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June
11-20th, 1999 Daily Reports
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News. For earlier reports: See the Site Index for a list of
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Daily News: 6/20/99 Report
Daily News: 6/19/99 Report
- Montagnes du Monde goes on without Pascal Debrouwer.
Montagnes du Mond is going to Manaslu this autumn. If well, Joao
Garcia will manage the organization. We know Pascal would be proud and would want it
this way. Good luck !.
More information on
Montagnes du Monde can be found on the classified pages and the Joao Garcia pages.
The agency Montagnes du Monde contact information is
Montagnes du Monde - Chemin du Parc, 161 B-5377 Hogne Tel/Fax : +32 (0)84
321602 m.d.m@skynet.be RCD 45494 TVA
688428202 GB 250-0107920-44 En collaboration avec Latitudes Lic A1764
Daily News: 6/18/99 Report
Daily News: 6/17/99 Report
- 1999 Spring Everest North Side: A brief description of
Summit day from Geoff Robb who reached
the Summit of Everest from the North side this spring on 5/27/99:
Summit day was virtually windless until we got to the summit
where there was a reasonable wind blowing. Just about everyone who summitted that day
started around 1am. Heading up towards the ridge line we left most others and it was just
a leapfrogging game with the 10 Tibetans and me and Karsang Sherpa. They went up the first
step first, but Karsang and I were lucky to get to the top of the 2nd step with no one in
front as the dawn was breaking. The sunrise was majestic. The Tibetans steamed past us on
the summit pyramid, and it seemed crowded on top as they took their endless group photos
in triumph. I spent 30min on top which was fully necessary to unfurl the Aussi flag, take
all the photos Karsang and I wanted to, and dodge the Tibetans.
About 25 min coming down from the summit I passed Ivan from
Ecuador who was doing an incredibly quick climb without oxygen. Similarly, after about
another 30 min Heber from Argentina was doing it well without oxygen. I managed to get
back to the North Col around 5.45pm but didn't have enough strength to get down to that
beer at ABC until 8.15am the next morning. Kind regards, Geoff
- 1999 K2:
Update
6/16/99:
WALDEMAR NICLEVICZ VIA SATELLITE BY IRIDIUM
Pakistan - Base-camp 5,220 m / Camp 1 6,100 m
Jun 16th 25th day of the expedition
We woke up at 2:00 am today and at 3:00 we were facing
the delicate Gasherbrum Glacial for the second time. It was very cold, 11
degrees centigrade below zero what made us walk quickly and at 6:30 am we arrived at
the equipment warehouse that we had made before. We went on enthusiastic opening path in a
hard snow up to a big amphitheater which left us in front of Gasherbrum and Hidden
Peak. In that place we set our Camp 2 at 6,100 m of altitude. Camp 1 is an enormous
amphitheater.
I have been amazed by the beauty of Gasherbrum massif. There
are 7 summits in a remarkable beauty.
I'm seeing all of them now, thanks to the nice weather. There is no cloud in the sky,
which is completely blue. We are all very excited. Our main difficulty is to find a path
in the labyrinth through the cracks. We don't go far from the tents avoiding falling
in one of these cracks. Later we went out for recognizing a way to Gasherbrum - Camp 2. We
found soft snow where we sank up to the knees. We arrived around 6,400m of altitude, then
we returned to our base-camp for some sleep.
I'm with Iridium phone but not with the notebook, so I
leave a photo of our last attempt where Abele Blanc and Pepe Garces appear in the
beginning of the most complicate part, on the way to camp 1. The summit in the centre is
Gasherbrum.
Photo 6/16/98
- Featured Books: World
Mountaineering: The World's Great Mountains by the World's Great Mountaineers --
Audrey Salkeld (Editor), Chris Bonington; Hardcover.
Into Thin Air; The
Illustrated Edition Jon Krakauer / Hardcover / Published 1998
- Kurt Diemberger
Omnibus : Summits & Secrets the Endless Knot Spirits of the Air by Kurt Diemberger
Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours. Hardcover - 858 pages
(March 1999) Mountaineers Books
Daily News: 6/16/99 Report
- 1999 Spring Everest: Our 1999
EverestNews.com Summit list is on the right shared border. The list is still very draft..
We would hope to "complete" the list in the next 30 days.
- Several "Questions" remain in 1999. One of the more
interesting questions is if Boris Korshunov made the Summit. Boris not only would be the
oldest climber to make the Summit of Everest, but Boris appears to have spent the night
above Camp 6 and lived ! Three climbers this year spent the night on Everest North Side
above Camp 6 and lived to tell about it.... Remarkable. Therefore, even if Boris did not
make the Summit, at 63 ? years young. He deserves a "medal", as one climber
stated, for apparently spending the night above Camp 6 after his oxygen ran out and making
it back down... Remarkable !
- Risk has some news on Boris
in their 6/1/99 report.
- EverestNews.com
is talking with several climbers on these
"other questions". We need to finish these interviews and draw what conclusions
are possible before posting those details. We are also waiting on others to report in...
Daily News: 6/15/99 Report
- 1999 K2:
Update
6/14/99:
WALDEMAR NICLEVICZ VIA SATELLITE BY IRIDIUM
Pakistan - Jun 14th Starting climbing up to
5,650 m and back to base-camp 23rd day of the expedition
Since the weather has been better, we started with immense
satisfaction to climb Gasherbrums. We went to 5,650 m, open a path on the South
Gasherbrum Glacier. It wasn't easy to get there, we suffered from warmth of the sun and
got very tired trying to find a safe path among blocks of ice and deep cracks, what we
call serac or ice fall. Abele, Pepe, Christian and I (Andrew stayed at base having some
rest) went joint by the rope all the time, what saved us of many falls in deep cracks. In
fact we faced true labyrinth, several times we were in a blind alley or in front of a
insurmountable crack (some of them 5m wide and 30m deep). We marked our path with
some red flags, what will help in our next lunge. It was very difficult because we were
the first ones to face the South Gasherbrum Glacial this year.
