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Presents Ski Everest Autumn 2000 !

Despite the bad, rainy weather, the Russian helicopter with the Russian pilot in the end managed to transport the SI.MOBIL Extreme Ski Everest 2000 team to Lukla, the starting point for the passage to the base camp and to Everest.

After two hours' uncertainty whether the helicopter would appear at all as the weather was so bad, the helicopter finally arrived, picked up ten members of the expedition, and rode towards Lukla.

From there, we continued towards Phagding (2,620m), a settlement of lodges where we will stay for the night. Today's trek was not a long one, yet it was nice to stretch the legs. Tomorrow we continue towards Namche Bazar.

In the capital town of Solo Khumbu, Sherpa's province, the last member of the expedition, Andrej Kmet, will join us, taking a helicopter from Kathmandu. Andrej waited for and finally awaited the lost equipment. The weather is still rather bad; most of the day cloudy with rain in the afternoon and evening.

The SI.MOBIL Extreme Ski Everest 2000 today arrived at Namche Bazar. All the cargo is also already at Siangboche, the helicopter landing-place above Namche Bazar. After five hours' gentle trek, ten members of the team today reached Namche Bazar (3,420m), the biggest settlement in the Solo Khumbu region. After it had drizzled throughout the walk, nasty fog lay over the town after we came to Namche Bazar.

Having settled at the lodge inappropriately named Panorama, we went to the Siangboche (lying 300m higher) to check the cargo; this also served as the first adjustment to thinner air at a higher altitude.Tomorrow, the expedition will stay at Namche Bazar to find porters for the rest of the journey towards the base camp, some five days' porter walk from Namche Bazar.

Dispatches