In 2001, Chris Warner was back on Everest, guiding the North Ridge. On May 23 the team summited. Evelyne Binsack was the first Swiss woman to summit Everest. Ellen Miller was the first American woman to summit Everest from the North Ridge (a year later becoming the first American woman to summit Everest from the North and South). Naoki Ishikowa reached the "three poles" that year. Jaime Vinals climbed to his Seventh Summit. And Marco Siffredi made the first complete snow board descent of Everest. But in the end this expedition may best be remembered for the amazing rescue that unfolded following the last climbers and guides reaching the summit. 

A Note from Russell Brice, Expedition Leader

Here is a short note as I start my 11th expedition to Everest, 10 of which have been on the North side. I welcome the 10 clients, 3 other guides and 11 Sherpas who will all play an important part in the expedition over the next 2 months. I am pleased to report that I have an incredibly experienced team this year. The bio data of these members will appear else where, but 6 of the 10 clients have been on expeditions with Himalayan Experience before. Andy Lapkass and Chris Warner have both worked for Himalayan Experience as guides to Everest before, and Asmus Norreslet works with my sister company, Chamonix Experience, in France.

Seven of the 11 Sherpas have worked with Himalayan Experience before, some of the most senior Sherpas are now on their 15th expedition with me. This year we have some young Sherpas who will start their training with Himalayan Experience. They will hopefully become regular staff members of my expeditions in the future. Between the guides and Sherpa staff we have a total of 11 ascents of Mount Everest.

I also have a small team of Tibetan yak men who have been working for Himalayan Experience over the last few years.One of these men, Karsang climbed with us to North Col last year and then to the summit of Cho Oyo last autumn season. I hope that he will reach the summit of Everest with our team this year.

For the first time this year, Himalayan Experience is offering trips to North Col. I have one group of 4 and another of 6 who will embark on this program this season.

In order to support this large number of people it is necessary to bring almost 11,000kg of freight. There is 4,200kg of food, 5,000kg of equipment, 450kg of rope, and another 1,300kg of personal equipment. There will be approximately 120 yak loads to ABC, a two day journey.

So, I welcome you all to read about my 11th Everest expedition, with 11 nationalities, 11 Sherpas, 11 Everest summits between the staff, and with 11,000kg of equipment. I hope that our story is a successful and safe one.

Russell Brice

Himalayan Experience

Managing Director

Team of Himalayan Experience Everest Expedition 2001 

Fit to Climb...

Putting together a climbing team for an expedition is a tricky business. So many people would love to climb Everest, but you don't choose the team based on who would look best in the summit photos. You need to choose people who you can count on when the going gets rough. Each of us will be tied to other climbers. Our lives will be in their hands. With this in mind we have carefully chosen our team.

In the past, most Everest expeditions were nationalistic affairs, in which the stars of each country would be invited by the leader. Edmund Hillary was invited on the 1953 Everest Expedition, and although a strong climber, had very little Himalayan climbing experience. This year, we have a total of 11 Everest summits among the staff. Most of the clients have climbed other 8000 meter peaks (the 14 tallest mountains rise above the magical 8000 meter (26,200 ft.) level). As you read through their bios, you'll realize that every member of this team has much more experience than Edmund Hillary had.

Guides

	Expedition leader: Russell Brice, New Zealand Russ is the expedition leader and the owner of Himalayan Experience. This will be his 11th expedition to Everest. Russ has guided over 35 Himalayan expeditions and is a founder of IGO8000, the association that regulates commercial expeditions to 8,000-meter peaks. Guide Andy Lapkass, U.S.A Andy has been on more than 20 Himalayan expeditions and has summited Everest twice. This will be his second season as a guide on Russ' Everest expedition. Andy also competes in adventure races. He and Ellen Miller were on the same team in the Borneo Eco-Challenge, competing against Owen West.
	Guide Chris Warner, U.S.A. Chris has guided more than 70 international expeditions. He is the owner of Earth Treks' Climbing Center in Columbia, Md., the largest climbing gym and guide service on the East Coast of the United States. Chris has climbed Cho Oyu and has pioneered new routes on Ama Dablam and Shivling. He guided with Andy and Russ on Everest last year, but failed to summit due to poor weather conditions.
	Guide Asmuss , Danish Asmuss is the 4th guide on the trip. He summited Everest last year via the South Col. On an earlier trip, he did a number of first ascents in the Karakorum. Asmuss works as a guide in the Alps, living near Chamonix.

Climbers

Roy Tudor Hughes, UK

Roy climbed Cho Oyu with Russ in 1998 and has been on a number of other Himalayan expeditions including Broad Peak. He is a retired hotel owner.

Kieron Mackenzie, UK

Kieron owns New Heights, a group of outdoor equipment stores in Scotland. He also guides treks and expeditions to the Himalaya. Kieron was on Everest with us in 2000.

Owen West, U.S.A

Owen lives in New York City, trades natural gas on Wall Street, and is an author, Marine Corps veteran, and adventure racer. He has competed in three Eco-Challenges and was the lonely male on Team Playboy Extreme. You can read all about Owen's experience in the March 2001 issue of Playboy.

Ellen Miller, U.S.A

Ellen is an endurance athlete. She has run in the Tibetan Mountain Marathon, the Borneo Eco-Challenge and several other adventure races. She has climbed Kilimanjoro, Mount McKinley and Cho Oyu among other peaks.

Marco Siffredi, France

Marco is one of the world's leading extreme snowboarders. He has surfed Cho Oyu, Dorje Lhakpa, Tocloraju, Artensonraju and every unimaginable face in the Alps. Marco plans to snow board from the summit of Everest. He has been a hit in Lhasa, skateboarding around town.

Evelyne Binsack, Swiss

Evelyne is a certified mountain guide and helicopter pilot. She has climbed the North Face of the Eiger three times, including a winter ascent. This is her second trip to the Himalaya. She hopes to be the first Swiss woman to summit Everest via the North. She will be climbing with Robert Bosch.

Robert Bosch, Swiss

Robert is a certified mountain guide and a professional adventure photographer. He has been high on the Everest West Ridge and to 8,300 meters on the South Col. He has summited Broad Peak, Ama Dablam and many other Himalayan peaks. With a grin, Robert says he is here only to work. His hope is to capture Evelyn's climb on film.

Jaime Viñals, Guatemala

Jaime has climbed six of the seven summits. This is his fulltime job! This will be Jaime's third Everest expedition. He has written a Central American best-seller about his early climbing experiences.

Naoki Ishikawa, Japan

Naoki spent the last year traveling from the North Pole to the South Pole by skis, kayaks, bikes, boots and a plane (to hop the Drake Passage). He has also climbed six of the seven summits. He is writing a book about his expeditions to the "Three Poles".

Jess Stock, British

Jess is a professional adventure photographer. He commutes between homes in Wanaka, New Zealand and Chamonix, France. He has been on expeditions to Cho Oyu, Melungtse (with Bonnington), Mera Peak (which he skied with his wife), and the Golden Throne (on which he briefly held the high altitude ski record).

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Expedition Overview 

Russell Brice, of Himalayan Experience, and Chris Warner, of Earth Treks, will once again be leading a team of climbers on an expedition to Mount Everest. They will be following in the snow filled footsteps of Mallory and Irvine, climbing via the North Ridge, from Tibet. The expedition departs Katmandu on April 1st and hopes to put climbers on the summit by the end of May. During this expedition journals and photos will once again be sent back and posted on this page.

This year's team will be made up of 10 clients, 4 guides, 8 high altitude Sherpas, 4 cooks and 4 Tibetans. This is truly an international team, with climbers from New Zealand, South Africa, Guatemala, France, England, Switzerland, Scotland, Nepal, Tibet and the United States.

The team will establish Base Camp at 17,200 ft. in the Rongbuk Valley. Base Camp is literally placed at the end of the road. A convoy of jeeps and trucks will deposit the team and over 20,000 pounds of equipment, food, fuel and oxygen tanks at this point. Once ready, we will load the gear we need on the mountain (10-15,000 pounds) onto a yak train. Each yak can carry approximately 120 pounds. They will need two separate teams of approximately 60 yaks, to transport the gear on the two day journey to Advanced Base Camp (ABC) at 21,400 ft.

ABC is a wind swept place at the base of Mt. Changste. It literally is a swath of rubble, strewn like a thin veneer on top of the slowly moving East Rongbuk Glacier. Throughout the season, this strip will be filled by 4 large group tents (kitchen, storage, dining and communications), 20 sleeping tents and 2 toilet tents. Above and below, 20 or more teams will have a similar set up. Viewed from the North Ridge, ABC, with its colorful tents, is a veritable flowered choked meadow in comparison to the icy white and steel blue glaciers and the black and brown rock faces.

ABC is the base of operations for the climb. The team will live out of this camp, going off to work on the upper mountains for a few hours or days at a time. Two superb cooks will work around the clock to feed them. Despite the excellent food, they will each lose between 10 and 25 pounds. The cold, lack of oxygen and the hard work combined, burn off more calories than can be consumed in a day.

The trail from ABC ascends the ever more jumbled moraine to its highest reaches. From there they climb onto the glacier and traverse a plateau to the base of an icy headwall. They will string a series of fixed lines (ropes anchored in place and left for the duration of the climb) for more than 1,000 vertical feet to the col (saddle) between Changste and Everest. Here, at 23,000 ft. they will place Camp 1. The only shelter here is a large wall of ice, behind which will be placed 6 tents.

Now on the North Ridge, more fixed lines will lead to Camp 2 at 25,000 ft. The ridge is very exposed to high winds and they will be traveling as if dressed for the summit from Camp 1 on out. Last year, the team often encountered winds in excess of 50 mph and heavy snowfall on this section of the route. The climbing between Camps 1 and 2 is entirely on snow.

Camp 2 is literally a ledge carved out of the snow. Four or five tents will be placed here, the only protection afforded by a twisting of the ridgeline, funneling the snow over their heads.

Above Camp 2 the route follows a rocky ridgeline upwards to Camp 3 (26,000 ft.). Most parties actually place only 3 camps above ABC. Our team places 4 to better insure their chances. The climb from Camp 2 to 3 takes them past more than a dozen other groups, each with two or three tents perched on this wind scoured ridge.

Camp 3 is the site of the early British Expeditions' Camp 5. Last year, Chris found a piton believed to be hand forged and placed by the early British just below this camp. Russel found a ridgepole and upright poles from their tent, along with a weathered can of food. Chris also gathered a few other odds and ends from the tent, and brought these down as well.

Camp 4 (27,230 ft.) is the last stop before going for the summit. By the time this camp is established the team will have carried more than 18 tents, 50 oxygen bottles (13 pounds each), 35 sleeping bags, 70 foam mattresses, 18 cook sets, 100 fuel canisters and thousands of feet of rope up the mountain.

In order to aid acclimatization, each climber will climb to at least the height of Camp 3 during the prep phase of the expedition. Once the hill is prepped, and the climbers have had at least a few days rest in the oxygen rich, comparative luxury of Base Camp, the summit bids begin.

The climbers will move up the mountain, and weather permitting, move from camp to camp. Most climbers will begin using Oxygen at Camp 3. Statistically, most successful summit bids on the North Ridge occur in the second half of May.

Summit day begins at 1 a.m. with the melting of ice for hot drinks. Once dressed, the climbers set out for the top, using the ropes that are fixed, to follow a series of gullies and ledges to the ridge. There are three "steps" on the North Ridge, the hardest being the famed Second Step. In 1975 a Chinese expedition placed a ladder on the steepest of the three "pitches" that make up the 100 ft. tall step.

The North Ridge ends where the Third Step tops out on into a snow pyramid. Most climbers traverse up and right across this section, tackling the final climb, via a rock gully that tops the North Face. The summit is a stagger away.

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Everest 2001 Journal Entries

March 2001 The Spirit of Mountaineering: Why am I going back to Everest?

