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2000: Kangchenjunga
2000: Annapurna 2000:
NEWSFLASH 9:36 AM EST
US
The e-mails...
1.) 2:00pm..at this moment
everyone is safe...resting and hydrating at the South Col. They will be leaving
for the summit if all goes as planned at 11:00 pm tonight on the 12th of May
2000. The group going up as of now will be: Rick, Dick, Patrick, Tim, Kristy and
Mike...the Sherpas will be with them as well. Goron and Dragon will be returning
to Camp 2. The weather now at the South Col is sunny with a slight wind.
Everyone is in good spirits and are excited to get the chance to try for the
summit. Take no notice of other reports All is well and I will keep you
updated..... Everest Base Camp
2.) They have a plan to move
toward the summit tonight, as per the information around here. There should be a
contact with the base camp later today and we will cross check with that.
Thanks. bikrum Himalaya Centre Kathmandu
3.) Mike is a county executive
44 years old. Kristy is a grade school phys. ed. teacher 28 years old. Mike has
climbed since he was 20 years old. His Resume includes climbs on McKinley,
Aconcagua, Mount St. Helens ( before it blew up ), all major peaks in the
cascade in Washington State, Search and Rescue, Iron Man 7 times, various
marathon runs.
Kristy, High school All
American soccer player, Washington State University Soccer Champions, Summited
most major peaks in Washington state , Climbs on Aconcagua, etc.... five
years of climbing experience. Craig
4.) Update: Here is a final
update for you until the climbers return to BC tomorrow. "Last
evening (May 12) they left the South Col (C 4) at around 10 pm and despite the
-35 degree temperatures the team made good progress for 3 hours until they were
forced to turn around because of the cold--as far as we know. They
spent the remainder of the night sleeping at camp 4 and today (May 13) they have
descended to camp 2 where they will spend the night."
"In regards to other
teams there is quite a mixture of activity going on. Some teams have
headed down the valley for a rest and thicker air in the last couple of days
while 4 other teams are currently moving up the mountain for summit attempts in
the next couple of days. The media coverage presented by other expeditions
has to be taken with a large grain of salt as they have responsibilities to keep
their sponsors happy. Chances are that the climbers will have another
summit attempt in the following weeks after a good and well deserved rest. That
is all from us for now, we'll leave the climbers to fill you in on more details
once they arrive down and have rested. Everyone is doing just great.
We know this is a trying time for family at home."
All the best for all of us at
base camp
5.) Update from Kathmandu:
Henry Todd's Expedition summit
attempt on the Mount Everest this spring season has been aborted. A team
of seven members led by British climber Rick Allen had left South Col. at 2300
hrs last night, May 12th, towards the summit. They had to turn back, according
to Henry Todd's office in Kathmandu, from a point 1000 ft. below the
summit, due cold, heavy wind and deep snow condition. They have all made safe
journey back at South Col. They are all assembling at the base camp by tomorrow.
It is reported that following people attempted the summit last night / this
morning. Rick Allen, Patrick Konney, Timothy Cowen, Kristy Woodmansee, Mike
Woodmansee, Dragon Jacimovic, Goran Ferlan, Richard Stone, They all belong to
Henry Todd's Himalayan Guides Everest Expedition 2000. Reported by Sangita &
Binita at Himalaya Centre Kathmandu, 13th May 2000.
- The Speed Record is
ON ! But Not Babu !
Everest Spring 2000:
Adventure Consultants Featured Expedition on EverestNews.com
http://www.adventure.co.nz
EverestNews.com will
feature full dispatches from Adventure
Consultants in Spring 2000. Adventure Consultants
is a world renowned expedition climbing company with a legacy of ascents to the
more remote and wild peaks on our planet. Quality service, complete commitment
and success are the hallmarks of Adventure Consultants, as are Guy
Cotter and the qualified
guides and staff who are the driving force behind Adventure Consultants
expeditions.
Update: 13th
May - Guy Cotter reports from Base Camp
Ang
Dorje Sherpa to attempt speed ascent record
Guy's words...
Tomorrow afternoon (14
May) Ang Dorje Sherpa from the Adventure Consultants Everest expedition will
make an attempt to climb Mt Everest in record time in one push from Base Camp to
the summit.
