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Live Everest 2003 Expedition Reports! April
| May 1st, Lhotse Team is moving up to Camp 3! | |
 Beautiful
day here at Camp 2. The weather finally broke and now its hot here.
The Lhotse Team woke up early and started out to Camp 3 this
morning. We have been talking with them on the radio all day. They
had to break trail all morning and up the lower part of the Lhotse
Face, so its taken longer than normal. They have not yet reached
Camp 3 but should be there very soon. George Barisas and Ang Pasang
started out also from Camp 2 this morning working their way towards
Camp 3, but the difficult conditions on the Lhotse Face turned them
around below camp. He's back here in Camp 2 now. The Everest Team is taking a rest day, and we plan another rest day tomorrow. Then up to Camp 3 on Saturday. Were keeping our eyes on the weather as there is still high winds forecast, but those winds are forecast to be up higher near the summit as the Jet Stream swings close to Mount Everest. So its an exciting day here watching the Lhotse Team (John Rust and Lorenzo Gariano) work their way up to Camp 3. Now there's some light clouds moving in and out so we can't see them all the time. The clouds are good in that its cools down the temps some as its so incredibly hot mid day. We have been playing Bridge here at camp, updating our reports and sending out email. A lazy day here at Camp 2. Scott Woolums Reporting. |
|
| April 30th, Both Teams are Up at Camp 2 | |
 The
Everest Team was up early today and off to Camp 2. Some definite
excitement in the ice fall this morning! We had reached a point
about two thirds the way up and while taking a break, maybe 100 to
150 yards below us a huge collapse started, working closer to us,
then it stretched across the route below, very scary! Reports
indicate that no one was injured and the route is still open. Our
Lucky Day!Light snow all day on our hike up to Camp 2. A mixed forecast with clearing weather for tomorrow, but the jet stream is getting closer to Everest so high winds are in the forecasts for May 2, 3 and 4th. Were trying to decide what to do over the next few days. The plan for now is wait and see. Eight of our Sherpas made it to the South Col yesterday, evidently the weather was good all morning and then changed around 2 pm and became extremely windy at the South Col. With the continuing bad weather today (up high) the Sherpas decided to go down to Base Camp for a short rest. Camp 2 here is quite comfortable, we have a North Face 2 meter dome which is very warm inside during most of the day, a great cook staff, Tenzi and Kaji. Fantastic food considering where were at! The Lhotse Team is trying to decide what to do tomorrow as there is a lot of fresh snow everywhere. They may wait another day before going up to Camp 3. There has been over a foot of fresh snow in the last 30 hours. Maybe a hike over to the bottom of the Lhotse Face tomorrow to have a look. The Everest Team will be taking a rest day tomorrow and probably the next day before looking at moving up. Unfortunately that is when high winds have been forecast. Have to see what happens in a few days! We plan at least 5 nights up at Camp 2 and above before going back down to recover before the summit go. We'll have another report tomorrow morning after seeing what the weather does. Scott Woolums Reporting. |
|
| April 29th, Everest Base Camp and Camp 2 | |
 The
Everest Team is all here after Kevin's big birthday party last
night! Dawa, our cook made a fantastic cake and we had just a bit of
French wine to celebrate. A good evening! Early this morning our
Lhotse Team were off to Camp 2. The have just checked in after
arriving there today. Mixed weather today, with light snow and a bit
colder temps. Were here till tomorrow morning when we plan to move up to Camp 2 also. We heard earlier from Phenden and Pemba they were above Camp 3 and moving up to the South Col. That's great news as it means our high camp for Everest is going in this afternoon! We have not heard yet how it went up high, but the reports from Camp 2 indicate there's light winds and ok weather there right now. Here in Base Camp, were all just getting ready, playing Bridge and Chess, catching up with everyone via email, and relaxing some before going up high for almost a week starting tomorrow. Scott Woolums Reporting. |
|
| April 28th, Getting Ready for our Next Trip Up High | |
 Everyone
is here now at Base Camp getting ready for moving up high in the
next couple days. We have 2 different schedules now, with John's
Lhotse group moving up tomorrow and my Everest Team going on the
next day, the 30th. The storm that has been predicted came in this
morning, but so far has been very weak. Most of our Sherpas actually
moved up anyway and now the sun is trying to come out so the storm
has dissipated.Our Sherpas have really been getting the mountain ready for both teams. They plan to have most of our Camp 4 set tomorrow. It will take a few more trips to have everything set for the summit teams, but things are super close. We still need to set up Lhotse Camp 4, which is slightly below the South Col for Johns team to use. We have been going over the details on using Oxygen here. So everyone is familiar with flow rates, using the regulators, checking each other for safety and just generally feeling comfortable with breathing O2 up high. Its getting close now, we plan this last rotation up to Camp 3 then both teams will be ready for the summit. We are planning to be up high for about 5 days to a week this next round. We should be able to send reports out from Camp 2 this time so stay tuned. Scott Woolums Reporting. |
|
| April 27th, Life in Base Camp! | |
 Were
all here now getting things ready for going back up high. All of us
are enjoying a bit of time to relax, wash clothes, call home, send
some email out, catch up with expedition reports. Today is our
getting familiar with Oxygen day for both teams. Going through flow
rates, capacities, weights, proper usage and strategies for use.
