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December 16-31st,1998 Daily Reports
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News. For earlier reports: See the Site Index for a list of
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Daily News: 12/31/98 Report
- As we end 1998, EverestNews.com
would like to thank all of You
again that have assisted EverestNews.com in 1998. Frankly, EverestNews.com has exceeded
our
expectations of 1998. Our Goal in 1999 is to exceed Your expectations !!!
- Check out our New Site Index below !
It will be
changing in the next several days as we add all of the stories of 98 to the Index as time
permits.
- Your Input is welcome and needed for
EverestNews.com to continue
to move forward ! One somewhat simple issue we can't decide is whether or not to
move the Site Index (formerly the News index) below to
it's separate page or the leave it here on the News Page. The only reason to move it,
would be for this page to load faster. Please give us your input on this issue:
web@everestnews2004.com
- New Zealander Peter Hillary, son of Everest
conqueror Sir Edmund, and Australians Eric Phillips and Jon Muir,
have been hauling their sleds loaded with food since leaving Scott Base in Antarctica on 4
November. Their web site is http://www.iridium-icetrek.org/index.htm.
Check their News update.
- The CIA and Climbing: Many stories of the CIA using
climbers (and/or) their own people to install listening devices on
mountains in Nepal and the surrounding area have been published lately. Americans
Tom Frost and Jim McCarthy has been named. EverestNews.com would be very interested in
any information someone might have on these issues: submit to: web@everestnews2004.com A
reader of EverestNews.com pointed out that one article on CIA's actions can be found at
www.sunday-times.co.uk.
Once you've registered, just search for the Dec. 6 issue.
- News from Aconcagua: Aconcagua had his first victim
this season, last week a marine died over the normal route, he felt and died. Source,
mariano, www.aconcagua.net/index.html, the Official Home Page of Mt
Aconcagua. Several of the climber EverestNews.com will be covering on Everest Spring 99, are
at Aconcagua as we speak. So with mariano's help we will be keeping an eye on them ! This
death should also continue to point out to all of us how dangerous climbing is.
- EverestNews.com feature books are: Into Thin Air; The
Illustrated Edition Jon Krakauer / Hardcover / Published 1998 and World
Mountaineering : The World's Great Mountains by the World's Great Mountaineers --
Audrey Salkeld (Editor), Chris Bonington; Hardcover.
Daily News: 12/30/98 Report
- Autumn Everest 98: Sources have informed
EverestNews.com that Kazi Sherpa speed summit of Everest this Autumn is being questioned.
Kazi's
speed ascent is being challenged by a Japanese team that claims he produced a 5 year old
photo as evidence. It should be noted, that the tension and stress on the
expedition teams on Everest this autumn were at what could have been a all time
high.
It was apparent very early in Autumn Everest
98 that few people were to attempt the South Col, only 4 camps were at the rocky and
uneven base camp, two Japanese expeditions, one Spanish, and Kazi Sherpa expedition. The
Spanish team set their efforts to the mountain and on the way had a very tense number of
days as one of the sherpas was labeled a ”criminal” by the Japanese team.
Why? He touched one of their ladders on the ice fall which was a crime as
they wanted there own unique route through the ice fall and no one was permitted to go
near rope or ladder. This “crime” was taken so serious
that long meetings and a jury was set and it took the highest level of diplomacy
to cool things off. The result was two parallel route on the ice fall this autumn.
The weather was extremely bad all Autumn,
with no summits on the North Side of Everest. Only Carlos Pitarch Francisco reached the Summit of Everest
from the South Side this Autumn before
Kazi Sherpa attempt.
Now sources report to EverestNews.com
that the Japanese are questioning
Kazi Sherpa's summit. EverestNews.com suggests that Kazi Sherpa picture be submitted
to the proper labs to determine the age. In today
technology the age of a picture and it's negative should be able to be
determined to a degree of that should resolve this issue. Kazi Sherpa was at the
summit of Everest four times before Autumn Everest 98.
EverestNews.com has sent word to some of Kazi Sherpa's contacts but has
not heard back yet. Stay Tuned.
- Carlos Pitarch Francisco
used
a prayer flag that he removed from the summit and left his own on the
summit to prove his summit, that is NOT being questioned.
- EverestNews.com feature books are: Into Thin Air; The
Illustrated Edition Jon Krakauer / Hardcover / Published 1998 and World
Mountaineering : The World's Great Mountains by the World's Great Mountaineers --
Audrey Salkeld, Chris Bonington; Hardcover.
