Everest Hornbein/Japanese Couloir     READ EXWEB SPECIAL    READ EXWEB INTERVIEW

German climber Ralf Dujmovits, Austrian Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, and Japanese climber Hirotaka Takeuchi will attempt an alpine style double header which includes Shisha South Face and Everest Supercouloir. The Japanese Couloir/Hornbein Couloir combination route is one of the most difficult and dangerous routes on Everest. Few have attempted it, and fewer succeeded. Only Erhard Loteran and Jean Troillet summited without O2 in 1986. The last time it was repeated was in 1991 by Lars Cronlund from Sweden.

Ace female climber, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner has summited Cho Oyu, Makalu, Manaslu, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna and most recently Gasherbrum I: Six 8,000ers plus Shisha Pangma Central and BP. Ralf Dujmovits is the leader of Amical Alpine and has summited Dhaulagiri, Everest, K2, Cho Oyu twice, Shisha Pangma, Broad Peak, G2, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna, and GI. He now has ten 8,000ers.  Japanese climber Hirotaka has summited Makalu, Everest, K2, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna and GI. He summited Everest and K2 back to back in 1996 and, at the age of 25, became the youngest climber to summit the world's two highest mountains. He now has six 8,000ers.

www.amical.de
 

Everest North FACE 2005 - Russia/US/Australia attempt       postponed to fall  
 READ EXWEB SPECIAL            READ EXWEB SPECIAL 2

A large team of around 20 climbers (a list of the candidates, about 38 persons, is published on Russianclimb.com) from Russia, Byelorussia, Georgia, Armenia, USA and Australia will attempt the route in the very center of the North Face. The team hopes to finish what the 2004 Russian team started, yet this time with less than 3 m/10ft deviation! The climb will be devoted to the 60-th anniversary of the Victory in the Second World War. Details will be released February 2005, but it's already clear that the Expedition leader is Vadimir Prihodjko (Moscow), and climbing leader is Kazbek Hamitsaev (Ossetia, Russian Federation). Hamitsaev's team climbed the North Face up to 7000m in 1997.

RussianClimb.com

Everest Traverse          READ EXWEB SPECIAL 1   READ EXWEB SPECIAL 2   READ EXWEB SPECIAL 3

Adventure Consultants, founded by the legendary climber and pioneering Everest guide Rob Hall, and now directed by Guy Cotter, is one of the world's leading Everest climbing outfits.  Precisely in Rob's spirit, this year the guys are gearing up for something different: A traverse of Everest on both sides.

Guided by 4-time Everest summiteer Luis Benitez, Australian Piers Buck (30) will attempt to scale Everest from the South side and come down the North side. In addition, the two climbers will pioneer the new Contact GEO positioning system on the mountain. The difficulty presented by an Everest traverse is obvious: After summit, at their most tired, the climbers will have to negotiate new terrain to come down. They also need special permits, double visas and logistics prepared for both sides of the mountain.  

                      

Speed climb without O2 record attempt  

Italian sky-runner Bruno Brunod will attempt the record for the fastest ascent and descent of Mt. Everest from North Side Base Camp without oxygen. 8 mountain guides and 1 medical researcher will assist the climber during his run. The current Everest speed record is Pemba Dorjie's 8 hour and 10 minute ascent of Mt. Everest South side on May 21st, 2004.

Everest speed ascent history
Oct 5, 1990, Marc Batard (no O2): 22 hrs 29 min
Oct 17, 1998, Kaji Sherpa (with O2): 20 hrs 24 min
May 21, 2000, Babu Chiri Sherpa (with O2): 16 hrs 56 min
May 22, 2003, Pemba Dorjie Sherpa (with O2): 12 hrs and 45 min
May 25, 2003, Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa (with O2): 10 hrs 56 min
May 21, 2004, Pemba Dorjie Sherpa (with O2): 8 hrs 10 min

http://www.progettomontagna.com/               

Jarle Tra, Alone without O2     READ EXWEB INTERVIEW  

Norwegian climber Jarle Tra, 34, will attempt Everest from the Tibetan North Col route, without supplementary O2. If he succeeds, Jarle will be the first Norwegian to complete a no O2 Everest climb. Using light equipment, he will carry the loads himself without Sherpa assistance or a cook. Jarle will climb without a chain of higher camps set in advance.

He will plant a tent on North Col during acclimatization, but take it down before going for the summit. Jarle will carry a tent, gas, food and a sleeping bag on his summit bid, from ABC to the summit. However, he will pay for, and may use the fixed ropes on the most exposed sections: "This is also the reason why I do not call this climb "alpine style" or a "solo" climb.” Jarle has climbed Cho Oyu in a similar manner and works as an industrial climber on oil-platforms in the North Sea.        

www.jarletraa.no                

Gerfried Göschl, Alone without O2    

Gerfried Göschl will be attempting Everest from the North side alone and without oxygen this spring. The expedition name is Northland Professional Shisha Pangma & Everest, the double header also includes a climb with 12 climbers on Shisha.                   

Jagged Globe, Fiennes and Sibusiso           READ EXWEB INTERVIEW

Jagged Globe is running 2 guided, full service expeditions to both sides of Everest this year. One of their clients will be South African Sibusiso Vilane. Sibusiso became a celebrity in 2003, as the first Black African to reach Mount Everest. Not all were happy for him though, some locals burned his house down! Vilane is coming back to scale Everest from the North side this year.