Everything is just about ready up high. Starting tomorrow the
Sherpas will be staging equipment, Oxygen and food up to Camp 4 to
be ready when the weather allows us a go at the top. We still need
to establish Camp 4 for Lhotse near the base of the couilor leading
up to the summit.The Everest Team is ready and feeling good to go. Our Sherpas are on schedule to establish Camp 4 and then have a rest before our summit go. We plan to go up to Camp 2 for 3 or 4 days, followed by a short 1 or 2 day stay at Camp 3 to acclimatize before we head down for our pre-summit rest to Dingboche , below Base Camp. We are looking towards being set to go mid May, but any weather between now and then will delay our summit try. There is a forecast from several sources that some weather is moving in tomorrow for a few days. See what happens! And with the Lhotse Team; Similarly, the Lhotse Sherpas are getting things set for both John and Scott Durcainin's go for the South Col around May 2 or 3rd. George is going for Camp 3 with the Team (his high point) and Lorenzo will be waiting for John and Scott D. at Camp 3 for when they get down after the South Col trip (he's planning to spend 1 to 2 nights at Camp 3) then John and Lorenzo will team up for Lhotse Summit. They will be going down for a rest before re-ascending on a similar schedule as the Everest team for the summit of Lhotse. This attempt will be mid to later May depending on weather. For more details see John's report on the Lhotse Team! So we are hoping to pull off simultaneous ascents of both Lhotse and Everest this season, one of the few teams to be attempting both summits. We plan to offer this option in future years expeditions as it allows a flexible, well supported way for everyone to get as high as possible, safely, while sharing resources. This combination allows both expeditions to be stronger and safer. The Lhotse climb will be a challenging climb to the fourth highest highest summit in the world. Stay tuned as John and Lorenzo will be going for this spectacular summit next to Everest. The climbing is steep and demanding up a snow couilor to the exposed summit ridge. Lots going on here now. Check out the new video from our last rotation up high. The picture is looking down at Kevin, Sean and Cliff coming up the lower section of the Lhotse Face! Scott Woolums Reporting. |
|
| April 26th, Back at Base Camp after being up on the Lhotse Face! | |
 Both
Teams are now back safe in base camp after spending lots of time up
at Camp 2. The Lhotse Team arrived back at Base Camp on the 24th and
the Everest Team just arrived back here this morning. Now its time
to catch up on reports and some recovery from being up at 21,000 ft.
and above for awhile. Lots of people here on the mountain now.
