For older News go to the Mallory & Irvine 2000 Page.

• A private American expedition: www.everestcleanup.com   2000 Everest Environmental. 

A team of eight climbers and over 20 Sherpas will climb to Camp 4 on Everest this spring to attempt to bring down hundreds of discarded oxygen bottles and tons of trash left by other climbers in the past. Besides performing this necessary task the group will also attempt to summit Everest.

Members include Robert Chang, Expedition leader Robert Hoffman of Belmont, CA, (his fourth expedition to Everest), Deputy Expedition leader is Robert Boice of San Francisco. The expedition trek leader is Jamling Tenzing Norgay, the son of one of the first Everest summiteers, Tenzing Norgay. In addition, Sherman Bull, 62, of Stamford, CT, is a physician member. The lead Sherpa is Appa Sherpa.

Current Status:  April 25,2000 Well, we climbed to Camp 1 again a couple days ago with the intent to moving to Camp 2 and then 3 and then back to base Camp over a 9 day period, returning on May 1, then resting for 2-5 days and then go for the summit. 

Unfortunately we plan to stay down for a few days and let the weather blow thru and try all over again. It is like a bad dream sometimes but not that bad as I am getting faster each time in the icefall so we don't get caught in there mid day with house size ice chunks melting out and mashing us like acorns.

There are daily, morning and evening avalanches you mostly hear, sometimes see. You can tell the big ones when all the Sherpas come out and yell and cheer (kind of in awe) of the power of these things. Then there is a silence in contemplation to make sure no one was in the path of them. We saw one 2 days ago that came 200 meters within some climbers at about 18,700 feet in the icefall in an area called the football field, and you could tell they tried to go faster, they did not get hit, but could tell they needed new underwear.

Robert Chang, Expedition leader

EverestNews.com will feature dispatches from this American Expedition 

• Everest Spring 2000: Jagged Globe, Featured Expedition http://www.jagged-globe.co.uk/

EverestNews.com will feature full dispatches from Jagged Globe in Spring 2000. Jagged Globe was founded by Steve Bell. Steve has more than 20 years of mountaineering experience including winter ascents of the north faces of the Eiger and Matterhorn. He claims "Britain's first guided expedition to an 8,000m peak and was the first Briton to lead clients to the summit of Everest." He has climbed all of the continental summits and is a fully qualified UIAGM mountain guide.

This is another international team, comprising:  Jack Culley (UK), Joe Wolf (USA), Jeff Magee (UK), David Spencer (UK), Curt Peterson (USA), Timothy Gregg (USA) , Paul Giorgio (USA). Joe Wolf hopes to complete his 7 Summits and to be the oldest summiter this season - he's 61 in March!

Dispatch: The team acclimatizes at camp 2 and has a scare on the Lhotse Face. Hi again from the Jagged Globe Everest expedition base camp. In the last week we've had plenty of activity and a few exciting incidents. All expedition members and staff are well. 

On Thursday 20th April, the team was saddened to farewell one of our members, Jack Culley, who had decided to depart for home. Jack was a valued team member and we wish him an enjoyable and safe trip home. 

On the same day, the majority of the team headed up to camp 1, en route to camp 3 for an acclimatisation trip. The plan was to move on Friday to camp 2, rest for a day and then make the long climb to camp 3 for a taste of thin air. Deputy leader Tim Bird led the group to camp 1, whilst expedition leader Andrew Lock stayed in base camp to facilitate Jack's departure. 

On Friday 21st, the team trekked from camp 1 up the magnificent Western Cwm, surrounded by the towering walls of Nuptse, Lhotse and of course Everest, to establish camp 2 at the foot of Everest's steep south west face. Andrew joined the team by climbing direct from base camp to camp 2. 

An acclimatisation day at camp 2 was much appreciated by all, as were the continual hot drinks and meals served up by our Sherpa cooks, Ghombu and Ming Ma. Watching them melt chunks of ice from the surrounding seracs, one ponders the age of the liquid we are drinking. Camp 2 serves the purpose of an advance base camp and so is well stocked for prolonged stays by the expeditioners.

Easter Sunday saw the whole team, leaders, members and four Sherpas, make a 5.30am departure for the Lhotse face, the intention being to climb that day to camp 3 around 7300 meters. Strong winds and low temperatures took the fun out of the hour long journey to the base of the face. This year the Lhotse face is bare of snow and the climb to camp 3 is made over the exposed hard ice. 

