense of touch and show his frostbitten fingers
to David. He requested that David remove his extra large mittens out of
Peter's rucksack. Throughout this event, Peter's speech and thinking seemed to
remain sharp and he did not evidence any signs of HACE. His blindness seemed
to be unique, and unconnected to any other illness.
The other 2 sherpas arrived soon after to help with the rescue. The 3 sherpas
and David did everything they could to get Peter beyond this point for the
next 8 hours to no avail (tried administering dex, high amounts of oxygen,
etcetera). Tragically, they were finally forced to come down. The rescue team
did everything in their power to help Peter for about 12 hours coming
dangerously close to needing their own rescue and not returning themselves.
David and the other 3 sherpas arrived back in camp 3 at 5:30 in the morning
with hypothermia, exhaustion, and minor frostbite.
It is with our deepest regrets that we report the passing of Peter Kinloch,
who was a bright spark in our team, and he is missed very much. At this very
sad moment, we send our sincere condolences, thoughts and prayers, to his
family, loved ones, friends, and colleagues.
Summitclimb
25 May, 2010: Team 2 summits!
Hi, it's the 25th of May and this is a dispatch for the Everest Tibet
SummitClimb expedition.
We got a call at 1:18 p.m. David was on the summit with 5 members and 4
sherpas. It was extremely windy and sunny. The other members who have been
here all went down today, so everybody seems like they are doing okay so far.
We will keep you posted. Thank you very much. Bye, bye.
24 May, 2010
Team 1 summits! Team 2 going for the summit tonight:
Hi, this is a dispatch for the 24th of May for the SummitClimb Everest Tibet
team. It's 7:52 p.m. Tibet time.
Our team is up in camp 3 at 8300 metres/27,200 feet. We've got some great news
to report. Laval, Mark, and Gavin summited in the mid-morning together with
Thile Sherpa. Fiko and Jangbu Sherpa summited about 1:00 p.m. in the
afternoon. Everybody is down safely.
Our other group of 10 members is up in the high camp and we're going for the
summit tonight at 11:00 p.m. Tibet time. Nick is safely down in ABC. He's
doing well and we're going to miss him. What a great guy. We're sorry he's not
with us.
Wish us all the best of luck. The weather was spotty today. There was lots of
snow in the morning and it was windy. Right now the sun has popped out. It's
still fairly breezy. We can see the summit. There's wind blowing up there, but
we're hoping the wind dies tonight in time for our big summit attempt with
those 10 members and 6 sherpas. So wish us luck and we'll keep you posted.
Thank you very much. Bye, bye.
Earlier:
This is a dispatch for the 24th of May for the SummitClimb Everest Tibet team.
I'm calling you from camp 2 around 7800 metres/25,600 feet.
The current conditions are very gray skies and overcast. There are very light
winds and it snowed quite a bit through the night. The temperature is pretty
warm, not too bad and the time here is about 7:30 a.m. We're just waking up.
Yesterday was a tough day for our team. We climbed up from the North Col. It
was a long climb up with about 800 vertical metres. One of our members, Nick,
decided that he did not want to continue so he went down with Kipa Sherpa to
the North Col. I talked to him last night on the radio and he's doing okay.
He's down on the North Col and he plans to descend to advanced basecamp today.
The rest of the team is up here. We've got 4 members up in the high camp
together with 2 sherpas. They tried for the summit last night. We haven't
heard the outcome of their summit attempt yet. I did have the radio on all
night and I did here some communication between the team members and sherpas,
including a radio call saying they had reached the 2nd step. I haven't heard
any other radio calls since then, but we're listening and waiting for them to
call in. As soon as they do, we'll let you know.
Our team plans to go up to the high camp today, weather permitting. It's been
pretty busy on this side of the mountain during this weather window.
Yesterday our team of 4 members and 2 sherpas called in to say that there
weren't any tent sites available. They discussed with some of the other teams
up there the situation who were kind enough to let them use their tents, so
they didn't have to put up any tents. So that's good. In exchange, some of the
other teams asked if they could give some of their members to us so we can
help them reach the top on their 2nd summit bid. Apparently some of their
members were trying to get to the summit, reached the 2nd step, went for their
fresh bottle of oxygen and realized the bottle was empty. So they had to go
back down. Can you imagine that? I do recall our local Kathmandu agent
checking all of the bottles for us, so hopefully all of our oxygen bottles
have oxygen in them.
We'll keep you informed as things progress up here. We wish all of team
members and sherpas the best of luck. Also we also wish all of the other teams
the best of luck as well.
It's pretty cloudy, so we're not totally sure what today's weather is going to
bring, but at least the wind is not blowing too hard right now. We'll keep you
informed. Thank you very much. Bye, bye.
