For earlier reports: See the
News Index for a list of all the Daily Reports. See
the Home Page for Individual Stories.
Receiving Reports from Over 30 Teams on Everest this Spring 2000.
Makalu
2000: Dhaulagiri
2000: Lhotse
2000: Cho Oyu 2000:
Manaslu
2000: Kangchenjunga
2000: Annapurna 2000:
NEWSFLASH 11:11AM EST
US 5/26/2000
- Henry Todd's Expedition's
Summits !
1.) EverestNews.com is told
from reliable sources that some of Henry's climbers reached the Summit last
night.
2.)
Mike and Kristy Woodmansee got
all prepared for the attempt and were leaving camp 4. 15
minutes into the attempt both of their oxygen systems failed and their attempt
was over. They had to descend
to camp 2. Mike and Kristy are at base camp now and safe, they will leave for
home ASAP.
- See you on Saturday for
more on the North and maybe the names of Henry's climbers who reached the
Summit.
- EverestNews.com has been
told the M&I search is still on ! We are not getting many details.
- K2 has began.
Daily
News: 5/26/2000 Report
- Everest South Side: Headlines
1.) Babu
Chiri Sherpa started from the BC on 20th May at 05.00 PM and reached
the summit of Everest on 21st May' 2000 at 9.56
AM. It took him 16hrs.
56 min. to reach the top from the Base Camp, not 15 hrs and 56
minutes...
2.)
Mike and Kristy Woodmansee with the Henry Todd group did not summit on their
second attempt. Details at this time are sketchy but word came from reliable
sources that radio contact was bad during the climb. All climbers are safe at
camp 2 and no word came as to whether they will try again with only a few days
left.
A little more on the
problems on the North Side:
Sources report to
EverestNews.com that the missing Chinese climber is Kanhua Yan from
Heilongjiang. On 5/21/2000 he made a live broadcast from 8000 meters on the
north ridge of Everest. Yan was making his second attempt on the North Col route
of Everest. He used siege tactics and carried his own loads. The microwave
relay at 8000 meters was placed by the climbers of the Tibetan
Mountaineering Association. The signal was beamed directly back to the BC.
Some believe he
reached the Summit at 11am on 5/21/2000 with Laba Tsering. They were spotted by
other climbers near the Summit. Yan separated from Laba at some point on the way
down and Yan has been missing since.
Laba has come back to
BC and is better. Another climber named Laba also was in trouble during the
storm and at last point was in BC with HACE but getting better.
Our Spanish friends
are reporting that Yan was blown off the mountain by the high winds. We do not
know if that is speculation, or if someone saw him get blown off the mountain.
Others have been reported before to have been blown off, only to find there
bodies later.
It was a very bad
storm. Adding to the difficulty in reporting is the "terms used".
Chinese call Tibetans:
Chinese.
Others call Tibetans:
Tibetans.
Others call everyone
who climbs the mountain from Tibet or Nepal a "Sherpa", when
they are actually a Tibetan, Sherpa, Nepali, or Chinese.
It is unclear if Laba
(either one) is a Sherpa, Nepali, Tibetan, or Chinese climber. Our primary
source for this story tells EverestNews.com that both Laba are Sherpas. Other
sources tell us one is a Tibetan and one a Sherpa.
This will all sort
itself out in a month or so.
Individual
Reports: South then North
Hi everyone,
We made it! I am safe
and sound at the Base Camp and recovering from the successful summit bid. I am
sending you a briefing on the summit attempt until later... I will be leaving
the BC on the 26th of May to come home. Until then have a great time and leave
some for me until I get home...
Saeed
Dear sponsors,
supporters, friends and colleagues: Yes we did it !
We stood on the roof
of the world the very summit of Mt. Everest (Sagarmatha) on May 22nd at 10:30
am. At this moment all of you were on my mind as I attached the list of the
individual sponsors to the summit flags.
The few days of the
final push and the reason that the summit attempt from camp IV was delayed from
May 20th to May 22nd has many details that I will be preparing soon but here are
some of the details of the summit push:
On the night of the
May 21st, I left camp IV with my Sherpa -- Chhewang Dorjee -- at 10:30 pm in
light snow fall and no wind. Although I was hesitant, I continued on towards the
Balcony. At about 3:00 am we reached the Balcony and the snow had stopped with
full moon shining on the snow. We turned the head lamps off and witnessed the
sunrise at about 5:00 below the South Summit.
Continuing up the
steep ridge to the South Summit at 28,700' and the famous South East ridge to
the Hillary Step I witnessed the most beautiful scenes. At the top of the Step I
met Mike Brown from the IMG/Mountain Link Expedition and three members from the
Spanish Andalucia Expedition who were: Manuel Gonzalez, Ivan Jara and Juan Jose
Garra. After a short acknowledgement I continued up towards the summit with
Chhwang Dorjee shortly behind me and I saw Anna Barbara, from Poland, ten
minutes below the summit and she was proud to be the oldest woman who has
climbed Mt. Everest. I Congratulated her and continued the next 100' with
Chhwang Dorjee to the summit.