Everyone with a different schedule. Our Lhotse/South Col Team is
looking towards going up to the South Col around May 2. While the
Everest Team has not defined a summit day yet. Things are looking
like they will be ready for an attempt around May 14th or so. Lots
to coordinate for a summit attempt. All the camps need to be set
with food, fuel, Oxygen, schedules have to be planned for rest days
leading up to any attempt for both members and Sherpas. Today, our
tents were put up at Camp 3 with all supplies. Yesterday we received
word that 2 teams had fixed ropes to the South Col. They are on a
considerably earlier schedule than our group. Yesterday John Rust
attended a meeting of the expedition leaders here at Base Camp, a
sort of planning session for laying out who's going when, how to fix
the upper slopes of Everest, medical support, Weather Reports, Radio
Frequencies and also just to meet each other and see what others are
doing on the mountain. A positive meeting! Johns group is going to
go up to Camp 2 in a few days, were waiting a bit to see what
happens as a storm is forecast to come in on the 28th. The Everest
Team will follow a day or 2 behind Johns Lhotse Team. This time up
Johns group will be trying for the South Col and their goal of
reaching 8000 meters! The next time up the Everest Team will be
planning to spend 1 or 2 nights up at Camp 3 for their final
acclimatization rotation up high. After that its all the way down
again to below Base Camp in Dingboche for a few days before going
back for a go at the summit. Things are getting exciting as the
better weather and warmer temperatures of mid May get closer, the
historic weather window for the most successful Everest summits. We
will have daily reports while we are in Base Camp. A new video is
coming, check back tomorrow! The photo is from just below Camp 3
yesterday as the Everest Team went for a day trip up towards Camp 3.
Report by Scott Woolums. |
|
| April 21st, Everest Base Camp | |
 We're
back in Base Camp after getting nearly to the top of the icefall
early this morning. Not far ahead of us, near our high point, there
was a large ice collapse. 2 Sherpas were injured. One serious enough
to call a helicopter after he was carried all the way down the
Khumbu Icefall in quite a heroic effort. After the collapse no one
could go either up or down. So were back at Base Camp now. Some bad
looking weather is moving in this afternoon, looks like snow. So we
will plan to go up again tomorrow if the Icefall Doctors get the
route fixed. The photo shows a large group of Sherpas that are
assisting with carrying down an injured Sherpa. The Lhotse Team is
up at Camp 2 now waiting for a break to take a hike up to Camp 3.
The weather has been bad up on the Lhotse Face for the last couple
days so no one has been up to Camp 3. Mostly high winds have kept
everyone from going higher. Scott Woolums Reporting. |
|
| April 20th, Everest Base Camp (Still Here!) | |
 Still
at Base Camp today! We all woke at 5am to go up but soon changed our
minds as it started snowing fairly heavily and very dark clouds and
wind started pushing in. After about 4 to 6 inches of snow the sun
came out but the winds kept up all day. Reports are starting to
filter down of tents blown apart at Camp 2 this morning. Our Lhotse
Team is holding down Camp at 2 today. They have hopes of going up
towards Camp 3 tomorrow, but forecasts are looking like the same
thing tomorrow. Never know what's going to happen here. Right now
we're getting strong winds through Base Camp at 1.30 pm. You can see
the winds whipping fresh snow off the top of the icefall in the
photo. At least the sun is out! Scott Woolums Reporting.
|
|
| April 19th, Everest Base Camp | |
 Not
much to report today. The Everest Team is in Camp here and we're
taking another rest day. Everyone is healthy. The Lhotse Team is
moving to Camp 2 today for several days of acclimatization. More
great weather today with at least 5 more in the forecast. The photo
is of our head cook, Dawa, here in Base Camp sorting yet more food
for the Team. Scott Woolums Reporting. |
|
| April 18th, Everest Base Camp | |
 We're
all hanging out in camp today recovering and getting ready to head
back up to Camp 1 and then onto 2 and 3. Johns' Lhotse Team left
this morning early for Camp 1. They plan to go on up to Camp 2
tomorrow for several days, followed by a hike up towards Camp 3. The
Everest Team is just enjoying a very relaxing day; washing clothes,
watching movies, sending email, reading, visiting trekkers that show
up in camp. A perfect day, hot and sunny. Having some electrical
troubles with the wiring from the generator, having to sort that
out. So good to be able to communicate well with everyone back home.