20 May, 2010: This is a dispatch for the 20th of May for the
SummitClimb Everest Tibet expedition.
It has been a very difficult and challenging last few days for our team. We'd
like to congratulate the Tibetan and Chinese team for fixing the route to the
summit of Mount Everest and for getting a lot of their members on the top
safely. Job well done! Thank you very much.
Some other teams also summited. We heard some Taiwanese made the summit and
today we met a Polish person named Magdalena who reached the summit on the
18th. Big congratulations!
Also, we'd like to inform you that 5 of our members and 2 of our sherpas are
on the North Col and have been there for several days. They are trying to move
to camp 2, but it's been too windy and difficult to go up. Other teams have
tried to go up to camp 2 and turned around. They're hoping they can go in the
morning.
The other 11 members of our team are safe and well in ABC. They hope to go to
the North Col in the morning weather permitting and start their summit
attempt, together with the remaining 8 sherpas who carried a load today up to
the North Col.
We're hoping to get some good news on the weather. We heard that the wind may
drop through the 21st-25th. We've been checking multiple weather sources in
India and Tibet and really casting about for as much weather information as we
can get. It seems that the forecasts are a bit unstable, but we hope that
we'll be able to find a window so all members and sherpas can summit in
safety.
We'll let you know how things are progressing. Thank you very much. Bye, bye.
Earlier: All 11 members are departing basecamp today and heading for
intermediate camp. Then we will move up to ABC, the North Col, camp 2, camp 3,
and god willing, the summit. Please pray for us and wish us luck, patience,
and strength. Also, many many thanks to James Redeker from Canadian North
Airlines for his weather advice!!!
Earlier: 12 May, 2010: Well hello every one. Greetings to all of our
Summit Climb news readers.
This is the dispatch for 11-12 May. Our
north col ABC trek group called and they are in interim camp preparing to move
into advanced basecamp in the morning. Everyone is doing well. They are going
to have ABC nearly to themselves and they have a massive support staff of
sherpas, Tibetans, and their own personal Chinese guide, the amazing Asu.
On the big Mount Everest, high winds
have been buffeting the mountain since 8 May. Almost everyone has retreated to
basecamp and below. Things are not looking good for an early summit this year.
Much of our team is down in the village of Shegar, at 4011 metres, enjoying
warm sunshine and green plants, and cotton sheets, hot showers, fresh linens,
terry towels, and table cloths. Up here in 5200 metre basecamp winds keep
howling and spinning around the place. Teams meet up for parties and
discussions about the weather. The Russian team erected an enourmous dome tent
that weighs one ton, then threw a huge party. All of the teams came over and
drank all of the Russian's tea, sprite, and coca-cola, and everyone laughed
and told stories and jokes into the wee hours. A ping pong championship
tournament ensued and low and behold the winner is temba sherpa, the Russian's
electrical engineer who keeps all of their myriad generators and lights and
machines running. The British team had a birthday party for one of their
members and some Australians crashed it with tasteless jokes about Eton.
Everyone is excited about the weather.
As we are camped under Everest, we can see what the weather is doing up there
every second of every day. And; Please let me inform you, it is not a pretty
site. There is a two kilometre wind plume blowing from the top and according
to several of the seven "Everest Weather" websites we are currently watching,
the wind is cooking along up there at 138 kilometres/ hour. Exposed flesh
would probably freeze solid in a minute or less up there right now, and you
would not be able to stand up, just crawl along on your hands and knees.
Needless to say, pretty much all teams have left ABC. Which is a good thing as
we have heard that quite a few tents in ABC have fallen down and/or blown
away. Luckily we have been rotating through our sherpa staff up and down to
ABC and they are keeping everything tied down and lashed in place. Plus our
North col and ABC trek group are going to be calling ABC home for the next
week or so, courtesy of our hardworking staff.
The big topic for all Everest climbers
is the weather. Well, the 7 websites all agree that around the 15th of May the
wind is going to drop for a few hours, hopefully allowing the Tibetans to move
up and work above 8300 metres and fix the rope. However, the seven websites
say that on the 22nd of may the wind is going to drop for a few days, perhaps
for, as long as, up to the 25th of May. So, lets just watch, but one can
imagine that on the 21st of May a "conga-line" will form of all people who can
still walk and aspire to climb Everest, and everyone for miles around will try
ascending Everest on those days. I don't think it will be a riot or melee or
mob scene, as this year everyone has commented on how polite the teams are and
how everyone is trying to get along. Not like in previous years when some
teams had a more "buccaneering" attitude, complete with rope cutting,
etcetera. No, it will probably be more like an orderly climb on a busy day on
Mont Blanc, when several hundred people go up and down to the summit.