Along with Vilane, the team will host another pretty famous member: Ranulph Fiennes. Knighted by the Queen of England, Fiennes is a well know figure in the Polar adventure world. 60 years old, he suffered a heart attack two years ago and lost his wife to cancer last year. Everest will be no doubt a great challenge, as well as a first experience at high altitude. Fiennes is a man who moves fast - if all goes to plan; he will arrive to Everest BC with a new wife.

The North Col group will be led by David Hamilton. The South Col expedition will be led by Kenton Cool.

www.jagged-globe.co.uk                                

Spanish lady climber Rosa Fernández will climb Everest North side an independent climber. She will climb with a Sherpa with whom she has already attempted Everest (2003) and summited Makalu (2004).

Norway's first female flight Captain takes off  for Everest   

Lady climbers Sigrid Hammer and Aud Jovall will be climbing on their own, hiring Arun treks’ (Gary Guller’s US-based outfit that caters to independent climbers as well as commercial expeditions) logistics and Sherpa support. Both have previous climbing experience in US, South America and Europe – but his will be their first climb over 7000 m. In 1976, Sigrid Hammer became Norway's first female flight captain, flying heavy passenger aircrafts in civil aviation.

www.sigridhammer.no

Everest         

A three member team from ‘La Mancha’, the vast plains in Central Spain that Miguel de Cervantes made famous with his Don Quixote character 400 years ago, is planning to climb the north side of Everest this spring.

The Spanish team is hiring a small local agency for logistics up to base camp and two altitude Sherpas. “We will be setting and supplying our higher camps along with the Sherpas, as a totally independent team,” Team-members are Pedro A. Fuentes, Miguel Romero and David Torres.

www.miguelturra.es

Monica's mountain management/Jean Pavillard    

American Monika Kalozdi summited Cho Oyu with Jean Pavilliard last fall. Now they'll give Everest a shot. The wife and mother of three also manages a manufacturing company. Even while climbing, she tends to her familial and work duties: From working on the job over the lap-top to checking her kids’ homework over satellite phone in BC.

www.jpmountainguide.com

Indian Air Force        

Led by Wing Commander Amit Chowdhury, the IAF team has been training for this expedition for the last three years, climbing in Garhwal, Ladhak, Himachal and Sikkim Himalayas. Last year the IAF team climbed Kamet (7756 m) also in Garhwal. Expedition leader Amit Chowdhury led the Jadavpur University team to climb all three Jogin peaks (Garhwal Himalaya) including the virgin Jogin II in 1980. Later he led expeditions to Sudarshan, Jaonli, CB53/54, Habuman Tibba, Deo Tibba, and was a member of expeditions to Satopanth, Kamet West Ridge and Principal of the Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering in Gulmarg, Kashmir.

Maoists were planning to kidnap the Indian military personnel and so the lady climbers quickly regrouped for Everest North side. The 10-member team of women aged 20 to 27 years, was selected after screening 140 volunteers. The team includes women from various parts of the country, from West Bengal to Gujarat, and from the remote areas of Leh and Ladakh to the villages of Orissa.
 

The Iran Mountaineering Federation is organizing an all female Everest expedition this year. The Iranian ‘delegation’ on Everest won’t be exclusively feminine though: The National team of Iranian Men’s mountaineers will accompany this expedition and also attempt to summit themselves. Expedition members: Farkhondeh Sadegh, Rezvan Salmasi, Laleh Keshavarz, Roya Sadat-Ghazanfari and Leila Bahrami.

http://www.mountainzone.ir/news.htm

The National team of Iranian Men’s mountaineers for Everest 2005 are Reza Zarei, Shahab Raeisi, Azim Gheychisaz, Reza Bahadorani, and Mehdi Sharifi. The last successful climbs by an Iranian team on Everest was in May 1998, when four members summited the mountain.

http://www.mountainzone.ir/news.htm

The Polish Alpine Club will attempt the classic route on the North side of Mount Everest. The team members are: Bogusław Magrel, Paweł Garwoliński, Janusz Adamski, Bogusław Ogrodnik, Radosław Juszczyk from Poland and Jura Jermaczek from Russia.

In addition, two Poles (father and son) Jerzy Michalski, 73 and Paweł Michalski, 31 are going to try Everest this spring in order to complete the Seven Summits.

Team Homepage

Project Himalaya-DCXP        

For his 12th 8000m expedition Jamie McGuinness is providing professional support for a small team. Antoine Bonfils is promoting Paris's bid to host the 2012 Olympics on a suitably international team; nobody is from the same country.

Although Jamie isn't planning on summitting, having summitted three 8000m peaks last year, he isn't ruling out a quick, late climb. He summitted Everest previously in 2003 working as a climbing sherpa and organized the fixed rope money for the sherpas.

http://project-himalaya.com/dispatches

The expedition wants to pay tribute to the Catalan climbers who ascended the same route 20 years ago. Back then, Oscar Cadiach, Carles Vallés, and Toni Sors accomplished the second Spanish and first Catalan climb on Everest in full monsoon season, summitting on August 28, 1985. Toni died two years later on Lhotse Shar. Oscar Cadiach led the Magic Line expedition on K2 last summer, awarded Best of 2004 by Explorersweb.