Some good news, our Sherpas were in Camp 3 this morning getting
several platforms set. Also Camp 2 is completely ready for the team
members to move up to use. We have 3 large tents there now with 2
cooks and lots of food and kerosene. This will be our new high
staging camp for trips higher on the mountain. Scott Woolums
Reporting. |
|
| April 17th, Rest Day at Base Camp, New Video! | |
 We're
all here at base camp relaxing and recovering from being up high for
awhile. Good day, hot sunshine, showers and washing clothes today.
Waiting for the Matinee movie! Base Camp is very comfortable in our
insulated weather port dinning tent with full communications gear.
Yesterday we got word that the lines had just been fixed to Camp 3,
so now most groups will be focused on getting tents set at Camp 3
for staging higher up on the hill. Our Camp 2 is set with a dinning
tent and Sherpa cook tent. We will have 2 cooks and full dinning
tent service for the many days we have to hang out there over the
next 1.5 months, all at over 21,000 ft.! Everything is on schedule
and looking good. The Lhotse team is planning to go back up tomorrow
early for Camp 1, then up to Camp 2 the next day. The Everest Team
will be taking 2 more rest days here at Base Camp. Scott Woolums Reporting. |
|
| April 16th, The Everest Team is Back in Base Camp! | |
 Back
in Base Camp after a couple nights up at Camp 1. Yesterday we
climbed up through the immense Western Cwm to Camp 2 at 21,000 ft.
Everyone felt great and did super. We had carried a load up from
Camp 1, then just kicked back at Camp 2 for an hour nap. The fixed
lines are just today going in on the lower part of the Lhotse Face.
Still a ways to go till they reach Camp 3. Our Sherpas are planning
to go up to establish Camp 3 around the 17th or 18th. This season,
it will be important to have tents setup at Camp 3 as there is
limited room for the number of people on the mountain. We are
planning 3 full recovery days here at base camp before going back up
to Camp 2 for several nights. Time to enjoy the low altitude
(17,800ft.) of base camp. Its actually quite pleasant at Base here
in the mornings, tee shirts and short pants till the afternoon
clouds move in. Look for an new video in the next report later
today! Scott Woolums Reporting. |
|
| April 15th, South Col/Lhotse Team completes C2 Push | |
 On
4/13 the South Col/Lhotse Team made a successful push to camp 2. The
first obstacle the Khumbu Icefall was more than interesting (very
scary) with the upper 1/3 and the exit being the crux of the
dangers. There have already been a number of close calls between ice
seracs and climbers with a block collapsing under a person's foot
and a three ton block falling in an area where a climber just
finished crossing. Also noticeable was the change in path and
ladders from the day we made our first push to C1 (camp 1) and our
return to base camp three days later. Some of the ladders were very
wobbly and interesting to cross with a couple wobbling back and
forth at a 45 degree angle with each different step. Each trip
through the icefall is referred to as a rotation (to high altitude
for acclimatizing purposes) and we are happy to be done with one of
four rotations safely. Our trip to C1 was done with full packs
making the trip slow but we're happy to have this gear at C1 as our
next trip our pack will be lighter. The day following our trip to C1
we spent climbing through the Western CWM and to C2 (also referred
to as Advanced Base Camp - ABC). The Western CWM is a deep chasm
between Everest and Nupste with big open crevasses and very hot
conditions with the Lhotse Face and South Col at the end of the
valley. On our third rotation to altitude we'll climb directly to C2
as C1 will be dismantled and moved to C2. Amenities at these camps
include a full kitchen staff and three hot meals a day and a large
three meter dome tent to lounge in - a luxury compared to every
other expedition group on the mountain!! Our next trip will be after
three full rest days at base camp and will include a night at C1, a
night at C2 and a trip up the Lhotse face to C3. Stay posted all
members are acclimatizing well and hopefully this next segment will
be as successful as the first. Namaste from Everest Base Camp!!Reported by John Rust. |
|
| April 13th, Everest Base Camp, R and R for the Everest Team, One more Night at Camp 1 for the Lhotse Team | |
 Another
casual day at Base Camp here. Actually great weather. Hotter than
usual now. The lower section of the icefall is full of open water in
the afternoons, similar to late season conditions. Our Lhotse Team
