Mt. Everest 2007: SummitClimb Nepal Everest / Lhotse Update

Today is beautiful and sunny and we are going to sleep in pumori abc at 5650 metres. all 8 of our members are here now and are healthy, the only one missing is florin. we hope he will arrive soon. yesterday a lama walked here from pangboche and gave us a blessing ceremony. it was snowing and very windy during the ceremony, but luckily the sun came out at the end, so it was lucky. we seem to have a very large staff with one sherpa per climber. 3 of our sherpas climbed through the icefall and installed camp 1 today. we seem to be making good progress even though we have had a bit of snow and wind. more later, dan from summitclimb.com

Namaste: I suffered my first setback in Namche Bazaar when I came down with altitude sickness on our rest day. The sight of food caused my stomach to do turn flips. Dan Mazur, our trip leader, thinks this might have been caused by the two large pizzas Mark and I ate upon arrival in Namche. The end result is that I couldn�t eat for 1-1/2 days. I wasn�t too concerned because this is a common ailment at high altitude. Other than the stomach problem, I felt great�no headache, shortness of breath or any of the more serious problems caused by altitude. The trek from Namche (11,300 feet) to Pangboche (12,700 feet) was very difficult, with lots of ups and downs. Since I was climbing with no fuel in my tank, the trek was even more difficult for me. By the time I arrived in Pangboche, I felt much better with the additional time for acclimatization. Last night, I ate almost a full dinner. I had the best sleep of the trip, and woke up this morning feeling great. I almost have my full appetite back. As I type this report, I am eating a hot bowl of chicken soup, just like home.

Today, we attended a Puja, which is a Buddhist Prayer Ceremony, led by a Lama, which is a Buddhist Priest. It was very interesting. He was a kindly, elderly man with a friendly, warm demeanor and an easy laugh. When he asked the age of Mark and me, he laughed because he had to look up an appropriate prayer for person of our age. We each presented him with a scarf (with 500 rupees wrapped inside the scarf). He opened the scarf and let the money fall out. He then blessed the scarf, said a prayer and put the scarf around our neck. I checked this out before the trip with my retired and senior pastor (who is also a beloved friend), and he suggested some ideas that allowed me to honor this tradition, while at the same time respecting and honoring my faith. During the ceremony, I wore a cross that was given to my wife, Sharon, by my granddaughter, Bailey.

The children in these mountain villages are educated through grade 3, and they are trying to increase this to grade 6. There is a high school in Kunde, which is just above Namche Bazaar. Those children with relatives in Namche, and the means to finance an education, can attend this high school. There is only one hospital, which is in Kunde, which makes it difficult for the people in these villages to receive appropriate health care.

Today, we trek to Pheriche, which is an easy climb�only about 1-1/2 hours. In fact, the rest of the trek to Base Camp (5 more days) is a moderate climb.

Dan Mazur, Bill Burke and Mark Luscher flew to Lukla a few days ago and are currently acclimatizing in Namche Bazaar, 3445m, the capital of the Sherpa kingdom. They will trek to Pangboche, 3985m tomorrow. Over the next few days the rest of our expedition team will also fly to Lukla and start the trek to Everest/Lhotse Base Camp at 5400m. Philip Ling on behalf of Summitclimb.com

Dan Mazur who has reached the summit of 7 of the world's highest mountains, including Everest and K2, and has led and/or organized expeditions to more than 60 Himalayan, African, and South American peaks will return to Everest again in 2007. Below is some information on this Everest / Lhotse expeditions.

EVEREST - NEPAL The original first-ascent route. Places are still available in our 2007 expedition. Full Service price reduced to: $26,450. Expedition leader Dan Mazur. Leading Everest climbs since 1991. 29 March to 6 June, 2007 and 2008.

Often spelled: "Chomolangma", "Sagarmatha", "Qomolungma", "Chomolungma", "Qomolongma", "Chomolongma", "Qomolangma".

The most coveted peak in the world from the easiest route, with the highest chance of success.

When you see the high level of service we provide, as well as low budget options, you may agree that the cost is affordable, inexpensive, even cheap.

Daniel Mazur on the summit of Everest, after climbing it from the Nepal side. Don't forget to take off YOUR oxygen mask for the photo, when YOU reach the summit. Makalu and Kangchenjunga in the Backround. (Photo: Roman Giutashvili)

Arnold Coster from Rotterdam, our leader in advanced basecamp at 5600 metres (Roland Debare). Daniel Mazur, in Everest basecamp (J.C. Pratt) .Greg Mills, Murari Sharma, Dan Mazur, and Troy Chatwin at Everest basecamp in April 2004 (Murari Sharma). A meeting on the roof of our hotel, where we describe the plan of our expedition. The audience, our trekkers and climbers (Franck Pitula).

