Christine Boskoff -
Expedition Leader:
The only American woman alive to have reached the Summit of Four 8000 meter
peaks: Gasherbrum II-West Ridge(1999), Lhotse-West Face (1997), Cho
Oyu-West Face (1996), Broad Peak-West Rib (1995).
Only a few America men have reached more.
Peter
Habeler - Austria: Owner
and Director of the Alpinschule Mount Everest, President of the Austrian Alpine
Club, First man, along with
Reinhold Messner, to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen (1978).
8000 meter peaks: Kangchenjunga, Nanga Parbat, G-I (Hidden Peak), Cho Oyu
Dispatch: I
had a call from Christine Boskoff last night from Everest base camp. I
was pleasantly surprised to hear from her. She reports that the team
are doing well. She had spent the last few days resting at base camp.
It was early morning in
Nepal and they were getting their first "real" snow storm since
arriving at base camp.
Weather permitting, they will once again ascend to Camp III for another
night of acclimatization. She and Peter Habeler have both successfully
slept at Camp III. If
all goes well they hope to make their summit bid at the end of this week or
next. I know
everyone here will be keeping their fingers crossed!
Our Mountain
Madness guide, Ant Chapin, returned from Kathmandu last week having
completed the support trek with a dozen clients. From his report it
seems that the group had a great time trekking in towards the base camp with
six members actually spending some time at the base camp with the climbers.
Cary Craig notified me that Christine had reported her name incorrectly from
base camp and she hoped we could fix it so her friends would know that she
had made it. Well, Ant says she not only made it to base camp but in
great shape!
The support
trekkers have been a real asset to our team. Our first trek left the
US on March 21st. Two of our teammates, Lynn Snow and Brent Sullivan,
agreed to take a duffle of food and equipment to Kathmandu to support our
climbing team. On the third trip which left on Saturday, April 22,
Chip Kessler took a duffle with additional clothing for four of our Sherpas
and special foods for our climbers. We certainly appreciate all their
support. Our final group of support trekkers leave on April
27th.
In this group we
have one very special individual. Her name is Toni Lugger. She
actually signed up for the trip over two years ago. Nothing like goal
setting! She has been a terrific model for setting goals and achieving
her dream. She has visited her eleven year old son Nicolas' school,
Pompano Beach Middle School and Rickards Middle School to give presentations
about going after what you want in life regardless of your gender.
Everyone who knows Toni knows that going to Everest Base Camp has been a
life long dream. She lies in bed at night wondering what it will feel
like to finally accomplish her dream. She tells me she will feel like
a million bucks....No, much more! I feel certain that when Toni
reaches the base camp our climbing team will welcome her positive energy and
will appreciate the message she has delivered to the young folks in the US.
Good luck Toni!
Until we hear from
Christine....
Patty Flanagan
Mountain Madness, Inc
Gabriel Filippi
On the small yellow
tent with the foot of the large glacier, a message written with the hand: "
Return in five days " the Quebec mountaineer Gabriel Filippi, who came very
close to death this week on the mountain, left the base camp to go to rest at
lower altitude. Filippi must meet the doctors in the private clinic of Pheriche,
who will determine if he has recovered from the beginning of cerebral and
pulmonary edema encountered at camp 2 of Everest at 6500 meters. According to
doctors at base camp, Filippi is lucky to still be alive. He was in surprising
form, ready to leave BC with his large pack on his back. He coughed and had a
hollow voice, but he kept up is spirits.
Hi everyone, It has
been a little while. I am live an well and back at the BC. Here is the latest
update on the climb. Everything is going well but the weather has taken a turn
for the worse. I will send you more details and the rest of the diary in the
next day or two... Saeed
April 14, 15, 16 2000
Sagarmatha Base Camp (17600 feet ): The last three days at the BC have been rest
and recovery days. Since the weather pattern is very predictable these days, I
spent the first half of the days with washing, cleaning and catching up with
socializing with other expeditions at the base camp. The "Everest Clean
up" expedition camp is right next to my camp, "Mountain Madness"
is also near by. One of the major figures of the mountaineering world who
is back to Climb Sagarmatha after 22 years is the Austrian climber Peter
Habeler.