Almost immediately, the mountain reminded us all of the potential dangers of climbing these big peaks. One of the team was only a short distance up the ropes when an anchor pulled and he slid over 10 meters down the ice. His fall was arrested by the snow at the base and two of our Sherpa team who were well positioned to assist. Whilst a nasty scare was the worst injury, we were faced with the need to re-fix the ropes on the lowest section of the face. 

The team returned to camp 2, to organize the rope and ice equipment for the following day. As luck would have it, the weather deteriorated that night and saw a heavy dump of snow. We decided to descend to base camp to allow the avalanche danger to pass and to rest for a couple of days in the thicker air. 

The weather remains a little fickle but the team are enjoying the base camp services of emails from home and the opportunity for a hot wash (albeit a quick one in the chill air). The team are in good health and anxious to continue the climb. Until next time, best wishes from base camp. 

Tim Bird, Deputy Expedition Leader 

• The Millennium Seven Summits Expedition lead by Gavin Bate and John Barry.  EverestNews.com will feature full dispatches and photos from this expedition. Please see below for information on them and their dispatches from Everest. The team of seven is made up of John Barry and Gavin Bate, Andy Salter, Polly Murray , Chris Tiso, George Barlow and Michele Santilhano. Gavin Bate http://adventurealternative.com

Dispatch: We've just come back from a big excursion on the mountain and we're now back in Base Camp, resting and relaxing. It's been a big adventure with no shortage of drama as well as, thankfully, success for our team.

We left Base Camp for Camp 1 again and made the now predictably exhausting ascent up the Icefall Route. Since we first went up there, it has changed quite a lot. Seracs have fallen, new ropes put in, snowfall has blanketed the blue ice and many of the ladders have buckled and bent. It's still incredibly exciting picking your way through the ice, though, a massive playground !

In the beginning we were so careful about crossing crevasses on the ladders. Now we just clip in to the rope with hardly a break in stride and walk straight across ( no more creeping across on all fours or, in some cases, flat on our stomachs !). Sometimes we run and take a jump, taking a quick glimpse of the yawing abyss descending into blackness below us.

At Camp 1 we settled into the tents and boiled up liquids. We need to consume at least eight pints a day to stay on form, so it's lots of soup and tea ! One of us has to rush out and collect bags of snow and ice to melt, making sure we avoid those areas were people take a pee ! (that's a really good way of leaving the hill with horrendous stomach cramps, doubled over like a question mark ). There is a narrow crevasse a few feet away which people use for a toilet by squatting astride the gap out in the open ( no pretence at privacy here ! ). The problem is that people don't always stick to the right place!

Anyway we all sleep well and we wake at 5am, to get ready to go up to Camp 2. I pop outside to use the crevasse and it is inhumanly cold ! It must be 20 below with wind chill. There is a unanimous decision to get deeper into the sleeping bag, turn over and wait for sun-up. It takes me at least an hour to feel vaguely warm.

The sun comes up and we realize our mistake. The route to Camp 2 up the Western Cwm is now a trek through the worlds biggest oven ! It is so hot and it is utterly shade less ! The heat beats into us from all directions, as it bounces off the snow. It is like walking into a wall. We are so slow ! Hours pass and the camp never seems to get any closer. What idiots we are to be out in such heat !. Never again will we do the midday trek up the Western Cwm.

CAMP 2

Our North Face 2 meter dome is such a welcome to see. We settle into our North Face VE-25 mountain tents and rest. We are now sleeping at 21,500' and it is very important to take it easy. This end of the Western Cwm is just stunning, an utterly incredible place to be. Down the valley we can see the whole Nuptse ridge on one side and on the other, rearing and towering directly above us where we are camped, the massive SW face of Everest. The summit is right there ! Following the skyline down from the summit is our route all the way to the South Col and then, following round to the head of the valley, dominating the entire top end of the Western Cwm is the Lhotse Face - the guts of 5000 feet of snow and ice going straight up - and almost half way up, just visible to the naked eye, a tiny huddle of tents in the middle of some ice cliffs - our Camp 3 !!

Going to Camp 3

We tried going up once but turned back after two hours right at the base of the Lhotse Face itself where the ropes start, because Polly had a mild chest infection and the freezing cold air was such an irritant that she coughed all the time. Back to Camp and more resting. Next morning we were up at 4am. The Sherpas start their climbing day with boiled pasta in hot milk which I'm afraid was beyond our Western stomachs ! We had porridge. .The Sherpas are going all the way to South Col to start putting gear in for us - super humans, they really are.  A couple of hours later and we're at the base of the Lhotse Face. It's just plain massive. John hands out instructions like mad as we check harnesses, knots, crampons, gulp liquid, snatch a mouth of chocolate. We're stamping feet and wind milling arms to keep warm. Above us, 2500 feet straight up!