March 26 Columbia Maryland What does one do before leaving for Everest?

April 02 Kathmandu: The bags are packed and we're ready to go!!!

April 03 Winging it past Everest to Lhasa, Tibet

April 04 Lots to explore in Lhasa Tibetan culture

April 09 Arriving at Base Camp

April 11 Prepping for the Climb

April 16 On the Move: Leaving Base Camp and Establishing Advanced Base Camp

April 20 Advanced Base Camp has been established!

April 24 Chocolate cake and hard work are more reliable than luck!

April 25 So much for the weather reports

May 03 Just What's Up That Hill?

May 07 The Sherpas are heading back up

May 10 Moving Up

May 11 It's Snowing, Again.

May 11 One man's "slow and painful" ascent of Everest :) - by Owen West and

How Do You Deal with Knee Deep Snow? - by Chris Warner

May 13 Happy Mother's Day

May 15 Ellen Miller: Let Me Tell You About My Team

May 18 It's My Party and I'll Climb if I Want To

May 19 We're off to see the Wizard!

May 22 Last Journal before the Summit!

May 23-25 Reached the Summit and then prayer needed.

May 26 Mini Update - Summit and then Near Disaster

May 21-26 The Ascent, The Summit, Then Trouble Up High

June 7 Wrapping up and Final Notes

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The Spirit of Mountaineering: Why am I going back to Everest? 

Last June, Tony Kelly and I were trapped in a tent at 25,000 ft. The wind was gusting to over 100 mph; tossing grapefruit sized rocks and sheets of ice bigger than manhole covers though the air. The tent in front of ours was hit, the nylon covering torn and shredded, weakening this critical shelter. We spoke to our teammates in other tents, barely 5 feet away, by walkie-talkie. Even if we yelled from tent to tent, they couldn't hear over the screaming of the wind. The snow drifted between the tent walls and the snow slope, pressing down upon us. Every few hours, one of us would bundle up in our summit gear, crawl from the tent and shovel the snow into the wind. If we didn't, the snow would bury us, seal off the needed fresh air and slowly asphyxiate us.

Inside the tent, though, we were patiently waiting for the storm to peter out. It was warm, acting as a greenhouse during the day. It would only drop to minus 20 degrees after sunset. We had plenty of food, but little appetite. We melted snow to brew hot drinks. We dazed in and out of little naps.

The walkie-talkie began to buzz, slowly waking me up. "Pull whatever gear you can and escape at the first sign of the storm slowing," said Russel the expedition leader, to Andy a guide in the closest tent.

"Let me get this straight, we are abandoning the climb."

Tears formed, and my chest began to throb. What had they said: the climb is over, I am at 25,000 ft. trying for the summit a second time, feeling great and now my chances are over because of this storm? The tears rolled down my face. Tony, too, was crying, a glove hiding the stream of tears. Fifteen minutes passed before I could talk, pushing the button on the radio to say, "We are crying up here, Russ, but know that you are right. Let's just get off this mountain alive."

Eight hours later, during a lull in the storm, we escaped the tents at 25,000 ft. and struggled down to Advanced Base Camp at 21,400 ft. Despite the exhaustion and disappointment, I knew I would return to Everest the next spring, hoping to make my dream of climbing Everest come true.

Mountaineering is obviously a sport of great risk. I've been tumbled by avalanches, fallen 500 ft. through the air (I did bounce ...once), gone for days with little to no food and water, suffered frost bite on nine fingers, and rescued many other climbers who weren't as lucky as I am. It is also an expensive hobby, costing more than $35,000 to climb Everest and many thousands to climb any other peak in the Himalayas. Let's not forget the months of being away from home, two showers in two months, canned hot dogs for dinner, and a herd of exotic illnesses stampeding through my intestines.

There has got to be a reason why I return to the mountains time and time again. After all, I've been on more than 70 international expeditions.

Great athletes, artists, musicians, and thinkers all agree that happiness comes from within, a side effect of our pursuit of a fabulous dream. "The best moments occur when a person's body or mind is stretched to the limit in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile."-M. Csikszentmihalyi's Flow

When we set a goal, develop the skills to achieve it, then go and "just do it," we enter into what's called the championship zone, the flow state. Everest and most of the other mountains I climb provide me with the experience of being in the championship zone. And boy does that zone feel good. When you are in the zone, your mind is clear, actions flow effortlessly, super-human things seem to happen with ease. There is no fear, no emotions but satisfaction.

Imagine the sweet satisfaction that comes from solving the complex riddles of a life and death struggle. Once you've pulled that off, you carry that ability around with you. If you are wise, you'll apply these lessons to as many situations as you can.

On one level, climbing Everest is a test I've chosen for myself. It is a test of the skills and abilities that I've developed over the years. Standing on the summit isn't so important really, but climbing the mountain is. A picture of me on the top would simply be a reminder of my time in the championship zone, just like a picture of an Olympic athlete with a medal around their neck. These are symbols of the commitment we make to achieve a goal and the hard work, often painful but satisfying, we endure in the process.

Climbing Everest is also more than playing in the zone. Friendships are made. Great books are read. The dusty villages and ancient monasteries of Tibet are explored. Scenes of immeasurable beauty unfold with every foot of elevation gained. I think these alone are great to experience, that time in the zone cetainly sweetens the deal.

-Chris Warner

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What does one do before leaving for Everest?

March 26th, 2001. Columbia, Maryland.

The sun is rising upon a complete mess. Piles of gear litter the floor, a cup of coffee is hidden among down jackets and solar panels, all of this needs to be crammed into duffle bags in the next few hours. I think I'm a bit behind schedule.

The last two weeks have simply flown by. From March 10-18, I was in Ecuador, working with a great group from the Wharton MBA program. That team was climbing Cotopaxi, their first big mountain, while exploring the theme of leadership. That trip was refreshing for me, allowing me to be in the mountains for all the right reasons: celebrating partnerships, pushing limits, exploring the lessons at the center of both mountaineering and business. Not only did it help me physically prepare for Everest, it helped my mind become centered on the Shared Summits Program.

We flew into National Airport late on Sunday and by 7 a.m. on Monday I was running to meetings. This past week I met with over 800 school kids, sharing stories from last year's Everest expedition, while prepping them for this year's challenge. It was so gratifying to be in the classrooms, watching some very suburban kids get caught up in the possibilities of climbing Everest. You could sense, from the lack of restraint, their excitement. The "fashion shows" were simply hilarious, especially as we dropped the rear ends of the climbing suit, revealing the answer to the age old question: "How do you go the bathroom up there?"

On Wednesday I ran from a photo shoot at the gym (check out the Everest Special in the April 8th edition of the Baltimore Sun) to a live web chat at Sunspot.net. Heavy rains slowed us down, but we arrived within a second or two of going live. I think I was breathing harder than I do above 8000 meters.

On Wednesday and Thursday nights I gave an Everest to Ama Dablam multimedia presentation at the Baileys Crossroads and Timonium REI stores. As always, fun audiences. We raised a few hundred dollars more for the Khijiphilate School Project. Thanks to that and an additional $1000 donation from a dear friend, we have raised over $7000 for that school. We now have enough to tear down the old school and build a new one (with toilets, windows, desks, books, teachers, etc.). This fund raising is one of the projects I am most proud of the Earth Treks' community for. Together we have made a tremendous impact on one of the poorest villages in the hills of Nepal.

On Friday, the folks at TEKSystems and Thingamajob.com invited me to a "Town Meeting". Over 150 folks wished us luck and presented me with the four laptops they have customized for our use. Being tech savvy they laughed through my tale of calling the help desk of one computer company while I was at Advanced Base Camp last year.

"Oh, sounds like you're hard drive is shot. Don't worry we have 24 hour service for anywhere in the world. Give us your address and we'll send a technician to fix it."

"Red Tent, Advanced Base Camp, Everest, Tibet. Sorry, but I don't know the zip code."

"W-W-Wait a second. Did you say Everest? We don't have a service technician for your region."

I wonder if defrosting the frozen screen, by holding it over a stove flame, voided any warranties.

On Saturday evening things got even hotter. Over 400 people joined us at the gym, for the second annual Everest Party. The Ellicott Mills Brewing Company brought kegs of micro-brewed beer. It was so good, we drained all of the kegs by 10 pm! A blues band rocked out in the Bouldering cave. A video of Ecuador, Cho Oyu, Ama Dablam, Everest, the 2000 bouldering comp and Holiday party was projected on a giant screen. Over $2000 worth of climbing gear, outdoor clothing and gift certificates were raffled off. Over 100 Shared Summits T shirts , with a beautiful design by teacher Andy Katz, were sold (call the gym 1-800-CLIMB-UP to order one). The folks from TASC, Inc. presented us with a check for $2000 to help cover Shared Summits' expenses. This now annual event was a huge success.

So, now that my family has gone home, the parties and presentations are over, the laptops and banners are collected, the packing can begin. I better find that cup of coffee, or I'll fall fast asleep on that mountain of socks.

Chris Warner

Kathmandu: The bags are packed and we're ready to go!!!

April 2, 2001

Kathmandu, Nepal

On the way to Kathmandu, Edmund Hillary and I flew past Everest, watching the traditional flag of blowing snow flutter from the summit. Everest looked almost void of snow, a welcome image in comparison to the snow cloaked peak we struggled with last year. (Tomorrow, our flight to Lhasa, Tibet will curve, like a fish hook, past the summit. This will allow us to trace our route and investigate the conditions from the warmth of the plane's cabin.)

Our good friends Ram and PB met me at the airport with garlands of marigolds and orchids. They whisked me through the crowds and off to the hotel. Russel (the expedition leader), Andy Lapkass (guide), the Sherpas and I had a quick reunion and then launched into the business of preparing for the climb.

Russel has a new base of operations in Kathmandu, a house on the outskirts of town. The place has been hopping for a week now. Shipments of propane, fresh vegetables, oxygen cylinders and more, enter into this "factory", are inspected, inventoried, sorted and packaged. The end result is a blue barrel, much like a garbage can with a lock-able lid, that is then stacked next to two hundred others. Two large trucks will transport these barrels to the Tibetan border, where they will be transferred to four Chinese trucks for the 4 day journey to base camp. Over 13,000 pounds of stuff will be shipped to base camp.

Our clients began to arrive two days ago. What a strong group!!! A few are mountain guides, most have climbed other 8,000 meter peaks and one has just traveled by ski, kayak, boots, bike (and a small plane flight) from the North Pole to the South Pole. Marco Saffreidi, the youngest of the team, is attempting to snow board from the summit. This should be no problem for him...he snow boarded from the summit of Cho Oyu, Artesonraju, Toclaraju and a gillion other peaks. I guess Russel discriminated against boring people when choosing this year's team.

In between packing barrels, wrestling with the computers and listening to my team mates' tales, I've been finding some time to enjoy my favorite Kathmandu haunts. As always, there is the fun of "bumping into" old friends and heroes. Of course everyone knows Russel, so just going to dinner becomes an arm chair mountaineers dream come true.

This afternoon I was invited, along with Lene Gammelgaard and Henry (her boyfriend) to lunch at PB's house. PB and Lene worked together on Everest '96. Lene was on Scot Fisher's team, while PB handled the logistics. Lene has written a fantastic book about her experience Climbing High: A Woman's Account of Surviving the Everest Tragedy. She has slowly weaned herself from climbing, but uses the lessons she learned the hardway to help corporations in Europe overcome the challenges they face.

We could have talked for days. Our topics jumped from the '96 expedition to public speaking to the deepest recesses of a climber's motivation. It was a rare moment to jump into the why's of this sport. The how to...well that comes down one's WILL.

Lene and I had actually met on Mt. Blanc in 1995. At the time she was training for her Everest climb. After meeting thousands of climbers, it is funny how we both could remember that meeting so many years ago.