Peter has spent three months in Iran in 1964 training Iran's military personnel
in the mountains of north of Tehran. In many tea time conversations that I have
had with him, he has very good vivid memories of his fun time in Iran and he
holds a nice Persian Rug as his departure present that he said laughing "He
had a hard time paying the customs" when he entered Austria. Peter
climbed to the summit of Sagarmatha with Reinhold Messner in 1978 without the
use of Oxygen. When I asked him "What brings him back here again to climb
Sagarmatha?" He replied
"Just for the joy of mountaineering..."
April 17 2000
Sagarmatha Base Camp 17600 feet
Today I had an early
start at 6:30 AM to head for Camp I and As I approached the Ice Fall I noticed
some climbers and Sherpas where on their way back and shortly after I saw Jeff
Warden who had left about 15 minutes before me on his way back. The story was
that a couple of places in the Ice Fall had "fallen" and Sherpas where
repairing the broken ropes and ladders. I returned to my tent and since it was
an unexpected day off at BC and nothing was planned, started it with a big, long
breakfast with the rest of the folks at camp and the day continued with some
reading in the sun shine as well as resting outside listening to classical music
with Carlos Soria. Carlos wants to be the oldest man who has climbed Sagarmatha from
Spain. He has a youthful spirit and at 61 years of age amazingly strong
mountaineer! I wish that I will have half of his strength when I am at his age.
April 18 2000
Sagarmatha Base Camp to Camp I: With the news of Ice Fall's repair I
headed to Camp I bright and early as the day seemed to be as good of a day as
yesterday. My fingers and my toes felt cold as I stopped to put on my crampons
so I stopped and massaged my fingers to get the blood circulating in them. After
an hour and a half of going up the sun hit the ice. What a glorious moment!
The sun hitting the blue ice blocks are balanced on
top of each other makes this place as beautiful as it is. I had to take a couple
of photo and video stops on my way up. Although stopping in the Ice Fall is
against the rules I could not resist not capturing the moments... I was on top
of the last three length vertical ladder when it was time for my radio contact
with Jeff at BC. I got to camp shortly after the radio contact at 12:30 PM. The
weather was calm and the sun was playing hide and seek as she was making her way
towards Pumori peak to rest for the night. I quickly set up the stove in front
of the tent and started to make water for lunch, dinner and drinking. Drinking
at high altitude is one of the key factors of staying functional. Making water
and vegetable soup made the afternoon short and sun was about to rest behind Pumori
that I made to the sleeping bag to rest and get ready for the next day's
climb to Camp II at 21,100'...
April 19 2000 Camp I
to Camp II
I was up about 6:00 AM
and I stretched out of the sleeping bag to turn on the stove to melt the frozen
pot of water from yesterday. As the ice melted, the tent was warmer and more
encouraging to leave the sleeping bag. I prepared the breakfast and packed the
sleeping bag and the back pack but I did not leave the tent until the sun
crawled up behind the Lhotse and Nuptse, the two little sisters of Sagarmatha and
hit my tent. The flat area of Camp I is located in the beginning of the Western
CWM -- that leads to Lhotse face. By the time I was out of the tent I saw
the Sherpas who were carrying load to Camp II. I assured with them that
everything was ready in Camp II and started my way up the Western CWM. The
Western CWM starts with many ups and downs and small crevasses that can easily
be jumped. The CWM continues in a gradual and long ascent to the bottom of the Lhotse
face. Since the CWM is a valley it is hardly windy and it is known as the
frying pan! You enter white from one side and get out black from the other side.