He is being supported
by the Adventure Consultants team of Sherpas as well as Guide David Hiddleston
who intends to summit at the same time as Ang Dorje and record the event. The
previous record for the ascent is by Marc Batard who has climbed the peak in 24
hours from Base Camp. Passang Kaji Sherpa claimed a record in 1999 of 20 hours
and 24 minutes but used indistinct photographs, supposedly depicting Everest's'
summit, as proof of the ascent but the photos just showed a snowy background,
where a very distinct antennae on the summit would have surely proved him to be
at the high point. Naturally this ascent has been widely disputed although one
must assume that a naive approach to positive proof may be the major factor in
the dispute. Ang Dorje has not given an estimate on the time he expects to make
between base camp and the summit, "
There are too many things like snow conditions to slow me down" he
says. He also claims that if he reaches South Col and doesn't feel good he will
abandon the ascent. "Maybe I will do it, but
if not feeling good, down." Over the last few
weeks a lot of snow has fallen at high altitudes which will slow down progress
up high and although the weather is good right now Ang Dorje is reluctant to
place undue pressure on himself to meet a predetermined time. He understands
that all he can do is his best. Already having summited Mt Everest 5 times, Ang
Dorje knows every step of the way to the top and until now he has been to the
Sth Summit (only 100m short of the top) 13 times. With such a background Ang
Dorje realistically knows his limits and is not out to endanger his life or
those around him supporting him on this world record attempt..
Of note this season
is the fact that another Sherpa, Babu Chiri from Solu Khumbu, has claimed that
he will break the speed record on Everest this year. A widely publicized
campaign claims that he intends to climb the 3500m from base camp to summit in
16 hours. Babu has the unique distinction of having slept on the summit of Mt
Everest for 21 hours in 1999 and now intends to increase his profile by doing a
speed ascent. Sources who know both Ang Dorje and Babu believe that Ang Dorje's
strength and experience define him as the superior climber of the two. However
Ang Dorje is not setting out to compete against Babu, rather this is a personal
challenge he has set for himself.
Recognized as one of
the strongest and fastest of the Sherpa climbers, Ang Dorje also has a
reputation as a sensible climber and an asset to any climbing team. Having
reached Mt Everest's summit first in 1992 with the first guided expedition run
by Adventure Consultants Ltd, Ang Dorje has been instrumental as the Sirdar, or
Sherpa leader, for AC ever since. Having attempted to save the life of
beleaguered guide Rob Hall and his client Doug Hansen in 1996 during the well
publicized tragedy on Mt Everest, Ang Dorje has a maturity forged by both the
tragic and the triumphant. A loyal and humble friend to his climbing companions,
he revels in the lighter moments enjoying some tomfoolery and occasional frantic
dancing sessions during base camp parties!
Ang Dorje has known
and been friend to present Adventure Consultants company owner Guy Cotter since
they first climbed Everest in 1992. They went onto Everest again in '93 (when
Cotter gave up his summit bid to assist an ailing climber down from high on the
mountain) and again in 1995 when Cotter again became involved in what is
believed to be the worlds highest rescue. French female climber Chantal Mauduit
collapsed on the Sth Summit during an attempt to climb with out oxygen. Cotter
put his oxygen onto Mauduit and dragged her down to the 'balcony' where fellow
guide Ed Viesturs had the group waiting to assist her back to Sth Col. In 1996,
in the wake of the Everest tragedy, Cotter and Ang Dorje teamed up again to
climb Ama Dablam and Adventure Consultants was reborn. The company has gone on
to achieve ascents on many of the worlds highest peaks focusing on increasing
safety margins with the group summiting Everest again in '97.
Reporting to the
world via radio of their successful ascent at 6.50am on May 23, no-one could
believe they had reached the summit so early in the day. Being back in South Col
before many teams had even summited was a highlight for the whole team. This was
proof that AC had moved on to display that not only had they managed to bring
high altitude guiding to a new level, but that they could do so with over 60
people summiting that day. Later in the day climber Dave Carter came down with a
severe throat infection which left him wiped out physically. A protracted
descent with Ed Viesturs to CIII and severe respiratory problems was cause for
concern for Carters life. He describes his experiences as follows;
"The main
thing to say is that Adventure Consultants is the only group on the hill that is
totally prepared for almost any
situation.