I'll be reflecting on this afternoon for quite some time. I am now carrying a copy of her book to Everest with me.

The expedition is now ready to push off. We will be flying to Lhasa, Tibet early in the morning. I hope to send a team roster from there. We won't be able to send regular dispatches until base camp is established on the 9th or 10th of April. In the meantime, fret not, for we have over 60 pounds of French roasted, organically grown, Nepali coffee with us.

Chris Warner

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April 3, 2001

The year's first flight to Lhasa lifted off the Tarmac a bit late, but did not disappoint. Circling up and out of Kathmandu, we had great views of the city's brick red buildings and a dozen temples. The Monkey Temple, high on a hill, was the last to disappear.

Rising above the haze, the sky turned a cobalt blue, and mountain after mountain reached upwards. All of Nepal and Tibet's 8000-meter peaks were lining the flight path: first Dhaulagiri, then Annapurna, Manaslu, Shishapangma, Cho Oyu, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and finally Kanchenjunga. Ama Dablam, Jannu, Melungtse, Mera and a hundred other peaks, all worth dreaming about, filled in the carpet of white and black peaks far below us.

The flight seems designed for Everest climbers. We inched up to it, along the southern side, approaching from the west. Then we began our turn north on the side of Makalu, angling north and a bit west again. The West Ridge, South Col, Kangshung Face, NNE Ridge and North Ridge were all in sight at one point or another. Conditions looked perfect. There wasn't even a plume of wind blown snow coming off the summit. Marco, our young French snow boarder, sat just in front of me, pestering incessantly with the one question that mattered most: "Is there enough snow to go from the summit?" I think so.

Chris Warner

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Lots to explore in Lhasa Tibet

April 4, 2001. Lhasa.

Lhasa, the city of a rumored 1 million people, 60 percent Chinese, is the capital of Tibet. It sits (at 3,600 meters/ 11,800 feet) in a wide valley with tall peaks lining the sides (5,000 meters/16,500 feet). Like the Tibetan plateau, Lhasa is an arid place. In spite of a large river flowing through the city and valley, there is little vegetation, except in the cultivated fields. The lure of Lhasa is the Tibetan culture. Today we visited the Potala, the traditional home of the Dalai Lamas and the administrative center of the old Tibetan nation. It is a massive building, the architecture among the most important in the East. Andy and I spent the morning doing a Kora, or pilgrimage, along with a few thousand Tibetans. We circumambulated the building, spinning the prayer wheels and stopping to hear the monks chant. I shot a few roles of film, trying to capture the faces of the Tibetans and the spirit of the Potala.

In the afternoon we visited the Sera Monastery and were witness to the "debates". Hundreds of young monks gathered in an outside courtyard, each with shaved heads and dressed in the traditional maroon robes. One monk would sit on the ground, while the other stood above him. Rocking forward on one foot and slapping his hands together, the standing monk would shout out a question. Immediately the sitting monk would calmly offer a reply. This debate is essentially a word game, in which the sitting monk proved their knowledge by offering sarcastic or obtuse answers. With the slapping and rocking and yelling, at first it seemed like one monk was beating the other: quite a contrast to the Buddhist belief in non-violence. In fact, the debates are more like a game show, in which the winner gets eternal peace, instead of a Caribbean cruise. Lhasa is rarely what is seems to be at first glance.

On April 5th, we will explore a few more of Lhasa's sites. In the afternoon, Andy, Asmuss and I will head into the market to buy the expedition's meat supply. We will need nearly 450 pounds/200 kilograms of Yak meat and 66 pounds/30 kilograms of chicken. By the way, on last count we had 20,000 pounds/9,218 kilograms of gear being shipped to base camp.

On April 6th we depart Lhasa and travel overland to Xigatse. On the 7th we will travel on to Tingri, where we will spend two nights. Early on the 9th we will leave Tingri, drive over the Panang La and descend into the Rongbuk valley.

Base camp is in the upper Rongbuk, where the road ends. At this stage everyone on the trip is doing really well. We have been enjoying each other's company. The strength and diversity of this group has boosted everyone's confidence and enthusiasm.

Chris Warner

April 9th

The jeeps rolled across the Tibetan Plateau, climbing up dusty hills, passing streamers of prayer flags, and after a quick new view, dropping down the other side. Eagles and ravens circled above the passes. Yak men, driving their herds toward fresh pastures, scarcely noticed our passing. The winds were howling, but the movement of jeeps, yaks and eagles signaled the return of spring.

We entered the Rongbuk Valley, four-wheeling up the dirt and boulder strewn road. Streams crisscrossed the road, but each river crossing was easily passed on a bridge of ice. We rolled up to the Rongbuk Monastery and paid our respects to the Buddhist Monks and Nuns who live in this desolate place. At 16,500 ft. it is at the limits of year round human habitation. The Rinpoche, who is the abbot of this monastery, has been reincarnated many times. The wisdom gained from those lifetimes may explain why he is in Katmandu right now, not awaiting Spring's arrival in this beautiful but unheated collection of buildings.

A few miles above the monastery, the valley flattens out. It is on this outwash plain of the Rongbuk glacier's terminal moraine, that base camp is established. Russel and the Sherpas arrived a day earlier than us, only to find that our usual base camp had been taken by the Australian Army. We settled for a site, a bit closer to the mountain and on the lee side of a small hill.

The 5 large base camp tents were set up and the cooks (Lacchu, Ram and Kuhl Bahadur a.k.a. "Koobadoo" ) had lunch ready and waiting. The luxuries of Russ' expeditions were obvious: the barrels of potato chips, the boxes of candy bars, the CD player, and the thermoses of freshly roasted, organically grown coffee. The list could go on. Each climber has his/her own tent, complete with thick foam mattresses. At 7 a.m. a Sherpa visits each tent with a steaming mug of tea. Dessert last night was fresh baked apple pie with a whipped cream topping.

Chris Warner

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Prepping for the Climb 

April 11th

It is considered a bad omen to climb above base camp before having a puja ceremony. This Buddhist blessing is a sacred act to the Sherpas and to those of us who will be climbing on Chomolungma (the goddess mother of the earth), as Mt. Everest is known to the Tibetans. Upon arrival, the Sherpas visited the monastary, giving an offering of 20 fleece jackets, to find out which day was the most auspicious for our puja. This morning two monks walked into camp and the preparations began. A stone altar was built. Piles of food, pyramids of beer and soda, burning juniper and all of our ice axes, were strategically placed on the altar. The two monks sat up front, while we gathered behind them. The chanting began, "Om mani padhme om."

Everest stood above us, shining in the sun light. The wind hardly blew until we needed it to flutter the prayer flags, sending good wishes to the heavens. Following custom, we smeared barley wheat (tsampa) on each other's cheeks and threw handfuls of blessed rice over our shoulders. The black birds hovered over head, awaiting the puja's end to feed on the rice. With a final chant, the ceremony ended and the food and drinks were passed around.

We are now ready to head to advanced base camp (ABC). Well, almost. Most of the loads had to be reorganized. The village head man has decided that each yak can only carry 40 kilos, down 10 kilos from last year and 20 kilos since 1999. Of course this means that we will need more yaks, with no discount being offered. We had been planning on 50 kilo loads and packed accordingly.

While base camp was being set up, the loads re-organized, and the communication systems re-engineered, the climbers have been getting themselves acclimated to this new altitude (17,200 ft./5200m.). There are so many great hikes from our valley. In the next few days, each of us will climb peaks that rise to 21,000 ft./6400m. Most of these can be done in light-weight hiking boots. In between hikes, the cooks will serve us carrot cake and pizza, or yak steaks and french fries. Take your pick.

A quick note on the weather: It has been seasonable so far. A few hours each day, high winds (50-80 mph/100-160kph) have been blasting the summit, even though the jet stream is not in our area. In base camp, the wind seems to blow lightly through the afternoon. Temperatures here are mild: highs of 60 F/ 14 C and lows well below freezing. Everest, like most of the peaks, is quite bare of snow. This should make our climbing easier, although will make Marco's snowboard descent even more spectacular.

Chris Warner

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On the Move: Leaving Base Camp and Establishing Advanced Base Camp

April 16th

126 yaks, each loaded with over 40 kilos (88 lbs.) of equipment, food, propane gas cylinders, rope and oxygen bottles are plying the pathways of the Rongbuk and East Rongbulk glaciers this week. Our team is moving up the hill.

The journey from Base Camp to ABC follows a 22 km (13 mile) trail, climbing to 6400 m. (21,000 ft.). ABC is situated along a thin strip of rock covered glacier, perhaps 50 meters wide and 300 meters long. This leaves hardly enough room for the 26 expeditions that hope to climb Everest this year. With a shortage of space in mind, Karsang, one of our Sherpas, ran from BC to ABC on the day he arrived, claiming a choice piece of real estate for our team.

Four days later, the rest of the climbing Sherpas and the first group of 60 yaks began their two day journey to ABC. Today, a third of the climbing team left BC for interim camp, a camp we place half way along the route. Tomorrow, six more climbers, Russ, Asmus and 60 more yaks will leave. On April 18th, Chris and four North Col trekkers will finally wave goodbye to the relative warmth and comfort of BC.

Advanced Base Camp is really the launching point for the climb. This camp is the highest place that the yaks can climb to. It is probably the highest place in the world accessed by yaks. (Camels climb a bit higher on Mustagh Ata, a mountain in Kashgar.)

It will be good to move above BC. While it is lower, warmer and more hospitable in most ways, we are here to climb some this hill we've been gazing at for a week now. A lot of us are getting antsy here, despite the excellent peaks we have been climbing and the wonderful moments of relaxation we have earned, (it is hard to beat the simple pleasure of laying in a sun warmed tent, reading a book). Most of us feel as if we are getting too fat, here. The food has been so good, and Russ has stocked up on all sorts of goodies. While we have plenty of potato chips, fresh yak meat and chocolate covered Easter eggs, we are consuming over .5 kilos of coffee every day. Do the math: we brought 25 kilos for a 60 day expedition.

By the evening of April 2Oth all of the climbers will be in ABC. I'd imagine that by that time, some of our Sherpas will have struck out for higher camps, establishing at least a simple tent at each of the four high camps, weather permitting, in barely a week. Meanwhile the rest of us will start the long, hard process of stocking each camp with the sleeping bags, oxygen, stoves, cook sets, medical supplies and other gadgets we will need.

At this stage in the expedition, everyone is healthy and happy. Not even a cough can be heard among us. We're cautiously optimistic.

A quick weather report: we arrived to a black mountain, with the thinnest of snow cover in the deepest couliors and barely any snow patches on the faces. Two days ago it snowed, dumping 3 inches in BC, but over a foot high on the mountain. Since then a little more snow has fallen. High winds have blown some of the faces clean, while creating cornices on many of the ridgelines. The high winds would prevent any work from being done high on the hill either yesterday or today. Base camp is clear of snow, windy but warm.

Chris Warner

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Advanced Base Camp has been established!

April 20th

The last of the climbing team arrived at Advanced Base Camp (ABC) on April 19th. The Sherpas arrived on the 16th, and with the help of Kharsang, who had arrived a few days earlier, scraped a fantastic campsite from the rock covered glacier.

Hiking to ABC was a challenge for each of us. It took two days to hike the 22km (13 mile) trail, gaining over 1300 m. (4000 ft), on a rock covered glacier. The only trail markers were the ever present clods of yak dung. Getting lost, no matter how mind numbed the altitude was making you, was nearly impossible. Just follow your nose.

The trail is exquisitely beautiful, with towers of ice stretching 20 m (65 ft.) into the air. These castle-like formations have been wind sculpted for hundreds of years and no where in the world are they as tall as here. Everest stood above us, and on the 19th the wind barely blew from its summit, making it appear so gentle in comparison to the wind swept days we had been witnessing. (I hope you like the juxtaposition of the yak poop and the high alpine beauty.)