Ryan Waters on the summit, wearing one of our oxygen sets. Team member and Sherpa oxygen supplies cached in the storage tent in ABC. All of our oxygen is hand checked and the bottles, masks, hoses, and regulators are carefully matched. We guarantee 100 percent of our oxygen to work perfectly. Any oxygen bottles and equipment unused will be repurchased for 70 percent of what you payed. On the far right of the photo, you can see our hot water hand washing water reservoir and soap, where everyone washes their hands before each meal, in order to maintain good hygiene (Ryan Waters).

Descending the fixed lines from the summit. Most accidents occur on descent. Its a time for the utmost concentration and good hydration and nutrition. This is when you find out how fit you really are (Ryan Waters).

Introduction: Climb Everest (8,848 Metres)

Everest is perhaps the most coveted mountain in the world. The south (Nepalese) side is the route first climbed by Tenzing and Hillary in 1953, and the dates we have chosen feature the best weather of the year. Our proposed schedule allows for two potential summit attempts.

This expedition to Everest maximizes many years of accumulated wisdom of the high Himalaya, a strong record of reaching Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga, and many other 8,000 metre summits, along with an intimate knowledge of the Nepalese officials who regulate the permit system. We must also give credit to the highly experienced and hard-working climbing Sherpas, cooking and office staff.

Detailed Description

The trip begins in the ancient and colorful city of Kathmandu, and the staff will personally meet your flight at Tribhuvan airport. You stay in a comfortable, simple, clean hotel, and sample some of the tasty Nepalese, Tibetan and Western-Style cuisine, at minimal expense. During our free day in Kathmandu, we shall finalize arrangements, and take some time out for trinket hunting, with planned visits to explore the 17^th century splendors of the Monkey Temple, the Durbar Square and old Kings Palace, as well as the ancient city of Patan.

Early the following morning we fly to Lukla at 2860 metres., where we meet our yak drivers, and porters. If there is time, we will trek to Monjo (2652m), and spend the night. For our full-service members, the cost of this expedition includes one of the most beautiful treks in the world. For more information and photos, please visit our Everest trek site: Everest Trek.

Trekking in the Khumbu valley. Yaks carry our gear (Bob Rowe). Crossing a bridge under rhododendron forests. (DL Mazur) Our team in basecamp (DL Mazur).

We will continue our trek up to Namche Bazaar (3446m), the capital of the Sherpa Kingdom. Here we rest for a day to acclimate, then proceed up to Deboche (3757m) for a night, then to Lobuche (4930m), where we have another acclimatization day. Finally, we make the last trek to basecamp at 5300 metres. After resting, organising, and training in basecamp for a day, we will begin our climb. We start with a day hike through the awe inspiring Khumbu Icefall, followed by a trip to the plateau of the Western Cwm, for our first glimpse of Camp 1, at 5800 metres. We return to basecamp for a tasty dinner, prepared by our skilled cooks.

Anatoly Bukreev and Vladimir Balyberdin at basecamp. (DL Mazur). On the South Col of Everest (Gennady Kopieka)

Diane in the icefall (Dan Mazur). Tent lashed to its platform in camp 3 at 7200 metres (Dan Mazur)Climber in the Lhotse Face (Scott Darsney). Chris Shaw on the face at 8100 metres during an early summit attempt (Dan Mazur)

Climbing at 8400 metres above the Kangshung Face (DL Mazur).

Through the following weeks, we will climb up and down the mountain, exploring the route, establishing camps, and carefully and safely building our acclimatization level. From camp 1 at 6000 metres, the route traverses the flattish bottom of the Western Cwm, to 6200 metres where camp 2 is located. Camp three is on the head wall of the Lhotse face at about 7200 metres. The south Col, is the highest camp, and at 8000 metres it is a windy and cold place. We take our time, climbing up and down to acclimate, which gives us the best chance to ascend in safety and maximize our opportunity to reach the summit during the "weather windows" which generally open in May. The route to the summit winds through snow ice and rock fields, at a 10 to 50 degree angle. These slopes are not considered technical, but there is exposed rock here in the spring, and lines are often fixed. Fixed rope is often placed on the small vertical pitch of the 6 metre high Hillary step, and the summit lies directly above. Truly the most classic route on the world's most classic mountain. Welcome to our team!

Looking up at the summit from the south col. Climbing at 8400 metres above the Kangshung Face. Approaching the Hillary Step. Climbing on the Hillary Step (DL Mazur) .

The view from the summit, looking west to Cho Oyu, Shishapangma, Pumori, and many others (DL Mazur) .