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Snowboarders on Everest to pioneer new Contact 2.0 full power system
20:20 p.m. EDT Jul 15, 2003
The spectacular off season Everest team is in Kathmandu ready to go. The expedition is interesting in several aspects:
The season - the Everest team is heading up right in the Monsoon season. Count on rotting snow, cloudy skies and heavy snowfall.
The route - Stephen, Eric and Jimmy will head up the Hornbein couloir. A vertical, steep direct line to summit on the Everest North side.
The climb - no fixed rope, no oxygen.
Contact 2.0 - Already in use by almost 30 expeditions, this crew are now test pilots for the new Contact 2.0 all-in-one setup.
PDA, Laptop, Sat phone, solar panels, high camp battery packs, power converter, charge controller, custom wiring. All tucked nicely in a single Pelican case. It is the lightest all inclusive expedition setup, customized for both BC and high camp usage. The only item that the expedition must add in Kathmandu is a gel battery.
The websites - Check out Stephen's flash site and Jimmy's pictures.
Stephen Koch aims to snowboard the 7-Summits. With only one left to go – Everest – he chose the hard way; down one of the world’s most famous direct lines, the Hornbein Couloir. Jimmy Chin plans to climb to the top with Stephen and then ski down. Stephen, Jimmy and Eric are friends from Wyoming. The expedition uses Contact 2.0 software for daily updates.
Image courtesy of ExplorersWeb
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