Everest 2008: Nepal Lifts South Everest Ban–Climbers Free To Head Up

After lastnight’s successful Chinese summits on the north of Mt. Everest, Nepal has immediately lifted the ban on climbers pursuing the summit from the south.  Climbers are free to go up!

From BBC News:

Mountaineers are allowed to move towards the summit from today [Thursday],” Nepal’s tourism ministry spokesman Prem Rai told the BBC.

“There are 29 groups of climbers and each group has nine members and some of them have already set off.”

The lifting of the south side restrictions, set up to ensure no protests would take place during China’s Olympic Torch run up the north, will be a big relief for many of the teams at Everest’s south base camp who have been waiting somewhat patiently for May 10th.  That was the original date China had set to summit.  Luckily a weather window opened up a bit over the past couple of days that allowed China to make a sucessful summit at 9:18 pm lastnight. 

Nepal was pretty quick in lifting the climber restrictions.  A large portion of the Sherpa population rely on the income associated with the high himalaya climbing season.  Surprising that lift of restrictions came two days earlier than planned. 

Expeditions on the world’s highest mountain can now climb above Camp 2.  Over the next couple of days climbers will be trying to establish the higher base camps, as well as resume a somewhat normal acclimatization process.

Some climbers, who had went down to Namche Bazaar in Nepal, are now racing back to base camp.  It sems the Chinese’s sumit push caught many of them by surprise as well.  One team, Peak Freaks, has already mentioned that many of their team will now have to walk some 20 miles back to base camp.

As far as news about the further restrictions in south base camp imposed by Nepal, nothing has been mentioned as yet.  Most of us already know that communications equipment, video cameras, cell phones, and cameras were all locked up by Nepal’s liaison officers.  That restriction was suppose to last till May 10th as well.  Also, a no-fly zone had been set up around Mt. Everest.  This is one of the reasons that many expedition members are being forced to walk from Namche Bazaar to base camp.  Without that restriction, in a normal year, helicopter service would be available.  I will have to check on both of these issues and make a later update.

The good news is the climb is now on for the South.  I think most of us will agree that we were hoiping China would do their thing and just get it over with–luckily, they now have.

Everest 2008: Chinese Olympic Torch Expedition–SUMMIT PUSH IS ON!

Quick Update to the following post: Kraig, over at The Adventure Blog is reporting on a story on ESPN that states climbers are currently sitting at 25, 560 Ft on the North side, the usual spot for Camp 5. Not sure where ESPN has gotten this info, but it looks as if the climbers are definitely in place for a run to the summit! From the ESPN Update:

The command center has given its order for the final assault tomorrow,” Shao Shiwei of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games told reporters.

Will Update a bit more as I get more info.. 2:12pm May 7, 2008

—————————————————–

It looks like the Chinese Olympic Torch expedition is currently heading towards the summit with top-out likely sometime after midnight tonight. ExplorersWeb first made the anouncement, but reports are now surfacing on the Official Olympic Torch relay site as well.

From the Torch Relay site:

“A total of 19 mountaineers have been selected to bring the Olympic flame to the summit of Mount Qomolanga (known in the West as Mount Everest), the mountaineering headquarters announced at a press conference tonight. They will likely reach the peak between 10:00-11:00 a.m. (2:00-3:00 a.m. GMT) on May 8.

This comes on the heels of reports suggesting that a couple of the Chinese expedition members had tried for a summit on May 5th, but were turned around due to blizzard like conditions in the high altitude of Mt. Everest.

Silvio ‘Gnaro’ Mondinelli, who was on a summit push of his own on Kalapatter with teammates on May 5th, reported in to ExplorersWeb:

We have just seen the Chinese approaching the summit!” reported Silvio ‘Gnaro’ Mondinelli on May 5. “They were at 8,600m, in the middle of a very strong blizzard. They couldn´t make
it.” Silvio and his mates watched the attempt live… from the summit of Kalapattar.

“It was a large team of about 10 people,” Mondinelli said. “They had overcome the Second Step, but then the storm forced them down without reaching the summit.”