Expedition leader Xavier Arias has previously summited Shisha Pangma (2002) and Dhaulagiri (2004) and has attempted Annapurna (2000) and Cho Oyu (1998). Merce Vidal has attempted Cho Oyu and Shisha Pangma. Albert Carbonell has climbed Cho Oyu. Agusti Torrents attempted Dhaulagiri last year with Xavier as members of an Argentinean team. Oriol Franco is BC manager. 2 Sherpas and "emergency" oxygen.

www.espluguesaleverest.com

Norway for Everest    

A Norwegian expedition is going for the North Ridge. Among the participants is Jon Gangdal, making his fourth attempt on the big E.

www.everest2005.no

Himex    

Himex will be leading Everest North side expeditions both in the spring and fall season this year. Among the climbers on the spring team will be New Yorker Kevin Goldstein and Brit David Tait who is returning for a second attempt this year.

www.himex.com

Peak Freak Expeditions for Everest    

Canadian Peak Freak Expeditions is a small outfit involved with the local people and organizing climbs in the area, run by husband and wife team Tim and Becky Rippel. Tim has been successfully operating mountaineering and trekking expeditions in the Himalayas for the past 13 years. During the winter months Tim stays in tune with the mountains working as Heli-Ski Guide and is certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides.

His extreme skiing has taken him to Mt. Robson (highest mountain in the B.C. Rockies) for an icy North Face winter ski attempt and the first ski ascent on Mt. Everest North side in 1991 from the top of the North Col. Tim was given the name "Peak Freak" and later adopted the name as his company. Tim's has worked with climbers like Allison Hargreaves, Eric Jones, Greg Child and American one leg amputee Tom Whitaker, and has been featured on the Discovery Channel "Climb for Hope" in 1991, and Discovery Channel " Storm Warning".

www.peakfreaks.com

Airborne ranger Club of Finland Everest     

Veikka Gustafsson will have company in Himalaya this spring. 7 Finns are off to climb Everest, without high altitude Sherpas. They will use Poisk oxygen bottles with Finnish Voiskoski oxygen, and bring some Finn food like wheat porridge and blueberry soup. ARCOF is a club for those who have done their military service in the Finnish Airborne Rangers. The team did Shisha Pangma central summit in 2002, after Everest they plan for North Pole in 2006.

Expedition leader: Veli-Pekka Mölsä (41), Climbing leader Tomi Myllys (32). Expedition members: Arri Leino (32), Teijo Lehtinen (44), Arto Suolanen (33), Tero Järvinen (31), and Heikki Karinen (40).

http://www.everest.fi

China State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping will measure Everest to establish if the mountain has shrunk some 2 meters due to Global Warming. China will use GPS and radar for the measurement. Four climbers from SBSM have been selected for the summit attempt: Huagang BAI (27), Xining LIU (28), Xiubo REN (26) and Tianlu BAI (26).

None of them had previous mountaineering experience, so CMA (China Mountaineering Association) have provided training for them since December 2004. The mission will be carried out with the assistance of Tibetan Mountaineering Association, in a joint expedition with the All-Women China-Japan Expedition.

A China-Japan Joint all-women Expedition will attempt Everest North side. 8 women from China and Japan will be on the climbing team, the Tibetan women climbers include Ji Ji, La Ji, Pu Bu, Za Ka, Na Can, Mu La and Gui Sang. Ji Ji, who has summitted 3, 8000ers including Everest so far, will be the Chinese team leader. 47-year Gui Sang has claimed 4, 8000ers, Everest twice.

Tibetan mountaineers and volunteers will spend this spring cleaning up the North side of Everest, all the way up to 8000 meters. In 2008, The Chinese plan to carry the Olympic torch to the summit of Everest in a relay race. The team will ascend the peak via the south side and descend via the north side. This year's cleaning expedition is a grooming of Everest for the Olympic flame event.

7 Summits Club (formerly Alpindustria – Russian Adventure team) 

A joint promotion of Alex Abramov and Harry Kikstra of 7summits.com. Harry and extra guide Nickolai Cherni are leading Lynne Stark, Hanna Noel Richmond, Nate Schneider, and Lorenzo Gariano. Nikolay Cherni has 6, 8000ers and was a co-leader of the Russian Central North wall expedition last year. Lynne Stark will attempt to be the first woman from Northern Ireland to climb Everest. Clare O'Leary became the first Irish woman to reach the summit last May (South side), whilst Hannah Shields tried and failed (North side) for Northern Ireland. Lynne has previously climbed Aconcagua.

Alexander Abramov guides the rest with extra guide Ivan Dus. The entire expedition offers a full service outfit with 11 climbing Sherpas (all Everest summiters), and an expedition Doc. There are 18 expedition members in total:

Leader: Abramov Alexander (Alex), Guides: Cherni Nikolay, Selivanov Andrey. Sirdar: Mingma Gelu Sherpa. Doctor: Selivanov Andrey. Members (UK): Ulph Robert, Hanna Noel Richmond, Stark Lynne Patricia, Gariano Lorenzo. (US): Christiana John Thomas, Wilde James, Schneider Nathaniel. (Slovenia): Lihteneker Marko, Mlinar Victor. (Russia): Kaymachnikov Sergey, Lakovenko Alexandre, Skaller Grigory, Ovasapyan Karo, Lande Vladimir, Semenov Sergey, Taidakov Yury, Moskalev Dmitry, Korobeshko Liudmila.

http://www.7summits-club.com
http://7summits.com/forum/index.php/board,33.0 

May 20 last year, Everest had a terrible tragedy on the North side. Two Koreans went missing and their third mate went up to look for them. All three were later found dead. According to an interview in a South African magazine, climbers from an International commercial team encountered one of the Koreans, laying in the snow with a broken leg. They shoveled snow on top of him "and then he just went to sleep". Now a new team of South Korean climbers will leave for Mount Everest to bring the bodies down. Expedition leader: Um Hong-Gil, 45.
 