ABC is a wild place, a strip of moraine, about 100 ft (30 m.) wide and 2000 ft. (650 m.) long. Just a few feet or inches beneath this layer of rock, is the glacier. At this point, the East Rongbuk glacier is a few hundred feet thick. Crevasses criss cross the moraine, a few even radiate through our site. One false step out of the toilet tent and ......well we have the gear to rescue you.

A number of teams have been active on the hill already. Fixed ropes now stretch to almost 8200 meters. This is much earlier than previous years. Last year only a handful of us fixed any of the rope, and the rope we did fix was super strong, 11 mm static line, that survived the harsh summer, fall and winter weather. Our friends from the IGO8000 (International Guides and Operators on the 8000 meter peaks) company- International Mountain Guides- arrived a few weeks before us. They were able to string new rope up to the North Col and then along the north ridge to 7500 meters, where they intersected our old ropes.

With all of this rope in place, and the winds blowing up high, our Sherpas have been able to stock Camp 1 at the North Col, with most of the gear needed for the 4 high camps.

In the next few days, our members will begin to climb up to Camp 1. Each person will carry a light load, perhaps just a sleeping bag. Our first objective is to allow everyone to become acclimated to 7000 meters, while refining their climbing skills. Oddly enough, except on the highest peaks, most mountaineers will never use fixed ropes. That aspect of climbing is new to a few of our team members.

I'm crossing my fingers as I write this part: ABC is warmer this year than last. There is a stream running across the top of the glacier, giving us easy access to drinking water. Last year we were chopping and melting ice until late May. Last night, my first at ABC, seemed quite warm. I even stayed up until 10:30 pm, and the Spanish team camped below us, stayed up even later, watching a DVD. Last year, you needed to be deeply buried in your sleeping bag by 7:30 pm.

The morale of the team is still very high. We have a wonderful stone deck in front of our dining tent and it has been fun to sit down upon it, sip coffee and listen to Russell tell stories about the NNE Ridge or Rudy's Coulior, or to listen to Evelyne tell stories of long-line, helicopter rescues on the North Face of the Eiger. With a group like this, it is easy to be entertained (especially watching Robert' s reaction to Jello, a dessert he had never wiggled before).

Chris Warner

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Almost all of us, including two "trekkers", have climbed to the North Col, the site of our Camp 1. This climb can be pretty tough: over 600 meters (2000 ft) of altitude is gained by using a series of fixed lines up the steep headwall. The terrain definitely keeps your attention, more than a dozen crevasses are crossed, steep sections exceed 50 degrees, and the single line of ropes, is clogged in places by climbers heading up or down against the flow of traffic.

Climbing to the North Col is another major step in the physical and psychological battle for the summit. If you can't make it, or do so after a bitter struggle, you're left with well deserved doubts. Are you fit enough, are you acclimatized, is your heart really into it?

Having been on Everest for nearly three weeks, there are plenty of signs of teams crumbling and individuals struggling. Within hours of arriving we rushed to save one Sherpa's life: he had been stuffed into a Gamow bag (a hyperbaric chamber) and his friends stopped pumping fresh air into the air tight balloon. Suffering from asphyxiation, his panic spread to the group. One of the Sherpas ran into our tent and we followed him to the scene. We depressurized the chamber and soon learned that he was suffering from a stomach bug, not from the altitude. He was lucky to be alive. The misdiagnosis was compounded by this group of Sherpas, supporting a well funded team, having been sent to base camp without any medical supplies. The Gamow bag, even though it was almost used as a weapon, had been borrowed.

The fiascoes continue with a climber on a commercial expedition suffering from Cerebral Edema for five days, before his guides sought the services of an Australian doctor. This commercial expedition had none of the commonly carried medications, and their Gamow bag failed. The Australian doctor organized an evac, taking two days to get the climber back to base camp. One of that expedition's members came by to complain that her two private Sherpas are involved in the rescue and now her schedule is all messed up.

Then there is the story of the European climber driving into base camp on oxygen and that same vehicle being used to evacuate two other climbers (who happened to be suffering from Acute Mountain Sickness) from that team, leaving the oxygen sucking climber sitting on a propane tank, surrounded by duffels, but seemingly helpless.

All of these stories, and I'm holding my tongue, leave me wondering what lies and misinformation people tell themselves. Everest is a big, dangerous mountain. It attracts fools, even more powerfully then it attracts skilled, motivated and talented climbers. It will be interesting to see the dramas unfold this year. Sad, but predictable.

Of course no one is immortal and luck can not be carried in a backpack, but it is obvious as one looks around that some teams are prepared and some aren't. (In fact just minutes ago a team reported that they were running low on food, barely half way through the expedition.) Tents, too old or cheap, have already been destroyed by the daily winds at Camp 1. And among the greatest acts of stupidity are the three teams (one a well funded clean up expedition) that are camped in the ABC water supply. I'm sure that the view from the toilet seat, of the babbling brook, is just delightful.

We are among the prepared, and it is paying off. Almost all of our team members have climbed to Camp 1, seizing that objective and benefiting from the psychological and physical boost that comes from reaching that goal. We are all healthy. All of our high altitude gear is now at or above Camp 1. Two members are now camped there, and all of the Sherpas are heading up tomorrow to set up Camps 2, 3 and 4. If the weather cooperates, all of the climbers should have camped up high and hopefully touched Camp 3 (7900 m), within a week's time.

The prevailing theme of self inflicted misery, that is sprinkled through ABC, has actually contributed to our feeling of well being. You can sense it as even our "trekkers" passed climbers on the ropes to the North Col (only a single Sherpa passed them). And who wouldn't be fired up by Marco Siffredi, our snow boarder in residence, as we watched him carving turns down the headwall from the North Col.

We are ready to go, climbing Everest by putting one foot in front of the other, and drowning out the tales of hunger and misfortune by chomping on a nice piece of fresh baked chocolate cake.

Chris Warner

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So much for the weather reports

April 25th

As I read the weather report, my palms began to sweat. The summit was in reach, as the winds were to drop, the temperatures would rise and settled weather would descend upon us. The Sherpas were preparing to move up to Camp 1 and then boldly establish Camps 2, 3 and 4. Owen and Ellen were spending the night at Camp 1, hoping to climb to Camp 2 on a sunny, barely breezy day.

I was shaken from my sleep, just past dawn, to the ripping of my tent's outer layer. I had tied my tent to another, which having been recently been evacuated by our departing trekkers, was pried loose from the rocks it was lashed too. Filled with only a few foam pads, the tent was picked up by a fierce gust of wind, tore itself free of my tent and flew more than two hundred meters down valley.

I jumped out of my sleeping bag, pulled on a down coat and pair of boots and chased after the tent. As I ran through Advanced Base Camp, other tents and plastic barrels were being torn and pushed about. I saw an expedition's large kitchen tent literally be sucked upwards, exposing the poor cook boy and his pile of pots and pans to the winds. Toilet tents were toppled. Cheap dome tents were squished.

A poor Sherpa, trying to find a quiet boulder to use as a toilet, was hit by our flying tent. Luckily, this gifted athlete maintained his grip on the flying tent, while pulling up his pants.

Above us, black clouds were swirling around the summit of Everest. Asmuss radioed Ellen and Owen, who were sheltered by the ice wall at Camp 1. Owen later tested the weather and the two decided to descend. They were among the last to leave the North Col and described it as an eerie ghost town, with the black cloud hovering overhead.

Their retreat was eventful, the descent along the fixed lines the easy part. Once on the flat glacier, the winds kept knocking Ellen over and the 200 pound Owen had to lean into the wind and fight to stay upright.

As lunch approached, the snow began to fall. This is the Everest I remember from last year, flexing her muscles to remind us who is in charge.

Well, our casualties are limited: one tent destroyed and two others with torn outer coverings. The snow is piling up around us. Our Colombian neighbors have their DVD player on its highest volume, providing a dramatic soundtrack to the storm. And I'm making perfect use of a snow day, getting all caught up in Owen West's soon to be published novel, "Sharkman Six."

Sometimes I think I come to Everest for days like this: a mini drama followed by hours curled up with a book.

Chris Warner

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Just What's Up That Hill?

May 3

"Where have we been?" Can't you tell by the coughing, wheezing, bloodied noses, lip and gum infections that we've been having fun on the slopes of Mt. Everest? We've been climbing, putting one crampon in front of the other, sliding our jumars up the fixed lines, and hyperventilating to the beat of a country and western song. We even, quite dramatically, lifted our heads and took in the sweep of mountains on the horizon, but only for a second, of course. Always have to get back to the important task of hyperventilating.

Owen, Ellen, Marco, Roy and I left ABC on April 28th and climbed to Camp 1. It was a really nice day. We each crawled into a nest of two sleeping bags and settled in for the night. By 8:30, Owen, Marco, Ellen and I headed off for Camp 2. Roy, at the wise age of 62, headed back to ABC to save his strength.

The route to Camp 2 follows a long snowy ridgeline, from the North Col at 7,000 meters to the rocky part of the ridge at 7,500 meters. Barely 30 meters wide, and with the wind sculpting from the west, the ridge is a frozen wave of snow, with a huge overhanging (or pouting) east lip. Once you leave the security of Camp 1, there is no shelter. You either push into the wind or turn back. This ridge has been the scene of many epics. Storms appear out of no where. Our policy: you dress for the ridge, as if you are climbing to the summit- down suits, summit boots, mittens, face masks, etc.

The climb is a long one, even though it is only 1650 vertical feet. In the Andes this would take no more than 2 hours, but at this altitude times range from 3.5 hours (Marco) to over 6.

The Sherpas, who are always a few days ahead of the climbers, have established a few tent platforms out of the snow to form Camp 2. When we arrive, there are two tents standing. Marco and I crawl into one and Ellen and Owen into the other. I was having a rough day, I could keep pushing, but never felt strong. This was a surprise, since last year I spent 6 days at Camp 2, always feeling wound up for more action. I laid in the rear of the tent and Marco keep handing me mugs of tea and asking me why I wasn't eating.

As we were moving to Camp 2, Andy, Asmuss, Jamie, Keiron, Evelyne, Robert and Naoki, climbed to Camp 1, following in our spindrift covered foot steps. Our team goal was to get everyone to sleep at Camp 2 and hopefully climb above it. This would meet the acclimatization schedule we had set for ourselves. Once this was accomplished we could all limp back to base camp, to rest up for our summit attempts.

On the 30th, Marco woke first and immediately started to melt ice into water. He had big plans, to snowboard down the North Ridge to the North Col and finally down to the flat East Rongbuk Glacier. This descent of 1000m/3300 ft., with dips of 50 degrees looked fantastic. The setting was perfect, but the savings in time and energy was priceless.

Nothing could hold him back. By 7 a.m. he had his pack on and was standing on his board. I watched the first five seconds of his ten minute descent. Three turns and he was below the crest of the top dome of snow. I could hear the shouts at Camp 1 over the radio. He glided down the ridgeline, cutting close to the rocks where crevasses crisscrossed the slope.

Now it was time for the rest of us to move. The sun, which rose early, was now behind a cloud and my toes and fingers were freezing, even while I was in the tent. Going up seemed foolish, so we shouldered our packs and headed down (Owen did turn the corner to snap a few pictures of the upper North Face).

We raced down to Camp 1, passing Andy and the gang on their way up. At the North Col, we changed out of our summit gear, into more leisurely climbing clothes. Our high altitude gear is kept at Camp 1, allowing us to travel lighter to and from the North Col.

Marco was of course in ABC enjoying a cup of cocoa, Andy and his gang were struggling up the North Ridge, and I could barely stay awake, laying in the warm sunlight at the North Col. Ellen and Owen, ready to go, prodded me into action. They clipped into the ropes and descended and I stumbled behind them. Halfway down the headwall, I radioed Russ that I was sick, having trouble breathing.

