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Presents Everest Autumn 2000 ! |
Dispatches
(3) 9/23/2000:
First
skiing of Davo
Davo
Karnicar tested the Everest snow for the first time.
He was skied about five hundred meters, starting at
Camp II.
Davo
Karnicar and Franc Oderlap have reached the Camp II on
6,490 m in seven hours and they have also spent the
night there. They are feeling O.K. In an unclouded
morning they went back to Camp I. They left the only
Slovenian tent, which is installed on the safe ledge
beside twelve Korean tents. Franc was going on foot
and photographing the south-western Everest and the
Lhotse face, while Davo tested the snow on Everest for
the first time, using the short, only one meter long,
Elan skis.
Doctor
Jurij Gorjanc, who was spending the night in Camp I,
set out for Camp II, where Matej Flis and Grega Lacen
will also spend this night. Today, three high-altitude
porters carried bottled oxygen to the Camp I and a
part of the equipment, including two additional tents,
to the Camp II.
Tomorrow
Tadey Golob who got completely well, and Urban Golob
will spend the night in Camp I and will set out for
Camp II the next day.
The
snow has to slip
Both
Korean and Slovenian expeditions are waiting for
Lhotse face to slip. In base camp, they were
feeling the consequences of the tonight's snow slip
and the glacier moving.
The
western Lhotse face under which the route to Everest
leads, is even better seen from the Camp II. The route
is still covered by snow. Until it slip, the climbing
from Camp III to Camp IV is a pure lottery. Koreans
has set out very carefully to Camp III today, they are
going to search for the route for couple of days.
When
Davo and Franc were returning over the Ice waterfall,
they had to improvise a little bit in the upper part,
because the seracs were pulled down and they ruined
four ladders, which were bound together. We found out
Yesterday evening that seracs and snow slips are very
unpredictable the snow wind coming from the snow slip
on Lo La has completely covered the base camp. During
the night also the big rock by the lake, from which we
are getting the water for the base camp, has
disappeared. The moving of the glacier pushed it into
the lake, which Andrey has been dancing on it only a
day before.
Congratulations
to golden Olympics from Everest
The
Slovenian alpinists and other members of the
expedition, some from the base camp, others from the
Camp I and Camp II are congratulating Slovenian
Olympic winners.
Dispatch
9/22/2000:
First
night at Camp II
Davo
Karnicar and Franc Oderlap today reached Camp II at an
altitude of 6,490m, where they plan to stay the night.
Doctor Jurij Gorjanc is staying at Camp I. The
remainder of the team is resting.
The
mountaineers today divided themselves into pairs of
two, to take turns working their way up the mountain. This morning, Davo
Karnicar and Frand Oderlap set out for Camp II. In the
morning our Sherpas installed two tents at an
altitude of 6,490m. They also partly equipped the
tents with food and other supplies. Our last contact
was at 5 p.m., Nepalese time. Davo and Franc are
feeling O.K., excited about the location, no headache
but great appetite. Davo reports that the Lhotse face
is covered with heaps of snow. We all hope that
avalanches will soon set off.
Doctor
Jurij Gorjanc will spend this night at Camp I. In a
good mood when he called us, he told us that he
ascended higher than the camp, to catch a view of the
South Col, Hillary's Step and Everest summit.
Tomorrow
Matej Flis and Grega Lacen will set out for Camp II,
to be followed by Urban Golob and Tadej Golob. Tadej
feels much better already.
Dispatch
9/21/2000:
Snow
forced mountaineers to return to BC
The
five mountaineers who yesterday slept at Camp I
(6,020m) today returned to base camp because of the
snow that fell during the night.
At
2 p.m., heavy snow began to fall on Camp I, only to
subside after 12 hours. Around 30cm of snow fell which
add considerably difficulty to the ascent to Camp II by covering many dangerous ice crevasses along
the way. Davo Karnicar, Franc Oderlap, Urban Golob,
Grega Lacen and Matej Flis therefore decided to
descend.
Bad
snowy weather continues also here at the base camp.
Dispatches (2)
9/20/2000:
First
night at 6,020m
The
major part of the expedition left for Camp I, where
they plan to stay the night and set for Camp II
tomorrow. One member who is ill stayed at base camp
together with the doctor.
At
5 a.m., five members of the expedition traversed the
Icefall for the second time; after a four hours' hike,
Camp I was reached. After an overnight stay at Camp I,
the team will proceed to Camp II, at around 6,400m.