EverestNews, who had been following the Chinese Expedition pretty closely, has not released any new updates other than suggesting that China did not make the summit on May 5th. No word of today’s assault on Everest’s summit by the Chinese team.

From Nick Mulveney’s Olympic Torch Blog, who happens to be following the action as a Reuters reporter (and currently stationed at Everest’s northern base camp, we get a bit more on the recent developements:

“If the word around camp is anything to go by, the final assault on the summit of Everest will begin in the early hours of Thursday morning. Journalists and accompanying officials have spent much of the day taking souvenir photos and snapping up post cards at the “world’s highest post office”.

A paragraph later, Nick also says the following:

“The rumours would appear to be based on nothing more than collective will (or hysteria,perhaps)

Jumping over to the BBC News site, (they had also been updating reports live from base camp), they have not posted anything new since May 1st. It has been suggested that the BBC may have been banned from base camp and may explain why nothing new is being reported.

Yesterday, China released information about the Chinese Olympic Torch Relay team on Mt. Everest. Here is the news report from CCTV:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=212fzv1Qcdw]

I think it is pretty safe to say that China is definitely making a new assault on the summit of Mt. Everest, Since their own “Official” Olympic Torch Relay site has suggested the same. I guess over the coming hours we will have to wait and se how it goes. The weather has ben playing a major role in recent days, but current summit conditions, from EverestWeather, would suggest that the winds have died down and the temperature is holding steady. You can see the latest Everest weather update on the right-hand sidebar on this site. Let’s hope for the best so that everyone else can get on with doing what they need to do on the south side.

Speaking of the south side, Peak Freaks has suggested that a few of their Sherpas have been allowed to leave Camp 2 and begin laying ropes to Camp 3. Everyone is probably starting to clamber around a bit more on the south, especially if they have heard that China is currently moving up on the north. May 10th lingers on the horizon. Let’s just hope that this might go as planned. Keeping the fingers crossed!

Everest 2008: David Tait Calls it Quits, Evacuated Off Everest For Medical Emergency

David Tait, who climbed with Russell Brice’s Himex Expedition last season, has found 2008 a bit more troubling. Early on, when Tait discovered that China had shut down the North side of Everest and Himex had to cancel any plans of a 2008 expedition, David struggled to get on a South side expedition permit. That was the least of David’s problems.

On David Tait’s trek in to Everest Basecamp he began suffering from a toothache. He stopped at a local dentist and had the tooth extracted. During this process, Nepal shut down all air traffic into Basecamp. David and his climbing sherpa would be forced to trek back to BC on foot. They made pretty good time getting back to Camp, but enroute David discovered another tooth that was severely bothering him. He decided to calm the pain by an overload of pain medication.

Between the famed Khumbu Icefall and Camp 1, David ran in to major problems.

The medication he had been taking (1600 milligrams of Ibuprofen every 4 hours) ate away at the lining of his stomach. David soon found himself on his knees nauseated and coughing up blood. Climbers nearby urged David to return to Basecamp. He turned around and started the process of a reverse Khumbu trek. Crossing the ladders high above a crevice. I will let David tell the next few moments from his Expedition blog:

Five minutes later, and still very unstable and light-headed, I weaved my way back through the upper reaches of the icefall. As every segment of rope is negotiated, one unclips and reclips oneself to the fixed safety rope, circumventing the anchors. However, some of the rope lengths appear simply too short to warrant the effort of bending down to grasp and execute this procedure – and it was this small moment of neglect that almost cost me my life.

I don’t remember slipping in any way, or even beginning to fall – I must have fainted or passed out, because the next thing I remember was the harsh impact of landing flat on my back. I had fallen perhaps 10-15 feet from the roped track into a crevasse but luckily landed on an ice outcrop, either side of which was a deep, black void. Perhaps unconsciously, and despite not being “clipped on” to the rope, I had still grasped the nylon line in my right hand as I fell. Maybe it was the searing burn of the rope through my hand that woke me – maybe it was the impact – either way I swung my left hand across my body, aiming the spring loaded safety karabiner for the nylon rope in order to prevent myself falling further.

