Mt. Everest 2005: Czech Expedition to attempt the Hornbein Couloir: Rest Day

Like many expeditions they are using a Regional BGAN to send updates with a laptop

Update: Today is the rest day, which I mentioned in the beginning. We do the necessary: washing, laundry, food, reading of our email. Simon is also testing new communication software called Wavigo, it is able to connect you anywhere in the world anyplace you will be. We also watch the weather news, which is not great. But so far when they have forecasted snow, it arrived in the afternoon. So there is a chance we will be able to continue on the face and bring up more gear. We agreed on resting only one day.

In order to dry all the clothing, we have hung our laundry in the tents. But the weather is showing off, it is snowing already at 11 am and there is 15 cm of snow in BC. The plan of our drying laundry is off and all our stuff is frozen stiff. Kumar made sherpas' soup for the lunch and it contains anything he had available. It is so cold, that we put on our down suits. We will watch a movie at 3 pm. And we have chosen "Pulp Fiction". Under these conditions and with the weather here, watching this movie seems so surreal, but we all like the music. It has finally stopped snowing. "Eve" (Everest) is all white and BC is buried under the snow. It would be nonsense to plan what we do tomorrow, so we will see in the morning. Good night.

Dispatches

Millet One Sport Everest Boot  has made some minor changes by adding more Kevlar. USES Expeditions / High altitude / Mountaineering in extremely cold conditions / Isothermal to -75°F Gore-Tex® Top dry / Evazote Reinforcements with aramid threads. Avg. Weight: 5 lbs 13 oz Sizes: 5 - 14 DESCRIPTION Boot with semi-rigid shell and built-in Gore-Tex® gaiter reinforced by aramid threads, and removable inner slipper Automatic crampon attachment Non-compressive fastening Double zip, so easier to put on Microcellular midsole to increase insulation Removable inner slipper in aluminized alveolate Fiberglass and carbon footbed Cordura + Evazote upper Elasticated collar. Expedition footwear for mountaineering in conditions of extreme cold.  NOTE US SIZES LISTED. See more here.

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.

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