Daily News: 12/28/98 Report
- Everest Spring 99: Enrique Guallart-Furio.
As earlier reported, he will be attempting Everest in Spring 99. This will be the last of
his bid for the Seven Summits. His web page is http://ww2.encis.es/avent/
and also can be found on our 99 Everest
links page... We have also created also an Enrique
Guallart-Furio Page.
Enrique has posted
some very nice pictures on his site: Some are: http://ww2.encis.es/avent/ever/noticias/10nov02.jpg
http://ww2.encis.es/avent/ever/noticias/10nov03.jpg.
Note these take a long time to load. A internet
trick, is to right click on the link, and hit open into a window. In that way you can come
back to the picture or site when it is done loading.
Enrique's web site and work
is copyrighted, but you
will notice on his site, he will be one of the teams working with us to provide
reports and pictures from Everest. So you will see his work on the EverestNews.com
site and some of our information on his site. We are very happy to be working with
Enrique Guallart-Furio Page !!!
- Our web site of the week is:
http://www.aconcagua.net/index.html.
The Official Home Page of MOUNT ACONCAGUA !!! With many of the Everest Climbers
going to ACONCAGUA or other climbing sites in Argentina now ... this seems to fit.
Their site is very nice with facts, and much information about MT ACONCAGUA. A
couple of sites you might find interesting are: http://grajales.net/grajales/
and http://www.rudyparra.com/rudyparra/.
- Keep submitting those web sites to :
web@everestnews2004.com.
- EverestNews.com feature books are: Into Thin Air; The
Illustrated Edition Jon Krakauer / Hardcover / Published 1998 and World
Mountaineering : The World's Great Mountains by the World's Great Mountaineers --
Audrey Salkeld (Editor), Chris Bonington; Hardcover.
Daily News: 12/27/98 Report
- Asian-Trekking has two confirmed expeditions
to Everest in Spring 1999. The North Side (Tibet) expedition we has discussed
earlier, has Fred Barth, who was a member of the Russian Spring 98
expedition, as Deputy Leader of the Asian-Trekking's
Spring 1999 Expedition. Fred tells us that one
Sherpa will
be assigned per climber on this expedition. Fred tells us that is strictly an
unguided expedition.
- The 60-day "fix departure" All-Inclusive Expedition to Mt.
Everest ( 8,848 m ) Normal Route, Nepal Side now also appears to be confirmed but
EverestNews.com does not yet know who the leader of the expedition will be. We need to ask ! Their
web site can be found on EverestNews.com 99 Everest Links Page.
EverestNews.com assumes this is also an unguided expedition.
- More News on Autumn Everest 99 Next week !!!
- EverestNews.com feature books are: Into Thin Air; The
Illustrated Edition Jon Krakauer / Hardcover / Published 1998 and World
Mountaineering : The World's Great Mountains by the World's Great Mountaineers --
Audrey Salkeld, Chris Bonington; Hardcover
Audrey Salkeld and Chris Bonington were winners at the
Banff Mountain Book Festival. Some other titles from them include:
Chris
Bonington (Editor), et al / Paperback /
Published 1996
Audrey Salkeld, Jose Bermudez / Hardcover / Published
1994
The bookstore
site has an Everest Book page, two Mountaineering book pages, a K2
book page , an ice climbing page, a Mountaineers book page, a Nepal and a Dhaulagiri,
Aconcagua, Nanga Parbat. For Amazon UK, see our Sponsor page !
Daily News: 12/26/98 Report
- Next week who did reach the Summit of Everest in 1998 ???
- The CIA and Climbing: Many stories of the CIA using
climbers (and/or) their own people to install listening devices on
mountains have been published lately, including the famous CIA Nanda Devi story in many
newspapers in the UK recently. Tom Frost and Jim McCarthy were named. Rumors of some of
these devices being atomic powered !!! Be carefully what you step on !!! Any information
out there you would like to share with us ??? Submit to: web@everestnews2004.com
- Please support EverestNews.com
by purchasing through the
Sponsors on the EverestNews.com site.
Daily News: 12/25/98 Report
Merry Christmas from EverestNews.com
!!!
Daily News: 12/24/98 Report
- K2 2000: EverestNews.com understands from
Gary
Pfisterer & Ginette Harrison that they are actually planning to go to K2
in the summer of 2000. In 1999 they are going to Makalu in the
spring and Dhaulagiri in the fall !!!