Anyway, its all conjecture from yours
truly at basecamp, as the wind swirls around and hammers at the tents. Here in
basecamp at 5200 metres, tents regularly are collapsing in the wind, and have
to be re-buoyed and rocked down. The craziest story we are all talking about
was yesterday when someone was taking a shower in a small shower-tent in one
of the tents and a swirling wind-rotor or "dust-devil" mini-tornado was
cycloning around one of the camps and lifted the shower tent up into the air
about 6 metres, and complete with the person's towel and clothing, the tent
was cast far to the side like some kind of candy wrapper. Spectators were so
stunned and embarrassed to witness the denuding of the showeree, they were
speechless and only able to stare in amazement for a few moments. Eventually
someone did find a blanket to wrap around the hapless (and freezing) victim
who shall we say was turned a deeper shade of crimson red than any had
heretofor thought possible from the cold and embarrassment. This kind of story
helps us all pass the time while reading our books and powering through the
three lavish meals our excellent cooks can prepare each day with the constant
drone of food, tea, sprite, and coca cola resupply trucks coming up from the
nearby village below. From all of us here in basecamp, patiently waiting for
the next weather window. Yours sincerely, Dan
Earlier: 10 May, 2010: Dear Summit Climb News
Readers. Thanks for following the news about our Mount Everest Northside Climb
from Tibet, as well as Advanced Basecamp Trek and North Col Climb.
Well, its been a very busy and productive last few days.
On 7 May, most of our team descended from advanced basecamp to basecamp, as
they had achieved their goal of climbing a little above the north col to reach
a high point near camp 2 and get ready for summitting mount everest and as
acclimatized as possible before the summit attempt. A group of us had just
climbed up to the north col from abc on 6 may, so we awoke early to check the
weather and it sure was perfect. No wind, a golden sunrise with 4 cm of new
snow on a gorgeous rosy-sunrise morning. On what might be considered the best
day so far of the trip, Janet, Fiko, Frank, Peter, Enrique, Dan, and Pasang
set out to explore the upper reaches of the mountain and the way to camp 2. we
walked on the well padded trail through soft snow in glowing morning,
following about 50 sherpas who had layed the trail at about 2 am in their
quest to carry loads of oxygen cylinders and tents up to camp 3. our group of
7 made it up the snow slope, pulling on the well-anchored nylon ropes to the
7500 metre level before clouds started to swirl carried by a bit of breeze.
The views up here are big and stunning with big looks down into the great
couloir, onto the lho la, over to pumori and shishapangma and cho oyu, and
even deep into the valley where hillary and tenzing's everest basecamp lies.
As we descended the snow slope, conditions whited out and we had to feel our
way carefully along the ridge, but it was not that bad and all of us felt like
today was a great day out.
Especially for team member Laval St. Germain who slept in Camp 2 and walked to
camp 3. what a great effort!
On 8 may, our little party packed up the north col camp, then climbed back
down the north col in mild winds and some clouds and we made our way back down
to the advanced basecamp. Upon arrival we relaxed around the dining table and
had a sumptuous meal, then retreated to our tents for some well deserved r and
r.
On 9 may, we walked back down everest's stunning 24 kilometre long 'golden
highway' stopping at interim camp for tea and lunch, then continuing on down
to basecamp arriving in time to meet the summit climb north col climbers and
abc trekkers. We had a fun time hanging around with our combined team,
telling stories, jokes, and hearing tales of the drive in from lhasa and up
from Kathmandu, as part of the team flew into lhasa and the others drove
from Kathmandu.
On 10 may, 4 members of our little north col group set off in a landcruiser
to the 4100 metre village of shegar for an acclimatization rest. The north
col-abc trek group's yaks came and they packed up and headed up to interim
camp. We wish them well and hope they will have a great trip, they seem like
a nice group and it seems they will have a great time. One of their members,
Anthony Dokas, decided to return to Kathmandu and we wish him a good trip.
He will be missed!!! The latest talk has been about the weather, as its too
windy on the summit to climb everest now. However, we did see the larger
Chinese-Tibetan team leave bc today with around 30 people in their party.
That is good because they aim to fix the ropes to the summit in the next few
days!!!
Well, thanks for following our expeditions and treks. Take good care and all
of the best and wish us luck!!!!
Earlier: 6 May, 2010: Hi, this is Dan Mazur, the
leader of the SummitClimb Everest Tibet expedition calling in a dispatch on 6
May at about 8:00 p.m.
Wow, it's been a long day. I'm on the North Col with the team. Today David,
John, Jangbu, Lakpa, Elizabeth, Gordon, and Laval went up to camp 2 at about
7600 metres/25,000 feet to get acclimatized. It was a beautiful day,
especially in the morning, with no winds. There was lots of new snow, maybe
about 30 centimetres.
