Kari Kobler's Mount Everest 2002 Expedition
Kari Kobler

Kari Kobler is taking care of last minute details on location. The situation in Kathmandu has calmed down, the population, however, continues to be concerned since a great deal of their economy depends on Tourism.  October 2001 - The preparations for the second Mount Everest expedition and the fourth Shisha Pangma expedition are tackled. Following an intensive prep period, Kari flew to Kathmandu on March 26 to see to last minute details. Except certain financial issues and other small details everything had already been well organized by our Sirdar Dorjee -  the lessons and experiences learned during the first Everest expedition in 2000 have obviously paid off.

Since his arrival, Kari hasn't noticed any major changes in the city, except the airport which was secured by military posts as a reaction to the recent Maoist-led unrests. Nevertheless, politics is a daily topic in conversations, and among Nepalese there is at least some desire to see the monarchy return. 

Expeditions, particularly those to Everest, have to be planned with great care for detail in order to have the best chances to summit and to guarantee a safe return from the top of the world. The preparations span a wide array of tasks: mess tents to meet Kari's expectations, specifically manufactured in Pakistan from materials made in Switzerland; the ordering of oxygen equipment from the well known British guide Henry Todd - masks and regulators arrived only a day before departure after Kari had been stubbornly asking for them; the calculation of a meal plan for fourteen expedition members; the shopping of various products in Switzerland; the purchase of new chairs for the base camp mess tent (a sitting test promises truly comfortable dinners!); the double-check of compatibility of Nepalese gas tanks with Swiss gas heaters; and the compilation of lists of medications for the various camps. This second expedition to Everest is a clear challenge for Kari Kobler, as the organizational effort is daunting, and because even the smallest mistakes
could result in grave disadvantages. Kari will return to Switzerland following a meeting of international mountain guides in Kathmandu, and will begin guiding his clients from Zurich starting April 3. 

Dispatches