Luckily David’s efforts to latch on to the rope quite possibly saved his life. With the help of some nearby Sherpas, David was able to make his way back to BC where he was immediately taken to the Everest Basecamp Clinic then medivaced to Kathmandu where the condition on his expedition blog is listed as stable.

In 2007, David Tait broke trail and set ropes to the summit of Mt. Everest from the North, then traversed the summit to the South, where he made his descent while breaking trail and setting ropes once again. His strong climbing in 2007 ended up paving the way for hundreds of people to eventually make their own summits. In 2008, David had been working towards a no O2 ascent before the problems began. He said he is now giving up Everest and will not be back. He referenced talking to his wife and kids, along with Russell Brice, and telling them that it is over. Last season I was able to conduct two interviews with David–one before his Everest march up to the summit, and one right afterwards as he was sitting in Kathmandu. At that time, tired from his Everest Traverse, he told me that he would never be back unless one of his kids wanted him to go with them. I think, in most circles, many of us were surprised to hear David was going back this season.

After the unforeseen problems on Everest this season-and his brush with death, I honestly don’t think we will be seeing David back in 2009. He states that there are other ways to raise money and that he just chose mountain climbing to aid in these efforts. His efforts are not without merit though. In the last 4 years, David has summited Mt. Everest twice, including the first British western Everest traverse by anyone, and raised in excess of 350,000L for his charity of choice, the NSPCC, which helps abused children afford their court cases.

From following David throughout the past 2 seasons on Everest, throughout the interviews and emails, I can honestly say that David was definitely doing the climbing for the kids and his charity. He continues to express that he isn’t a climber, even though the past couple of years on Everest, he has been one of the strongest. It was a good run filled with memorable moments-success and failure-that will carry on with him in his future charity work. His wife and kids are everything to him. It is nice to know that David has put others first in his life and we wish him all the best in the future. The summit isn’t everything, It’s the journey. David will carry on in that journey and live to see another day. It’s been fun watching, David, but even better knowing that you made the right decision–some don’t. Carry on, my friend.

EVEREST 2008: ENTER KATHMANDU–Climbers begin arriving..and STING, too

I am beginning to receive the first dispatches in regards to this season’s Mt. Everest climb. Climbers are beginning to trickle in to Kathmandu, where they are meeting up with teammates and guides–still trying to figure out just what kind of rules and stipulations will be enforced from May 1st-10th. Most are enjoying the sights and sounds of a new country. Little is being said about the recent ‘unrest’ in both Nepal and Tibet, and actually, at this moment most are surprised by how calm things are in the area.

From Alan Arnette:

“Most of my team have arrived and Thamel is bustling with fit looking climbers and trekkers on every corner. The shop owners are especially pleased to see their future customers and send a friendly shout out to each passerby. The pizza is still good at Fire & Ice. The one legged, nub armed man still begs outside. The dogs sleep soundly in the streets. And the motorcycles take the sidewalk when the roads get too congested. The editorial in the Kathmandu Post tells of the upcoming elections, a time for change and violence.

Alan goes on to talk a bit about some of the rumors concerning this season’s climb on Mt. Everest:

“There is a relaxed feeling in the air in spite of the tension this
year. Long time expedition leaders, local tour company owners and
people in the know such as Ms. Hawley are all nonchalant about the
rumors. It is what it is. Luckily here, the rumor mill is thwarted by
lack of blackberries and ubiquitous Internet connections. Mostly it is
word of mouth. Maybe better or worse but by the time you hear something
it feels more solid.

Perhaps this feeling Alan is talking about will help to settle some of the climbers’ minds–especially the ones making this journey for the first time. Alan has been there before. This is actually his third attempt on Mt. Everest, so it helps to bring a bit if insight into his reports. We will be keeping close tabs on Alanas his trip progresses.

By the way, Alan has added a special video of his journey to Kathmandu, showing everyone some of the sights and sounds he encountered along the way. If you would like to learn more about Alan Arnette, checkout the special interview I conducted with him a week ago..and if that isn’t enough, visit his own site. He will be making updates as the trip progresses. Climb On, Alan!

