IMG Mount Everest Expedition 2003
North Side (Tibet) Dispatch

IMG Everest - Tibet Update 11: Tuesday, May 6, 2003: Everest has been blasted, but IMG's Eureka! tents stand firm! We received an email from Craig John over the weekend, with a follow-up phone call last night our time, or Tuesday morning, Rongbuk time. The wind on Everest has been devastating, but IMG has fared better than about 95% of the other teams on the north side of the hill, no tents lost!

Craig says that the Sherpa team came down from ABC to BC over the weekend, having now put everything in place up high for the summit bids. This was just before the big winds hit, so who knows what remains in place at Camp 6. Winds were estimated in the, well, let's just say horribly high winds up there, triple digit speeds. Our 5th-Season Eureka! tent at Camp 5 is full of O2 bottles, so it's not going anywhere. The Eureka! tents at the North Col and ABC seem to be weathering the storm too. Not much relief anywhere, not even at Base Camp. After his dust-dry comment about "what a lovely day it is at Rongbuk" Craig noted that the team is staying busy by spending a lot of time redoing the guy lines on all the BC tents, wearing protective goggles and face masks all the while. We are one of the few teams that haven't had sleeping or group tents flattened even at Base Camp. "Stronger and longer than I've ever seen down here" was how Craig summed up the wind, and Craig's been there plenty of times, so he's seen that place at it's worst before.

Craig reports the nearby Spanish team lost all their BC tents in one "vicious gust." Everyone camped out "in the middle of the gravel pit" is having a pretty hard time, so Craig again appreciates the strategic location of IMG's Rongbuk base camp, tucked way up the valley and against the side of the hill, and the super performance we get from Eureka! tents year after year. He sees big dust storms brewing down the valley toward many of the other teams, but everyone is staying holed up and out of the constant grit blast, so there's not a lot of socializing taking place. With logistics in place for summit bids, Craig says spirits are high for the most part, despite the wind having a say with everyone. No one is moving an inch right now, and the current forecast is for more of the same for a few more days, at least. The plan is for all climbers and Sherpas to head back up to ABC on Friday, when the winds are predicted to diminish, with a summit bid possible by the 15th-16th of May. That's it for now. Eric Simonson

The expedition is organized by Eric Simonson IMG Expeditions Dispatches

Eric Simonson, veteran expedition leader, Everest Summiter, author and motivational speaker. To book Eric