If it was not for AC I would have never made it off the hill.
Because of a strong team and a real Doctor down at base camp I was able to
survive respiratory failure. Adventure Consultants is truly a professional
organization. They are the best deal when it comes to survival and
leadership in the mountains, one of the few organizations that can actually lead
at high altitudes. Party Hard, David Carter "
Ang Dorje has been
considering a personal attempt at a speed ascent of Mt Everest for a few years
now, and the planning and conditions for this have finally come together.
Adventure Consultants is honored to be in the position whereby westerners are
supporting a Sherpa ascent rather than Sherpas supporting western climbers.
Guy
Now we know what he was
talking about....in Earlier dispatches.
EverestNews.com will
feature full dispatches from Jagged Globe in Spring 2000. This year's expedition
will be lead by Australian guide, Andrew Lock (having been on two previous
Everest expeditions and reached the Summit
of K2), supported by Tim Bird.
Update 5/13/2000: The
Jagged Globe team led by Andrew Lock is today moving from Camp 2 to Camp 3 in preparation
for a summit attempt
on the May 15. The
delay from the previously mentioned summit day is due to logistics and climbing
conditions on the mountain. Today (13th May) a Himalayan Guides team led by Rick
Allen attempted the summit but turned back near the balcony due to extreme cold
(-37) and we believe difficult snow conditions. The weather is very stable and
we wish the team every success on the 15th. Tim Bird
- On this day last year, Mike
Matthews lost this life on Everest. May our thoughts and prayers be with his
family and those climbers that were on the mountain that day for they will
never be the same.
For Mike, he is in a better
place...
http://www.our.com/mpgate/everestnews/shop
Thank You
Daily News: 5/13/2000 Report
No "Real
News" Yet.
Rumors and radio
calls, that apparently some reporters are listening to, are being
reported.
Editorial
Is it ethical to
listen to climber's radio calls on Everest and report the News ? Eric Simonson,
Russell Brice and others have spoke out strongly against even the thought of
this in the past...
What effect could this
have on what the climbers do or say if they know reporters are listening to what
is said.
Henry Todd nor his
Base Camp manager has told the families to this point the status of the Summit
attempt last night.
EverestNews.com knows
of no problems.
EverestNews.com
received a ton of mail today from Everest
climbers in an uproar about a
certain American web site's reporting, calling climbers "Freaking
Lunatics". None of Everest climbers e-mails are printable on what we view
as a family site.
Climbers are
"Freaking Upset" at the reporting. Families are "Freaking
Upset". Was Messner a "Freaking Lunatic", when he climbed Everest
solo ? Are the several hundred climbers who are moving up the mountain right now
all "Freaking Lunatics" ?
Should not people be
allowed to make their own decisions if they are not putting others at risk ?
Who is to judge ?
Look for more in a few
days...
It also bring us to a
Question, we have wondered about, and worried about. What is going to happen
this year when a climber comes up missing or dies with all these reporters on
the Mountain ?
Will the families read
the News on the Net first? We surely hope not...
Very serious issues
from our point of view.
If you have no idea
what this "Freaking Lunatic" issue is, don't concern yourself with it,
be thankful.
We expect a large
group of climbers to attempt the Summit on the 14th from the South. See below
for some of the groups.
Hundreds of climbers
move up Camps....
Some Climbers (also
known as ... no we won't go there... Hopefully the point has been made) are
near the top...
Some details are
below:
Update: Chris Boskoff dispatch
received 8pm on May 12
Hi, Chris Boskoff
reporting for Mountain Madness at Everest Base Camp on May 12. Here's an
overview of the last few days On May 05 Peter, Nazir and I climbed to C3. In the
middle of the night Peter had some problems with his breathing and went down to
BC at 5 in the morning. Nazir, Dorje, (unclear), Kili Sherpa and I continued to
climb to the South Col and C4on May 06 It was a windy and stormy night at C4,
there was also a Canadian team there trying for the summit. Due to storms our
team stayed in our tent. The Canadian team and their Sherpas (unclear) and
decided it was hopeless.
