Silvio Mondinelli: Annapurna 2005 Camp 2

Update: On Wednesday the sun accompanied us up to Camp II, where we spent the rest of the afternoon and the night.  The temperature was mild and the view truly incredible.  Before sunset we decided to undertake a reconnaissance mission so as to better understand which would be the best route to take the following morning.

Yesterday morning we decided to proceed with the ascent, even though some threatening clouds began to appear and the temperature had definitely changed for the worse.  We began to set ropes on the route which essentially is the same one that was opened in 1950 by the first French climbers.  Our choice was somewhat obligatory since the other routes are currently impossible with the current conditions on the face of the mountain.  We are looking at a route which is probably more technically simple than others, but which has been defined in any case as dangerous to undertake.

Having reached 6200 meters, we were forced to stop.  We had no more ropes with which to proceed.  Together with Mario and Christian I decided to spend another night at Camp II as a way to further acclimatize to the higher altitude.  Mario P. and Daniele returned to base camp.  It snowed until after midnight, but this morning the sky was clear, even though the wind never stopped blowing.  During the morning's descent to base camp our attention was on the ropes placed during the first ascent.  We need to decide which ones to remove so as to better utilize them higher up in order to reach 7100 meters, where we intend to set our Camp III in the next few days. 

At the lower altitudes the temperatures have begun to rise and there is a certain air of spring.  Unfortunately, the weather forecast is not very favorable at this time.  Another disturbance is predicted which will make it difficult until the early part of the coming week.   

Last night the people of Nepal celebrated the New Year, their 2062nd.  Happy New Year wishes to our cook and his helper and to all our Nepalese friends.  My wish is that the new year may bring back the peace and tranquility to a country currently made martyr by the incessant guerrilla fighting and the economic crises.   

Grano

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Background

Silvio will go to Annapurna around the 20 of March together with 4 Italian friends (Mario Merelli, Christian Gobbi, Daniele Bernasconi, Mario Panzeri). They will try on the North Face. After he will probably go with "Al filo de lo imposible" team to Nanga Parbat.

Silvio Mondinelli, (1958), Mountain Guide, Alagna Valsesia, Italy reached the Summit of Everest without Oxygen on the 23rd May 2001. Since then he has added Summits of G1, G2 and Dhaulagiri. Four SUMMITS OF 8000M PEAKS IN 2001 FOR SILVIO. Four 8000 meter peaks Summits in 2001 for Silvio. He is a rising star...

We covered Silvio Mondinelli on Autumn Annapurna 2002.

We covered Silvio Mondinelli on Winter Broad Peak.

In Spring of 2003 he was on Kangchenjunga.

Shishapangma 2003

Everest and K2 in Spring 2004.

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