A big group of 20 sherpas broke the trail and pulled out the old ropes, so it
was super safe. This afternoon a big storm came in with a lot more snow and
wind, so they went back down to basecamp.
Now there's a second wave of us up here at the North Col with a lot of people.
I think there are 13 of us including sherpas and members. We're going to get
up really early and check the weather. Things are looking good. We're going to
try to head up to camp 2 for acclimatization.
I just called Asu, our Chinese leader, and the North Col and ABC trek teams
have arrived in basecamp today. They are getting settled in and will stay
there for 3-4 days to get used to the altitude, eat and drink well, do some
hikes, and then slowly work their way up the valley towards advanced basecamp.
So we're looking forward to seeing them.
I can't really think of anything else I should say right now. I'm kind of out
of breath. Wish us well. We're hoping for good weather. There have been a lot
of conflicting weather forecasts. We've been really checking the different
sources and forecasts carefully. Arnold Coster has also sent us a great
weather forecast, so we've been looking at that one. Thanks Arnold!
We're hoping we get a couple of days of good weather. That's all we need to
get up to camp 2, so wish us well and we'll talk to you soon. Bye
Earlier: Hi, this is Janet Bull reporting for the
SummitClimb Everest Tibet
expedition on Monday morning, May 3rd.
The team is back in ABC having come down from the North Col/camp 1 during a
wild snow storm yesterday. Up on the North Col the wind was gusting, which
means that several tents were ripped apart. One tent from another team
actually flew down to the bottom of the col.
This morning at ABC it is sunny and there is about 6-8 inches of new snow on
the ground. Early in the day the team was treated with a view of the moon
setting over the North Col. It was very beautiful.
Hopefully in a day or 2 we will again return to the North Col and pick up
where we left off, trying to progress to camp 2. Overall everyone is well.
Hi to all who are following our dispatches. Hopefully you are enjoying them.
Hi also to Ally and Brian. Have a good day!
Earlier: Hi, this is Nick Crosland
calling in for the Everest Tibet expedition from the North Col at 7000
metres/23,000 feet. Today is May 1st and it’s 8:00 p.m.
We have staggered the group
slightly because camp 2 can only have 6 tents at the current moment. We had 4
members come up to the North Col on the 29th, 6 on the 30th,
and the remaining 5 came up on the 1st.
The weather has been
excellent so far. We’ve had a little wind and snow. The route is slightly
different due to the avalanche and is more difficult, but seems easier because
it’s our 2nd time coming up here.
We’ve had one member make
it up to camp 2 on the 30th, Laval. Unfortunately, Eli, who had the
stove, wasn’t able to make it up, so Laval was a bit dehydrated and came back
down today. We had 2 more members go to camp 2 today and tomorrow 5 more will
go up. The remaining will go up the following day and hopefully sleep there a
day or 2 and hike up to camp 3, depending on how everyone feels.
The food here has been
excellent thanks to our awesome cook, Kipa Sherpa. We’ve had delicious
noodles, chicken and all kinds of tasty things that have kept up everyone’s
moral.
There have been lots of new
people up here at camp 1 from other teams, which is quite exciting. Thanks for
following along our expedition. Bye
Hi, this is Dan Mazur the
leader for the SummitClimb Everest Tibet expedition with a dispatch for the 29th
of April.
The team is all comfortable
in ABC. 4 members went up to the North Col to get a head start on
acclimatization trips to camp 2. Our sherpas have carried many loads up there.
We’ve got lots of oxygen, food, epi gas, stoves, equipment and everything up
there.
Things are looking good.
The weather’s been great. We had a little snow last night, but today the
weather has been really perfect. There’s not much wind. It’s warm and there
are a few puffy clouds.
We’d like to say best of
luck to Jesse Hall and Dan Marino who left our trip and we’re really going to
miss them. They are a couple of great guys and we’re sorry that they’re no
longer with us. They’ve gone back to Kathmandu.
In addition, we located
Lopsang, the Tibetan climber out on the glacier yesterday at 6200 metres and
he called Sweden to the summit climbers he was with on Everest in 2006 when he
froze his fingers. That was Martin Letzter and Olaf Sundström. They have
generously sent funds to Lopsang as kind of a summit bonus and also to show
their regret that he froze his fingers. So we passed Losang the very generous
amount of money that Martin and Olaf gave yesterday. We took some photos and,
as one of his Tibetan climbing colleagues said, it was Lopsang’s lucky day
yesterday.
We’re all up here resting
and hopefully all of us are going to go for the North Col tomorrow and on up
to camp 2. We’ll spend a couple of nights and get acclimatized. Our sherpas
have been working so hard and have really impressed the group we have this
year.
