Mt. Everest 2005: Waldemar Niclevicz: "Window", is there still hope?

05/24/2005

64th day of the 10 Years of Brazil on Everest Expedition

Base Camp (5,400m).

Dear Friends!

Finally we have information about the movement of the monsoon, humid winds that blow from the Bengali Gulf to the north, bringing abundant rain and causing floods in the Indian peninsula, many times causing thousands of deaths.

On the other hand, the summer monsoon is the big hope of alpinists to climb Everest.  Its propagation to the north ends moving a big mass of high pressure in its front, a phenomena that takes a "window of good weather" to the region of Everest, generally 3 to 4 days, but that can last up to two weeks, when the winds calm and the sky is dry and deep blue, before all the environment is hit by the storms of the monsoon.

According to the statistics of the Indian Meteorology Department - IMD, the monsoon starts its move over the Indian continent generally on June 1st, having a variation no more than seven days, but the are exceptions.  In the last 50 years, the earliest monsoon started on May 14, in 1960, and the latest started on June 18, 1972.

For this year, the IMD is forecasting the start of the movement of the monsoon over Indian territory for June 7, with an error of 3 days more or less.  From the moment that the monsoon starts its movement over India, it generally takes 12 to 15 days to affect the region of Everest and cause the "window of good weather", so we can conclude that this year the window will maybe occur just after June 18, a very late date for climbers, because the climbing permit given by the Government of Nepal is due on June 1st.

Because of the really atypical weather in this season, most of the expeditions will ask the Government of Nepal for a time extension for the climbing permit, extended to June 5, a date in which the SPCC (Sagarmatha Pollution Committee Control) starts to unmount the ladders and ropes on the Icefall.  So... we have to go now!

Well, today we got news from www.everestnews.com that the monsoon should arrive to the region of Everest on June 7th, and that just a week earlier, from June 1st to 7th, the window of good weather should happen.  I hope that's true!

We continue here, as patient as a Buddhist monk, waiting for the "window" to arrive and that the intensity of the wind diminishes, and, of course, counting with your support.

Today's beautiful picture was shot by Irivan in our previous climb, I am there entering the Valley of Silence, with the impressive Everest (to the left) and Lhotse (to the right).

A big hug,

Waldemar Niclevicz

Translated from Portuguese by Jorge Rivera

Altitech2: Digital Altimeter, Barometer, Compass and Thermometer. Time/Date/Alarms. Chronograph with 24 hour working range. Timer with stop, repeat and up function. Rotating Bezel. Leveling bubble. Carabiner latch. E.L. 3 second backlight. Water resistant. 4" x 2-1/4" x 3/4" 2 oz. Requires 1 CR2032 battery. 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