is spending one more night at Camp 1 before coming back down to Base
Camp after a solid 3 days up high. Yesterday they reached Camp 2 to
carry some personal gear up there. We have a good camp 1 organized
with one cook and a large 2 meter dome tent there. We'll use camp 1
for a few more days then will move all this up to Camp 2. Things are
all going well. Scott Woolums Reporting. |
|
| April 12th, Everest Base Camp, Video from The Icefall! | |
 What
do we do in base camp on our rest days? Play around with putting
short video clips together for the web page. Click the link here for
a short video of crossing several of the ladders in the icefall
yesterday. |
|
| April 12th, Rest Day in Base Camp! | |
 The
Everest Team is having a casual morning today. Nice weather, sunny
and warm here. We're using this time for showers, some real coffee,
catching up on email and world news. We have a full time high speed
internet connection so access to web news is great. Have been
listening to the radio but no word yet this morning on the Lhotse
Team. The radio contact between Base Camp and the trail between Camp
1 and 2 is usually not good. So probably will not hear how their day
went until their back at Camp 1. Looks like great weather up high
right now. Woke up to the sound of a helicopter this morning, have
heard that a trekker here in base camp had to be evacuated to
Kathmandu. No more news than that for now. From Base Camp here,
thanks for following the climb! More soon. Scott Woolums Reporting.
|
|
| April 11th, Back From Camp 1 and the Khumbu Icefall | |
 Just
back from Camp 1. A great day in the Khumbu icefall. Good weather, a
great team and now back at Base Camp relaxing! The icefall this year
is still quite dangerous with a lot of hanging ice, but the route is
better in having considerably less ladder crossings and steep
vertical sections. The Sherpas have done a great job in getting the
route dialed. Hot sun after a crisp morning. We started just after
first light to minimize our time in the icefall during the hot
afternoon danger zone (more likely ice avalanches). All 8 of us left
this morning with the Lhotse/C4 team going up to C1 for a couple
nights. The Everest Team planned to just carry loads up to Camp 1
for some acclimatization and practice the many techniques that
climbing Everest takes. The climbing on Everest is a bit unusual in
that it takes a unique style with the fixed lines, ladders and
crevasse crossings. True Himalayan expedition style. Everyone did
great today. Moving well both up and down. The long range forecast is predicting a bit of a front and moisture to move in on the days we were planning to go back up. So we'll have to wait and see what happens with that. Now we plan a couple days of R and R here at Base Camp to recover from a long day today. Its was like climbing McKinley on summit day today (but carrying a load up also!). John Rusts group is all tucked into Camp 1 now, with everyone doing good today on the way up through the Icefall. It has started to snow some here at Base Camp since we got down today with some more moisture predicted. Their plans call for a hike up to Camp 2 tomorrow. We have great communications with both Camp 1 and 2 so should be able to track what's up tomorrow morning. Feels good to be here at Base Camp. More reports every day now! Scott Woolums Reporting. |
|
| April10th, Everest Base Camp- Off to Camp 1 Tomorrow! | |
 A
good couple days getting everything organized at Base Camp. The
Lhotse Team spent some time in the Icefall today doing some ladder
practice. The Everest Team had a rest day looking towards tomorrow
going up and back to Camp 1 to carry a load and check out the route
through the icefall. The Lhotse Team will be moving up to Camp 1
tomorrow for 2 nights and will be hoping to hike up to Camp 2 the
next day. Our Trekking group left this morning so now camp seems a
bit more spacious. We're looking towards an early start tomorrow
morning as the icefall is a fair bit safer earlier in the day before
the sun warms up the ice. Should have some great photos of the
icefall tomorrow after an up and back to Camp 1. Scott Woolums
Reporting. |
|
| April 8th, Everest Base Camp, Puja Day! | |
 Last
night we received word that tomorrow would be our Puja, or
expedition blessing ceremony. This is a very important event before
too much time is spent above base camp. It's an integral part of the
Sherpa beliefs and their respect for the Himalayas, especially
Sagarmatha (Mother Goddess of the World) or otherwise known as Mt.
Everest. So it was up early and off to Base Camp from Lobouche.
