Mt. Everest 2005: Waldemar Niclevicz: a lot of teams should leave Base camp around Thursday or Friday

05/09/2005

49th day of the 10 Years of Brazil on Everest Expedition

Base Camp (5,400m)

Anxiety increases!

Dear Friends! 

The week starts with the best of expectations and with and anxiety which increases by the moment.  Now the weather forecast scares us with the wind speed, which should easily be over 100 Km/h above 8 thousand meters of altitude, the blue sky and the sun seduce us and make us think that we will soon have a chance to get to the top of Everest.

Today is a spectacular day, with a completely blue sky and not a cloud in the sky, and now, by the end of the afternoon, it continues the same, now our weather station here on base is reporting winds of 26.3 Km/h, which makes us think that in higher altitudes the wind should be stronger.

We are accessing the Internet every moment, with the hope of getting a message that says "it's now".  And it is probable that our dream will come true by the end of the week, because the forecast for stronger winds stands until Thursday or Friday.

The plan is not to rush, to wait until we are certain that it is worth climbing, until it is really possible to make an attempt to reach the summit.  We can say that this way we are really in the hands of the weathermen, that the forecasts are then the best possible.  Each day we get new forecasts, I, personally, think that we would only have an attack plan after we get the information on Wednesday or Thursday.

Hope???  The hope is that the wind recedes, that the "jet stream" disappears, and that the humidity in the higher altitudes stays below 30%.  If the forecasts confirm that, a lot of teams, a lot of climbers, should leave base camp around Thursday or Friday, with the hope that in the next days they would finish climbing Everest, being sure of the success.

Let's hope with faith that the Flag of Brazil waves again on the Top of the World!!!

"10 Years of Brazil on Everest, 1995-2005"

Look at the wide angle picture of our base camp this morning, with Pumori (7,165m) in the background.  The day is very nice today, and remained the same all day long.  In the picture at the bottom, which I just shot now at 16h11, you can see the prayer flags being blown by the wind and the Icefall in the background, between the West Ridge of Everest (left) and Nuptse (right). 

Irivan and I count with your support now more than ever!

A hug.

Waldemar Niclevicz

Translated from Portuguese 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.

Altitude pre-
   acclimatization

   Ascenders

   Atlas snowshoes

   Black Diamond

   Botas

   Brunton

   Carabiners

   CaVa Climbing Shoes
   Clearance

   Clif Bar

   Cloudveil

   CMI

   Crampons

   Edelweiss ropes
   Eureka Tents

   Featured

   FoxRiver

   Garmin

   Granite Gear

   Harnesses
   Headlamps
   Helmets

   HighGear
   Ice Axes

   Kavu Eyewear

   Katadyn

   Kelty

   Kong

   Lekisport

   Lowepro

   Motorola

   Mountain Hardwear

   Mountainsmith

   MSR

   Nalgene

   New England Ropes

   Nikwax

   Omega

   Patagonia

   Pelican

   Petzl

   PowerBar

   Princeton Tec

   Prescription Glacier

   Glasses

   Primus

   Rope Bags

   Seattle Sports

   Serius
   Sleeping Bags

   Stubai

   Suunto

   Tents

   Thermarest

   Trango

   Tool Logic

   Trekking Poles
   Yaktrax
   and more here