- On the Lighter Side: Lucky Charms have
included a Mt. Everest marshmallow piece in their new promotion ... Lucky
Charms Around the World. Educational and fun for Lucky Charms lovers. Not
sure if these are in all the boxes, or if we were just Lucky !!!
- EverestNews.com feature books are: Into Thin Air; The
Illustrated Edition Jon Krakauer / Hardcover / Published 1998 and Postcards from the
Ledge : Collected Mountaineering Writings of Greg Child Greg Child, Joe Simpson /
Hardcover / Published 1998. Both are available for shipping within 24 hours !
The bookstore site has an Everest Book page, two Mountaineering
book pages, a K2 book page , an ice climbing page, a Mountaineers book page, a Nepal and a Dhaulagiri,
Aconcagua, Nanga Parbat. For Amazon UK, see our Sponsor page !
Daily News: 12/23/98 Report
- Everest Spring 98: A little more on the Fran story
planned write-up (see 12/22 below) to answer the many questions we have
received. EverestNews.com is working with an author who had a best seller on the New York
Times list for most of 1998. He also previously was a US Army Intelligence officer
! So EverestNews.com thinks he is the person for this job !!! We don't know the
form of how this story will be written up, yet. Meaning the story could turn into a book
or a "long" article. This is far from determined at this point. However, we know
this is a long extremely complex story of two persons deaths; at how Sergi tried to save
his wife (yes, he did try !); at how others were there; at how she lived a very long time
to die a horrible death; at how some misreported the news; and yes at how some lied to
cover up the facts. EverestNews.com will attempt to see that the facts are written. We
believe everyone should try to know their limitations. EverestNews.com is not prepared to be
the author of this story. Frankly, the story is complex for us to tell. So we picked
an author. As we said before, the truth will come out. We think Fran and Sergi would
want the truth told. The facts are in.
- Everest Spring 99: Pascal Debrouwer,
who is
joining with Joao Garcia again in 99 to lead an expedition of climbers to
Everest North side (see 12/7 News), Curriculum Vitae is below:
Curriculum Vitae
Pascal Debrouwer, 28 years old, from Hogne, Belgium.
Married, one child. Independent, organizer of mountain travel,
responsible of "Montagnes du Monde" in Belgium, speak French, English and Dutch.
Mountain :
- Many courses in Mont-Blanc massif.
- Cho-Oyu (8201m) in 92, summit on 7th May.
- Attempt on Dhaulagiri (8167m) in 94, Annapurna (8091m) in 96 (expedition leader of 8
people), Everest (8846m) in 97 (expedition leader, finally started alone, 2 times at
8200m), Everest in 98 (expedition leader of 9 people, 8300m).
- Expedition leader of Everest Spring 99 and Manaslu fall 99.
Practiced sports : kayak, diving, free fall, paragliding, mountain bike, swimming.
- Web site of the week is:
http://www.ing.puc.cl/~cseebach/Climbing/K2/index.html,
the first Chilean Ascent of K2 ! Four of these climbers were also successful on the ascent
of Everest Kangshung face in 1992. Seven Chilean climbers reached its summit on August 13
1996, climbing one of the hardest routes of K2.
Daily News: 12/22/98 Report
On 10/19/98 EverestNews.com posted the following Editorial
Comment:
- As those who follow EverestNews.com
knows, we offer few Editorial
Comments. We are the News, but there is a time and place for everything. EverestNews.com
has
received several requests for information on the deaths of Fran and Sergi on Everest in
the Spring of 1998. The best information today, is on the www.risk.ru
site. Many questions remain. We are working on several of those questions. We do not have
the answers today. We have spend thousands of hours on this story. Risk has spend
thousands of hours on this story. Yes, the truth is out there. EverestNews.com
and risk are
committed to bring you that truth. However, the truth takes time. We will not rush a story
out. This story is very complex. This is the most complex story we have been involved with
ever, far more complex than Everest 96. EverestNews.com has explained this story to Everest
climbers in order to get their help with this story. It took days for most to understand
it ! All the facts are not in at this time. Some climbers still will not talk. We hope we
can get those facts. It is going to take more time.
- When the facts are in, we will report them to you the best we can.
However, this forum nor EverestNews.com might not be the best place to tell this whole story
due to it's very complex nature. That is yet to be determined. But the News will be
reported here.
- On why other published stories have not corrected the story we do not
know. EverestNews.com has discussed this story with some, most tell us that they have doubts
about their first stories printed, but we have not seen correction to those stories. We
suggest you ask them on their activities.