Romanian born US resident Gheorghe Dijmarescu is returning to Everest this spring in spite of the bad press he received last year from some of his 2004 expedition clients. The story was published by the Connecticut Newspaper Hartford Courant - a detailed report about violent threats, clients fearing for their lives, oxygen stashes getting robbed, Sherpas demanding money in high camps, and porn in mess tents. "From now on, I will do all I can to hunt this bitch down, like a hiena..." the expedition leader wrote in an email about one of his female clients. The magazine also posted images of Lahkpa Sherpa (Gheorghe's wife) being carried out of a tent after getting hit by her husband. When ExplorersWeb ran a story about the story, Gheorghe Dijmarescu threatened the ExWeb female editor.
 

Dan Mazur’s outfit company plans to launch teams to both sides of Everest this year. The leader of the north side group is Ryan Waters.

www.summitclimb.com/everestnepal.htm
www.summitclimb.com/everesttibet.htm

Brook Alongi, 28, of Marysville is leading a six-man expedition up the North Ridge. The team includes Scott Streett of Everett, and Ryan Allen, Al Baal, Ambrose Bittner and Michael Frank, all of Seattle.

http://heraldnet.com/

Carlos Pauner w/o Oxygen        

Carlos Pauner will be attempting Everest without supplementary O2 this spring, through the classic South (Nepal) side route. Carlos will leave Spain early April, but plans for a late summit push: “After acclimatizing, I hope to be ready for a summit bid by May 20, right on time for the weather window.

“I am climbing with a group of friends, but each of us will face the climb in their own way. I'm the only one who will use no O2 at all, not even for ‘medical use’, and no high altitude Sherpas. Some of the others are definitely using O2, while other team members will bring O2 to use only in case of emergency. We will be sharing the work of setting high camps. I’ll carry my part of the loads, and the rest can do the same or have their Sherpas to do the task.

www.carlospauner.com

Gavin Bate w/o Oxygen    

Gavin Bate is attempting Everest for the third time ... this time without oxygen. The plan is to climb alone with a cache of gear stored at C2, from where he will shoot straight for the summit, without fixed camps in C3 and C4.

www.adventurealternative.com

Singapore for first Everest summit: Double team w/o Oxygen + NUS 

Fall 2004, Singaporean mountaineers Robert Goh and Lim Kim Boon summitted Cho Oyu without oxygen. Next they plan for an Everest no O2 attempt. To date, there has not been a Singaporean Everest summiter. The team set for this Spring will include Edwin Siew, who summited Everest with oxygen six years ago. Although a permanent resident of Singapore, Edwin was then a Malaysian citizen. He has since taken up Singapore citizenship and is returning for a no O2 attempt - Southeast Asia's first if successful.

http://www.singaporemountaineers.com

The same expedition also contains a second team of 5 climbers from NUS (National University of Singapore).  The team members are EE Khong Lean (expedition leader), Lindley Zerbe (a California native), Quah Wei Siong, Stefen Chow E-Fung  and Teo Yen Kai.

www.nus.edu.sg/everest/training/everest.htm

Leipzigers w/o Oxygen         

Olaf Rieck has gathered a strong German-speaking team to attempt Everest this spring, “We are willing to accept the challenge, and climb without supplementary O2 support.”

Members are: Thomas Tuerpe, Lakpa Gelbu Sherpa, Olaf Rieck, and Jana Odrich.

www.leipzig-online.de/expedition/everest

Alpine ascents and young Danielle        

At 20 years of age, Danielle Fisher has a chance to be the youngest American to climb Everest. She's in a close race with Jess Roskelley (they both have ADD!), who summited on May 21, 2003, also at age 20. If successful, Danielle will also be the youngest person to climb the seven summits, replacing the current 7 summit record holder Britton Keeshan, who was 22 when he reached Everest - the final of his seven summits - last spring.

Vernon Tejas, Lakpa Rita Sherpa, Dave Morton, and Jose Luis Peralvo will once again be the guides of Alpine Ascents International team this spring on Everest. AA has been leading climbers to the roof of the world for 18 years now. The US based company is one of the leading outfitters on the South Side. This is a full serviced guided expedition.

www.alpineascents.com
www.daniellefisher.com

Scott (Adventures International) will return to Everest this spring. "All our trips are based more on going up for fun than huge money making biz ventures. We plan a small group again 2-3 climbers and myself going as guide”, Scott explained prior to departure. ”We plan a 2 to 1 Sherpa to western climber ration with lots of O's to keep things safer.

http://www.exploreyourplanet.com/

Adventure Consultants        

Adventure Consultants, founded by the legendary climber and pioneering Everest guide Rob Hall, and now directed by Guy Cotter, is one of the world's leading Everest climbing outfits. AC has 3 guides and a maximum of 9 clients. Two of the guides are Mike Roberts and Luis Benitez. Mike Roberts is an Everest summiteer and has led expeditions to Aconcagua in South America, McKinley in Alaska, Vinson Massif in Antarctica, Gasherbrum I & II in Pakistan, Cho Oyu in Tibet and Muztagh Ata in Western China. Luis Benitez has also guided around the world and is a 4-time Everest summiteer. The "Cyber guides" transmit live updates and pictures straight from high camps.