The Lhotse Face

It's blue ice, it's high, it's never-ending and there's a storm coming in. We are using jumars and the first section is more or less front-pointing. Within minutes I am exhausted. I glance down at Andy and am glad to see he looks exactly the same - already tired ! Now it is just a matter of concentration on the ice and stamina to keep going.

But it is fantastic climbing ! Looking up I can see John hammering his front points into the cliff and the thousands of chips of ice shower down on me, blown violently into my face by the wind. I am wriggling my toes like mad and balling my hands one by one to stop the cold from eating into me. Then it's my turn - put a foot up, hammer it into the ice, check it's safe, put some weight on, haul up on the jumar and push up, place the next foot, and on and on like that. Every three steps everyone stops and gasps and gasps - from a distance we appear virtually stationery, tiny dots on vast face. Sometimes the angle is steep, sometimes not so steep; sometimes it is sheer blue ice, others times snow-covered - but all the time it is absolutely, totally and utterly exhausting ! John leads with Chris behind, then me, Andy, Polly and Michele. Each time I glance down I see Andy moving up towards me and swear - I need to carry on ! If he's resting, I can rest too ! We are too tired to talk, just a meeting of eyes is enough for us to communicate the same message - what a monster !

After six hours we get to Camp 3, a precarious perch at 23,500' - two tents pitched together right on an edge. About fifty feet away are some ruins of tents from other groups - hmmm, great. We all pile into one tent and sprawl all over each other. I am squatting in the porch sorting out rucksacks, crampons and so on, John has one stocking foot stuck in Andy's armpit because it's cold, Chris is passing round bottles of water, Polly unfortunately ) has to go to the toilet and Michele is still an hour down the slope.

Down The Slope

Now the wind really picks up and there is masses of spindrift. It is blowing a hoolie out there ! Michele eventually comes in, shattered, but we have little time. We have to get out of here and fast. Above the sound of the wind we suddenly hear this deep booming sound. It takes a moment to work out what it is - "That" says John, "is the wind going through the South Col". There can be no more frightening sound than that, I swear. Suddenly where we are and what we are doing is put into bleak perspective. This is Everest, no doubt about it !

One at a time we get ready to leave. I go first. No ! I have to go for a pee ! Flash freeze ! Chris crawls out as well and we help each other. I'm glad we're going down together. I'm shaking with cold.

Now we have nearly three thousand feet to go down - how to do it ? Easy. Face forward down the hill, wrap one arm round the rope and go as fast as you can without losing control ! At times we're jogging. panting madly, punching the crampons into the ice and thinking "what the heck am I doing?".

The wind is howling and all feeling in my face is gone. Icicles are hanging from my beard and the snot is freezing as it drips out of my nose. Despite the cold and the tiredness and the intense concentration, it is an amazing experience and utterly adrenalin-pumping ! Here we are, rushing face forward down the Lhotse Face on Everest in a storm ! It's incredible! Some parts my crampons slip on the ice but there's no stopping, except to clip our safety karabiner onto the next line. Sometimes, when it's just too steep, I put in the figure of eight and abseil down.

Chris is right behind me and we're shouting to each other - "Line clear !" - but we can't see each other, the visibility is so poor. Then Polly appears behind Chris and the three of us reach the bottom of the Lhotse Face. We've done it. Now we race back to Camp 2 as fast as possible.

Unfortunately Michele, who is coming down with John and Andy, takes a tumble just at the bottom of the Face on the way down and hurts her face. She's fine but the three of them come in about an hour later. Everyone is tired but pretty elated - we've made it to Camp 3 and we're all okay!

Next Move

Next day we motor down to Base Camp in quick time and pig out on fried eggs, chips and fried bread ! Forget all that rubbish about careful diets ! Your body tells you what you want - and we CRAVED a big fatty fried meal ! Next on the list was a can of San Miguel !

Then we dive into our shower tent - a large metal bucket of water on top of a kerosene heater and a jug. You stand naked on a  piece of karrimat and do the best you can ! We absolutely stink and our clothes reek - all part of the fun of a mountaineering expedition !

Now we're resting. It's snowing very heavily and we are worried about our tents at Camp 3 collapsing. Tomorrow we will probably go down the valley for another breath of rich air in Lobuje. We'll be gone for about three days. The next group of trekkers is coming up to visit us and they've got our order - Stilton cheese, haggis, thick cut orange marmalade, the Times newspaper, Yachting Monthly, Sambuca, Earl Grey Tea - the small luxuries in life that are so important !

So, we're all okay and our plan is as follows - weather dependant !!

