Without
our sponsors, you wouldn't see this site, please visit our
sponsors.
Chilean
Women Everest 2001 Expedition
First
South American Women Expedition to Mount Everest
Four
Chilean women started an expedition to Mount Everest.
They are Vivianne Cuq (leader), Cristina Prieto,
Patricia Soto y Andrea Munoz. They are joined by three
high-altitude cameramen: Christian Cuq, Philippe Reuter
and Francisco Medina. The rest of expedition includes
one doctor, one producer and one professional cameraman
from Chilean National Television. Total: 10 persons,
all Chilean, except Philippe Reuter, who is from
France, but lives in Chile.
Update
4/15/01 A summary of the latest dispatch: We
arrived at camp 1 crossing the glacier of the Khumbu.
After 5 days of preparations, that consumed us, we
rose to eat breakfast and cross the Khumbu. This
glacier is everything we have heard. What I remember
is 800 meters of unevenness on a glacier that is in
this continuous movement, with innumerable cracks.
Sometimes we used aluminum ladders, as medieval bridge,
to cross constantly under seracs (ice towers) whose
balance is always in doubt and of course to overcome the
height carrying with us knapsacks of everything that
we need in Camp 1.
Vivianne
has been in base camp recovering from strong diarrhea,
but she participated in a meeting of the expedition
heads. Several of the climbers here are attempting
Lhotse. They occupy the same base camp (Everest). The
reason for the meeting was to coordinate and to put in
agreement several matters. In this meeting the
Russians stated that already they have placed 600
meters of fixed rope between 6400 and 7100
meters.
We
are also repairing equipment and completing medicine
kits in order to prepare to go to the camps above. We hope to
maintain relations with the other 20
expeditions...
We
plan to go to Camp 2 to spend 2-3 nights as part of our
program of acclimation. Francisco
Medina.
For
full dispatches in Spanish see there site here.