Our team descended at
7 am on May 07 in whiteout with high winds. Dorje and I broke trail from C3 to
BC unburying fixed lines. Dorje and I went to BC The others stayed at C2 for the
night. Nazir and Kili decided to descend to BC the next day on May 08.
Today Peter and I
spent 4 days at BC. Today we plan to plan to climb to C2 and try for our
next summit attempt. We'll try to do dispatches. Peter Habeler says hi to
everyone.
That's it from Chris
Boskoff.
- The Millennium
Seven Summits Expedition lead by Gavin Bate and John Barry www.7-2000.co.uk.
The team have
arrived at Camp Two at 5PM, Friday 12th. Weather permitting they remain on
course for the final climb to the summit on May 14th
Everest Base Camp Wednesday
10th May
Now we are in the final days
of our Expedition and the mountain has knocked us back twice with bad weather.
Now we are trying for the third time ( lucky ?). We leave again tomorrow
morning, unless the weather is bad. In actual fact it is not so much the wind
but also the depth of the snow and the fact that nobody wants to break trail at
20,000 feet plus, since this would be so exhausting as to almost certainly stop
us dead in our tracks. Even the Sherpas baulk at breaking trail. Nobody has
summitted yet and those people who have tried have just been beaten back.
A lot of people are going to
try for the next few days so we will join the bandwagon and hope for the best.
we have heard that Camp 3 is utterly clogged with snow and many tents have
collapsed. The route to Camp 4 ( which we would do on oxygen ) basically
traverses the upper section of the Lhotse Face and the snow that has accumulated
there is now avalanche-prone - another problem to think about !
Although we're keeping the
spirits up, there is such a strong feeling of frustration now and most
conversations revolve around going home ( apart from going up !). It is very
annoying that after all this time, having done everything right and having been
so successful thus far, the mountain may well knock us back. Our feelings are
very philosophical on this score - we simply have to do the best that we can and
appreciate that climbing Everest is as much about luck as it is about ability.
If we don't make it then the experience of being on Everest will stay with us
for a long time, I know that.
We are all missing friends,
girlfriends, boyfriends, parents and so on. It will be wonderful to get back to civilization,
new faces, our homes and home comforts. I keep getting emails from people
describing how they are sitting down to roast chicken, at a table in a warm
house, with a nice bottle of vin rouge and so on ! Thanks very much ! Well just
to reciprocate, today we had lunch in a big green mess tent in about 4 degrees
C, and it was a stunningly delectable meal of half a pilchard in tomato sauce
with one thick slice of slightly hard yak cheese and a single sandwich with two
pieces of very old Spam lovingly placed between two slabs of white bread. All
washed down with weak milk tea in a tin mug !
We met an English guy today
who is planning to run from Base Camp to Kathmandu ( 186 miles ) in less than 3
days, 10 hours which is the current world record. The people you meet up here !
So that's it for now. We'll
give it another go, be assured of that, and hope for the very best. Meanwhile I
hope you're all enjoying the roast chicken with rich thick gravy, roasties,
fresh vegetables, pudding.....
All the very Best
Gavin Bate
- Everest Base Camp Thursday
12th May AM
Today a team of 14 people
broke the logjam on the mountain and made Camp 4 South Col and are planning to
go for the summit tonight. We will all be watching carefully to see how they go.
We will be going up tomorrow morning at 5am to once again try for the top of
this hill. We have joined forces with the Mountain Madness team and the Nepalese
Women's Team so that we have greater numbers to get through the expected deep
snow.
The worry is initially getting
up and over the Lhotse Face. Yesterday there was supposed to have been an
avalanche when the Russian were up there, but this turned out to be just a
collapsing serac which damaged a load of badly positioned tents. We are hoping
that our tents are fine !
The weather is about as good
as we can expect - the wind has dropped and swung round to a dry northerly,
which is good for us. The probability of snow is 30% - 50%, but we are going to
live with that. We understand the Lhotse Face is not too bad although there is a
worry about traversing the upper section of the Face in case of avalanche. The
fact that 14 people got over it today is some comfort.