www.adventureconsultants.co.nz

Team Exploradus and Jim Williams, best chef on the hill        

American Jim Williams is one of the few people in the world who can claim to be both a polar explorer and a high altitude climber. Oddly enough it's his cooking skills he brags about. This spring, he's leading a four-member guided team on Everest’s South Col route. Back in 1989, Jim was a member of the team that pioneered the Hercules Inlet – South Pole route, now followed by almost all South Pole expeditions. Williams has been alternating between polar adventures and climbing for the past 35 years, guiding Everest 10 times (1 summit). Team members: Neal Mueller, 27, Chris Grubb, 25, Urszula Tokarska, 41, who is giving Everest a second try after reaching the South Summit last year. If she succeeds this time, Urszula will be the first Canadian woman to climb all Seven Summits. Carrie Dagher, 29, Base Camp Manager.

http://www.exploradus.com/

Team Honda - Samurai's soul        

Japanese four-member team led by Michiro Honda, 66! Inspired by Yuichiro Miura (the oldest person to summit Everest at 70), Michiro took up climbing in 2000, at age 61: “It was four and a half years ago that I resolved that I would not face the twilight of my life doing nothing and started to think seriously about trying Mt. Everest. I believe that what counts is not how long you live, but the manner how you live. What is important is the quality of one's life. Live as free a life as you wish, but be prepared to take responsibility for the outcome. This is my idea of a happy life.”

Michiro Honda will climb with Shigeki Imoto (40) who was part of the Everest NE ridge summit team in 1995 and and Na Temba (or Gnatemba, depending on the source) Sherpa – who has summited Everest ten times. Takeshi Kodama is the fourth team member. The team will be setting a fifth camp on their way up, just as Miura did on his successful attempt in May 2003.

http://www.teamhonda-everest2005.com/

Diabetic climber's Everest rematch        

American Will Cross, is a 37-year-old father of five and type 1 diabetic. Besides following a personal dream, Will’s adventures are meant to prove to the rest of the world that diabetes is an illness that can be controlled and overcome, even in the most extreme environments. More people will die each year from diabetes than from AIDS and breast cancer combined. Diabetes is a leading cause of amputation, blindness, heart attack and kidney failure. Will attempted Everest last year, but was forced to turn back 1500 feet from the summit due to problems with the supplementary oxygen system. Now he’s back to try again.

http://www.willcrossmotivates.com/

Stuart Baker Brown trekked to Everest Base Camp last year, and opened an exhibition of his photographs in Dorset. "I find it hard to see myself as an artist, rather than as someone who just has schizophrenia," he told the BBC News website. The pics should be interesting; Stuart used a lot of colored filters.

Stuart likes Nepal because people are open minded; "Buddhists are very accepting of everything and everyone" he told the news source. Stuart wants to prove that mental illness doesn't have to be a death sentence - much life can be fitted between the crazy slots. He plans to climb Everest with Nuru, his Sherpa friend, and to choose his own color when he summit.
 

Climb for a cure and Apa Sherpa's no. 15        

Apa Sherpa, world record holder of most Everest summits with 14, will go for 15 this April. American climbers Chuck Huss, Dan Smith, Rob Chang, and John Gray will join him on the “Everest Climbing for a Cure Expedition 2005”. The expedition is part of an organization dedicated to helping stop one of the world’s deadliest diseases by climbing the world’s tallest mountains. While this will be Rob’s second attempt, Huss also has had a few experiences on the mountain. “Everest is well known, and to me this is a personal battle I have with the mountain. I've engaged it three times, and the mountain has won all three times."

http://www.climbingforacure.com/

Valencia’s return to Everest        

David Rosa, Jorge Verdeguer, Endika Urtarán and Joan José Haya are long time friends. They started climbing together, and shared their first Himalayan summit - on Cho Oyu in 1998. One year later they attempted Manaslu. After Everest, they made a partial trip to the North Pole and attempted Nanga Parbat. In 2001, Jorge Verdeguer reached the summit of Everest from Tibet, while his climbing mate David had to turn around on the Second Step due to problems with his supplementary O2 system. Back in Camp 4, they met an exhausted, snow-blind Juanito Oiarzabal on his way down from the summit. The climbers helped the old veteran and all came down safely. Now they are coming back to the other side of Everest for another try.

 http://www.expeadiccion.com/

Jagged Globe    

Jagged Globe is running 2 guided, full service expeditions to both sides of Everest this year. The South Col expedition is led by Kenton Cool.

www.jagged-globe.co.uk

International Mountain Guides    

Eric Simonson’s US based outfit is launching an expedition to Everest South side this spring. The team will be led by Everest summiteer Mark Tucker, a veteran of five Everest expeditions.

www.mountainguides.com/everest-south.shtml

Keith and Dirk    

Keith Woodhouse and Dirk Stephens are climbing with Asian Trekking.
 

American brothers for Everest    

Michael and Chris O’Brien hope to become the first American brothers to summit Mount Everest together. The brothers are part of Dan Mazur’s team, although they’ll be sending dispatches to their own website. Dan is leading this south side expedition.

www.obrienseverest.com
home page

Mountain Madness    

www.mountainmadness.com

Ottawa "Hockey" Canadian expedition       

Sean Egan and Peter Luk. This is Egan’s third trip to the mountain, and his first summit attempt. If successful, he will be the oldest Canadian to summit Mount Everest.

www.kanatek.com/everest

Shaunna Burke and Ben Webster's return for the summit       

Shaunna Burke and Ben Webster are returning to Everest to finish an attempt which ended in high winds at South Col last year. Sponsored by Telecom Ottawa, Ben Webster, Everest summiter and producer of the award nominated 6-part mini-series for the Discovery Channel is leading the small team and will stream satellite video to highschools of the Ottawa Carelton School Board. Shaunna has been on Everest twice filming for the Discovery Channel and is returning this year to summit and carry out her Ph.D. thesis on the psychology of Everest climbers.

http://www.algonquincollege.com/everest

The Philippines’ first ever expedition team to Everest postponed their prep climb on a Mindanao mountain in fear of kidnap-for-ransom gangs. No further news.

