Mt. Everest 2005: Valencia DAVID WILL CLIMB DOWN TO RECOVER AT BC

The weather changes very quickly.  We were outside the tent watching how the Sherpas opened the trail from CIII to CIV, it is a great wall of very vertical ice where not much snow accumulates and the bluish ice can be seen.

Seven little dots can be seen moving slowly.  Some take ropes, others ice screws and stakes to fix them, they advance very fast.

But we can not see the way we'd like to, because the clouds go up and down, like curtains.

We got up quick and we enjoyed this marvelous spectacle than some of the highest mountains of the world can give. 

Last night the thermometer went down to -19ºC.  But in the tent and inside our sleeping bags it is not bad, the sun rises and we crave for oxygen, that is how we ended up on the moraine rocks having breakfast.

As I said in the beginning the weather changes very quickly and we have to look for shelter from a heavy snowfall inside a tent.

In a few minutes everything is white, it gets colder and there is little we can do.

We can hear seracs rumble, we can hear the snow fall, we are surrounded by clouds and they will decide the moment when we can see the walls that surround us again.   

To the right we have Nuptse, of almost 8,000 m.

In the front, the way to follow to CIII and up above the summit of Lhotse, one of the 14 peaks higher than 8,000 m.

To our left we have the roof of the world, our objective, it looks close, there are still 2,500 m. to go.  From here it will be another world in which we will be smaller and insignificant compared to these masses of rock and ice.

We leave behind the Valley of Silence, where the route that brought us here to CII crosses, and it is still snowing and the temperature goes up and down, it is not unusual to see people coughing and sneezing.

I say yes and I say no.

Here is the same, you asphyxiate from the heat that you get when you wear more layers than an onion.

Now it is cold, now it is hot, now put some ISDIN cream, now put on all the TRANGO clothing you have.  It is the same with feet, put on the LORPEN and then heat again.

Tomorrow the plans have a different form for each of us, Jorge and Haya leave to CIII, while David goes back to BC.

The truth is that David's throat is not good and to force it in these altitudes is not good.  Today we have been told that the Icefall couldn't be crossed because some blocks fell down, we will talk with the Sherpas to confirm that it is open again.  Haya and Jorge are showing their great generosity by offering me warm milk every night to heal my throat...  I will go down to BC.  One of the Sherpas will go with me, he had planned to go down from CIII to BC.  The Sherpas are in another orbit.

By now, at 18:20 we have -11ºC, it doesn't snow but we have been able to see some avalanches that luckily are not on our route, we are in the tent and we feel the cold in our hands, battered by the sun and the wind. 

Tomorrow I will call Haya and Jorge using Diego's phone, our Italian friend at BC. 

A little help for tomorrow would be ok for us. 

We will continue forward, we feel like telling you live how we climbed this huge Mountain.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Jorge Verdeguer	David Rosa
Juan José Haya	Endika Urtaran

This is their second expedition to Everest, this time via the South Face.  They have already tried the North Face in 2001. They will hire two Sherpas for the expedition.

Previous feats:

·         1996 Bolivian Andes, summit of Illimani, 6490 m and other 6.000 m. peaks.

·         1998 Cho-Oyu.  Jorge and Endika made it to the summit, 8.201 m. and David gave up just 700m. from the summit.

·         2.000 Manaslu (8.163m.), did not make it to the summit due to bad weather, first time in the Himalayas for Haya.

·         2.001 Everest North Face, Jorge reached the summit, 8.848m., David was 200m. down because of a malfunction of the oxygen equipment, and Endika around 500 m. below.

·         2.002 David, Jorge and Endika went to the Geographic North Pole after a trip of more than 20 days over frozen ocean.

·         2003 defeated by Nanga Parbat, just got to Camp II.

All the expeditions have been sponsored by Universidad Politécnica de Valencia.

Jorge Rivera

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.

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