The second update is coming by way of email from the HobyJackson Everest Expedition. If you will remember back a few days ago, I profiled the climbing team of Sandy Hoby and Brad Jackson. Well, Brad has emailed me with news of their arrival in Kathmandu as well–

“Kathmandu is superb at the moment
albeit a little hazy. As you can imagine, rumours and speculation are
rife about permits, elections, restrictions etc but we are all
pretty happy to have arrived in one piece and be making our way to
Lukla on Tuesday.

Today Phil and I started going over the electronics for base -camp,
going over solar panels, laptops and sat phones we will be using up
there. We will definitely be well connected up there.

I must admit in all the hustle and bustle of arriving in Kathmandu,
we accidentally drank beer and whiskey for 7 hours yesterday, so
some of us are a bit worse for wear this morning. I just rationalise
that as building tolerance for future onset of AMS symptoms.

Altitude Junkies and Mountain Professionals are both based in the
same hotel and flying to Lukla at the same time so undoubtably we
will get to know each other quite well.

p.s I won a photography competition

Through Brad’s dispatch, you get a glimpse of the excitement of arrival. Another interesting bit of information is that Sandy and Brad’s Expedition with Altitude Junkies happens to be based, at this time, near Mountain Professionals–the team Alan Arnette is going up with. They are all currently staying at the same hotel, and both flying out together to Lukla. Coincidence?

As for the Photography Contest Brad alludes to, he was kind enough to email me the link. I actually just stopped by there to check it out. Awesome Photo , Brad..and congratulations on winning the ‘Ice” competition with Alpine Exposures Photography! Stop by and check out his shots–

Sting Arrives in Kathmandu

Found an interesting article today concerning Sting, the former lead singer of The Police (yeah, I know, I am sure everybody already knows who he is.) Sting has been noted as arriving in Kathmandu for some adventure trekking with his family. This is his third sorjourn to the area in as many years, with last year seeing him pop up in a local nightclub then belting out a few of his own songs. Perhaps he has Everest on his mind..not so sure, but it would be hard to picture him with a set of Crampons on. Anyways, thought it was interesting.

I will keep you updated as I get more reports in, but so far it looks to be going pretty much as planned. In the next few days, teams will be heading out to Lukla, then making their long trek to Basecamp. Alan Arnette did mention that the IceDoctors are currently preparing the Khumbu Icefalls with ladders, and other Sherpas and climbers are already heading towards basecamp. Will keep you posted.

Everest 2008: Preliminary List of Rules for May 1st-10th on Mt. Everest and Lhasa

EverestNews has put up a bulletin today with a list of drafted rules for the South Everest and Lhasa climbs this season.  They state that these rules are preliminary and still need approval before they take effect.  These rules only regard the May 1-10th climbing period.  It is not known at this time if certain restrictions will be in place before the May 1st start of the Everest torch run from the Northern side.

Here are the Preliminary rules from May 1st-10th, courtesy of EverestNews:

These Temporary Rules will only apply for the climbing period   1 April-10 May

Issuing of permit and the route for spring 2008 for Everest and Lhotse:

1. The Government of Nepal and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation will only issue permits for the South East Ridge Route on Mount Everest for the Spring of 2008. Similarly, for Lhotse, permits will only be granted for the normal route. No other routes will be granted by the ministry such as the West Ridge, Southwest Face and the South Pillar.
2. No Documentary filming permits will be issued for the spring of 2008 on Mount Everest and Lhotse.

Climbing Rules and Regulations:

1. All foreign and Nepali Climbers are permitted to climb from base camp to Camp 1, Camp 2 and Camp 3 until May 10th.
2. To Proceed to Camp 4 (South Col) and the Summit will only be allowed after May 10^th onwards with the permission from the ministry of Culture Tourism and Civil Aviation. Until then Camp 4 and the Summit climbs will be restricted.
3. Any rope fixing above camp 3 before May 10^th is strictly restricted.
4. All foreign and Nepali climbers will only be allowed to climb from base camp to camp1 and camp 2 (through the Khumbu Icefall) from 4 am onwards until 6 pm. This will not apply to any rescue efforts.
5. From Camp 2 to Camp 3 the permitted climbing time will be from 6 am to 6 pm only. This will not apply to rescue efforts.
6. No climbing will be permitted on the mountain after 6 pm. This will not apply to rescue efforts.
7. There will be a climbing liaison officer based at camp 2 and camp 3 who will monitor and enforce the temporary rules and regulations. Liaison officers will report to the government of Nepal after the expedition.

