Mt. Everest 2005: Valencia Avalanche details

Hello everybody, I suppose you are all totally recovered after the long weekend that pushed you away from us...

This morning our Sherpas have left Base Camp towards Camp II, with the plan to sleep there to install Camp IV tomorrow, if the weather permits.  But when they got to Camp I they had to help other climbers and Sherpas to dig out some tents that have been buried by an avalanche that fell at 5:30 h in the morning.

It looks like everybody was sleeping calmly in Camp I when an avalanche coming from the slopes of Everest that are close to Camp I has reached a big number of tents...

The first news we had came from the Iranian Sherpas, a neighboring camp.  It looks like 10 members of the Iranian team were sleeping in Camp I, but their tents are far away from the rest.  When the heard the noise and felt the tremor of the avalanche they left their tents (at that hour there is light that lets you see clearly), and they went to help the climbers buried in their tents.  Most of them could get out by their own means, except for a couple that had contusions of diverse gravity, so they needed help.

The Iranian group, leaded by the physician of the expedition, after having evaluated the wounded, have decided to continue their way to Camp II:

At that hour, numerous Sherpas and climbers finished the "unburying" tasks and search for the wounded, and have helped the most damaged to go down to Base Camp.  The last ones arrived by the middle of the afternoon.

By the morning and some minutes after we knew about the event, a Nepalese member of a national expedition went among the different camps with the intention to count the climbers that have spent the night in Camp I.

We were talking with the Sherpas that, when they come down from Camp IV they should unmount Camp I, because we only had one tent there and a little food, but the proximity to Camp II (2 hours up and one down), and to Base Camp (3 hours up and 2 down) make that camp an intermediate point that we only need in the first climb, to spend one night and get acclimatization in its 6,100 meters, before going up to Camp II.

Besides that, the day in Base Camp has gone with much normality.  David and Haya have used the morning to do material tests and I have gone with Irivan to the Russian Helicopter that crashed in 2003 to watch it and to try to pick some interesting pieces.

Irivan, as an engineer in love with machines, and me, crazy about helicopters, could not let the opportunity pass to get close to see the machine.  At the end we got what we wanted, and we have gone back happy to Base Camp.

Now, after lunch, a nap and reading for a while, we write the chronicle and we wait for the cook to call us for dinner because, like Endika would say, "we are all day being a fed".

Well, for today you've had enough.  Tomorrow we will try to tell nicer news, we even lie as crazy if needed, but I'm sure tomorrow will be a good day, and what can we say about the shining sun and the exhausting heat... If you can't believe it, wait until tomorrow..

Until tomorrow!

Translated from Spanish by 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.

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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