Everest South Side Expedition
Miura Japanese Everest 2003 Expedition

April 15, 2003 Yuichiro and Gota Miura, Takes Off to the Everest Challenge! 

Yuichiro Miura (Age 70), whom well known Internationally by “The Man who skied down Mt. Everest” (1970) and also has skied down the highest peaks of the seven continents, and his second son Gota Miura (Age 33), the Japanese Free Style Ski (Mogul) Olympian for Lillehammer (’90) and Nagano (’94) Winter Games, have together departed Japan to challenge the world’s highest summit Mt. Everest (8,848m) this mid-March. They are scheduled to spend one month on the site for acclimatization and adjusting to the high altitude, and they plan to make summit attempt from early to mid May. If they succeed, two new World Records – The Oldest Man to Reach the Peak of Mt. Everest (Yuichiro at Age 70, current world record is 65) and The First Japanese Father & Son Summit – will be achieved.

There will be more than forty Everest expeditions are expected this season from around the world, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the First Summit by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. The Miura Expedition will take the Southeast Ridge route from Nepal side through South Col, the same route which Sir Hillary had taken. This is also the exact route that Yuichiro had skied down the Everest from 8,000m point in 1970. Yuichiro will again take this route with his son Gota to achieve the dream of conquering the summit of Mt. Everest, the dream he never achieved 33 years ago.

Along with the Miuras, Noriyuki Muraguchi (Age 46) will make the summit attempt and will carry Hi-vision (high definition) camera to video the official record of the expedition. Muraguchi, an alpinist and an alpine photographer who himself has two time experience of reaching the peak of Mt. Everest in 1998 and 2002, will also be in charge of the Logistics. Furthermore, physical data of the climbers as well as their progress in the Everest’s severe conditions will be closely monitored, and will be broadcasted on the internet using the satellite telecommunication system at the base camp (5300m). 

The oxygen concentration level at the summit of Mt. Everest is just one-third of the level ground. 

This challenge will involve not only an extremely low oxygen level but also extremely low temperature, dryness, wind gusts, deep snow, glacier walls, demanding exercise, and such severe conditions, creating a world that appear 20 year old as a 100 year old. In such inhumane conditions, 70-year-old Yuichiro and 33-year-old Gota’s every step to the summit and their physical conditions will be monitored and reported as much as the circumstances will permit. 

Monitored data will be as the follows:

1)      Environmental Data : Altitude, Temperature, Location

2)      Physical Data : Blood Oxygen Level (SPO2), Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, etc.

3)      Progress Data : Activity Plan, Diary, Photos, Videos.

■　Expedition Member’s List

Summit member                                  Role　　

Yuichiro Miura   (70)                  Expedition Leader　　

Gota Miura       (33)                  Expedition sub-leader

Noriyuki Muraguchi (46)                  Logistics　＆　Camera

Support member　（at Everest Base Camp）   Role               

Yuta Miura      (37)                  Communication & Networks

Kazuya Igarashi (43)                  Accounting & Equipment

Hironori Fujishima  (64)                  Food

Masaru Otaki       (60)                  Documentary Film direction

Yoko Yokota       (32)                  Medical 

Nepalese Member （total of 17）

Handling Agent：　Rolwaling Trek

Sirdar：　Lhakpa Tenzing Sherpa (64)

Climbing Sherpa：　Chhewang Nima Sherpa(37), Nurbu Sherpa (35), Pasang Kidar Sherpa(25), Fur Gyalzen Sherpa (28), Pemba Rita Sherpa (26), Ang Phuri Zalzen Sherpa(27), Nga Temba Sherpa, 8th time summiter, Danuru Sherpa(28), Penuri Shrpa (28), Nima Norbu Sherpa (26), Pemba Gyalzen Sherpa(31)

Others：　Cook 2 、Kitchen 3

Dispatches