Hanging from the last ropes, I yelled down to Ellen to wait for me. Finally unclipping I began to stumble down the low angled slopes to the flat glacier. My lung capacity was about 15% of normal, and the world's grossest, most disgusting, revolting, cover-your-eyes-kids-you-might-puke, clumps of hardened, dark brown phlegm were pinballing through my throat and escaping past my teeth in an explosion of UUUGGHHHH!!!!! (Ladies and gentlemen, did you know that Peter Hillary actually passed out, choking on a phlegm ball, at 27,000 ft on Everest? His partner's were wise enough, despite the altitude to give him the Hiemlich Maneuver. A record the Red Cross hasn't yet given due credit for.)

Owen carried my pack, Ellen guided me down the path, and a Sherpa was sent up with a bottle of Oxygen to help out the sick man. In 18 years of working as a guide/wilderness instructor it was the only time, in memory, that I've handed over my pack. I couldn't believe it, stumbling, hacking up phlegm balls, being stared at by teams of Russians, Japanese and Americans. I declined the oxygen, preferring to pace myself.

A stethoscope confirmed our fears, I had a rapidly growing chest infection. After a cocktail of antibiotics, pain killers and decongestants, I slipped into a two day fevered sleep.

Meanwhile, the fit and good looking were settling into Camp 2. Roy was heading for BC and Owen, Ellen and Marco were celebrating the end of this phase of the trip.

By the time Roy reached BC, he had sized up his Everest and decided his wife was cuter and his bed warmer. I'm sure that this decision was hard for him, but the more pronounced our limps and gravely our voices, the more we respected his decision. Its the journey, after all, not the summit.

Roy is the second team member to head home. Jess Stock left in mid April, being wise enough to come to the same conclusions about a cute wife and warm bed, even before Roy. There are 4 married men left and everyone's afraid to share pictures of our wives. Once the defenses are weakened, its hard to hold back. (My wife, in an effort to keep a certain temperature balance in the relationship, is in Africa right now. Going home would be pretty lonely.)

Well, back to climbing. Andy and the gang passed a night at Camp 2. Evelyne, showing off, was back at ABC by 8 a.m. The rest trickled in throughout the day. Robert, actually braved the high winds and climbed to Camp 3 at 7,900 meters.

Meanwhile, our Sherpas were cruising up and down the mountain. On the 30th, four of them climbed from Camp 1 to Camp 3, two staying and two descending. On May 1st, Dawa and Chuldim, each carrying nearly 60 pounds/25 kilos of rope, climbed to Camp 4 at 8,300 meters. Our Sherpas had been there before, setting up tents and stashing oxygen, etc.

Back at ABC, Russ did some math, consulted the weather and it was decided that all of the Sherpas and members would descend to BC to rest, recuperate and wait.

Almost all of us are here now, at BC. After two weeks above 6400m./21,400 ft., we do have the scars, chapped lips and runny noses to prove we've been tossed about by the altitude. Marco even needed a little dental surgery, coordinated by Dr. Drewyer in Burtonsville, Maryland. A piece of popcorn was lodged under the gum, had become infected and the tough snow boarder, with the pierced tongue, was reduced to childlike antics to avoid the knife. "But Chris, I saved your life at Camp 2."

What's our plan? Well, with the winds whipping the mountain (a giant Lenticular cloud rests on the summit right now) and with snowfall predicted, no real work can be done for a few days. Once the forecast is good, the Sherpas have two load carries each, to Camp 4, on their schedule (32 man days of work from ABC). Robert and Evelyne will hopefully be right behind them, Evelyne hoping to be the first Swiss women to the top. The rest of us will head back up soon enough. I'll keep you posted. Hopefully, during this lull of activity, after the antibiotics finish their work, I'll get around to telling some of the silly stories and maybe even edit a video of Marco snowboarding.

A quick wrap-up: Everyone is doing very well. In fact, I don't know if we have a lens wide enough for the summit shot. Morale is very high. Jaime and Owen, in particular, seem to get stronger with each foot of altitude gained. Andy is a source of strength for all of us: patient, comments-well-thought, smiling. Ellen and Evelyne are such strong, confident and fun women, brightening up each meal with their laughter (plus they are babes). Robert, when not climbing, is amazed by Jello. Naoki is putting aside the draft of his new book often enough to look like a Sherpa. Keiron, now the remaining United Kingdom representative did defend the Queen's honor yesterday. Asmuss coughs the least, laughs the most and rejected his role as Robin to Owen's Batman. Russ is just fine, he has a new suit hanging in the comms tent at BC, having recently been off to visit the Governor of Lhasa. And myself, after the first feverish day, I started to eat, on the second I walked to BC (22km/13miles), and now I'm waiting to hit the showers. The recovery period for all of our aches and pains is quick.

Chris Warner

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The Sherpas are heading back up

May 7

Clouds are racing past the summit, changing directions every few hours and dumping thin layers of snow on the mountain every evening. Some mornings we awake to a dusting of snow, some afternoons a mini cold front races through camp, dumping three or four inches. The weather has not been stable.

The first few days of the unsettled weather has been a blessing for most of us, allowing us to recuperate from our sore throats and limps. Now, after nearly a week in base camp, patience (not being a patient) is the problem. We want our chance to climb.

Before we can really make a true summit bid, we need to finish stocking the camps, a job that falls on the shoulders of the Sherpas. This morning, they headed back up the hill. Tonight they will be back with Russ and Ram at ABC. Tomorrow will be a rest day. Then, on the 9th, they'll be heading up with big loads, stocking the upper camps.

The rest of us will begin heading up on the 9th or 10th, hoping to get all of us to ABC on the 11th. Once there, we'll wait for a good weather report before beginning our first attempt.

In the meantime, we really have had little problem keeping ourselves entertained. Marco is trying to learn all about east vs. west coast rap from Professor West. Robert and Evelyne have been working with Swiss TV, part 2 of the 3 part series they are doing on Evelyne's summit bid (remember that if she summits, she'll be the 1st Swiss woman). The rest of us have been getting up the courage to clean our socks, or lacking that, been reading book after book.

One boring morning, a neighboring expedition's kitchen tent caught on fire. That was exciting. Grown men standing around and laughing at their own misfortune: until they remembered the propane tanks.

Even as we speak, there really is very little action on the hill. A few groups have been establishing their camp 2, but most have been in BC with us. I think that, like us, most groups are recuperating this week. By week's end, the hill will be alive with groups stocking camps and the most hopeful will be setting themselves up for the first of the season's summit attempts.

Despite the turmoil in the upper atmosphere and the torpor at base camp, it is getting warmer. Spring is approaching, making us even more anxious to head back up the hill.

Chris Warner

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Moving up 

May 10

As I write the radio is crackling with the voices of the Sherpas and Russ. Early this morning, 7 Sherpas left Camp 1 at the North Col and headed up the mountain. They are carrying the last loads of Oxygen bottles to Camp 4 at 8300m/27400 ft.

In total we will have 95 bottles of Oxygen on the mountain, a few reserved just for medical emergencies. Each bottle weighs 3 kilos/10 lb. and costs us $380 to buy, fill and transport to ABC. By the time they reach Camp 4, a bottle must be worth $450-500. Oxygen bottles are worth their weight in gold, especially when you factor in the safety and performance they offer. Each climber will sleep on a bottle at Camp 3 (7900m/26000ft.), then climb on a second bottle from Camp 3 to 4. That bottle will be set at a flow rate (1 to 2 liters per minute) that will allow us to nap, etc., at high camp.

We will each use three bottles on summit day (most groups use two). The additional oxygen should allow all of us to climb a bit quicker and stay warmer. In fact, the most obvious benefit of Oxygen is relative to staying warm. The normal shortage of Oxygen at extreme altitudes forces our body to send the Oxygen where it is needed most (brains and other vital organs), leaving the toes and fingers to shiver.

With these loads being dumped, there is no need to go back to Camp 4 until we are headed for the summit. This is a big leap forward for the team.

Meanwhile, Keiron, Naoki, Jamie and Marco are heading to Interim camp. Robert and Evelyne are on the move to ABC. The rest of us will push to ABC from BC tomorrow. The 22km/13mi. journey takes a minimum of 6 hours and is pretty tiring.

Our hope is to get everyone in ABC on the night of the 11th. A big strategy powwow will follow, using the data (route conditions, logistics, etc.) gathered by the Sherpas. It will also involve a lot of self assessment among the members. Without a crystal ball, everyone's input is critical.

Some quick and interesting tid bits: Almost all of the team has been out of email contact for the last week or so. The email set up is in ABC, while most of us have been in BC. So if you've been awaiting a reply, these should start to flow tomorrow.

Someone's been sleeping in our tents. Camp 2 has been the sight of guests. Too bad they did not have the decency to ask permission or simply let us know. No one's done an inventory, but let's hope they did not steal from our food supplies or use our stove fuel (odds are they did).

OK enough typing. It's climbing time.

Chris Warner

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Its Snowing, Again. 

May 11

Snow seems to be the theme of the last 24 hours. The Sherpas, climbing from Camp 3 to Camp 4 plowed, despite the fatigue and lack of Oxygen, through knee deep snow. The two hour climb took over 4 and only 3 of the 7 Sherpas made it all the way.

The delay in climbing up made the descent even worse, as an afternoon storm hit them at high camp. They battled back down, arriving in ABC after 7p.m. For the Sherpas it was a long and tiring day.

Meanwhile, Evelyne and Robert hiked back up to ABC. Keiron, Jamie, Naoki and Marco went to Interim camp. The rest of us delayed our hike, hoping to go in one shot from BC to ABC on the 11th.

The alarm was set for 5:30 a.m., needlessly, as small avalanches slid off the tent roofs, all night, waking us at regular intervals. 6 inches (15cm) fell through the night. Now, at 6:30 a.m. it is still snowing and the view up valley is of black clouds.

The folks at Interim will certainly move up, despite the snow. Interim is a bit too spartan a place to pass a leisurely day. Those of us at BC will wait to see if any trains of yaks are headed up. In these conditions, the route, a rock and yak poop strewn mess in the best of times, will be a slippery, wet obstacle course. It certainly wouldn't be worth the added hours and the risk of a sprained ankle to push ourselves up the hill.

Of course this storm will put a halt to all progress on the hill. I imagine that the folks on the South Side are also holing up. This is mountaineering: hurry up and wait.

Chris Warner

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One man's "slow and painful" ascent of Everest :) - by Owen West

May 11

All activity on the mountain self-arrested today when a snowstorm plowed in, dumping knee-deep (well, for Ellen, that is) snow on ABC and several inches on Base Camp. Chris, Andy, Asmus, Ellen and Owen are thus spending their eleventh day "resting" at BC--an Everest code word for "inflating the jowls" --and plan to hike the 15 miles to ABC tomorrow. The other half of the crew found itself covered in snow at interim camp this morning but decided to plunge ahead to ABC when Jaime happened to see some text from Naoki's book: "All work and no play makes Naoki a bad boy" is apparently scrawled throughout the tome and when the others saw it, they fled. The capricious weather affects people differently.

Though we are hearing rumours (highly brittle but we have no other news source: last week we heard about our own deaths and the week before some of the older guys were crushed when we heard the false rumour -- that Brittany Spears was engaged) some expeditions are considering packing up and calling it a season, the snow might actually speed our summit attempt if the wild weather settles for a few days so a trail can be broken and packed down. Or so I'm told; the guides are consummately positive and I'm convinced that if I were caught in a slab avalanche with Warner he'd shout, "This isn't that bad! This thing could be about a foot thicker, then we'd be in REAL trouble!"

So in a few days the entire team should be poised at the foot of the gate (the awesome North Col) in full battle dress waiting for that elusive window to open--or, if we're already at 25,000 feet when it closes, armed with the professional decision-making capability and a fit enough team to smash it and pour through to high camp (27,250') if it looks like it may open again soon.