After an hour en route to Camp II I ended up having pealed off all layers except
my under shirt and still feeling hot! After two hours I saw the camp in the
distance but somehow I had the feeling that I have another two hours to go. I
had passed 20,500' and I had only 600' vertical feet to go but the route was not
steep enough to gain the altitude. After a little while I reached the British
team who offered me the way to pass them but I did not have the strength to take
the offer and we started to talk. Camp 1 starts at
20,600' and ends at about 21,100'. Guess what? My camp was at 21,100'. I dragged
myself up another 500' and reached camp exhausted and overheated at about 12:30
PM. I was feeling the altitude very well. I will be spending the next 4 nights here to
adapt my body and force it to
produce more blood cells to compensate for the lack of Oxygen. Lhotse face was
very clear in front of me. Its steepness looked scary, but I was here at camp
II that is all I need to be worried about. I had passed our Camp II cook on the
route so there was no hot tea waiting for me. I saw Carlos my tent mate and he
asked me about the cook. All I knew I just wanted to lay down for an hour and I
did...
Saeed's
full
dispatches/pictures and more from
Nepal can be found at www.everestdream.com
Canadian Everest Expedition 2000:
Current Status: Above
Camp 1: "...We were watching their ascent through binoculars, the scene
being serene, when a huge avalanche released like a bomb. .."
Current Status: Byron
Smith and Tim Rippel and all the Sherpas on the Everest 2000 team are back at
Basecamp today. Nine Sherpas who were up at Camp 2 (in order to climb up to
stock Camp 4) had to come back down because of a change in the weather.
It snowed last night,
dropping 7-10 centimeters of snow on the mountain. The fresh snow and blowing
wind can create white out conditions on Everest. If the weather lets up, this
setback will only delay the summit push by a couple of days.
Today's diary entry is
from Saturday April 22, the day Tim and Byron climbed down from 7200 meters at
Camp 3 to the relative comforts of Basecamp.
For video updates,
background information, interactive maps and more on
check
his diary entry for more http://cbc.ca/everest2000/
Annapurna Spring 2000:
EverestNews.com will
follow the attempt on Annapurna of the "International Annapurna 2000
Expedition": We think
you will find these daily reports very interesting. Go to their site for the
pictures and dispatches in Spanish. Their
web site: www.interofer.es/annapurna2000
with reports in Spanish, Pictures and more !
These are
the objectives of the team formed by the Turk Ugur Uluocak,
the Basque Josu Feijoo, the Catalans: Jep Tapias, Joaquim Molins, and Xavier Arias,
Paschal Borja of Madrid, climber from Nepal Ang Phurba, Dawa Sherpa, Chuldim Sherpa
and Dawa Sherpa.
4/21/2000 A
huge avalanche has devastated part of the route to camps I & II.
Weather:
Sunny
during the day, snowing at night.
Expedition
Location: At Camp 1: Pujante, Ugur, Tapias, Paschal, Feijoo and
Arias. In Base Camp: Molins, Dawa and Phurba Chuldim.
Next
Objective: Climb to Camp 2 with Supplies
Dispatch:
Dr. Josep Antoni Pujante called via satellite from Camp 1 at 5000 meters. The
team made up of Ugur Uluocak, Borja Pascual and myself re-opened the route
between Camp 1 and Camp 2. The route had been blocked by continuing snow and
avalanches. Descending
to Camp 1 to sleep with "Team Two" composed of Jep Tapias, Feijoo
& Arias. They had spent the day reinforcing the fixed ropes between Base
Camp and Camp 1. Today, we were to have installed Camp 2 to sleep there.
However, during the middle of the night, an intense avalanche starting at 7500
meters blew through and dusted the platform where Camp 1 is located. It lasted a
few minutes. This morning, we prepared our loads for the Sherpas to
transport to Camp 2 made up of ropes, tents and food. Minutes
afterwards, when studying the route, we saw that the avalanche of the previous
night literally swept all but 400 meters of the route to Camp 2. This is the exact
route that we followed yesterday. The avalanche wiped out the route towards Camp
2. Immediately afterwards, as the expedition head, I had to order that neither Sherpas
nor the climbers accept the to risk and cancelled the plans for the day. I have
ordered the Sherpas to descend to the BC. The climbers, at the moment, are here
at Camp 1. The American expedition, led by Ed Viesturs, who also was in the Camp
1 and have
immense experience in the Himalayas, at sight of the circumstances, decided to
definitively abandon their ascent of Annapurna. The French military expedition,
did not climb to Camp 1 as was planned. We are therefore alone at Camp 1 and in good
conditions. As the route to Camp 2 has been destroyed and the atmospheric
conditions are not good, we will stay here a few days awaiting better
conditions. PATIENCE,
PRUDENCE AND TENACITY MUST BE UNITED IN ORDER TO ASCEND ANNAPURNA!!!