It was about 10:30 am that we
stepped on the highest point on earth and after spending about 45 minutes on top
and installing Iran-USA peace flag and taking pictures we left the summit in
deteriorating weather. I also met David Hahn from the IMG/Mountain Link
Expedition at the step on his way up to the summit...
I will follow up with the
details of the descent later... Saeed
Check out www.everestdream.com
today !
Don't we wish all
climbers would report in this detail !
North
We
believe Steven is continuing when many others have given up.
-
Others are
Expected to attempt the Summit on Saturday.
-
Many have given up
and are leaving.
-
No News from
Graham Hoyland and/or with the BBC.
Other
News
3 Spanish
and 3 Australian reached the summit of Cho-Oyu on 17th May 2000. The name of the
Spanish Expedition is"8.201 M Cho-Oyu" led by Jordi Tosas. Jordi
Tosas is the first Spanish climber to descend from the summit with his snow
board. (Note this is not
confirmed, but "what is reported by his expedition".) Other summiteers
are Joseba Koldo Jauregui(30) and Ricardo V. Martinez(41).
Australian
Alpine Army Cho-Oyu Expedition led by Roger Grose. Summiteers are Leader Roger
Grose, Brian Laurence and Matt Sheply. They reach the summit on 17th
May 2000.
Both of
these Expeditions were supported by Asian-Trekking.
Source;
Asian Trekking www.asian-treeking.com
Name
of the Expedition: Saxony Himalaya Expedition.
Expedition
Leader: Mr. Gotz Wiegand (1959), Engineer, Dresden, German.
Country:
Germany
No.
of Team Members: 7
Ascent
Route: North West Ridge
Starting
Point: Camp IV
Date
of Summit: 15th May 2000
Time
of Summit: 15.00, 15.30, 15.45, 16.00.
Summiters,
Date of Birth, Occupation, Home Town & Country
1.
Mr. Olaf Zill (1966), Phiysiotherapist, Basel, CH. Germany.
2.
Mr. Thoma Tutpe (1961)
Photographer, Chemnitz, Germany.
3.
Mr. Gotz Wiegand (1959),
Engineer, Dresden, Germany.
4.
Mr. Franc Meutzner (1965),
Engineer, Dresden, Germany.
5.
Mr. Bernd Mehnert (1966),
Engineer, Dresden, Germany.
Remarks:
Mr. Bernd Mehnert, died on 16th May on Camp III due to exhaustion.
Name
of the Expedition: 2000 Dongguk Makalu Expedition.
Expedition
Leader: Mr. Hyoung Woo.
Country:
Korea
No.
of Team Members: 6
Ascent
Route: North West Ridge
Starting
Point: Camp III
Date
of Summit: 15th May 2000
Time
of Summit: 2.40 P.M
Summiters,
Date of Birth, Occupation, Home Town & Country
1.
Mr. Park Young Soek, (27 yrs), Alpinist, Sangamdong, Mopogu, Seoul,
Korea.
2.
Mr. Lee Hyun Jo, (25 yrs),
Samgamdong, Mopogue, Seoul, Korea
3.
Mr. Da Chiri Sherpa, (22 yrs),
HAS, Namche-4, Solukhumbu, Nepal.
Name
of the Expedition: Lhotse Grus 2000 Expedition
Expedition
Leader: Mr. Benedict Kashakashvili (1967), Engineer, Tiblisi, Georgia.
Country:
Georgia
No.
of Team Members: 9
Ascent
Route: West Face
Starting
Point: South Col.
Date
of Summit: 21st May 2000
Time
of Summit: 1 PM
Summiters,
Date of Birth, Occupation, Home Town & Country
1.
Mr. Api Gigani (1956), Aviation Engineer, Kutaisi, Georgia
2.
Mr. Bidzina Gujuabidze, (1960),
Farmer, Tbilisi, Georgia
3.
Mr. Gela Otarashvili (1969),
Engineer, Tbilisi, Georgia
4.
Mr. Evgueni Vinogradski (1946),
Doctor, Yekaterinburg, Russia
5.
Mr. Gleb Sokolov, (1953),
Teacher, Novokushetsk, Russia
6.
Mr. Valeri Perchine (1948),
Coach, Yekaterinburg, Russia
7.
Mr. Alexandre Foigt (1958),
Coach, Novokushetsk, Russia
8.
Mr. Youri Baikovski (1958),
Teacher, Moscow, Russia
Expedition
Leader: Mr. Piotr Pustelnik (1951), Engineer, Todz, Poland.
Country:
Poland
No.
of Team Members: 9
Ascent
Route: West Face
Starting
Point: South Col.
Date
of Summit: 19th May 2000
Time
of Summit: 2 PM
1.
