Everest 2010 Weekend Update April 4

This past week saw Everest 2010 come alive; and real for the climbers and families back home. Teams came and left Kathmandu as weather lifted enough for more flights to Lukla. Multiple dispatches spoke of uneventful landings at the dangerous airstrip and then the more peaceful start to the trek to base camp.

Luka deserves it reputation. There have been numerous accidents over the years including the tragic death of 18 trekkers in October 2008 when the Yeti Twin Otter snagged its wheels on a security fence and crashed at the airport.

Sherpas have been at the south base camp for several weeks building tent platforms, dining tents and soon to rebuild the helicopter pad; an annual event given base camp is on a moving glacier. Himex noted they will have 300 tents for their expedition alone.

Climbers and trekkers were rewarded with their first view of Everest (from the ground) just below Namche while tackling the infamous Namche Hill. This 2300′ dirt hillside is long and often hot. About halfway up, on the edge of a switchback, Everest pokes above the surrounding mountains. It is always a moment to take in.

Climbers have been busy on the Facebook accounts and sending tweets from the internet cafes in Namache and even from the very remote villages of Goyko. They are also sending many great pictures.

TA Loeffler with Peak Freaks, is posting audio dispatches along with a written transcript. I find it nice to hear the voices of the climbers and TA does a great job of explaining what climbers and trekkers see around Namche; spinning prayer wheels, the Namche Bazaar market. She even notes how many steps she took each day, 19776 steps today! She explains what you get when you cross a yak with a cow. It is the Blog of the Day.

For those of you who don’t know a Zopkios is a yak crossed with a cow.  Why would you do such a thing?  Well yaks don’t do well below Namche Bazaar but if you cross them with a cow they are able to go down valley further and be a beast of burden.  So stay away from Zopkios and always keep to the inside of the trail when passing Zopkios or yaks because even though they look cuddly they are not.

The largest commercial teams are sending tons of gear to base camp starting with overseas flights on jumbo jets then on small planes or helicopters and finally on the backs of zo’s and yaks .. or human porters. The logistics are amazing. IMG reports 16,000 pounds of gear including over 20,000 feet of high quality PMI static fixed rope for the fixed ropes on the south side this year. Himex reported, 10,000 lbs with another 2000 lbs of fresh food during the expedition.

Many teams and climbers are using SPOT satellite trackers. You can visit their websites to monitor their activity. This is a good time to follow them on SPOT since there is enough movement each day. Once on the mountain, the daily movements are actually quite small.

One news item caught everyone’s attention this week; that Apa Sherpa will spread some of Sir Edmund Hillary’s ashes on the summit of Everest. Apparently his wish was to have them on Everest. According to Mount Everest the British Story, most of Hillary’s ashes were scattered in the sea off Auckland in his native New Zealand after his death in 2008 aged 88, but some had been kept in a Buddhist monastery in the Himalayan village of Kunde in eastern Nepal.

In another development, it was reported that Chad Kellogg’s will attempt in mid May to go from the south base camp to summit and back in under 30 hours without Sherpa support or supplemental oxygen.

Over on the north, there is no activity because no teams have reported entering Tibet and the news is that they will not be allowed to arrive at base camp until April 15th. This is similar to last year.

Next up for most climbers as they make their way to base camp is a visit to Lama Geshi in Pangboche. This will be there last time to see trees and some grass for almost two months. However, they are there for a Puja or blessing with Lama Geshi. This is one of the most spiritual events for may climbers.

So, all is well at this point with the teams. The excitement builds as they continue to gain altitude and get closer to Everest Base Camp.

Climb On!

Alan

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