From ABC, we are four days of climbing from the summit attempt, moving hard from camp to camp in an initial climb that will take us from 21,000 feet to 27,250 feet (all the camps have been established by the Sherpas over the last few weeks in an incredible display of high altitude endurance and strength that has left the members totally awestruck). Most accounts of Everest summit attempts start at the high camp, but there is a huge volume of work to be done before then and as a novice to serious altitude I thought I'd write a tad about our acclimatization so far and my two cents on the experience with the thin air.

(NOTE--since I first started typing 30 minutes ago, the temperature has gone from 50f and bright sun to 35f and windy, nasty snow to 65f and thick haze)

Everest is difficult from the moment you arrive at Base Camp (17,000') and, as we have witnessed around us, any movement higher can be downright dangerous without proper acclimatization. It's quite arduous just to reach 25,500' for a solid training platform on which to base a summit attempt, so there are some rough climbs waiting for anyone who wishes to get the chance at the top. Fortunately, the HIMEX schedule allowed us a lengthy acclimatization and our problems were limited to the typical symptoms of climbing high: headaches, loss of appetite, lethargy, loss of personality (helpful in some cases), excess hair growth.

We spent three nights at 12,000', a night at 13,000', and two nights at 14,000' before arriving at BC. Most of the group took daily training hikes during this warm-up phase but a bout of bronchitis limited me to struggling up Tibetan hotel stairs so it's probably useful to skip the experience here. Then it was six days at 17,000' --and three tough training hikes--where the initial sensation was hyperventilation. I simply couldn't believe how heavily I was breathing compared to my snail's rate of movement during these hikes, lungs heaving, spittle flying, legs sagging. I stared at my feet and wondered where all the fuel--and the months of training--had gone. I followed Andy and Ellen to a personal high point of 20,500' on these hikes (they always went higher, these descendents of Yaks), each time learning a bit more about the level of oxygen at my disposal. For instance, just after a rest break I took a big step up onto a rock platform and found myself gasping for air, totally winded. It took me five minutes before I recovered enough to realize that 1) you never, ever hold your breath up here while you're on the move (even drinking must be done in tiny sips) and 2) you need to take many rapid breaths before any deep knee movement in an attempt at saturation, however small. Even before you stand up in the morning it helps to suck in some air in preparation.

We moved to 19,000' (interim camp) and 21,000' (ABC) during a two-day hike. The training worked: I felt good--able to keep up with this strong group--and just had tiny headaches each night. After five days at ABC, we climbed to 23,000' (North Col) and descended immediately. Hyperventilation wasn't an issue--my lungs were used to the rate--but rest breaks were. Whereas a training hike to 21,000' could be completed without many breaks, here, on the steep wall of snow, rest breaks were coming rapid-fire. I followed the guides' advice but even using straight-legged rest steps and upper body expansions (the tendency is to bend over the ski pole/ice axe and heave for air, cutting its flow and potential--the slopes are littered with exhausted climbers succumbing to this), I was soon taking a rest every ten meters, then five, and finally one as we crested the ridge. Still, our time was good (under four hours) and we were enthusiastic considering it was a fledgling attempt and would be our slowest.

Three days later, we spent a night at the Col and descended the following morning. We felt much better, were much faster (3.25 hours), and had an easy night of rest.

On Day Twelve at ABC, we climbed the Col, slept, and went to 25,000' the next morning to spend the night. The climb to what is our Camp 2 is deceiving: it looks like it should take two hours but for some it can take eight. Chris had warned us to just press on, no matter how much rest we needed to take between steps, or it could be a long day. A VERY long day. This route can be the windiest on the entire mountain--the wind rips over the ridge and can fold climbers to the ground--and the weather changes are so sudden here that we set off in full summit gear (sans oxygen). The way I can best describe this part of the climb is that a deep sense of exhaustion sets in immediately as you approach 24,000'...and the lethargy eats at your endurance and willpower as you get higher. It was as if I had just run a marathon and someone spun me around at the finish and said, "Do another." So, for 4 hours you slog higher, thighs burning, a step at a time, struggling to find a rhythm that will prove totally elusive. No matter what you try--continous baby steps with lots of breath, hyperventilation and a few big steps, a step-a breath-a step--you find yourself thrown out of kilter, forced to just put your head down and keep driving into the wind. You need to believe the suffering will end. And it does. And you suddenly have more red blood cells and the confidence to give the top slice of the pyramid a shot.

The following morning, we climbed a bit above 25,000', then descended (over 2 days) to BC for the rest we're experiencing. Now we're chomping at the bit to get up there again. Once we catch some more rays down here, that is.

Owen West

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How Do You Deal with Knee Deep Snow? 

May 11

While our comrades fought their way uphill, wading through knee deep snow to reach ABC, those of us at BC perservered through our own torturous day.

Lacchu made us pizza for lunch. And Ellen and Chris baked a carrot cake to die for.

Happily we survived this gastronomic challenge. Everest isn't all that bad.

Chris Warner

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Happy Mother's Day 

May 13

Can you imagine the embarrassment of any mom, if they had to see their grown children celebrating Mother's Day by wearing Russian aviator masks and goggles w/ long hoses stretching to an oxygen cylinder? I was embarrassed to just be among this group of Halloween rejects. Seriously folks, dressing up like that is a bit absurd if it weren't "learn how to climb on Oxygen day."

To an Everest climber, today is the second most important holiday in the month of May. Simply a coincidence that it fell on Mother's Day, the most important holiday. Think of the gift of grey hair and sleepless nights that we've given our moms. Pretty thoughtful, eh!!

But none the less, it was the perfect day to play with our oxygen sets. We all gathered on the "verandah" in front of the dining and comms tent, enjoying the warmth of the sun, while listening to Russ' expert advice on fitting and managing the oxygen system.

Ellen and I are even going to bake another carrot cake: a fitting tribute to our mom's. We do miss those hip chicks. In addition to the wonderful conversations, who wouldn't love a nice home cooked meal right now, perhaps a pot roast with mashed potatoes. We did have canned luncheon tongue for lunch. That made us all miss our mom's cooking all the more.

Well....we really aren't sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves all day. We have actually been enjoying a perfect day. The sun has been shining and there is no wind. We've been busy with "projects" from charging video batteries, to airing out wet gear. So many folks have been stopping by for a visit. It is a front porch kind of day.

Yesterday was almost as nice, except that Owen, Asmuss, Ellen, Andy and I hiked for 7.5 hours from BC to ABC, often having to forge the trail through the snow. It was a beautiful day, with superb early morning light. It was great to get back to ABC, both to our personal belongings in our tents, but mostly to be reunited with our team mates. This team really likes each other and even short separations begin and end with a "knoodle" (Swiss for a warm hug).

Together in the dining tent, we dove right into the discussion of summit attempts and strategy. Now, as funny as this sounds, we've been forced to avoid all strategy discussions by radio, because other teams are monitoring our frequency. While there is no great magic involved in the development of our plan, we do not wish for 30 or 50 other people to time their summit bids to conflict with ours. There is a danger in having too many people on the summit ridge at the same time.

And guess what, we're even keeping our strategy off of the Internet. You'll have to read about it as it unfolds.

But I'll give you this: the Sherpas are back up on the hill, carrying the final loads to Camps 3 and 4 in the next two days. Once this is done, only the weather will hold us back. The next 10 days should be entertaining.

OK time to bake the carrot cake.

Happy Mother's Day from all of us to all our moms.

Chris Warner

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Ellen Miller: Let Me Tell You About My Team 

May 15

In my debut dispatch from Everest, I am choosing to write about a subject that I value, and a quality that exists in our expedition. Call it teamwork, group dynamics, camaraderie, or just plain getting along with each other. I feel as qualified as anyone to write about it, as I am the veteran of several commercial expeditions (some with great energy and others in which the climbers were simply too lazy, old or unmotivated to accomplish the task). I am also a serious participant in stressful, international, multi-day team races (Eco Challenges, etc.), where team interaction is key.

We came together in Katmandu, seven weeks ago, 10 different nationalities, operating in 5 different languages. What we have become is a cohesive team made up of strong and rugged individualists. Here at ABC, we exist in an environment of relaxation, where we can remain healthy and strong for our ascent. However, don't mistake our relaxed approach for apathy or fear: each team member is very focused on the summit.

Our team members have enough experience in the mountains to be humble, and our guides bring years of leadership experience.

Chris, a true "people person" , is the entertainment director, continually humoring us. He has guided over 70 international expeditions and pioneered two extremely technical new routes in the Himalaya. He brings this accumulated wisdom to the expedition.

Asmuss, the Great Dane, lives in the mountains of Chamonix and summited Everest last year. He is a true professional, respecting the process and adding to the enthusiasm of the team.

Andy Lapkass, the gentle giant, (who has towed me around race courses worldwide; we are racing teammates) has a quiet, strong and humble style of leadership..exactly the kind of guy I want to be with on summit day on Mt. Everest. Andy is one of the world's leading 8000 meter guides, having successfully guided Lhotse, Everest (2x) and Cho Oyu (3x). This is his 6th Everest expedition.

The Himalayan Experience Sherpas are a strong team themselves, under the leadership of Lopsang. Russ and Lopsang have operated 15 expeditions together.

Russell Brice, the owner of Himalayan Experience is responsible for bringing this team together. He is no Wizard of Oz, hiding behind a curtain, shouting orders. Russ leads by example and from a position of earned respect. There is no one guiding Everest who has his level of experience (11 Everest expeditions and dozens more in the Himalaya). You can even argue that no one else has the personality, resources and desire to provide the level of care and service that Russ does, time and time again.

Russell humbly claims that it is the price point (not the outrageous, perhaps greedy, $65,000 or the simply ludicrous, perhaps life threatening, $18,000), his humble style of advertising, and his "no b-s-" approach to operating his expeditions that attracts us: like-minded clients. We know better. As educated, experienced mountaineers, it is Russ' reputation that attracted us. We knew that on Everest, you largely get what you pay for, and our lives are worth the price tag he sets. Afterall, this team is made up of fit, focused people looking for value. Consider that 6 of us are return clients. Two of the members are professional mountain guides.

Before each trip, Russ says he is always a bit anxious about how we will all interact. It is really hard to pre-qualify clients based on personality. He does try to meet everyone before they sign up, but attracting an international clientele makes this nearly impossible. And even the strongest clients can get homesick, physically sick or burnt-out by the stresses of two months on the north side of Everest. This is a hard place to be.

On the mountain, we are experiencing an ebb and flow of helpful energy, the give and take of true teamwork. Recently, I happened to be teamed up with Eco-Challenger Owen West (Yes, the guy that raced with the Playboy bunnies), and hey, although I'm no Playboy centerfold, Owen saved me at Camp 2. He did our chores, prepping the tent and brewing some tea, before I pathetically crawled into the tent, after a cold and windy ascent. Owen had lacked energy our first trip up to the Col, and he was returning the favor. "It goes both ways, baby," Owen says.

We both know that we will probably end up depending on each other sometime later in this expedition. This is not just a feeling that I have in my gut about Owen; I have it about my other teammates as well. Jaime and Keiron have enjoyed the same energy exchange. Even here in our luxurious at ABC, respect and kindness prevail. We treat each other with respect and dignity. Table manners, heart felt "good mornings" and acts of kindness define our team's dynamics.

It is energizing and gratifying to be a part of such a solid team, that is blessed with outstanding leadership. This is a dangerous game we are playing here, and it is important to me, should I need to, to be able to turn to a teammate, be it client, Sherpa or guide, and ask for help and never doubt that I will get it. It seems to boil down to our shared attitude: a positive mental attitude.

There seems to be a ridiculous belief that somehow, sometimes, optimism lacks intelligence and that optimism stems from a lack of experience and naiveté. I don't believe that. I believe optimism is a choice, and I feel fortunate to be a part of a team that agrees.