- Again, the www.risk.ru site has spend thousands of
hours on their story. Read it, understand it, compare it to those stories initially
reported, and to the stories others have reported. Hopefully, the other questions will be
answered by the first of the year. With time the truth will come. We are close. But
then we have been close before. We must get it right ! EverestNews.com
EverestNews.com has now confirmed that Fran was not moved on the
24th, as many has reported, including a major mountaineering
publication in their December 1998 issue. Clearly the truth
must be told. EverestNews.com has decided that we will work with an experienced
author to put this extremely complex tale of truth and lies into a form we all can
understand. When everything is done, hopefully we will have made the right decisions. This
is a very sad story.
We would like to thank all who has helped in this effort,
and ask that You continue to help and be understanding as we pass the ball to publish the
truth as best it is known.
Daily News: 12/21/98 Report
- The Learning Channel (TLC) has started showing the
movie: The Greatest Mountain - Everest. The movie begins
with what appears to be an edited version of the "Mike Rheinberger" story.
The "Mike Rheinberger" story footage has been included in at least one
other movie on Everest. Then significant new footage is added. Eric Simonson is featured
in movie discussing Everest and the related events. They next list the movie to be shown
12/26/98 at 7:00PM EST. However, it appears to be showing other times also. Check your
local schedule. It will probably be shown over and over. A very good show ! Highly
recommended viewing for Everest fans !!!
- Into Thin Air; The
Illustrated Edition Jon Krakauer / Hardcover / Published 1998 is now Number
7 on the Amazon best sellers list. Several reviews of this new version on the book are
listed for ITA fans and anti-fans ! Enjoy !!!
Daily News: 12/20/98 Report
Ed Douglas, his new book
Chomolungma
Sings the Blues , is not published in the United States ! However, this was one of
the reasons for adding Amazon UK to our sponsor list,
along with requests from our UK readers of EverestNews.com !
- Ed Douglas:
-
- The writer, traveler and mountaineer Ed Douglas, 32, has been
climbing for seventeen years, starting on the gritstone edges of Derbyshire while still at
school. He studied English at Manchester University and in his final year there launched
the British rock climbing magazine On The Edge.
-
- After running OTE for three years, he worked in Istanbul on the
English language daily the Turkish Times arriving as an Editorial Assistant and leaving
after a year as Managing Editor before returning to work as a freelance journalist
specializing in adventure, mountain areas and their people, and environmental issues.
-
- In the last seven years he has written features and news for The
Guardian, The Observer, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent and the Independent on Sunday
and a range of national and specialist magazines both in Britain and abroad, including
Men's Health, Arena, New Scientist and Focus.
In 1993 he launched the international mountaineering journal Mountain Review and ghosted
Leo Dickinson's account of his ballooning trip over Everest, published by Jonathan Cape.
He has interviewed many well-known adventurers around the world and won the 1994 Outdoor
Writer's Guild Award for his profile of top rock climber Ron Fawcett.
Currently Associate Editor of Climber magazine and Editor of the Alpine Journal, he is a
member of the Alpine Club and Climbers' Club, and continues to climb to a reasonable
standard, in 1995 reaching the summit of Shivling, a 21,500ft mountain in India close to
the source of the Ganges. Other recent ascents include the North Face of Les Droites in
winter and the Gervasutti Pillar on Mont Blanc du Tacul. In 1997 he climbed on La Main de
Fatma, the sandstone towers of Mali, on the fringes of the Sahara. In the last year he has
traveled to Austria to interview Heinrich Harrer and to New York to interview David
Breashears, both for The Guardian. His most recent assignments were traveling
in
Kazakstan for The Observer and interviewing the Dalai Lama in India for The Guardian.
Ed Douglas was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship in 1995 to travel
around Everest in Nepal and Tibet and his account of that journey, Chomolungma Sings The
Blues, was published in November 1997 by Constable. Widely praised in the national and
specialist press, Katherine Whitehorn in The Observer called Douglas "a sparkling
writer with a great turn of phrase." In the Literary Review, David Craig described
him as a "first-class journalist whose interest in the Himalaya and its people enable
him to get in close." His biography of the mountaineer Alison Hargreaves, co-authored
with David Rose, will be published by Granta next year.
Ed Douglas lives in Sheffield with his wife, Katie, a science journalist, and their two
children, Rosa, 4, and Joe, 1. More on Ed and his new book Chomolungma Sings
the Blues Soon !
The Amazon UK page has been added ! You
will find some of the books you have been requesting on this page. They will accept your
credit card and will ship just about anywhere !