We are hoping that this team
tonight will make a success of their summit attempt and break some sort of trail
up from the Balcony to the South Summit and onto the true summit. We have heard
that there are likely to be other groups going for the top on the 15th or 16th
as well, so we hope to have company.
With great regret and sadness
Michele Santilhano will not be joining the summit team tomorrow. Due to the
restraints of summit day that Everest forces upon every climber, Michele will be
returning back down the hill. She has made it to 23,700' thus far without
oxygen.
The five remaining climbers -
myself, John Barry, Andrew Salter, Polly Murray and Chris Tiso will try our
level best to summit in the coming days. Because of time restraints this is very
probably our last chance to give it a go. Be assured we are primed and ready.
Thanks to all for continued
support. Noel Bristow, our comms manager here, and Greg manning the home HQ
office, will keep you all updated over the coming days as to our progress.
All the very best, Gavin
- Everest Base Camp - 12th
May 2000
The climbing team left Base
Camp this morning at 5:00 AM. The weather is looking good at the moment - low
winds and no snow. They reached Camp 1 (at the top of the Khumbu Icefall) late
in the morning and rested there (sunbathed in fact!) for several hours, before
leaving for Camp 2 (at the head of the Western Cwm). They reached Camp 2 at 5:00
PM from where they radioed down in good spirits - they had managed to miss most
of the heat in the Western Cwm by waiting for the afternoon clouds to come over.
They are now resting at Camp
2, waiting for the next forecast, which we will relay to them later this
evening. If the forecast is favorable they will forego their usual rest day at
Camp 2 and leave for Camp 3 (halfway up the Lhotse Face) tomorrow morning.
We have received news that the
climbers who reached Camp 4 (on the South Col) yesterday did NOT leave for the
summit at midnight and have in fact spent all of today resting in their tents,
from where they will leave for the summit at around midnight. They did not leave
for the summit as they arrived at the South Col quite late in the afternoon
yesterday. We hope that the weather holds for them as they will be fixing ropes
from Babu's high point of a week ago, which will make life easier for our team.
It means that our team and Sherpas will not have to expend valuable energy
fixing these ropes.
Noel Bristow
- Canadian Everest Expedition
2000:
May 12, 2000 And then there were 2
It's all over for the youngest member of the CEE 2000 team. Citing a lack of
motivation and exhaustion, Benoit Robitaille has withdrawn.
Check them out http://www.canoe.ca/Everest/home.html
An experienced Danish
Expedition: Thrane & Thrane sponsorship of the first all Danish Mount Everest
Expedition.
May
11 - A gas explosion and everything on hold.
May 10 - Reflection and
recharging.
May 09 - Things are moving again
The BigE-expedition and its
progress can be followed at Thrane & Thrane’s website: http://www.tt.dk/everest/intro.html
11.05 The
transcription of 6 May call of Krasnodar Everest expedition.... details
11.05 The report from Moscow Everest expedition. 11.05. A. Abramov
and V. Skripko especially for "RISK Online"... details
- The Dutch: They
won't Quit !
Dutch Panaroma Everest
Expedition Leader: Hans van der Muelen.
Also www.mounteverest.nl
Going for the summit
with 2 teams. Hans returned to BC from ABC yesterday after his failed, but
heroic attempt. He looked battered. Early Friday a team of three Dutch climbers
(Henk, Arjan, Rene) will leave BC for the next push. They will be accompanied by
the 2 Sherpas and will together prepare the summit ridge above C 4 with fixed
ropes.
A second team of three
(Hans, Reinout, Richard) will follow 3 days later for their push, and who will
have the advantage of using the fixed ropes.
Check out their web
sites !
On April 8, 2000, two
TechRepublic technology writers and editors, David Bard and Mike Jackman,
boarded American Airlines flight 1225. Ultimate destination: Nepal. Sponsored by
TechRepublic and a host of hi-tech vendors, they toted a load of high-tech
expedition gear and computing equipment. Their purpose? To explore the area
where nature and technology meet, to help the children at Most Blessed Sacrament
school learn about climbing, and about Nepal's culture and religion, and to send
back daily dispatches, articles, and pictures via satellite uplink.