We went half way to camp 1. In this camp, that must be
placed at 6,100 m of altitude we'll do our attacks to both Gasherbrum and Hidden Peak.
We expect to end to climb these two mountains in 40 days, and then go on
to K2.
Falling in the cracks was practically unavoidable. The one
who was ahead suffered more, both by the effort to squash the soft snow and by the
frighten to see the legs loosen in an abysm very deep. (We sank in the crack up to
the waist, because we were always alert in order to stop the fellow's fall with the rope.
So, each 30 minutes one of us went to the point of the rope. My friend Abele Blanc was the
most enthusiastic by starting the climb, so I leave you a photo where he appears among the
ice blocks of the ice fall.
Photo 6/14/98
- More to follow
Photo 6/4/98 ***
Photo 6/7/98
Photo 6/8/98
Photo 6/13/98***
*** Staff Favorites: "Real Life"
Daily News: 6/14/99 Report
- 1999 K2:
Update
6/10/99:
WALDEMAR NICLEVICZ VIA SATELLITE BY IRIDIUM
Pakistan, Urdukas 4010 m / Gore 4345 m Jun 10th 1999 - 19th day of the expedition
The weather has changed drastically. In the morning there
was a strong mist and it has snowed all day long. We arrived in Gore with no problems but
we have no idea how the way will be. The temperature was 30 degrees centigrade and
fell to 5 degrees centigrade. It happened because we are walking on Baltoro Glacier. I
keep leaving little messages by Iridium Phone and from two days on (when we are likely to
arrive at Gasherbrum base-camp) I'll set my solar energy equipment and charge my notebook
battery so I'll update K2 online as usual. I'll send news and photos from Gasherbrum
base-camp.
Update 6/11/99:
WALDEMAR NICLEVICZ VIA SATELLITE BY IRIDIUM
Pakistan, Gore 4345 m / Concσrdia 4720 m
Jun 11th 1999 - 20th day of the expedition
Last night there was a strong storm on our camp. It snowed
more than 20 cm. The wind stopped around 10:00 am and we decided to go back to our
walking. After midday the snowed kept falling uninterruptedly. We couldn't find
the steps on the path so we had to look for them sinking in the snow. We hope this
snow diminishes so that we can arrive at Gasherbrum base-camp tomorrow. I'm sending this
message by Iridium phone and I hope to be able to operate K2 online as usual tomorrow with
all the communication equipment charged, sending photos as well.
Update 6/12/99:
WALDEMAR NICLEVICZ VIA SATELLITE BY IRIDIUM
Pakistan, Concσrdia 4720 m/ Gasherbrum base-camp 5220m
Jun 12th 1999. 21st day of the expedition
It's a pleasure to inform you that today we arrived at
Gasherbrum base-camp. After 105-km walking we are at the base of the first two mountains
that we are going to face this year: Gasherbrum and Hidden Peak
There was a violent storm yesterday so it was hard to
open a path on a soft snow today from Concσrdia to here. As our expedition is the first
one this year, the path was completely hidden by snow. We decided to set our camp
100 higher than the usual place, trying to avoid other expedition's noises, that
must arrive in the next weeks.
I leave you a photo of our walking, where there are some
courageous balti porters facing the snow to arrive at base-camp. (Note the photos should be
posted soon.)
Update 6/13/99:
WALDEMAR NICLEVICZ VIA SATELLITE BY IRIDIUM
Pakistan - Gasherbrum base-camp 5220 m
Jun 13th 22nd day of
the expedition
Today is a day off here, or better, day to set tents,
bathrooms, kitchen. We're likely to be here for two or three days ending our base-camp
before start climbing.
I must explain one thing: we are at "Gasherbrums"
base-camp. Gasherbrum is a massif with 5 imposing peaks, two of them higher than 8
thousand meters. The highest is Gasherbrum I, with 8,068m , also called Hidden Peak; the
second one is Gasherbrum II with 8,035 m. We are trying to climb both, but to avoid
misunderstanding I'll always call Gasherbrum I - Hidden Peak and Gasherbrum II -
Gasherbrum.
As there was technical problems in my communication
equipment I take advantage to send you photos of our approximation walk, so that everybody
can have an idea about the beauty around us. On the photo there are two balti
porters on Baltoro Glacial and at the back the famous Trango Towers.
Photo 6/14/98
- Everest Autumn 1999: EverestNews.com
is still trying to
"sort out" some of these North Side summits. EverestNews.com plans some Q&A's
soon. Let us know who and what, You would like to ask. For previous Q&A's see the site
index. Submit to everestnews2004@adelphia.net
- Featured Books: World
Mountaineering: The World's Great Mountains by the World's Great Mountaineers --
Audrey Salkeld (Editor), Chris Bonington; Hardcover.
Into Thin Air; The
Illustrated Edition Jon Krakauer / Hardcover / Published 1998
- Kurt Diemberger
Omnibus : Summits & Secrets the Endless Knot Spirits of the Air by Kurt Diemberger
Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours. Hardcover - 858 pages
(March 1999) Mountaineers Books;
Daily News: 6/11/99 Report
Pictures of the
Project K2 Climbers...
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Mountaineering
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