Chris Harris will attempt to become the youngest person to climb Everest, media reported earlier, but there has been no further news. Chris is also reportedly the youngest person known to have climbed Elbrus.

Berg Adventure   

Veteran climber Wally Berg will lead a team to Everest South side.

www.bergadventures.com

Himex 

Himex will be leading Everest North side expeditions both in the Spring and Fall season this year.

www.himex.com

Ed(US) and Veikka (Finland) are ready to give Annapurna another shot this spring through the north side. When Ed Viesturs scales the 26,545 foot mountain, he will become the first American to join the small number of climbers who have stood atop the summits of all 14 8,000 meter peaks in the world, and climbed them without oxygen.

Ed plans on a double header to minimize his time on the very deadly Annapurna. He'll acclimatize on Cho Oyu and then go to Annapurna for a hopefully rapid ascent via the North Face.

http://www.edviesturs.com/news/annapurna2005.asp

Pustelnik (Poland) is ready for a second attempt on the Bonnington Route on the South Face of Annapurna. Piotr will lead a mixed Polish-Slovak team, arriving in Kathmandu on March 21. Piotr led a Polish/Russian team on the same route last spring. The climbers endured extreme conditions and increasing difficulties. When the permit time was up, they launched a desperate summit bid, but bad weather prevented them from reaching the summit. Now Piotr is back for a second try. Team members are: Aleksander Wasniowski, Valdo Strba, Piotr Morawski and Marcin Miotk.
 

Italian Silvio “Gnaro” Mondinelli is on his second attempt on Annapurna, this time through the north side. Silvio will climb with his regular climbing mate, Mario Merelli, and also Mario Panzeri, Daniele Bernasconi, and, in his first Himalayan experience; Silvio's friend Christian Gobbi.

Annapurna will be the first stage of a 5-in-1 for Mondinelli, who will follow up with Lhotse, then join the Spaniards on Nanga Parbat, make an attempt on Broad Peak and finally join a mixed team on Shisha Pangma later this year.

http://www.gnaromondinelli.it/

http://www.navarra8000.com

Italian Abele Blanc and Western Tyrolean Christian Kuntner will climb Annapurna’s north side together this spring. If they succeed, they both will have completed the 14, 8000ers. The accomplished climbers are quite shy and therefore not so well known among the international climbing community, or the general media. Kuntner has climbed all 8000ers without supplementary O2 or Sherpa support. Abele Blanc has summited all but Everest and Kangchenjunga without bottled oxygen. They attempted Annapurna south face in 2003. Kuntner attempted it in 2002 as well. Abele Blanc summited his 13th 8000er, Dhaulagiri, in 2001. Christian Kuntner latest summited Lhotse in 2004.

http://www.christiankuntner.com
http://www.blancabele.com

With not enough climbers to share the cost, Ecuadorian climber Ivan Vallejo has cancelled his expedition to Kangchenjunga. Instead, he is heading for Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, joining Iñaki Ochoa, Nives Meroi, Romano Benet and Luca Vuerich on the climb. Ivan will climb Dhaulagiri and Annapurna with Spaniard Ignacio Orbiz, who he summited Makalu with last year. (no O2). They’ll share BC with Iñaki and the Italians.

http://www.ivanvallejo.com

 After his success on K2 last year, and already boasting three other 8000m peaks on his resume, “Fercho”  is ready for a doubleheader this spring, joining the growing number of climbers who have chosen to take on Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. He may go solo and join up later with a larger international team, as he did last year on K2. Fernando’s climbing buddy, Camilo Gomez, eventually dropped out of that climb. Fernando chose to stick with it, seizing the moment when the weather window finally opened. He summited on July 27, in the second summit wave under the best possible weather conditions. He has also climbed Cho Oyu, and Everest - but plans to return to Everest in 2007 for a no O2 climb: "When I summited in 2001 on oxygen, it was too easy. I want to be alone there, like Messner.”
 

 Andrew Lock from Australia is going for his 11th 8000er, with two team mates.
 

If he summits, Ecuadorian Ivan will add the 11th 8000er in his quest for the great 14. Away from the big media, virtually unknown to the international climbing community, Ivan has been climbing summit after summit, all of them in an elegant style and without oxygen. Last fall he summited Shisha Pangma through the South side, no O2 and in alpine style. Now he is heading for Kangchenjunga, perhaps the most difficult of all the 14, 8000ers, with the same attitude.

http://www.ivanvallejo.com

The British climber claims Kangchenjunga is the only 8000er left for him to complete the 14, 8000ers. However, it is not clear whether he reached the actual summit of Cho Oyu. Highly considered in the UK, if he summits he could be a controversial member of the prestigious ‘club’ of the 14, 8000ers climbers.

http://www.berghaus.com

Swiss Mountain guide Norbert Joos’ team is one of only two confirmed expeditions attempting Kangchenjunga, despite the reduced climbing fees set by Nepal’s government to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its first ascent.. Among the five-member team is Spanish lady climber Araceli Segarra and Mexican Héctor ponce de León. They are climbing from Nepal.