Communication:

A.  Satellite phones, computers/laptops and mobile phones will be under the supervision of liaison officers. Satellite phones will be available for the use of emergency and rescue. Climbers will be allowed to communicate with their own respective satellite phone to their agents and their families at regular base, under the supervision of the liaison officer till May 10^th. Weather reports can also be obtained by satellite phone under the supervision of the liaison officer.

B.  VHF communication sets will be permitted for use for the duration of the expedition at the frequency set by the Government of Nepal

Photography:

1. No Personal video Camera will be allowed to be used at base camp and above until May 10^th. These items will also be under the supervision of the Liaison officer.
2. All foreign nationals will not display any flags, banners or stickers that may harm the diplomatic relations between Nepal and its neighboring countries.
3. All Expedition handling agents in Nepal will sign a written agreement with the government of Nepal that they will take full responsibility for any behavior or activities aimed at discrediting Nepal’s neighboring countries.
4. There will be a checkpoint established by the Government of Nepal at Gorakshep (5200m). This checkpoint will be monitored and managed by 3 associations and institutions of Nepal:
   
   1. Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee
   2. Sagarmatha National Park
   3. Nepal Army or Police force
5. The above expenses for the checkpoint at Gorakshep will be covered by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee or the Government of Nepal from the Funds that they have raised from the Royalty from the Ice fall and the peak Permit.
6. This will apply to all group visitors who wish to trek to Base Camp for a day visit or a night halt. Please note that all the trekking guides who are escorting the group must carry an identity card issued by their company. Failure to show the identity card will result in the Group not being permitted to travel to Base Camp.

Media and Press:

1. Press and Media will only be allowed to visit base camp with permission from the Government of Nepal. Liaison officers will have the right to inspect filming permits.
2. The Government of Nepal has the right to inspect all footage for censorship reasons.

Helicopter flights:

1. No helicopters flights will be allowed to land at base camp until May 10^th except for mountain rescue.

These flight will have to be authorized by the Himalayan Rescue Association.

Please Visit EverestNews for more information.

EVEREST 2008: Nepal Holding Ongoing Negotiations With China for Mt. Everest, Close off Everest Completely in 2008?

Climbing Expedition companies were put on notice earlier his week that both Tibet and Nepal have decided not to let anyone attempt Mt. Everest until after May 10th. On the North (Tibet) side, expeditions are banned from the area until May 10th. This comes as China is preparing to ascend the world’s tallest mountain with the olympic torch. The south (Nepal) side of Mt. Everest will also be shut down from May 1-10, but at this point, climbers will be allowed to acclimate on Mt. Everest before May 1st–then return to Basecamp–then head up May 10th. A long 10 day stretch that has many teams wondering if it is even feasable to try to climb Everest, due to acclimatization issues while waiting at Basecamp.

Nepal is supposed still in an ongoing discussion with the Chinese government over how and what the climbers will be allowed to do during this 10 day stretch.

“But they say Nepal is still negotiating with interested parties on
whether the lower elevations can be accessed, and the final word is
expected to come within the next day or two.

On Friday, Nepalese
officials said China had asked Nepal to not allow climbers to scale
Mount Everest during the popular spring season. The officials, speaking
on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue,
said China had made the request last month.

China, which provides
Nepal with crucial development aid and loans that far overshadow the
millions of dollars a year from Nepal’s climbing industry. Activists
critical of Chinese policy in Tibet have unfurled banners at Everest
Base Camp in the past.

This is coming from a new article posted today by the AP. With this information, it looks like Nepal might fall to political pressure and submit to China’s request of banning climbers altogether on Mt. Everest this season.

We should have an answer to this question in the next couple of days. We can all hold our breathe.