Our Chinese leader, Asu,
has gone down to Tingri. He’s going to meet the Nroth Col team and the Everest
ABC trekkers and slowly help them come up to basecamp, ABC, and on to the
North Col.
Another update we have is
the route to the North Col has been moved and climbs away from the original
spot where there was the tragedy a few days ago. Some ice fell down and there
was a horrible accident, so it’s really good that the Tibetan climbers have
moved the route.
Thanks for following our
expedition. Bye.
Earlier: 26 April, 2010: Today began with a lazy, but huge breakfast.
Then we checked email and hung out with friends from other teams and told
stories, then had a huge delicious lunch of fresh vegetables, potatoes, salad,
fresh meat, fresh fruit, cakes, tea, sprite, and coke.
After lunch our satphones and mobile phones began ringing wildly, and our
Sherpa Pasang, who has been with us in basecamp and was out visiting other bc
teams when he heard, stormed into camp with an announcement. Apparently there
was an accident today on the face of the North Col. An avalanche swept down
and may have torn out some ropes and may have killed one or more climbers.
There may have been sherpas involved in the accident as well. Oh my god, this
is horrible news. None of our team members were involved in the accident as
all are at basecamp. We are not sure if any of our Sherpas were involved in
the accident (God Forbid), but from what we heard, this unfortunate accident
occurred to a team from a different company. Our sincere condolences to the
team and its members and sherpas. We are very sorry to hear this and will be
going up the mountain tomorrow and will tell you more as soon as we find out.
25 April, 2010: Today the team rested in basecamp and it was Anzac day. We
payed tribute to the Australia New Zealand Army Corps, may God rest their
souls. Our team celebrated by toasting the Anzacs, singing songs, telling
stories, speaking loudly, gesticulating wildly, and visiting other teams with
members from Australia and New Zealand. Each afternoon of our rest period, big
billowy clouds from Nepal have poured over the top of Mount Everest, and it
looks quite stormy on the mountain. Some of our members stayed up late to
watch DVDs and craved popcorn. The wind has gusted from time to time, but no
snow has fallen on basecamp.
Earlier: 21 April, 2010: Hi this is a dispatch for the SummitClimb
Everest Tibet expedition. The time is 7:15 p.m., local Tibet time.
I'm calling you from the top of the North Col. The elevation is about 7000
metres/23,000 feet up here. The North Col is also known as the Chang La.
Today we got up and had breakfast made by our amazing cook up here on the
North Col, Kipa Sherpa. Everybody had kind of a rough first night up here at
7000 metres, which was to be expected. Then we kind of greeted the sun and
stretched our legs a bit.
It was really windy last night. We talked to ABC on the radio and heard it was
super windy down there. Our big dining tent was partially blown down. We need
to go look at that, but they were able to repair it, so that's good.
After a delicious lunch a group of members decided they were ready to go down
and that one night was enough for them. That was Roland, Sri and the 2
brothers led by our amazing Chinese guide, Asu.
A group of us hiked up towards camp 2 to check out the route. It was super
windy up there. It was really quite amazing conditions with the high winds and
we had to wear our down suits. Meanwhile, our sherpas who are with us strung
up a bunch of prayer flags all over the camp.
I just wanted to let you know that we're the only team up here on the North
Col. I don't know where everybody is, but we're the only team. Tomorrow we're
headed back down to ABC. Then we'll go back down to basecamp for a couple days
of well deserved rest after this acclimatization mission.
Everyone has done so well acclimatizing and we're really proud of them. Thanks
for listening to our dispatches and take care. Bye, bye.
Everest Tibet: 20 April, 2010
Hi, this is a dispatch for the SummitClimb Everest Tibet and North Col
expedition for the 19th and 20th of April.
On the 19th we had a big prayer ceremony with all of the sherpas, kitchen boys
and members in ABC. We strung up a bunch of prayer flags, burned incense and
made a cake shaped like Mount Everest, which we ate. There were 2 lamas that
did a lot of praying. We had a bunch of singing and dancing by the sherpas and
Tibetan kitchen boys. A lot of drinks were passed around like Coke, Sprite and
tea. Then we went to bed early.
We got up early on the morning of the 20th and hiked up to the North Col,
where I'm calling you from right now. It's at about 7000 metres/23,000 feet.
It was snowy and windy. Everybody is in their tents. We have our awesome cook
up here, Kipa Sherpa, who is cooking us food and filling our water bottles, so
we're comfortable here in our camp 1.
Carl didn't come up to the North Col. He's trying to shake a cold. Fiko went
down from the North Col. He figured it was high enough for him, so dropped a
load and went back down to ABC.
We'll update you tomorrow. Wish us all the best. Thank you very much. Bye,
bye.
Earlier: Everest Tibet: 16 April, 2010: Hi this is Tom Javrin calling in for the
SummitClimb North Col 2010 trip. I’m leaving my report now because I’m heading
down from ABC to basecamp.