Camp II was set up by four Sherpa assistants today.
They returned to the base camp the same day. The
leading Sherpa, Ang Dorje, went as far as Periche
(4,200m, one day's walk from the base camp), to handle
the keys to the tenants in his lodge. He is to join
the expedition on Friday or Saturday afternoon.
The
team reported (at 5 p.m., Nepalese time) snowing at
Camp I; by then, 5cm of new snow fell. We also had
snow at the base camp, yet it did not sustain.
Two
of the expedition climbers remained at Everest base
camp: doctor Juri Gorjanc and Tadej Golob, who
developed fever (38.2 d.C.) after the first ascent.
The fever has most likely resulted from the
dehydration which affected Tadej when descending
across the Icefall at mid-day sun. Today, Tadej's body
temperature fell again (37.6 d.C); Tadej and Jurij
hope that they will, in a day or two, join their
fellow climbers for the second acclimatisation tour,
however, they are well aware that recuperation at such
altitude often takes more time than under normal
conditions.
Expedition
soon to get a second pulse oximeter
Jurij
Gorjanc, the expedition doctor, today visited the
Italian scientific research centre at Lobuche
(5,005m), to borrow a second pulse oximeter.
Pulse
oximeter measures the saturation of blood with oxygen.
The Slovenian expedition has brought one such device,
which is now at Camp I, to soon be taken to Camp II.
Another pulse oximeter would be useful at the base
camp, among other things also for polling the trekkers
who keep coming by (more about them in the reports to
follow). We expect to get a second oximeter form an
improvised hospital - health station at Periche, which
is to begin to operate in October (the highest
trekking season). By then, the oximeter will serve the
Slovenians.
Dispatches (2)
9/19/2000:
Four
high-altitude porters today further equipped Camp I at
an altitude of 6,020m.
While
the Slovenian mountaineers took a day of rest, four
high-altitude porters carried supplies to Camp I:
600m of static rope, eight tents, 15 sleeping pads,
five gas burners, 40 gas holders, 20 snow anchors and
over 20 kilo(s) of food supplies.
Some
of this load will be transported to Camp II tomorrow.
Preparations
for a three-day stay on the mountain
The
mountaineers today painstakingly prepared all the gear
to be taken to the mountain; a three-day stay is
planned for the following days.
Tomorrow,
before dawn (at 5 a.m.), the Slovenian mountaineers
will cross the Icefall to reach Camp I, where an
overnight stay is planned. On Thursday they are to
continue for Camp II, and spend the night there.
Today, backpacks were prepared, containing medication,
food, energy bars, sleeping bags and other necessary
equipment. Davo examined the skis and prepared them
for transportation to Camp II.
Dispatches (2) 9/18/2000:
First
camp set up
After
the Sunday consecration of the expedition the first
camp at 6,020m was set up. The same day the
mountaineers returned to the base camp.
The
SI.MOBIL Extreme Ski Everest 2000 team was this Sunday
visited by a Buddhist lama from Pangboche, to
consecrate the expedition with a ceremony which lasted
one hour and a half.
On
Monday, seven Slovenian mountaineers and four Sherpa
assistants tackled the mountain for the first time.
Leaving the base camp at 5a.m., we ascended the famous
Icefall, the sliding and dangerous glacier with which
each expedition attempting Everest from the south side
meets.
The
bags were distributed evenly most of the well-acclimatized
Sherpas were thus already back to the valley when the
Slovenian mountaineers were still finding their way
between crevasses and seracs towards the plateau at
6,000m. From there, the first glimpse of Lhotse
(8,516m), Everest's right-side neighbor, was caught,
though the mountain is still covered by its western
ridge.
The
plateau now hosts one tent, which will in the
following days receive the first dwellers. After that,
the second camp will be fashioned, at an altitude of
around 6,500m.
Dental
treatment at base camp
As
soon as the expedition returned to the base camp, the
South Korean colleagues tackling Lhotse and Everest
offered tea and confectionery to the Slovenian
climbers. Urban Golob took something resembling
chocolate.
Soon
the coating of two of his teeth fell off; after lunch,
the expedition doctor Jurij Gorjanc, specializing in
surgery, fixed the coating again. Urban humbly hopes
that the fixing will sustain till the end of the
expedition.
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