Mt. Everest 2005: Mountain Madness Expedition: High winds still prevail on top of Everest

Update: Dispatch #25 - May 16, 2005

High winds still prevail on top of Everest. Dean and Eric returned to base camp today from their two night stay in Lobuche. Now we will wait at base camp for the weather to improve. According to various weather reports the winds seem to diminish after the 19th. Our tentative plan is to climb to camp 2 on the 18th. Tomorrow we will prepare for our summit push. We plan to set up a mock-up of the "Hillary Step" at base camp, so our climbing team will know what to expect on summit day.


In addition our success depends on the dedication, strength and experience of our Sherpa team. We are fortunate to have such great friends!


Our Climbing Sherpa team is:
- Lhama Jungbu from the village of Kari Kola and has summited Everest 9 times. He has two sons.

- Mingma from the village of Kari Kola has summited Everest 4 times.

- Pasang from the village of Kari Kola has summited Everest 3 times. He has 1 daughter and two sons.

- Undi from the village of Kari Kola has summited Everest 2 times.

- Lakpa from the village of Namche has summited Everest 1 time. Lakpa is our Sirdar who is in charge of our Sherpa staff.

- "Super Mila" from the village of Kabra has summited camp 2 three times. He's our camp 2 cook, but also helps stock camp. He has three children. Mila always comes with a big smile on his face!

Over and out,
Christine

Dispatches

Since 1994, Mountain Madness has led 29 team members on successful expeditions to Everest's summit.  This year's Everest expedition will approach the mountain from the Normal Route--ascending through to the South Col from the Khumbu Glacier, and continuing to the summit via the Southeast ridge.

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.

   Ascenders

   Atlas snowshoes

   Atomic

   Big Agnes

   Black Diamond

   Brunton

   Carabiners

   Chaco

   Cloudveil

   Columbia
   CMI

   Crampons

   Edelweiss ropes
   Eureka Tents

   Exofficio

   FiveTen

   Featured

   FoxRiver

   Gregory

   Granite Gear

   Harnesses
   Headlamps

   Hestra
   Helmets

   Helly Hansen

   HighGear

   HornyToad
   Ice Axes

   Julbo

   Kavu Eyewear

   Katadyn

   Kelty

   Kong

   Lekisport

   Life is Good

   Lowa

   Lowe Alpine

   Lowepro

   Millet

   Motorola

   Mountain Hardwear

   Mountainsmith

   MSR

   Nalgene

   New England Ropes

   Nikwax

   Omega

   Osprey

   Outdoor Research
   Patagonia

   Pelican

   Petzl

   Prana

   Princeton Tec

   Primus

   Rope Bags

   Royal Robbins

   Salomon

   Scarpa

   Scott

   Seattle Sports

   Serius
   Sleeping Bags

   Sterling Rope

   Stubai

   Suunto

   Tents

   Teva

   Thermarest

   Trango

   Tool Logic

   Trekking Poles
   Yaktrax
   and more here