- EverestNews.com feature books are: Into Thin Air; The
Illustrated Edition Jon Krakauer / Hardcover / Published 1998 and Postcards from the
Ledge : Collected Mountaineering Writings of Greg Child Greg Child, Joe Simpson /
Hardcover / Published 1998. Both are available for shipping within 24 hours !
The bookstore site has an Everest Book page, two Mountaineering
book pages, a K2 book page , an ice climbing page, a Mountaineers book page, a Nepal and a Dhaulagiri,
Aconcagua, Nanga Parbat. For Amazon UK, see our Sponsor page !
Daily News: 12/19/98 Report
Below is our current Table of who we believe will be on
the South Side (Nepal) of Everest in Spring 1999. Enrique
Guallart-Furio, OTT Expedition,
Henry Todd's Group, Bernard Voyer, and the Czech Everest Expedition are all confirmed
to go.
OTT Expedition and Henry
Todd's group are commercial expeditions. Enrique Guallart-Furio,
and Bernard Voyer are basically climbers who
want to climb Everest.
The Czech
Everest Expedition is a national group of climbers who are showing very
successful results in their journeys so far. EverestNews.com assume there will be a few other
national teams on Everest South side in Spring 99.
Frankly, EverestNews.com
does not enough about George
Tumpach's group at this point to know if his group will be a Canadian national sponsored
team or some kind of hybrid expedition. But You can count on George to be colorful !!!
Asian
Trekking of course, is a large Nepal trekking company who is listed as an
confirmed expedition to the South side. However, we have no details on their South side
expedition at this time other than what is on their web site.
| South Side 99 Expeditions |
Page Description/Information |
| Enrique Guallart-Furio,
http://ww2.encis.es/avent/ever/ever.htm Also, the main web is
http://ww2.encis.es/avent/ |
Enrique Guallart-Furio |
| Himalayan Kingdoms Expeditions |
99 South Side Expedition |
| Henry Todd's Group |
99 South Side Expedition |
| Canadian Expedition |
George Tumpach Group, 99 South Side |
| Adventure International |
99 South Side Expedition |
| Asian Trekking |
99 South Side Expedition |
| OTT Expedition |
99 South Side Expedition ! |
| Bernard Voyer Everest Expedition |
99 South Side Expedition ! |
| Czech
Everest Expedition Yes it is in Czech ! Enjoy ! |
99 South Side Expedition ! |
- Yes our 99 Everest Links Page
has
been updated !
- Our News Index is evolving into a Site Index as
EverestNews.com continues to grow. You will notice the beginnings of the New Site Index on the
homepage. This site index is not complete as You can see. So far
the feedback is the readers prefer the site index to the old News Index
which is still on this News page below.
EverestNews.com
will soon interview Ed Douglas, on
his new book "Chomolungma Sings the Blues". We know some on You
have purchased the book. If you have questions for him, submit them to us (web@everestnews2004.com) , and we
will try to include them !
Ed Douglas, new Book "Chomolungma
Sings the Blues", is not published in the United States ! However, this was
one of the reasons for adding Amazon UK to our sponsor list,
along with requests from our UK readers of EverestNews.com !
Chomolungma
Sings the Blues ~ Dispatched in 2-3 days
- Ed Douglas / Hardcover / Published 1997 Our Price: £15.16 ~ You
Save: £3.79 (20%)
The Amazon UK page has been added ! You
will find some of the books you have been requesting on this page. They will accept your
credit card and will ship just about anywhere !
Daily News: 12/18/98 Report
Everest Spring 99: Henry Todd,
we
understand Henry is currently offering Everest (guided) and
Lhotse (unguided) for Spring 1999. Henry's web site can be found on our 99 Links page (it is not updated much). We have received
questions about Camp 5 Expeditions to Everest. As we
understand it, Camp 5 is not going to Everest in 1999, but is acting as a agent
for Henry Todd in the United States.
Everest Spring 99: Joao Garcia and Pascal
Debrouwer (see 12/7 News), we asked Joao and Pascal what kind of
climber they were looking for to join their Everest Spring North side 99 Expedition. In
what appears to be mainly a Classic (Hybrid?) expedition looking for a few others to join.
We were told a climber would probably need to have reached the summit of a couple 7000
meter peak and one 8000 meter peak to be accepted. However, they are also looking for
"climbers" looking to go to BC . More Soon on Joao Garcia and Pascal
Debrouwer.
Our web site of the week is:
http://www.attack.ru/FOCUS/Educat/Academy/k2/english/
Russian K2 Expedition: 1996, we must tell you this is one of our all time
favorites !!! This site can also be found at
http://www.risk.ru/k2/index.html.