Arriving in good time for the Puja. Starting around 10 am prayers
are recited by several llamas from Pangboche, rice and flour thrown,
Sherpa dances, whiskey, beer, coke are offered, and the giant Puja
pole is set up with 5 strings of prayer flags strung out. The prayer
flag strings reached over 200 ft. in all directions. Quite a
colorful sight. The Puja takes over 5 hours, with each climber
offering some piece of personal equipment that is blessed during the
ceremony. Today was also a great day to visit with Sherpa friends that have worked on other expeditions with us. Many summiting last year with us. After the Puja we spent a fair bit of time sorting though lots of gear, and basically enjoying finally being here after 2 weeks on the road (trail). Our Sherpas have done a great job getting things organized at camp here. Shower tent, dinning tent, Sherpa cook tent, member cook tent, all the toilets (which consist of large barrels that are transported out), gear storage tents, and individual tent platforms. Its all a massive project, done well! Now we plan a few days to get organized, acclimatize and get ready to start our climb of Mt. Everest over the next 2 months! |
|
| April 7th, Up to Lobouche! | |
 After
a great rest day down in Dingboche yesterday we're off to Lobouche.
Tomorrow Base Camp. beautiful day in the Khumbu today. Everyone is
feeling good, I have a bit of a cold but otherwise ok. The trekking
group left a day earlier for Kala Patar and should be up there in
the good weather right about now. We'll meet them in Base Camp
tomorrow. Yvette, Erin, Josh, Andy and Dennis are all in the Kala
Patar Team. We're seeing lots of expeditions going up right now,
most all the lodges are full with a steady stream of Yaks hauling
the tons of gear all the expeditions need. Everyone is looking
forward to getting set at Base Camp, as we have been traveling
fairly hard the last couple weeks. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks on the
trail in. Starting in Base Camp we'll be able to use another, higher
speed connection for sending out trip reports, videos and photos so
look for better video quality from base camp. Also we plan to send
higher resolution photos out. Staying in the Everest Eco Lodge in
Lobouche now, quite a fine lodge considering the location here at
15,600 ft..
|
|
| April 5th, Island Peak High Camp | |
 Heavy
snowfall last night and so far almost all morning has thwarted the
summit attempt. Everyone made it to about 19,000 ft. but conditions
kept deteriorating and getting back down the rock band became an
issue. Last night some very serious thunderstorms hit the mountain
dumping a lot of fresh snow on the route. Had a little break early
but its moved back in now at 10.30am. We're glad to all be safely
back in Dingboche enjoying pizza and hot food. With the conditions
on the mountain variable we decided to leave at first light rather
than in the dark. The new snow on the rocks proved to be the crux of
the climbing. The use of ropes mandatory where they are usually not
needed. Belaying took more time than expected and we turned just as
the weather conditions deteriorated to a ground blizzard. That's all
for the season on Island Peak but stay posted on the Everest and
Lhotse Team's progress!! |
|
| April 4th, Island Peak High Camp | |
 In
mixed weather the Island Peak Team with the Everest and Lhotse Teams
are going for the summit tomorrow morning. John Rust is leading the
group on Island Peak, which is around 20,300 ft. high. Last night we
again had light snowfall for a few hours. One group of Germans
actually turned around in the snow last night. We'll see how it is
tomorrow morning. Just received a forecast for more humidity
tomorrow than the last few days so we'll see what happens. We have
several more days we can stay here if we get some bad weather.
Overall its been quite cold and snowy so far this season. I think
we're all looking forward to getting up to Everest Base Camp in 4 or
5 days from now. Look for our report tomorrow to see how the Island
Peak climb went! Scott Woolums reporting
|
|
| April 3rd, Island Peak Base Camp | |
 Up
to Island Peak Base Camp yesterday. Everyone is doing good. Set up
our camp and enjoying being in one place for a few days. Hot sun
today after a dusting of snow last night. A few other teams up here
with one group going for the summit today. The Everest and Lhotse
groups will be using this as an acclimatization climb before heading
up to Everest Base Camp in a few days. The weather looks good, lots
of wind up higher but otherwise fine. Our whole team will be moving
to Island Peak high camp tomorrow. |
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