I left the group about 6 days ago to do an accelerated acclimatization due to
me needing to get a flight home to the UK on the 18th. It was quite hard work
to acclimatize with 2 days in each camp.
Yesterday the goal was to get up to the North Col and back with Jimpa and
Thile, my 2 sherpas. We managed to do it, so that was a fantastic ending for
me on this trip and personally a really great achievement.
It’s been an amazing 2 ½ weeks for me. I’m going to be sad to go home, but I
am ready for some creature comforts. The other part of the trip that’s been
fantastic has been meeting the other members. They’re a great group of people
and they all deserve to get to whatever their objective might be, either the
North Col or the summit. I wish them a very safe climb. Thanks. Bye.
Earlier:
15 April, 2010:
Hi this is Dan calling for SummitClimb and SummitTrek. Today's date is the
15th of April and the time is 20 minutes past 11:00 a.m. Tibet time.
I'm calling you from interim basecamp at 5800 metres/19,000 feet. The weather
is very sunny, there is no wind and the temperature is around freezing.
Right now I'm sitting on top of a high rock moraine looking down at our camp
about 50 metres below me. I can see a lot of ice pilgrims, glacier all around
me and as I look out to the left, I can see some other interim camps and herds
of yaks working their way up towards advanced basecamp.
First of all, I wanted to mention that everyone in our team is okay. We heard
there was an earthquake about 250 kilometres to the northwest of us, perhaps
over on the Qinghai/Tibet border. We'd like to send our condolences to
everyone who was affected by the earthquake. We did not feel the effects of
the earthquake here. Everyone on our team is okay.
I'd like to just mention what we did on previous days as well.
On the 12th of April Alex Welles, our ABC trekking member left the team and
went back to Kathmandu and we miss him very much. It was great to have him
around. What an interesting person and he will be missed. We wish him all the
best in his journey back home.
On the 12th of April we walked up to interim basecamp. It took 4 hours for
some, but everyone arrived safely. We came to our comfortable camp among the
ice pilgrims at 5800 metres/19,000 feet and had a delicious dinner.
On the 13th we rested in interim basecamp. Some of us took some
acclimatization hikes around on the local ridges and explored the terrain.
It's gorgeous up here, especially with the dusting of new snow. We saw many
birds swarming around and watched herds of yaks walking by. It's quite a
picturesque area being high in these mountains on this amazing East Rongbuk
Glacier.
On the 14th, we took another rest day to get used to the high 5800
metres/19,000 feet elevation. Some of us wandered around amongst the moraine.
We explored a little bit towards the Far East Rongbuk. Our interim basecamp
was located right at the junction of the Far East Rongbuk Glacier and the East
Rongbuk Glacier.
This morning on the 15th, as I'm calling you, we're heading up towards
advanced basecamp. Most of our team is going. 1 or 2 of our members aren't
feeling quite so well, so are going to stay and rest in interim camp. The rest
of us are walking up towards advanced basecamp. It's a big day hiking along
the moraines of the East Rongbuk Glacier. We'll be taking our time. It
probably takes about 4-8 hours to walk up there, depending. The elevation up
there is quite high at 6400 metres/21,000 feet. We're looking forward to
reconnecting with one of our members, Tom Javrin and his 2 sherpas, Thile
Sherpa and Sano Jangbu Sherpa, and hearing how their progress is going trying
to reach the North Col.
Our team will be resting up in advanced basecamp for another 3-5 days. We'll
be practicing ice climbing and we may try to make an ascent on to the North
Col.
So wish us well and thanks for following our expedition at SummitClimb and
SummitTrek. This is Dan Mazur signing off. All of the best for now. Cheers.
Bye, bye.
Earlier:
Today we awoke early and after breakfast drove from Nyalam to Tingri. The road
is in very good condition and the visibility was clear so we could see a lot.
We crossed the 5000 metre/16,400 foot Yakri Shong La pass and saw lovely
unobstructed views of mount Shishapangma, 14th highest in the world and the
only 8000 metre peak located entirely in Tibet. Finally we have reached the
mighty Tibetan plateau and it showed all of its dry high elevation.