-Ellen Miller

It's My Party and I'll Climb if I Want To

May 18th

You know you're in trouble, when you roll over in your tent, at 21,400 ft. (6400m.) and the first thing you see is a crushed cardboard party hat and a New Year's noise maker. As the battle with hypoxia is slowly won, you begin to remember a few things about the night before.

May 17th is the birthday of some of the greatest people (my dad for instance), including Evelyne and David Walsh (David is the leader of a "North Col" group that is part of the greater Himalayan Experience Everest 2001 entourage). In little need of an excuse, we decided to host a birthday bash.

Word trickled through ABC, a place where the average bed time is 7:30. Any excuse to stay up late was welcomed. Our dining tent was transformed into a dance hall: balloons hanging from the ridge poles, party hats, noise makers, poppers and well hidden sodas and beers were dug out of barrels and laid on the tables.

As the guests arrived, carrying cakes and dangerous bottles of brown liquid, the tent heated up. Soon over 50 of us, representing at least 10 expeditions were packed together. The Austrians brought a guitar and the singing and dancing were contagious. Bottles of the famous Malt Scotch Whisky, Glenmorangie (if you drink whisky, you'll know that this stuff is beyond the best, perhaps far too good for this crowd), were uncorked by Russ, and Evelyne and Dave's birthday's were toasted.

The party lasted until late at night with the revelers happily finding their way home. (The rumors about Ellen dancing on the table tops are grossly exaggerated.) Morale at ABC rocketed up, as a result of the party. We've all been hanging around, kind of trapped by the weather, getting ants in our pants. Last night's release of energy (dancing, singing, laughing and socializing) was just what we needed. Hats off to the Austrian's and their acoustic guitar. A special thanks to "the sixteen men of Tain" who handcrafted the Glenmorangie. This party, of course, was another in a long line of bashes thrown by Russ. Funny enough, more than a dozen of us at last night's party were also all together at a Russ thrown party on Cho Oyu in 1999.

Well, with the mystery of the crushed party hat solved, we were able to re-devote our energies to the climb. As you know, we are ready to go, all the tents, oxygen, sleeping bags and fixed ropes are in place. We just need a weather forecast that says "go!" We've been receiving three separate forecasts, none of which are in perfect agreement. When a new one arrives we analyze it closely, even going back a few days to determine which is most accurate. Forecasting is a difficult job at best. On Everest, it is nearly impossible. But if we time it wrong, we could miss the summit at best.

Currently our forecasts indicate a possible window. If today's forecasts confirm this, we will be headed out, perhaps before I can even update the websites. At this moment, we are planning a single, large group, push. We are doing this because we will need every ounce of energy to push open the route through the deep snows that lead from Camp 4 (8300m/27000 ft.) to the crest of the North Ridge. We will be carrying at least 550 m. of rope to fix up high, and we may even have to replace the ropes which the Americans recently placed just above high camp. Those ropes were too buried when the Americans made their summit attempt (they turned back because the snow was too deep).

With every forecast, comes a re-juggling of our logistical plans. Most folks would be amazed at the amount of hours devoted to this planning. While we build in contingencies, a Sherpa not being in the right place at the right time, or a sleeping bag forgotten at Camp 2, could cause the house of cards to shift and shudder. Detailed notes are taken at each of these meetings, and these are based on inventories that have been painstakingly recorded and re-recorded.

Once we leave ABC, it will take us 5 days to reach the summit. We will update the dispatches as best we can, but please understand that our efforts will be focused on the climb not on the computer's screen.

OK, time to pack up the mementos, the Oreos and the Oxygen mask. There's a mountain out there that I want to climb.

Chris Warner

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We're off to see the Wizard! 

May 19th

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the Great Wizard of Oz were giving out certificates of courage, university degrees on ticking pocket watches on the summit of Everest. He'd be busy right now, because the Sherpas of the American team just (9:30 a.m.) reached the summit. Wow!!!! Great news for us all. In ABC, the shouting started in the American camp and quickly spread among us. The sound grew louder and louder, 200 people spread along 300 meters, banging pots and pans, yodeling and clapping. Smiles and pats on the back signaling our need to grab a hold of the fixed ropes and go!!!

Well, we have been watching the weather forecasts, like crazed sports fans, and yesterday chose the 23rd as our summit day. Immediately following that meeting, each climber dove into their tents and finalized their packing. In a few minutes, Asmuss, Ellen, Owen, Naoki, Kieron, Jamie and I are heading to Camp 1. We will sleep in each of the four camps and be ready to move summit-ward at 1:30 a.m. on the 23rd.

Tomorrow Andy, Marco, Robert and Evelyne will head to Camp 1. They will actually skip Camp 2 and meet up with us at Camp 3 on the afternoon of the 21st. The Sherpas will also be skipping camps, and 5 of them (Loppsang, Phurba, Karsang, Dawa and Tibetan Karsang) will climb from Camp 2 to Camp 4 on the 22nd. At that point we will all be together (16 of us) at Camp 4. Should be cozy.

As I said, we will be leaving for the summit about 1:30 a.m. on the 23rd. We have plenty of Oxygen and so we will each be using 3 cylinders on summit day. Our brain cells and extremities are thankful for that. The climb to the top should take us about 7 hours.

But that is along way off. Think about it: you'll have at least 5 showers, 15 great meals, 10 lattes, a double espresso, a speeding ticket and a big, wet kiss on the cheek before we summit. We will, during that same period, consume about 1250 calories (a single Snickers bar is 270 calories), lay in our sleeping bag for 70 hours but only get about 12 hours of sleep, climb 8,635 ft (2450 m) and pull ourselves along 21,000 ft (7000 m) of fixed lines. A few of us will vomit (a wonderful side effect isn't it?). Some of us will cry. We'll all suffer doubts, anxieties and fears (there is a narrow gap on the ridge, with 7,000 ft. of exposure on one side and 5,000 ft. on the other).

And from the top, we'll hope to hear the banging of pots, the cheers and yodels of all our friends in ABC. The hugs will be emotion-filled. Cameras will capture the memories and record them forever. The magic of reaching the top will then sink in over the months that follow.

Over the next few days, we will try to send some short dispatches letting you know about our progress. However on the 22nd, all of us, except the cooks, will be on the mountain. We'll need every person in place, to insure our safety and to clean our gear off the mountain. So there will be a short news blackout, at the most exciting time of the trip. We should be able to send a detailed dispatch on the 24th, along with photos. Wish us luck! We're off!!!

Chris Warner

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Last Journal before the Summit! 

May 22

Today the 22nd and we are now just one day away from our summit attempt. The last few days have been rather hectic as we arrange for everyone to get to the top camp later today. As I write this all the members, guides and Sherpas are at camp3 (7,900m) making final arrangements to leave for the top camp (8,300m). In a few minutes they will be leaving wearing oxygen masks. They should be at top camp in about 3 hours, where they will rest for the afternoon before setting out for the summit at about 01.30am tomorrow morning.

In the meanwhile the Jagged Globe North Col group has trekked up to ABC. 4 of the 5 members plus David Walsh all reached the North Col two days ago. Yesterday was a rest day for them, and today they have departed for BC and tomorrow they will head back to Kathmandu.

Also we have a small trekking group who have visited our BC and are now trekking with horse and cart in the Rongbuk Valley, they will return to Kathmandu on 06 June.

This afternoon I will go back up to North Col in order to have better communications and to help direct Marco during his snowboard descent, and of course film him tomorrow. That will mean that there is nobody at BC or ABC to send news updates for the next few days. As soon as I can return to ABC where this dispatch is being sent from, I will send news of our ascent.

Thank you to all of you who have sent well wishes, and thanks to all who follow this expedition. The weather forecast still suggests that Wednesday 23rd is still the best day for summit, so I just trust that all our members can make the summit and return with out incident.

Now I must get going to N Col.

Regards Russ

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All are ok! 

May 25

We got word this morning that our entire team is now down at a lower level and all are ok.

As a recap if you are just checking in, we rejoiced on Wed. morning (May 23) when we received word that most of our team reached the summit. Word had come through Owen who unfortunately had to turn back before reaching the summit.

Our rejoicing turned to concern when word came on Thur. morning (May 24) that our team was encountering difficulty and was involved in a rescue situation.

Evidently one of our climbers encountered major problems and Andy stayed with him as the two of them spent the night on the "Third Step"(8700m). They were still alive in the morning (VERY GOOD NEWS!) and were subsequently rescued by Americans who were on their way up to the summit and gave up their summit attempt in order to save lives instead - (THANK YOU to these heroes from the IMG North Expedition!)

Meanwhile back here at home, all of us were waiting and waiting and waiting for more information. We still are unsure of what all was taking place with the rest of the team. The only thing we know is that they were involved in a rescue situation.

On Thurs. evening (May 24) we heard that they were STILL involved in a rescue situation. So all of us continued to pray and wait and wait and pray - and hoped for the best keeping panic out of our vocabulary.

This brings us to this morning (May 25) when word came that our team is now at a lower altitude and all is ok.

We still await a personal word from our team, but rejoice at the news about them. No doubt the next journal from Chris should prove to be VERY interesting reading!

In the meantime, for the American Team's detailed account of the rescue go to www.everestnews.com/img15.htm

Thanks for all of the kind words of encouragement and support that have been pouring in. Thanks for all the congratulations that have been arriving, and thanks to all those that emailed us that they have been praying for our team.

Earth Treks

Chris called! 

May 25 11:00a.m. Here is a little add-on to the info below:

Chris just called Earth Treks and they are at Advanced Base Camp now. Exhausted and hungry.

Chris called again! 

May 25 (afternoon) He and the others are exhausted beyond belief. However, he shared some news that we are happy to share with everyone.

Guide Andy Lapkass, who we almost lost on the mountain, called his girlfriend, Abby, and proposed! Abby said "yes". Congratulations Andy and Abby!

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Mini Update - Summit and then Near Disaster 

May 26

Hey guys. Yes we did have a near disaster on our hands, and I did find myself in the unusual situation of spending two long days at 27,400 ft crying and weakening and hoping and working hard to find a way to keep hope and progress alive. I will write about it soon, but right now, my body and mind are not quite in the same place.

I do however want New Jersey to know that Greg Pickering and I had a great time just a few feet below the summit (which was too crowded). We laid the Jubuliam cross, a few photos, a string of Buddhist prayer flags, etc. and then I held his picture aloft to let him enjoy the view, him with his t-shirt on, and I asked him to look out for us. It's a long way down and he knew all about falling over and paralyzing oneself. Certainly he would be an expert at the type of vigilance we needed.

The descent was crazy. So many people who were there were suffering from Cerebral Edema. I got caught up in the middle of this mess, with a client and two Sherpas. A Spanish man was going blind, but he had summited all 14 8,000 meter peaks: too arrogant for his own good. I had to physically restrain him many times, feed him drugs that he felt he never needed. In the meantime I gave up my oxygen for Andy, Jaime and Asmuss, who were trailing far behind. Without O' for over three hours, I really got cold, to my bones.

Alright I do need to write this dispatch but I'm not quite ready. I'm not trying to sound pitiful, but my shoulders are sore, my kidneys hurt, I'm dehydrated, etc.

For now remember that we are all safely down in ABC. 14 of 15 of us summited (Owen West did not, leaving Ellen, Kieron, Naoki, Jaime, Evelyne, Marco, Robert, Asmuss, Andy, Loppsang, Phurba, Karsang-Nepal, Karsang-Tibet, Dawa, Me), Marco snow boarded all of the North Face, Evelyne became the first Swiss woman to summit, Jaime the first Gautamalan (his wife thought it was cute that he was camping near the summit), Karsang the 1st Tibetan Yak man. Andy and Jamie survived (very, barely) an open bivvy at 8700 m. First time no one died pulling this stunt.

