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Everest daily wrap up: Candlelight dinner by the fireplace
Apr 26, 2004 12: 27 EST
Not the leisurely weekend expected with several reports of climbers evac'ed with health problems. Most South teams are heading back down to BC after successfull climbs to C3. North teams have made it to the Col and are back in ABC or lower.
Everest Weather
There will be no jet in the area this week but a minor jet is approaching Everest and will reach the area Saturday. On the summit there is a north- northwest wind about 5 m/s. From Wednesday increasing westerly or south westerly winds 10-15 m/s, and up to 20-30 m/s Friday and Saturday. A low over Tibet is weakening and will be followed by a weak upper ridge during Tuesday with mainly dry weather. New troughs will follow giving showery conditions from Wednesday on.
Everest North: Tait concedes
Tait versus Everest: Everest wins. It has been an emotional time for David and a difficult process concerning his health this past week, but he has had to accept the facts and work on a plan to return another day. “Despite endless training and preparation my health has forced me to concede defeat and prepare to return home. Despite bitter personal disappointment, I have to focus on the positives - nearly 200k raised so far for the NSPCC, and a new school for 56 children provided for in Tibet. I am sorry to disappoint people, but I assure you that no one feels worse than I do right now. Maybe I will try again in the future.”
North Wall stage 2. The Russian North Wall team set camp at 7200m. Climbers have fixed ropes up to the half way point, and they need to fix about 40 more. They reached the big snow field; the next difficult part, with rocks from 7900 m. “Everything is all right,” says Vinogradsky, “It has been heavily snowing for two days, but the good news: fresh snow covered slopes means there are fewer falling stones.” That’s seeing the silver lining all right.
The Russian Adventure team reports from ABC: “In the morning everything is white, all of our surroundings are covered with snow. It is very important to install the tents, prepare all the equipment, link up the portable radio transmitters and electricity today. In general we have to build a city from the ground up. All of the members of the team feel good except our generator which has no wish to turn on. Last night we had a candlelight dinner in front of the fireplace (gas heater).
Bad news today: Seven sherpas came over to say that the cost of fixing ropes is now at about $100 per person. I would give them the money with pleasure but I am not sure that tomorrow another sherpa will come and ask for $200. The math is simple but the politics are complicated.”
The Prentice Bro.’s are in ABC. “We tried to push on up to the North Col yesterday but the weather and number of people on the ropes proved hazardous so it was back to ABC for a day of rest. So the plan now is to move up early tomorrow to the North Col if the weather allows. Its been snowing most afternoons with the temperature swinging between –19c recorded last night in the tent to +32c during the day.”
The Greek North team’s doctor could use a doctor. Along with the expedition sponsor, the team doctor will leave for Kathmandu to recover from a bad stomach bug. The remaining members of team are in ABC where they have been waiting out the weather for the last few days. Judging by their dispatches, the Greek teams are very sociable and have been making good contacts with the other teams, sharing advice, and enjoying the cosmopolitan community growing in ABC.
Everest South: Full moon on May 5th, will we see summit bids?
Acclimatization; the proven way. Members of the Greek South team went down to 3,900m for acclimatization; to sniff some green grass and air saturated with oxygen. This strategy is recognized as a highly effective method; Boukreev was one of the advocates. Going down the valley after acclimatization, before the summit push, strengthens the body and mind of a climber. The Greeks plan to return to BC in about a week. They are the first, and so far the only team, to go down the valley this season.
The Irish team is working the ice fall, again. “As usual we were not looking forward to the descent through the ice fall. This moving river of ice has a mind of its own. Today, once again, it had changed completely; there had been a few new serac falls and a lot of changes in the crevasses. I think the biggest fear when climbing through the Khumbu ice fall are the massive overhanging ice blocks just waiting to tumble. Acutely aware of these dangers, Clare, Pemba, Tenzing and I made the journey from Camp 2 to BC in four hours.
Today we met up with Samantha O'Carroll who arrived at BC while we were at Camp 2. She hopes to make her first trip through the ice fall tomorrow.”
Sam is another Irish female-climber who is with Adventure Consultants. Both Clare and Sam stand to be the first Irish females to summit Everest.
The Mexican Canadian team has returned to BC from a successful mission to Camp 3 where they spent two nights.
Alpine Ascents made an early departure from C2 in order to make it back to BC by early afternoon. “There was new snow in the Western Cwm from the past few days of light snow and we broke trail under beautiful clear skies. The descent through the icefall was uneventful- a nice thing for that descent to be. It was actually very pleasant with light snowfall and hazy skies. The Khumbu icefall can truly be an oven. Many areas of the route are protected ice valleys where there is no wind and the reflection of the massive amounts of white surface can produce temperatures near 100 degrees.
Adventure Consultants is waking up at C1 for the first time “on an expedition akin to the feeling of having one to many Irish Whiskies; somewhat whoozy, a bit of a headache maybe, a reluctance to move from the horizontal. Well, this is all part and parcel of adjusting to a new altitude. Add to this some muscular aches and pains from a long hard day in the Khumbu Icefall.”
The Over Everest expedition is welcomed to the world of dispatch. We haven’t heard from these guys since they shipped their kit at the end of March. In case you don’t remember them, this is the team that plans to tow a glider with an ultralight over the summit of Everest. “We have struggled with customs, CAA and other bureaucracies, got our oxygen supplies, more or less got our fuel supply and now have all our permissions and are, astonishingly, more or less ready to go as scheduled. The main problem has been our marvelous sat comms which have so far completely refused to work, hence no updates on this website. Hopefully a working system will be delivered to us in the next week or so.”
RussianClimb.com | Mountain.ru | Andy and Ian Prentice | Hellas Everest | David Tait | Mexican Canadian | Irish Everest | Adventure Consultants | Alpine Ascents | Over Everest
Image of Everest BC at night from ExWeb files..
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2004
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