Surprisingly there is almost no road traffic, proving the point that Tibet is
still nearly closed. So we feel very fortunate to be here. Along the highway,
we saw two groups of native wild asses, and a pair of huge Tibetan cranes
wading in a pool near the road. This is such a rare siting of a bird that is
rapidly approaching extinction. As we zoomed along the smooth ribbon of tarmac
in our comfortable bus and land cruisers, donkey carts and Himalayan snow
pheasants scooted out of our way. Rounding a corner near Gutsuo town the
plateau spread her arms wide and luckily we saw mounts Cho
Oyu and Everest in all their glory. Everest stood proud over the highway and
we couldn't help but notice an enormous 5-10 kilometre wind plume screaming
from the summit. Finally we arrived in dusty and frontier like Tingri town at
noon, and we were assigned our rooms at the local inn. While awaiting lunch,
the members broke out a football (soccer ball) kindly purchased by David
O'Brien and challenged our sherpas to a football match. By the time the lunch
bell rang, the members had scored 1 goal and the sherpas 6!! At
lunch, we celebrated Gavin Vickers 40th birthday and Shri Lakshmi presented
him a pair of tiger embroidered cotton briefs and Gavin went back to his room
and much to everyone's dismay, modeled the briefs around the dining room.
Shocking!!
After lunch our sherpa team rang from basecamp to say that they and the two
trucks had arrived, but where was the truck with our Tibetan and Chinese staff
and all of the food and kitchen equipment being brought down from Lhasa? Our
sherpas were hungry! In the meantime us members back in Tingri met to work out
the schedule of the North Col members and ABC trekkers, then we met with the
basecamp translator in order to place our yak order.
Apparently we have been assigned 168 yaks. Our equipment is up in basecamp, so
lets get a few of those yaks moving towards advanced basecamp (ABC)! A bit
later in the day, our Tibetan convoy rang from Shegar to say that someone had
smashed their truck's windscreen during the night and they had to get a new
one sent over from Shigatse. Finally the Tibet convoy did reach basecamp at
9pm, so our Nepali sherpas and Tibetan and Chinese staff were at last united
and all is well. In the evening, after dinner, we walked up the hill above
Tingri town and enjoyed the view across the Tibetan plateau toward Everest and
Cho Oyu (now in cloud) from the impressive granite monument built to honour
Chomolungma Mount Everest. On the way down we strolled through Tingri's one
dusty street, and dodged barking dog packs to head for the Lhasa hotel and a
delicious cup of tea beside a warm sheep-dung
fired stove. Just another "normal" day in Tibet I guess!
Everest Tibet:
- Dan Mazur (leader) - US/UK
- David O'Brien (assistant leader) - UK
- Asu (assistant leader) - China
- Gavin Vickers (leader-in-training) -
Australia
- Ms. Elizabeth Tertil - Canada
- Ms. Janet Bull - USA
- Mark Delstanche - UK
- Carl Lindstrom - USA
- Thorbjørn Lundsgaard - Norway
- Laval St Germain - Canada
- John Kazanas - Australia
- Peter Kinloch - UK
- Dan Marino - Australia
- Fiko Karacic - Australia
- Gordon Hopper - UK
- Nick Crosland - USA
- Enriquez Rodriguez - USA
- Frank Irnich - Germany
- Jesse Hall (basic member) - USA
- Eli Hall (basic member) - USA
North Col Mar-Apr:
- Ms. Srilakshmi Sharma - UK
- Roland Svensson - Sweden
- Thomas Javrin - UK
ABC Trek Mar-Apr:
Everest Tibet Staff:
- Lhakpa Sherpa Lama
- Phurba Sherpa
- Ang Babu Sherpa
- Jangbu Sherpa
- Gyalje Sherpa
- Jangbu Sherpa (2)
- Dawa Jangbu Sherpa
- Kipa Sherpa - cook
- Samdien - cook
27 March, 2010
Several of us, Dan and
Enrique, met on the Cathay Pacific flight. We had an 8 hour layover in Hong
Kong. It was a beautiful cool day and we explored the peak tram, escalators,
zoo, and botanical garden.Then on the Dragon Air flight to Kathmandu, we ran
into Amer, so that was fun. We arrived in Kathmandu very late at night (11:30
pm).
29 March, 2010
Today we met with all of the leaders of Everest Glacier School, Everest
Basecamp trek, Everest Nepal climb, Everest Tibet climb, Lhotse climb, Cho Oyu
climb, North Col climb. We reviewed the medical equipment and supplies, and
all of the packing lists, we met the members as they arrived and have begun to
check their equipment. We had dinner together with the team. A very busy and
productive day.
30 March, 2010
Today we worked hard on
sat phones, walkie-talkies, med kits, high altitude food, and meeting with the
teams and leaders. Josette went to the ministry for the permit briefing. They
gave her a standing ovation, as she is the only woman leading an Everest
expedition this year. It rained hard before dinner. Nepal needs the rain. Hope
it does not interfere with our expedition's departure. Thanks for following
our news.
31 March, 2010
Today we had our
briefing for the Nepal Everest Lhotse expedition, and also for the Everest
View Glacier School and Everest Basecamp Trek. It looks like it will be a
brilliant team this year. It rained hard and long again this evening. So that
is very good for Nepal, cleaning up the air and putting more water in the
reservoirs, which have become alarmingly low.