2008 Spring Everest Expeditions List Up

MountEverest.net has put up it’s annual list of Himalayan Expeditions to take place this spring.  This list includes Makalu, Manaslu, Dhauligiri, Shisha Pangma, Anna Purna, and Mt. Everest.  The expeditions for Cho Oyu have yet to be released.

Here is what we know at this point.  Everest is going to be very busy once again:  53 Everest Expeditions have been announced thus far (this list was put up Feb. 25).  Last season, up to April 4th (the final list update) there were 60 expeditions listed.  We still have a month and a half before this list will be finalized.

Early stories to keep an eye on:

•  The Chinese Olympic Torch Run–as we all know, the chinese made a preliminary run up Mt. Everest last season, which was successful, in anticipation of the 2008 Summer Olympics being held in Beijing.
• The Lohtse-Everest Traverse–The Kazakh National Team will be trying for a first traverse of the world’s 1st & 4th tallest peaks, all in one run.
• Daniela Teixeira will be attempting a no supplemental O2 run–a pretty rare attempt for a female.
• Two seperate all female teams will be making runs for the summit.
• The race to be the oldest to summit.  Last season seen a new record.  This season it could be broken again by 77 year old Nepali Min Bahadur Sherchan.
• Alan Arnette will be making a third attempt at the summit.  His first two attempts were unsuccessful.
• David Tait will be back once again for a no O2 run at the summit.  His successful Everest Traverse last year set the stage for the South teams to finally summit.
• Andrew Brash, Myles Osborn, and Dan Mazur will be together once again.  They last climbed as a team in 1996 when they helped with Lincoln Hall.
• The Crowds–Last year seen more people at Basecamp than at any other time in history.  This year promises to have an even BIGGER crowd.
• Security–Nepal and Tibet have been moving forward with trying to make Everest a safer place.  Armed guards will be present at a few undisclosed points.  In recent times crime has been widely reported, theft being the biggest issue.
• Tibet–with Tibet being in a huge spotlight, we will be keeping an eye on the unrest of the area.  Last season we seen the “Free Tibet” campaign make an early stand against the 2008 Chinese Olympics.  Will be interesting to see if another stunt will be pulled off before this season’s actual run of the torch up the high peak.

As you can tell, there are already many different story lines taking shape for this season.  It is going to be another very busy year on the mountain.  China has upgraded the roads leading in to Basecamp..hopefully the crowdwatchers and sightseers will stay at bay and let these people live their dreams.

I will be making future updates to all of these stories and more.  I have already put up my “Everest 2008″ page which will contain all the articles that are posted here, in running order.  Of special interest to The Adventurist will be the attempts of both, Alan Arnette and David Tait.  I have talked at length with both of these men over the course of the last year.  Alan has been training for the past year, climbing some of the world’s highest peaks in the process.  Hopefully the third time is the charm.  He will be climbing for his Cure Alzheimer’s cause.  David Tait, an early favorite on the Himex team last year, will be going back up with a no O2 attempt.  Over the past two years he has proven his strength and dexterity.  He will be climbing for his own cause, the NSPCC, which helps children who have been affected by childhood abuse.  Alan and David’s causes are both very important.  I urge each of you to stop by, at least read what each is supporting and trying to do, and possibly even help them out a bit, if you can.

I plan on trying to talk with each of these guys about their upcoming Everest climbs in the days ahead.  I had an interview with David last season, and fondly remember him telling me that he wouldn’t go bcak to Everest.  My, what a year does!  Alan has been talked about and with quite often on The Adventurist.  He has been invaluable to myself as an Everest authority and mentor.  With him ON Everest this season, we will all be missing his annual Everest reports–but don’t fear–Kraig, over at The Adventure Blog, as well as myself, will be trying to pick up some of the slack–Plus, now Alan can send in reports from the frontline.  He will be making posts on his own site, related to his climb–

All the usual teams and guides will once again be on Everest.  Himex, 7Summits, SummitClimb, and the rest.  Am definately looking forward to this season.  Starting April 1st, I will begin the daily reports as I get them from the other teams.  Stop back in, check things out, and hopefully this year will be bigger, better, and safer than ever.