For 25 days, they
reported on their story, on the reliability of the tech equipment used to aid
expeditions to Everest and other extreme peaks, and also attempted some climbing
of their own--Island Peak--With the help of Colorado Mountain School guide and
co-owner Bruce Andrews. At 20,285 feet (6,183 meters), Island Peak, also known
as Imja Tse, is equivalent to Mount McKinley, North America's highest mountain.
For David, an
experienced Rocky Mountain trekker and mountaineer, this was his first peak over
14,000 feet. For Mike, an avid hiker, but less experienced climber, this was his
first climb over 8,600 feet.
Read
all about their experiences at the TechRepublic almostEverest briefing center.
Dispatch 5/122000:
Talks about their Sherpa Sponsor Program. Check their site for
the rest of the dispatch: www.everestcleanup.com
May 10th Marina Ershova, the leader of
expedition summited to the top of Cho-Oyu from Camp II together with Sherpas of Iranian
expedition. It was a lot of fresh snow and they had to brake the trail so they
moved slowly, and she had been back to Camp2 at 20:00. She returned back to ABC
on May 11th.
Today two other Russian climbers Nasedkin
and Kuzmin started from Camp 3 and summited at about 14:00. At 17:00 they
returned to the tent of Camp 3. Tomorrow they have to return to ABC.
No sign of the two climbers who disappeared
the other day has shown up.
On the 5.5. weather was quite good, Korean
team who summitted 9.5. saw some footsteps going from the first top to left to
Nepal. They have lost the trail and maybe the bodies are never found.
Marina summited yesterday and are coming today to base camp. Me Jorma Alanen
have send both these messages and feeling quite good - mind is sad.
http://www.our.com/mpgate/everestnews/shop
Thank You
Messner is fine. He
broke his leg early on but his capacity for pain is really high so he just taped
it up every night and went onward. Pretty amazing. He fractured 5th metatarsal.
He has asked people not to make a big deal of it though!
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova
On April 8, 2000, two
TechRepublic technology writers and editors, David Bard and Mike Jackman,
boarded American Airlines flight 1225. Ultimate destination: Nepal. Sponsored by
TechRepublic and a host of hi-tech vendors, they toted a load of high-tech
expedition gear and computing equipment. Their purpose? To explore the area
where nature and technology meet, to help the children at Most Blessed Sacrament
school learn about climbing, and about Nepal's culture and religion, and to send
back daily dispatches, articles, and pictures via satellite uplink.
For 25 days, they
reported on their story, on the reliability of the tech equipment used to aid
expeditions to Everest and other extreme peaks, and also attempted some climbing
of their own--Island Peak--With the help of Colorado Mountain School guide and
co-owner Bruce Andrews. At 20,285 feet (6,183 meters), Island Peak, also known
as Imja Tse, is equivalent to Mount McKinley, North America's highest mountain.
For David, an
experienced Rocky Mountain trekker and mountaineer, this was his first peak over
14,000 feet. For Mike, an avid hiker, but less experienced climber, this was his
first climb over 8,600 feet.
Read
all about their experiences at the TechRepublic almostEverest briefing center.
Featured Books
- Left
for Dead : My Journey Home from Everest by Beck Weathers, Stephen G. Michaud (Contributor)
-
"The Mystery of
Mallory & Irvine," by Tom Holzel & Audrey Salkeld,
Pimlico/Random House (UK), The Mountaineers (USA) Available
Now
-
'Everest
: A Mountaineering History' by Walt Unsworth
Availability:
Usually ships within 24 hours. Hardcover - 736 pages Reprint edition
(February 15, 2000) Mountaineers Books;
- Stories
Off the Wall; John Roskelley
- Life
and Death on Mt. Everest : Sherpas and Himalayan Mountaineering; Sherry
B. Ortner
- High
Exposure : An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places; David
F. Breashears, Jon Krakauer
- Lou
Whittaker : Memoirs of a Mountain Guide; Lou Whittaker, Andrea Gabbard
(Contributor)
- A
Life on the Edge: Memoirs of Everest and Beyond by Jim Whittaker,
Tom Hornbein (Introduction), Edward Kennedy (Foreword), John Glenn
(Foreword) Availability: This title usually ships within
2-3 days.
For
all the May 2000 News
For
all the April 2000 News
For
all the March 2000 News