1 April, 2010
Today all of our Nepal
side expeditions and treks went to the Ktm airport. The climbers were
successful and arrived in Lukla and trekked to Phakding.
The trekkers were turned
back due to technical problems with their plane. So they spent another night
in ktm. We had the briefing for our Tibet side expeditions and treks. Everyone
is very excited for the departure. We heard a rumour that we will receive the
permit and get our visas for Tibet on 2 April and be able to enter on 3 April.
We hope it is true. We spent the day packing, preparing, checking equipment,
etcetera. The weather is unusually hot and sunny at the moment.
2 April, 2010
The Nepal side trekkers flew out to Lukla again
this morning. This time they arrived. Yeah! Our Tibet side teams received
their permits and visas. Yay! So we will be going to Tibet in the morning.
What a relief. Today was an extremely busy day of packing and preparation. We
are really relieved to be going to Tibet and with a minimal delay, so we feel
very fortunate. Wish us luck! Thank you very much.
3 April, 2010
Greetings SummitClimbNews
readers. Thanks for following us! Today we met in the lobby of the Beijing
Hotel at 3am. We packed the trucks and buses carefully for our trip to Tibet
on the friendship highway. We swung past the Annapurna Hotel and picked up the
rest of our members and finished loading the bus. Then we began the long drive
to Kodari, reaching there around 11am. Fortunately the weather was good and
the road was in good shape. The countryside looked unusually dry, evidence of
Nepal's drought.
Our sherpas unloaded the
bus while the rest of us enjoyed a delicious breakfast in the Mount Kailash
hotel. Then all of us members, sherpas and local porters crossed the
friendship bridge border into Tibet, reloaded our stuff onto Tibetan trucks
and ourselves into Tibetan buses, jeeps and taxis and went up to Zhangmu town.
The road was under construction in places so this took a while. We had lunch
in Hotel Gange and stayed in the comfortable gange hotel in Zhangmu that
night.
4 April, 2010
Today we awoke very early in Tingri and had breakfast at Hotel Gange at 9am
Chinese time. Then we boarded our bus and jeeps and all of us members and
sherpas and trucks set off for Nyalam town. The weather was stunning and we
were treated to amazing views of the Bote Khosi gorge (grand canyon of the
friendship highway) with monstrous cliffs, lush hemlock and fur forests and
towering giant icy-rocky mountains high above our heads. Finally we reached
Nyalam around noon, and settled into the Snowland Hotel.
We had a delicious lunch at Snowland
restaurant. Some of the members decided to go for walks on the surrounding
hills. Everyone is excited to be in Tibet and we are wandering around the
village, enjoying the rugged open slopes and high snowy mountains looming
above.
In the afternoon, our expedition leader David
O'Brien met with Tashi, the hotel's owner and he suggested we move to a newer
and better hotel, so we did. The new hotel is also called Snowland and it's
very nice.
In the late afternoon, clouds rolled in and a
wind driven snow blizzard ensued and it was quite humbling, reminding all of
us how cold and stormy it can be in Tibet. The storm finally abated and we
went to Base Camp restaurant for dinner. After dinner, several of us sat
around the woodstove in the resaurant reminiscing about our good fortune in
being able to come to Tibet.
The expedition leaders met later in the
evening with our climbing sherpa leader Jangbu and we discussed plans and
progress. The leaders are Gavin, David, and Dan. Also around the dinner hour
our Chinese leader Asu called and we had a long discussion on the phone with
Asu and our Tibetan cook Samdien. They have loaded one truck with supplies in
Lhasa and are driving it down and plan to meet our sherpas in basecamp on the
6th of April, so that when the team members arrive in basecamp on the 8th,
everything will be fully setup. So, in its own very differently organised
Tibetan way, everything seems to be coming together
|
|
 |
A cold
weather, high altitude double boot for extreme conditions The Olympus
Mons is the perfect choice for 8000-meter peaks. This super lightweight
double boot has a PE thermal insulating inner boot that is coupled with
a thermo-reflective outer boot with an integrated gaiter. We used a
super insulating lightweight PE outsole to keep the weight down and the
TPU midsole is excellent for crampon compatibility and stability on
steep terrain. WEIGHT: 39.86 oz • 1130 g LAST: Olympus Mons
CONSTRUCTION: Inner: Slip lasted Outer: Board Lasted OUTER BOOT: Cordura®
upper lined with dual-density PE micro-cellular thermal insulating
closed cell foam and thermo-reflective aluminium facing/ Insulated
removable footbed/ Vibram® rubber rand
See more here. |
|
|
|
|
Send email to 
• Copyright© 1998-2005 EverestNews.com