Mr. Sergio Martini, Rovereto, Italy.
Name
of the Expedition: 2000 Korean Kanchenjunga Expedition
Expedition
Leader: Mr. Goin Kyun (56 yrs), Chairman of Pagoda Academy Inc.
Country:
Korea
No.
of Team Members: 7
Ascent
Route: South West Ridge
Starting
Point:
Date
of Summit: 19th May 2000
Time
of Summit: 5.30 A.M
Summiters,
Date of Birth, Home Town & Country
1.
Mr. Park Mu Taek (1968), Daegu
City, Seoul, Korea.
2.
Mr. Hong Gil Um, Euijungbu City,
Kyungki-do, Korea.
Source:
Himalaya Center, Kathmandu Nepal
The
National Geographic Channel is available via cable and satellite in 19 million
homes across Europe in the following countries: UK, Netherlands, Belgium,
Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Latvia,
Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Belarus, Croatia,
Georgia, Malta and Israel, plus South Africa.
Highlights
JUNE 2000 PEAK
WEEK !!!
Celebrating
the courage of great mountaineers !!!
Every
evening from 12th-16th June at 11pm/23.00
To
stand on top of the tallest mountains in the world is a rare experience and one
that is sometimes paid for with loss of life.
PEAK WEEK celebrates the men
and women who climb deadly Everest in the Himalayas, spectacular Aconcagua in
South America and the remote Mount Vaughan in the Antarctic.
A
week of programmes each night at 11pm/23.00 about the dramas of modern
mountaineering expeditions and the joy of triumph against the odds.
Monday
12th:
Above
All Else: The Everest Dream
Join
friends Jamie Clarke and Alan Hobson on their 10-year voyage of discovery to the
highest mountain and one of the most hostile terrains on Earth.
Tuesday
13th:
Height
Of Courage
The
inspiring story of Colonel Norman D Vaughan's successful bid to be the first man
to climb Antarctica's Mount Vaughan, just three days short of his 89th birthday
and more than 60 years after the peak had been named after him.
Wednesday
14th:
Return
to Everest
There
is no more recognizable name in the annals of Everest history than Sir Edmund
Hillary. Follow his visit to meet
the people who spend their lives in the shadows of the mountain he conquered.
Thursday
15th:
Aconcagua:
Two Weeks On A Big Hill
Eight
ordinary men in an extraordinary environment climbing the highest peak in South
America made particularly treacherous because of a 1,000ft chute of loose rock
and snow which clings to the mountain at a 45-degree angle.
Friday
16th:
Return
To The Death Zone
In
the wake of the Mount Everest disaster which killed eight climbers in a single
day in 1996, three-time Everest conqueror David Breashears returns to shed new
light on the effects of extreme altitude on decision making.
Futures Plans
EverestNews.com,
and Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, have begun to talk about the
possibilities of hosting an international conference to talk about climbing
Everest. This would not be a commercial trade show. Instead, this
would be an opportunity for climbers and other interested people to talk about
the many issues that surround the mountain. These issues include the number of
climbers, safety, reporting news, ethics, and the list goes on. We feel
this conference could be an important and perhaps unique event in that we could
talk about the issues while not trying to climb at the same time!
Why Concordia
College? Because it's a first-rate school. Why Moorhead, Minnesota?
Because it's the *flattest* place on the planet. When? We're not sure yet.
What we are thinking now is that this winter in the October to January time
frame. We would host a small conference, a planning group, to organize a large
conference in the winter of 2002. Maybe we should just go for the
large meeting right away. What we're wondering, of course, is if other
people are interested in coming to such a conference (either as speaker or
simply to listen). You'd have to pay your own travel, room and board.
There would need to be a small conference fee, maybe in the $50 range or so.
If you think this
conference is a good idea, or a bad idea, please let us know. If
you'd like to be a part of the planning group, please let us know. Email
us at web@everestnews2004.com W. Scott
Olsen, chair of the Environmental Studies Program at Concordia College Thanks.
In 2001
EverestNews.com will feature Expeditions to the Holy Land lead by famous Everest
climbers. Expeditions will probably include options on time and capability. For
example some Expeditions might climb small mountains in the Middle East. Others
would simply be trekking Expeditions. If this is something that might interest
you let us know at web@everestnews2004.com
These Expeditions would be run by commercial Expedition companies.
EverestNews.com is NOT planning on being in the Expedition business.
In June/July
2000, EverestNews.com will add many facts to the site. We plan at least a day
per week to add reference information to the site.
Details to follow
soon.
Both authors have
strong thoughts and opinions on what could have happened. EverestNews.com role,
we believe, is not to take sides. We are thinking of having a special forum
where readers can comment on the debate and give their thoughts on what is said.
New Books !
For
all the May 2000 News
For
all the April 2000 News
For
all the March 2000 News
The
Mountaineering
Must Haves