Norbert ‘Noppa’ Joos has summited 12 8000ers, the latest being Lhotse, in 2004. He is currently attempting Kangchenjunga and, if he summits, only Everest will remain.

http://www.bergsport.ch/index_ie.html (german)

Young guns Maximo Kausch Serantes, 22, an Argentinean residing in Brazil, Pedro Hauck, 21, Brazil and Fabio Dellali, 25, Brazil are planning and expedition to Kang in 2005.

http://themountainpeople.org/projetos.htm

The High Mountain Military group of the Spanish army (GMAM) will join four climbers and a climbing/filming crew from ‘Al Filo de lo Imposible’ to attempt the beautiful - and difficult - West Pillar. GMAM attempted Manaslu last year, but bad weather conditions prevented them to reach the summit. In 2005, after Makalu, Team Al Filo will be attempting Nanga Parbat.

http://www.ejercito.mde.es/organizacion/emmoe/enlaces/grupo_militar_de_montana.htm

The veteran Spanish climber (65) years old - will attempt the classic route with Vicente Lagunilla. They both summited K2 last summer, through the Abruzzi Spur, although they summited in consecutive days. Lagunilla reached the summit w/o O2, Soria became the eldest summiteer of K2. None of them is using supplementary O2 on Makalu.

Carlos Soria told Eplorersweb that he will keep climbing as long as his legs will carry him. He counts on the help of Muktu, a young sherpa who climbed with him on K2 and Dome Kang, a 7000er in the Kangchenjunga region where he attempted a new route last year, and where he will be returning this fall. Legs permitting, of course.

Carlos Soria didn’t go to Makalu. His climbing mate Vicente ‘Tente’ Lagunilla came instead with long time friend Angel Villan. They attempted the normal route but aborted the expedition after a failed summit attempt on May, 14th/15th.
 

Fully supported commercial expedition via the Northwest Ridge, from March 20 to May 31st. Gary Guller will be the leader. The team will ascend via the Northwest Ridge, establishing 4 high camps on the mountain.

http://www.aruntrekexpedition.com/expeditions/makalu.html

Nepal Mountaineering Federation is organizing a commercial expedition together with some of Nepal’s big fishes, such as Sonang Sherpa, owner of a domestic airline in the country, and Zamling Norgay Sherpa, son of Tenzing Norgay. The goal is to climb and clean the mountain.

They plan a huge team of 25 climbers and 25 high altitude sherpas. Expedition Sherpa leaders are Serap Jangbu Sherpa, Pasang Tshering Sherpa, Mingma Sherpa and Muktu Lakpa Sherpa, all of them having summited several 800ers.

http://www.mtmakalu.org/itineraries.htm

Iñaki, Nives, Romano, Luca, Guggemos first up in double header       

Iñaki, Nives Meroi and husband Romano Benet, Luca Vuerich, and Peter Guggemos will attempt Dhaulagiri, as the first stage of their spring double-header. Immediately afterwards they’ll move to Annapurna. None of them have summited Dhaula before, and as the closest 8000er to Annapurna, it was the perfect choice for an Anna double header.

http://www.navarra8000.com

With not enough climbers to share the cost, Ecuadorian climber Ivan Vallejo has cancelled his expedition to Kangchenjunga. Instead, he is heading for Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, joining Iñaki Ochoa, Nives Meroi, Romano Benet and Luca Vuerich on the climb. Ivan will climb Dhaulagiri and Annapurna with Spaniard Ignacio Orbiz, who he summited Makalu with last year. (no O2). They’ll share BC with Iñaki and the Italians.

http://www.ivanvallejo.com

 After his success on K2 last year, and already boasting three other 8000m peaks on his resume, “Fercho”  is ready for a doubleheader this spring, joining the growing number of climbers who have chosen to take on Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. He may go solo and join up later with a larger international team, as he did last year on K2. Fernando’s climbing buddy, Camilo Gomez, eventually dropped out of that climb. Fernando chose to stick with it, seizing the moment when the weather window finally opened. He summited on July 27, in the second summit wave under the best possible weather conditions. He has also climbed Cho Oyu, and Everest - but plans to return to Everest in 2007 for a no O2 climb: "When I summited in 2001 on oxygen, it was too easy. I want to be alone there, like Messner.”

 Nepal’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation published a press release reporting that Korean Im Bok Choi (20) reached the summit of Dhaulagiri I at 5:00 p.m. on May 4th, 2005 together with Dowa Sherpa, Serap Jongbu Sherpa and Pema Tshiring Sherpa. The climbers were part of the 8-member 2005 Korean Dhaulagiri Peak Expedition Team, led by Jae Hong Ahn. However, the official press release contradicts reports from international climbers also on the mountain, who deny that the Koreans reached the summit.

Navarra Manaslu Expedition 

Three long time friends from Navarra, Spain, have spent months saving every Euro they could to fulfill a dream of one of the ‘Big Ones’: Manaslu. Ricardo Valencia is the most experienced with Cho Oyu, GII and Makalu. Joseba Gutierrez has Cho Oyu and Ruben Jiménez - although not new to climbing - is heading for his first 8000er. If they make it, they will be the first Navarrese to summit Manaslu (not even Iñaki Ochoa de Olza, also Navarrese, has climbed this peak).

http://www.iespana.es/manaslu

Amical 

Rainer Pircher will guide the team with two high altitude Sherpas. April 6 to May 20, 3 camps. Amical has become one of the most outstanding European outfits providing a wide range of peaks. While commercial expedition companies focus on Everest and Cho Oyu, Amical is ready to fill the gap and guide the rest of the great 14.

http://www.amical.de

A very anonymous Japanese expedition is reported to be on the mountain.

Russian Serguey Bogomolov and Georgian Gia Torladze have joined forces with a Spanish team to attempt Manaslu though the classic Japanese route. Serguey Bogomolov, 44, has summited 11 8,000ers. In July 2002 he climbed Shisha Pangma by a new route, crossing to the formerly unclimbed North-East Ridge. Last year he attempted Annapurna’s South face as part of Piotr Pustelnik’s team.

Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Orviz have joined three fellow Spaniards for this expedition:

The guys met on Makalu last year and remained in touch ever since.

FIRST WINTER ASCENT      

"P.S. Today, the 20th of January the CTMA certificated our summit with the sentence 'first winter Summit' as the first winter summit for Shisha Pangma, made by Simone Moro ITA and Piotr Morawski POL at the 14th of January." This was the last triumphant line in the climbers debrief of their sweet success.

Simone Moro and Piotr Morawski summited Shisha Pangma Friday January 14, 2005 at 1.15 pm (local) after a fast 5 hour climb in very strong winds via the Yugoslavian route on the south face. Only 8 out of all 14 eight-thousanders have been winter climbed until now. Before the addition of Italian Simone Moro, all first winter accents were made by Polish climbers in Calendar winter, from Everest in 1980 to Lhotse in 1988 - the last time (before this year) someone set foot on a virgin summit higher than 8000m during the winter.

Simone Moro, Piotr Morawski, Jacek Jawien, Dariusz Zaluski and Jan Szulc repeated their winter attempt of last year - this time with success.

http://www.simonemoro.com/
http://www.wyprawa.pl/a

Solo ascent      

Inaki Ochoa will attempt a solo ascent on the north side. He will decide route pending snow conditions. Iñaki plans to enter Tibet March 1. He will use no O2 or Sherpas, just a cook in BC ‘who has no mountaineering skills, not even crampons, so there would be no way he could rescue me in case of trouble.”

After Shisha, Inaki will join Italians Nives Meroi, Romano Benet and Luca Vuerich on a double-header to Dhaulagiri and Annapurna

Iñaki was caught in an avalanche at 6000+, and fell 100 meters on the North Ridge route. He aborted the attempt and headed home to treat an injury to his shoulder.

http://www.navarra8000.com

German climber Ralf Dujmovits, Austrian Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, and Japanese climber Hirotaka Takeuchi will attempt an alpine style double header which includes Shisha South Face and Everest North Face Supercouloir. The trio will start climbing Shisha Pangma’s South Face to complete the Scott-McInyre route they left undone last year. They plan to acclimatize close to Shisha’s South Face, on Ice Tooth and Pungpa Ri. Afterwards, they will go for Shisha Pangma in pure alpine style.

Alpine style traverse completed.

DEBRIEF PART 1
DEBRIEF PART 2

http://www.amical.de

Much like Cho Oyu, Shisha Pangma is a peak typically climbed after the monsoon has it well covered in snow. The German outfit though, will launch an expedition to Shisha Pangma April 15 to May 27; a good choice for those who intend to attempt a second peak in fall. Andreas Bucher and David Göttler will be the guides. Andreas has previously summited Cho Oyu. David, UIAGM Mountain Guide, has been to Changabang (in Garwhal Himalayas) and the north side of Kangchenjunga.

http://www.amical.de

This spring Gerfried Göschl will lead a group of climbers on Shisha Pangma normal route. Gerfried, 32, is expedition leader with earlier summits of Cho Oyu 2002, G2 2003, and a G1 attempt in 2003 (to 7500m). Hubert Rieger,31, is co-leader.

Members (Austria): Günther Unterberger, 37, brothers Georg Wenzl, 26, and Hans Wenzl, 34. (Germany): Lady climbers Andrea Lakatos, 39, (Cho Oyu 2002) and Helga Schubert, 44; Thomas Scherzer, 25,
Martin Nüß, 30, Norbert Linz, 37. (Holland): Elio Schijlen, 33.

Italian/Spanish fall Shisha expedition    

Silvio ‘Gnaro’ Mondinelli has previously reached Shisha’s Central Summit, but not the main one. Mondinelli has chosen to join an Italian expedition on the classic route. Afterwards, he might decide to perhaps climb another route - on the south face.

The 2005 Italian Shisha expedition is led by Luca Succi, and includes Silvio Mondinelli, Mario Merelli, Graziano Masciaga, Marco Confortola, Claudio Mandrini, extreme snowboarder Emilio Previtali, and Luca’s wife Cristina Piolini. They might consider moving to Cho Oyu for an alpine style ascent afterwards, sans Mondinelli who already summited the peak earlier.

Silvio Mondinelli has nine 8000ers: Manaslu, Cho Oyu, Everest, GI, GII, Dhaulagiri, Makalu, Kangchenjunga and K2, plus Shisha Pangma’s central summit, and a controversial climb on Lhotse. Mario Merelli has summited Everest, Makalu, Kangchenjunga and Shisha's central summit.

http://www.ottomilaventisette.org

A Basque (Spanish) expedition will attempt Cho Oyu and Shisha Pangma this spring. Leaving Spain on April 3, they’ll spend 30 days climbing Cho Oyu through the normal route. Afterwards, they’ll attempt Shisha’s South Face, climbing the British route in alpine style. The Basque name of the expedition is “Ezkerraldea Expedizioa,” which means “left shore expedition”. The team members are representing their hometown; the industrial area of Bilbao’s left shore, with its chimneys and factories.

Jordi Estanyol, Luis Basarrate, Iñaki Fernandez and Rodolfo Gento have previous experience climbing on G-II, Broad Peak, Lenin, Aconcagua, Alpamayo and Daulaguiri last year, where the team lost the tent’s poles on the way up. “What we are sure of is that we have learned the lesson, and