Mt. Everest 2005: Alpine Ascents Everest 2005: Our Sherpa team has reported very hard blue ice on the Lhotse Face

Update: Everest Base Camp
    
Hello friends, family and loved ones,

Ah, it’s been a glorious four days of rest and recuperation. We’ve enjoyed oxygen, good food and lots of sleep. Today was no exception; however, there is now a sense of urgency coursing through the team. We are in preparation mode because tonight we awaken at 2:30am for our second acclimatization climb. We took our last showers for a while and packed trail snacks into our rucksacks. Some of us repaired holy gloves while others sharpened our crampons. Our Sherpa team has reported very hard blue ice on the Lhotse Face so sharp spikes on our crampons will enable our boots to stick in the ice with less effort. “Less effort “ becomes very important when multiplied thousands of times. Most of us also tried to take care of last minute communications with calls and emails. We will be out touch while we are trying to push our bodies up to 23,000 ft. for the next week.

This is one cool team. Though we are quite diverse in age, occupation, nationality and gender, we have melded into a motivated yet caring team. This group has humor, hope and heart and that’s a wonderful combination. The weather has been cooperating and the report of coming winds will hopefully hold off until we have attained Camp 3. Keep sending the best wishes, we appreciate ‘em.

Thinking of you all,
Vern Tejas

Dispatches

Vern Tejas, Willi Prittie, Dave Morton, Jose Luis Peralvo, and Lakpa Rita Sherpa will lead the Alpine Ascent team on Everest this Spring. They will attempt the standard South East ridge route.

GUIDE STAFF (BIOS)
Lakpa Rita Sherpa Senior Guide & Sirdar	Vern Tejas Senior Guide	Willi Prittie Senior Guide
Dave Morton Senior Guide	Jose Luis Peralvo Senior Guide	Ellie Henke Base Camp Manager
CLIMBERS
Nigel Clark	Esther Colwill	Ron Farb
Kevin Grant	Cathy Groninger	Kent Groninger
Mostafa Mahmoud	Jeanne Stawiecki	Dianette Strange-Wells
Tony Van Marken	David Liano	Danielle Fisher

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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