4/22/2000 "Team Two" Sleeps at
C
amp
2"
Weather:
Sun in the day and snow at night
Location
of Expedition: Camp 2: Xavier Arias, Borja Pascual and Ugur Uluocak.
Camp
I: Josep A. Pujante, Jep Tapias, Dawa and Phurba. Base
Camp: Joaquim Molins and Feijoo.
Next
Objective: Supply Camp 2 and study the route to Camp 3
Dispatch:
This
morning at 9:30AM Nepal time, five members of "Team Two" took
advantage of a slight improvement the weather. They ascended to Camp
2,
carrying tents, climbing equipment and food, without the support of Sherpas. The
intention was for three team members (Xavier Aryan, Paschal Borja and Ugur Uluocak) to spend the night at
Camp 2. They are acclimatizing and will study
the route to Camp 3
in the morning. "Team One" made up of Dr. Jose A. Pujante and Jep
Tapias are to head to BC to re-energize. If
this is not possible due to bad weather, they will stay at
Camp 1. Our
formidable team of Sherpas climbed today to Camp
1 with the intention to
climb to Camp 2 tomorrow to collaborate with the members of the expedition in
the establishment of this camp. At 14:15 (Nepal time), the weather at BC is not
very encouraging. A cloudy front coming from the west, originating in
the Valley of Lete, has blown into the base camp area of Annapurna. This
phenomenon has become habitual since our arrival to the Himalayas. The
storms unloading snow and the temperature descends. The combination of afternoon
snows and lower temperatures at night makes it enormously difficult for our
teams to make progress. This is due to the avalanches of accumulated snow
on our routes.
Joaquim
M. "Jake" Molins, from Annapurna BC
4/23/2000 Team member leaving
Dispatch: Feijoo will leave Annapurna base camp tomorrow to go to
Everest to fulfill his commitments as the head of the Basque expedition.
The expedition is looking to ascend to the ceiling of the world! He will take
advantage of the American expedition's trek led by Ed Viesturs to descend with
them until Kathmandu.
Today, the expedition sponsored by the Port of Barcelona has not emitted any
official notice from the base camp. This could be caused by a technical
problems in the mail server that we hope will be solved in the next hours.
4/24/2000 A storm whips the mountain.
Location
of Expedition: Seeking Refuge at Base Camp
Next
objective: Wait, wait, wait
Dispatch:
Annapurna
is being whipped by inclement weather since yesterday afternoon. After 14 hours
of uninterrupted snow, BC has been swallowed with almost half meter of snow.
The slopes of Annapurna, especially the North face's glacier (where the climbing
route is located) have been dangerously loaded with snow. With complete
certainty, the route could not be climbed for another three or four days
because of the avalanche danger. The mountain has disappeared before out eyes.
The visibility is little and the landscape presents/displays a monotony of the
thick whiteness that surrounds us. We see only snow and fog. The good news is
that the teams returned from Camp 1 and Camp 2 yesterday to BC. The team
climbing down from Camp 2 was surprised by the storm. If the two teams had not
descended yesterday, the climbers would have been in jeopardy because both of
the camps are now isolated. All the expeditionary members are, then, in the BC
and in perfect state. The North American expedition that already decided to
leave must now wait at the BC for the weather to improve. The French
military expedition decided today to not climb Annapurna. This was
communicated by their leader, Captain Thierry Bolo. The causes are
identical to those which motivated the American equipment led by Ed Viesturs. The
Expedition of the 50th anniversary will hope to resume the climbing activity
when time and prudence advise it. Both high camps are perfectly installed and
equipped. Meanwhile, it continues to snow. The snow is white, but the panorama
is black.
J. Pujante, Head
of the Port of Barcelona
Expedition.
EverestNews.com has added
a Spring 2000 Annapurna Page where EverestNews.com
will report News on this
expedition and other
Annapurna News.