The Togliatti team "Lada-Everest" also has web sites on their expeditions to
Nanga-Parbat '97 and Changabang '98 which can be found on the risk site ! Enjoy !
EverestNews.com
feature books are: Into Thin Air; The
Illustrated Edition Jon Krakauer / Hardcover / Published 1998 and Postcards from the
Ledge : Collected Mountaineering Writings of Greg Child Greg Child, Joe Simpson /
Hardcover / Published 1998. Both are available for shipping within 24 hours !
The bookstore site has an Everest Book page, two Mountaineering
book pages, a K2 book page , an ice climbing page, a Mountaineers book page, a Nepal and a Dhaulagiri,
Aconcagua, Nanga Parbat. For Amazon UK, see our Sponsor page !
Daily News: 12/17/98 Report
Everest Spring 99:
EverestNews.com plans on creating an individual "Fact Pages" for the
different
expeditions where known. The Fact Pages would attempt to list such items as
the members of the expedition, resume of the leader (and possibly guides), the Type of
Expedition, web site (if any), and other related information would be listed and updated
as possible.
Hans Kammerlander Update:
Hans
Kammerlander is a climber that other HA climbers has described to us as a "climber
in another league". We understand that Hans is doing better after
obtaining frostbite on his "successful" summit of Kangchenjunga this year (as we
reported earlier). He has Manaslu and K2 left to finish to obtain his
goal of all 14 8000 Meter Peaks. We hope to report on Hans
from K2 in 1999 !!!
Fausto De Stefani
who reportedly
reached the Summit of Xixabangma on 5/18/98 to complete his goal of all 14 8000 Meter
Peaks and become only the fifth man to do so, is stating that he did not reach the True
summit of Lhotse in 1997. The question is now: For a climber to claim all 14 8000 Meter
peaks, should the climber reach the high point of each. It would be seem to EverestNews.com
that this must be the case !!!. Therefore, Fausto De Stefani is being
removed from our list until he completes Lhotse. However, it should be noted that he has
been honest about what point he reached. There does not appear to be any shame here, just
an honest climber. Fausto De Stefani is remembered on Everest in 1991 where he came down
with a serious case of edema very high of Everest with cost him some body parts. He
reached the summit of Everest in 1996 !
These "problems" by climbers known
the best in the world, should be a warning for those that
might have you believe there are easy 8000 meter peaks !
EverestNews.com
updates it's site "live" due to Breaking News during coverage of the expeditions. Therefore if you see
things appear and disappear. You are not crazy. We are just at work ! Just refresh
or check back in a few minutes.
Also if you see items on a page that might look odd.
Well the internet, is not perfect yet as you know. For example EverestNews.com
Facts
page is Number One in the MSN search engine ! Which is
great ! However, this might cause confusion as it was not designed as a Homepage.
Therefore, we are adding items to some of these pages to direct new readers to our various
features.
EverestNews.com
welcomes Your feedback : web@everestnews2004.com
Daily News: 12/16/98 Report
Everest Spring 99:
EverestNews.com continues to receive questions and rumors on who will "do" the Khumbu
Icefall in Spring 99. EverestNews.com sources (two) asked the President and
the other executives members at NMA in this regard. EverestNews.com has been told :
"The
NMA is definitely not doing it ! ".
The Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) also was
rumored to be sending an expedition to Everest in Spring 99 which would "do" the
icefall. Our sources tell us that they are not going to do this.
EverestNews.com
has no reason to believe Henry
Todd will not "do" the Khumbu Icefall again in Spring 99.
Asian-Trekking has been doing the icefall in Autumn and it is assumed will continue to
do so. However, with that said, this agreement on "doing" the icefall seem loose
and in debate.
There has been stories that some Group of Sherpas from
Pangboche Village are trying to do this Job in the near future. We are currently looking
into this.
Henry Todd together with his agency in Nepal (Arun
Treks) has "done" the Icefall the last three years or so in the
Spring. Henry has come under criticism from some climbers over the years
because some climbers believe the pricing has been rather arbitrary, and the quality of
work done has been at times haphazard (anchors melt out and need to be replaced, ladders
added to bad spots, etc). It has been perceived as a fairly profitable opportunity.
The
safety record (deaths) has been excellent with Henry group in charge of the icefall
compared
with History.
Henry Todd is off running his current expedition but is
expected to return in a few days. So hopefully we can discuss this with Henry then !
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