We've just got our first weather forecast from Bracknell (Met Office) and it's not too great. The jet streams are still quite low and there are expected 80 knot winds.

We've just got our first weather forecast from Bracknell (Met Office) and it's not too great. The jet streams are still quite low and there are expected 80 knot winds at 24,000' on 28 April which means it will be difficult for the Sherpas to stock some of our high camps. To put it into perspective, our storm the other day was probably around 35 knots ! So, we'll just have

to wait and see. At the moment it's just nice to sleep a lot. Main conversations now revolve around the amount of food and drink we're going to consume when we get back to Kathmandu.

On behalf of the Everest team I would like to extend our thanks to all the messages of support from the many people who have sent emails. This may sound soft, but it really does make a difference to know that people out there are egging us on. Classic example - 9 year old David Alexander sent us a great little good luck message which was relayed to us at 22000 feet by radio, thanks very much ! Some people are saying why are we doing it - we're asking ourselves that all the time ! Hundreds of people are now on the emailing list and receiving these updates and the number is growing all the time. The website has had a 500% increase in hits in the last 3 weeks and we've been doing live radio interviews to Scotland, Northern Ireland and the World Service. Everybody here knows about us, the Brit team (with the South African on board) who are pushing to be one of the first on a summit attempt!

Finally, a word of thanks and very justly deserved. Our equipment, provided by The North Face and Rab, is proving excellent and the satellite communication equipment from Ships Electronic Services is fantastic. Comms at Base Camp is being run by Noel Bristow and Amanda Fry, and they are both quite invaluable to the expedition. Once we go to the top, it will be Noel and Amanda back here with their forecasts and sanity who will guide us on - letting us know how many hours of oxygen we have left and so on.

Back in Northern Ireland the staff of the New Millennium Company are in our thoughts - it IS time to make a difference and we're trying !! - and especially Brian Reid who is running our website and managing the emailing list ( you're a star and I do owe you and Rachel a holiday !), and lastly but absolutely not leastly? Greg at the 7 Summits office who is dealing with all the correspondence, emails, background logistics (and looking after my dog ! ).

Greg, everyone here salutes you and thanks you for our commitment - the unsung hero of our expedition ! We have all decided that we would like to have a picture of you on the website so everyone can see who's turning the cogs in the background ! Sorry this is such a long message but I hope you've enjoyed the continuing story of our small adventures on Everest. Our next move is to the summit - weather and God willing. We'll keep you posted.

Best regards Gavin 

• Everest Spring 2000: Byron Smith

Current Status: The snow that has been falling for the past few days broke today and the Sherpas on the Everest 2000 team plan to head up to Camp II Thursday morning to stock the upper camps for the summit push. 

For dispatches, video updates, background information, interactive maps and more on check his diary entry for more http://cbc.ca/everest2000/

• New Book ! For other new books see the end of this news page...

Lust for more Mallory & Irvine info? Get the Book: "The Mystery of Mallory & Irvine," by Tom Holzel & Audrey Salkeld, Pimlico/Random House (UK), The Mountaineers (USA) Available Now

• And Another

Left for Dead : My Journey Home from Everest by Beck Weathers, Stephen G. Michaud (Contributor) List Price: $24.95 Our Price: $17.47 You Save: $7.48 (30%) Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours.

Salon.com asked if we would post the following link for You our readers !

"Left for Dead: My Journey Home From Everest" by Beck Weathers: A member of Jon Krakauer's ill-fated Everest expedition gives his version of the spring '96 mountaintop disaster. Karyn Hunt Content Distribution Editor 

• Alan Hinkes reaches Oktang at Kangchenjunga

Alan Hinkes has reached Oktang around 4360 meters on Sunday, the 23rd April 2000. When he arrived here, Oktang was full of spring, flowers in bloom and birds singing every where; it had a warm climate as well reminding the feel of early summer.

By 1700 hrs of Sunday, however, weather turned violent, throughout whole night with storm and lightening that ran till 0600 hrs morning next day: the Monday. Snowfall also occurred whole night, of about 16 inches and suddenly it was winter in Oktang. Alan estimates that Base Camp may have about 18 inches of snow.

Alan is making his way through the Glacier, using the porters he had accompanied with right from Kathmandu. Alan thinks he will reach his Base camp in about a week time.

Reported by Bikrum Pandey, Kathmandu  / Nepal

• Another Interesting Expedition:

PROJECT NAME: Real Mera 6654 Expedition

the Correct link is now 

www.kuvalehdet.fi/realmera/index.htm 

For all the April 2000 News

For all the March 2000 News