Everest 2003 North Side Expedition
Russian Adventure Team: Dispatch Index

Dispatch One: Russian Adventure Team is ready to start the trip: The last one for the road as Russians say. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch Two: Yesterday, April 1, 10 members of Russian Adventure team with their leader Alexander Abramov left Moscow for Katmandu. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch Three: "April,3 - divine city of Kathmandu awakens to the everyday hustle and bustle. We have breakfast and discuss our agenda. There are a lot of things to be done: equipment, foodstuffs, visas. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch Four: Alexander Abramov reports from Katmandu: Hello everybody. I am reporting directly from our hotel with a splendid view of night Katmandu. We have bought almost all foodstuffs. But it is problematic to find good lighters and matches. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch Five: Alexander Abramov reports :"April,6 at 8:15 a.m. the bus with our team and the truck with all our equipment left the Katmandu hotel for Chinese boarder. The road moves in zigzags: up and down. The whole Himalayan ridge stands on the horizon in all its grandeur: Xixapangma, Cho Oyu, Everest, Makalu, Lhotse. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch Six: Alexander Abramov reports: "April, 8. Morning in Nyalam. Looks like everybody is OK, though I heard some coughing at night. It is cold in the morning, -5C. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch Seven: We have a quick breakfast and off we go. We are in for a 5-hours drive. The trucks have to get over another pass. We stopped at Tashidzu village to wait for the second truck. In an hour we pressed on. After passing Rongbuk monastery, we saw Everest in all its beauty, though the clouds are coming, the weather is closing in. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch Eight: “April,12. The Day of Astronautics. This day began with arguing: what is more important for the society – space flights or Himalayan expeditions? The next topic was how many people die at altitude and why. This arguing resulted in our going to visit climbers’ cemetery. There are 6 Russians there already, all their plaques are on one and the same stone. Igor Tsarev reassured everyone saying that now at least it is clear where the plaque would be. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch Nine: Alexander Abramov reports from Everest ABC: "April, 14. The sun appeared in the morning. We started for ABC. Today everybody walked a bit slower, except Sergeev and Gudzhabidze. By the way, Alexander Sergeev is almost 67 years old, and his physical condition gives some ground to say that he can become the oldest person to climb Everest. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch Ten: "April, 15. Everybody slept well. It was snowing all night through, and the insides of the tents got covered with hoarfrost. Today we had the ABC opening ceremony. We put out the flags of Moscow and banners of our sponsors - "BASK" and "KANT"- and our team flag "Alpindustria Adventure Team". Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 11: Alexander Abramov reports: "April, 17. I had very heated debates with the Sherpas, trying to bring home to them that if they are paid they should work. But we managed to come to terms. They have carried the loads up - and that is the most important thing. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 12: We have two mysterious people in our team: Sergeev and Pashkov. As for Alexander Sergeev – you already know his secret – he is almost 67, fit as a fiddle and can possibly become the oldest person to climb Everest. As for Vyacheslav Pashkov, his secret is of completely different kind. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 13: "April, 20. This night witnessed 10cm of fresh snow. Today is Palm Sunday. May be that's why Chinese Central Television visited our BC at 12:00. They were trying to find out whether we knew anything at all about the Everest jubilee. And one of them was trying to prompt us from behind their cameras showing figure 50 to us. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 14: “April, 21. Looks like it’s better to climb high in the mountains then to sit in BC – there are more problems in BC. As a result of high altitude and pressure, Misha Litinsky has got an eye hemorrhage. He is partially blind now. We decided to send him to Moscow. But there is another problem: Misha lost his passport. Now he is sitting in BC, seeing next to nothing and can’t leave. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 15: “April 23. Hurray! Our oxygen – 48 bottles  - has been delivered. Today is the last day of rest. It was warm and sunny and Slava Pashkov took a sauna before going again to ABC. By the way, Slava is the secret of our expedition. About a month before expedition a guy called and said he’d like to join our Alpindustria Adventure Team to climb Everest. He was not a climber, but a keen hunter. My first reaction was to reject. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 16: The first team of four has already set Camp II at 7500m. We'll have radio connection with them at 6:00 p.m. The second party of four is now in a tent at the North Col (7000m). Tomorrow the team of three: Soifer, Moskalev, Litinskiy - is heading for the Col. Weather forecast is not very promising. So tomorrow we'll have an extra radio connection at 8 :00 a.m. to adjust our plans. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 17: Alexander Abramov reports: "30,April. I like Sherps and Nepal very much. But very likely I will become racist soon. We were planning the third ascent to the North Col. I gave sherps oxygen cylinders, 18kg (five oxygen cylinders) per man. It was an agreement that they should carry the load of 20kg to the North Col but suddenly sherps began to shake their heads. They did not want to carry 18kg per man only 11kg (three oxygen cylinders). Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 18: The situation is difficult. The Sherpas went down. Our activity is stopped.  Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 19: "2,May. Take counsel with your pillow; sleep on it! We were able to discuss and solve all the problems with sherps in the morning. We promised them to add some tips and they signed the agreement. They will go working to ABC tomorrow. There are many talks about new illness. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 20: "5,May. In the morning the jeep from the BC came and took Slava Pashkov, Sergey Larin and Dima Moskalev, they are our scouts. In the afternoon dust was rushing level with clouds and strong wind was blowing. It was at the height of 4100m. According to the information the kitchen tent had been torn and many tents in other camps had been crashed too. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 21: "7,May. Dima informed us that it was the problem with jeeps. We became worried that another expeditions would ascend to the summit but we would not. The liaison officer came with his helper on jeep and got us to the BC. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 22: May 8-11 reports Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 23: "13, May. Already as a month we have gone with yaks to ABC. I suppose you are tired of reading about the adventures of our walking between the BC and the camp at 7000m. Please be tolerant it is a classical expedition to Everest. None of the other expeditions have ascended above 7700m. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 24: "14 May. Slava Pashkov is depressed: "The hell with your mountains! I have got a lot of impression".  Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 25: "15, May. The weather is extraordinary this year. Sherpas told that such strong wind had been only one day last year. It is strange the sky is absolutely clean and it is impossible to ascend. The west wind is blowing now and soon will be southwest this means monsoon. There were years when nobody was able to ascend the summit. Perhaps the anniversary year is preparing us such gift.  Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 26: Have you ever seen the film "Groundhog Day"? Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 27: Abramov, Pushkarev, Tzarev and Kaimachnikov went from the ABC at about 12 o'clock. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 28: The crowd of people is ascending slowly for five, six steps in a minute it is too difficult to breath in... Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 29: "22 May. It is 3 o'clock now. We had been ascending all day yesterday and now we are staying at 8300m this camp is the last. What a wonderful view of Everest!  Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 30: Russian Summit attempt underway, in spite of bad weather forecasts by the Swiss and UK forecasts. It is unknown if this team is receiving those forecasts. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 31: Russian Adventure Team high on Everest in the storm. Check here for the full dispatch.

Dispatch 32: The banner of Alpindustria was set on the summit of Everest. Elagin and Gudjabidze ascended to the summit. Check here for the full dispatch.