Everest 2008: Back to Normal, South Side Update–Alan Arnette is Back!

This past week was definitely an exciting week. The Chinese expedition on the North, to carry the Olympic torch to the top of the world, finally came to fruition this past Wednesday (Thursday, China time). The torch run of the Chinese team was definitely interesting to watch as it was broadcast on live TV and Internet Stream through CCTV and CNN. I do have Photos and Video of the Olympic Torch summit by the Chinese posted on this site.

Earlier in this season I think many of us were hoping that something might happen, perhaps the torch wouldn’t stay lit or they wouldn’t make it up, but as May 10th loomed very big and near on the horizon, I think most of us just wanted to see this get done and over with. As it goes with China, as soon as the team got to the summit, that is all we heard from the press. We never got word the climbers made it back to camp safely. I spent two days trying to track down this info, because as we all know, the summit is only halfway there–they still all have to get back in one piece for it to be a success.

The following day, the restrictions Nepal had set down for this event, on request from China, were lifted. All expeditions could begin their own assault on Mt. Everest from the south, and more importantly, communications were restored. Climbers could once again communicate with the world.

Alan Arnette and Mountain Professionals

Alan Arnette, who is climbing with Mountain Professionals and attempting Mt. Everest for his third time, has been busy updating everyone over the news of the past couple of weeks. He has made two updates. His first included this beautiful piece of literature:

“Everest 2008 has had more surprises than a Dick Cheney bird hunt.

Funny guy. With Nepal’s liaison officers sporting high-powered rifles, this actually may not be that far off base. Alan, who happens to be a pretty good friend of mine, notes that all is going better than planned at this point, which is very good to hear. Many of us who have been following Alan Arnette over the past year with his “Road Back to Mt. Everest” campaign, cringed a bit when we heard that all communications would be shut down. Alan is one of those guys who not only climbs, but has become quite successful at reporting on the action from Mt. Everest on his own site, AlanArnette.com. I am sure the information lock-down did not sit well with him. Luckily enough, information was coming out from other sites, that we could conclude Alan was doing well. That kept us sane.

As I get ready to feature a couple of bits from Alan Arnette’s Everest Dispatches over the past couple of days, I would like to mention the reason why Alan has decided to go back to Mt. Everest. He is climbing in support of the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, trying to raise $100,000 for Alzheimer’s research. If you feel like donating a buck, I am sure Alan would appreciate it. You can do so by following this LINK.

“The Icefall is easier on the lower sections but a little harder up high. It feels longer this year but our climb times are getting faster with each trip. There are fewer ladders than before and the ones near the top of the Icefall are quite complicated. The longest one is five ladders lashed together and goes straight up. This creates traffic jams and we have had to wait up to 20 minutes to get our shot. On the return trip we mostly rappel the 50 or so feet thus bypassing the crowds down climbing the ladders. More fun!

This comes from Alan’s post on May 7th. Speaking of the crowds, Alan does mention that there are 41 teams climbing on 31 permits. They range in size from one climber to 50! He also notes the presence of 500 climbers, including Sherpas, at Mt. Everest base camp. We have been hearing that the south slope might be quite crowded this season, but by those numbers, it is actually on the scale of last season’s North Everest expeditions. The only downfall–getting 500 people up, down, around, and out of the khumbu Icefalls. This single area, that all climbers must manuever around through a series of ladders, is the single most deadliest aspect on Mt. Everest and the scene of many tragedies in past years. Luckily, none have come up thus far in 2008. Alan’s May 7th dispatch includes some beautiful photos of the icefalls. By comparing these to some of last season’s you get the feeling that there has been quite a bit of change. Definitely looks a bit tougher this season. The crowds could be the biggest worry though.

On May 10th, Alan made another post. He mentions his team is currently resting at Camp 2, but the crowds are definitely an issue, making other climbers have to wait up to 40 minutes in some areas before they can continue up.

“There were 40 climbers waiting to go up or down. It was like a circus with cameras going, helmet cams in action, 2-way radios blasting away in Nepali. Only the dancing bears were missing.

After a 40 minute delay we made it across. unfortunately, I think this will be the norm.

I am looking out my tent door right now and the Lhotse face has over 100 climbers making extremely slown progress towards Camp 3. Eleven Sherpas from several teams worked the past two days to fix an up and a
down line on the Face. Today another 23 are working the lines towards the Yellow Band and the South Col.

Over the coming days, Alan Arnette and the Mountain Professionals Team will be heading towards Camp 3 and the Lhotse Face. He does say that he may post an audio dispatch from Camp 3, depending on his condition and how tired he is. For all expeditions on Mt. Everest, this will be their first acclimatization climb up to the 23,500 ft. Camp 3. After a nights stay, most will head back down to base camp and prepare for their final summit push. We are suspecting that this will come the week of the 22nd, but nothing is definite yet. Good Luck, Alan!

(Photo courtesy of Alan Arnette, Alanarnette.com. All rights held by Alan Arnette)