OK, let's hope you have a sunny Sunday.

Chris

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The Ascent, The Summit, Then Trouble Up High

A Detailed Account

May 21st Moving to Camp 3

May 22nd Camp 4

May 23rd The Summit Bid

Marco

Summit

Meeting Andy, Asmuss and Jaime

Managing the lunatics

Trouble Up High

The Russians

The Homecoming 

Moving to Camp 3 

May 21st

The expedition is moving as two groups from ABC and the hope is that today we will be reunited at Camp 3. Asmuss and I are climbing with Naoki, Jamie, Owen, Ellen and Kieron. We spent last night at Camp 2, squeezed into two of our tents and two of the Australian Army.

Andy, Marco, Evelyne and Robert are hopping past Camp 2 adding an extra 400 meters to today's climb.

The Sherpas: Phurba and Karsang (Nepal) are pushing from Camp 1 to Camp 4. This will allow them to set up some extra tents and organize the camp for our arrival. Lobsang, Karsang (Tibet) and Dawa will go from Camp 1 to 2. And Chuldim, Danuru and Dorje will go from Camp 1 to 3, then return to sleep at 2. This complicated plan is needed to set ourselves up for success: Oxygen will begin to be used at Camp 3, additional tents need to be set up, all sorts of small pieces are being moved around.

Asmuss, the climbers and I set off around 7 a.m. and begin to climb up the long rocky ridge crest. While not technical, this section is strenuous and exposed to the weather. We quickly become spread out, passing through the camp sites of a dozen other expeditions. As the day before, Asmuss and I push on rapidly (climbing the 400 meters in 2:15) hoping to get to Camp 3 early enough to set up more tents. We would love to have everything ready to go, so that the climbers can simply slip into a tent on arrival, hiding from the winds and begin to recuperate from the effort.

To our surprise, two of the tent platforms we have carved out over the years, have been "stolen" by other teams. Asmuss and I manage to carve away at the slope and within an hour have a tilted platform for a second tent. We set this up as some of our climbers arrive. Five people are shoved into two tents, allowing them to escape the weather and begin to rehydrate and suck on the bottles of Oxygen.

I slide down the rocky face a few feet and begin to dig again, but after an hour, I've barely made a dent, never mind a tent platform, so I slide a bit further down. Now I'm hacking at the frozen remains of a Russian tent. Tuna cans, match books and frozen socks emerge with every other blow of the ice axe. Surely this pile of wind torn nylon can be transformed. But alone, I am too winded and barely make a dent.

Maybe its just a math problem: 5 clients and 2 tents. Get on the radio: "Russ, can we use the American tents 100 meters below us?"

"Checked in with them and that's OK."

"We'll have Andy and his gang stop there and Asmuss and I will descend with all of the needed gear."

Then Marco shows up, ahead of schedule as usual. 6 climbers in two tents that are dangling off the edge. Of course there is a little personality problem and no one wants to spend the day and night with one person...massage a few egos, beg for help, I know its 7900 meters but can't we all be nice....

Ahhhhh!!!! solved by the arrival of the Sherpas. These guys love to dig. Now we've got a 7 person wrecking crew carving out tent platforms like its a carnival event. The Russian site is torn apart and we put up a tent. Next we move to my other abandoned site and level it off. The mathematics change: 4 tents, 6 climbers and 2 guides. Andy, Robert and Evelyne will stay in the American camp.

We are soon all swaddled in down suits and over stuffed sleeping bags. The afternoon passes slowly, as we all begin to test the Oxygen systems (we had a detailed class in ABC), and "brew" up. The word is passed around: this is our last great chance to fully hydrate and eat. The next two days should be torturous.

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Camp 4 

May 22nd

Asmuss and I are drill sergeants, barking orders to dress and depart. We want to move up and have been brewing up since 5 a.m. Ironically, the rest of the mountain is on a different schedule. The Sherpas are climbing up from Camp 2, Andy's gang is trying to crawl out of these tiny pup tents in which they could barely sleep. A certain lassitude has descended upon the team. Departure is delayed from 7 am to 8 am. Later this is updated to 9 am. We tell our gang to brew up...quickly.

Finally, unable to control ourselves, we begin replacing each climber's oxygen cylinder with a fresh one. The slower climbers are pushed out the door. The miracle of Oxygen begins to take place. Yesterday I climbed twice as fast as the team, today I can barely keep up.

Its a three hour climb, starting with rising traverses across snow covered ledges. Turn a few corners and the route steepens, going directly up long strips of snow. Off to our right, the summit pyramid rises, a snow covered triangle capped by a rocky crest. The true summit is just out of site, lost by the rounding effect of the long summit ridge.

We've made a deal with the Americans, to use a few of their tents at high camp. The deal is an old one: Russ and Eric Simonson, leader of the commercial American expedition have been swapping favors, fixed ropes, food, alcohol and just about every other trade- able commodity. Russ and Eric have been competitors and allies for years. Together they've formed the trade organization IGO-8000 (International Guides and Operators for the 8000 Meter Peaks), of which there are now a dozen or so members.

There is a tremendous strength in alliances such as this. When no one could seem to "break through" to the summit, Russ and Eric were planning on our combined efforts: twice the number of Sherpas, guides and clients, to push the route. Happily though a sub group of Eric's was able to bust through on the 19th. With the doors wide open, everyone's summit push was on.

As we were climbing to Camp 4, we watched others climbing to the summit. We could feel ourselves getting closer and closer. 15 of us climbed into high camp and were assigned tents. Naoki and I crawled into an American tent. If we were on our honeymoon it would have been ideal: a few boundaries and Naoki nicknaming me "Honey" and we managed to survive. Each climber was given three fresh Oxygen cylinders for the summit push. The discipline of melting water, preparing our packs, and eeking out some rest occupied our efforts. By 5 p.m. we dozed off and by midnight I was up again. "Honey, can you make me some tea?" "Honey, can you empty my pee bottle?"

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May 23rd

At 1:30 am, we were congregating outside of Asmuss' tent, dressed for battle, but with the spiritual hopes of pilgrims. Asmuss was yelling "Where is Chris?" through his oxygen mask.

"I'm right here," I yelled back in muffled syllables.

He sounded angrier the second time, so I took the mask off. I knew right then that communication would be limited to the person whose eyes you could look into. We were entering outer space: our headlamps shot forth bright beams of concentrated light, our masks were fed by tubes leading from the cylinders on our backs, ice axes were in our hands, and crampons strapped to each foot. A jumar, attached by a tether to our harnesses, was gripped by our mittened hands and clamped onto the rope that stretched outward and upward into the darkness.

Andy lead out, followed by Owen, Ellen, Kieron and then me. Our headlamps pierced the darkness. A few scattered climbers' lights and a million stars were the only other beams of light above us. Before we could get a rhythm, Andy was having oxygen issues. I passed to the front, hell bent on summiting Everest. My world became even smaller: blackness and my beam.

The darkness, deprived of warmth and oxygen, remains a bit blurry. Soon we came upon two Austrians laying in the snow, resting, a silly thought as we had just began. I carved a new trail around them. Then two other guys collapsed on the trail at the narrowest, steepest, scariest, dumbest place imaginable. Needing to pass them, I grabbed the one guy by the scruff of his neck, greatly adding to my security. In another narrow gully, two Spanish climbers were retreating: New Jersey educated, Peruvian perfected, oxygen mask muffled, Spanglish convinced those two to sit and wait. "Don't get in my way, madam, my friends and I are climbing Everest."

Within no time we were nearing the top of the "exit cracks." But we were no longer a tight team. Two hours of climbing had spread us out. Owen was showing signs of Cerebral Edema and Assmus was advocating his descent. Out in front, my focus remained on moving us forward. Within a few feet we had come to the crest of the ridge. My directions: Stop there and replace the Oxygen cylinders. Reduce flow from 4 to 2 liters per minute. Proceed to the First Step.

We quickly moved on. I wasn't even aware that Owen was heading back. He had been my right hand man during the first two hours. My job was to move us forward, and I set out from this cylinder exchange with purpose. Only I was lost. There I was standing on top of a cornice: the Kangshung face sweeping 7000 ft. beneath my feet and there wasn't a track to be found. "PHURBA!!!!" It was time to find a Sherpa, who had been here before, to lead the way.

Phurba leading, my immediate gang became: Phurba, me, Kieron and Ellen. Naoki was guarded by Karsang (Nepal). Asmuss, Andy, Dawa and Jamie were behind them. Evelyne and Robert, Marco, Lobsang and Karsang (Tibet) were well out in front. We were pulled like a Slinky along the easier sections and then bunched up at others. In between our team, were various climbers: Sherpas and Sherpanis, Rumanians, Australians, Russians, Spanish, Colombians and Venezuelans.

The First Step surprised me: if you weren't used to climbing rock with crampons on, forget it. Two twenty meter sections (60 ft) of hand over hand pulling, required you to look for subtle edges to rest your weight. This was full on mixed climbing. And about five of your friends are also pulling on that same piton. Yahoo!!!! Nothing like adventure travel.

The Second Step was even worse. PULL, PULL, PULL. But stay in balance. I had a great plan. I'd whip my video camera out at the top of the Second Step and film Kieron on the ladder (which by the way is really easy and overblown in it's reputation.) Just needed a quick breather. By the time I recovered my breathing Kieron was at the top. I had to move on. Never got a second of video of him and it hardly seemed fair to ask him to back down and repeat the moves.

The Third Step actually had the single most "airy" move. The fixed ropes were anchored to a large rock, which is only held in place by the fixed rope and little bit of snow. As people step on this rock, it slips a bit more. Now the ropes are piano wire tight. Here we go, another hard climbing move, at 8750 meters, unprotected by a fixed rope (too tight and pulled too far to the right to use). Ladies and gentlemen place your right crampon by your right ear. Now step upwards, rock over the right foot and shift your weight onto your tippy toes. Pirouette. Continue upward.

In the middle of the Third Step, a flash of purple crested the summit ridge. It was Marco, on his snow board, surfing the summit pyramid of Everest. We were psyched. I stopped and pulled out my video camera and captured a few turns. Giant rooster tails of snow shot backwards, catching the light and magnifying his whole show.

He surfed by us, and then stopped to readjust his binding. I tried to wait for him to carve more turns, but the cold was burning my fingers and the view was destroying my nerve. Marco was literally standing on a crest of a bulge, no it was a sheer cliff face. Catch an edge: you fly then die. He needed to repair his binding and then...

Russ was at the North Col with a powerful spotting scope. He could see the narrow shoots and thin traverses that Marco needed to link up. Problem was that there is no single clear and correct line to follow. Marco and Russ needed to work out a route, based more on Marco's boldness than on the logic and intelligence of their 50 combined years of skiing.

Binding "fixed", Marco pushed off, cresting the bulge and finding the narrow, rightward leaning, band of snow that was the only possible secret through the maze of cliff bands, avalanche prone shoots and dead ends that Russ was second guessing.

Marco's talent can not be underrated. He obviously can surf rocks as well as snow. He has pushed his sport to a new limit, first in the Alps, then South America and in the last few years in the Himalaya. (Remember that he turned 22 on May 22). Marco pushed Russ ("I'll never watch him snowboard again.") showing him that rocks were part of the path, jump and push off of them, stealing tricks from skate boarding to surf Everest.

Marco descended over 6000 feet (1900 meters) from the summit, into the Great Coulior. Russ and he eventually teamed up in the Great Coulior, where Marco had to spin around on his board, swing his axe into the ice and then hop over to a safer, softer slope. Once back on the North Ridge, he set off again, descending another 2000 ft (650m) to ABC.

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The Summit 

The Summit Pyramid, a big triangle of snow that dominates the North Side, is far from the top. In the middle of the slope, our pal Evelyne was descending, the first Swiss woman to reach the top. I was so happy for her, and we stopped and smiled and hugged. It was a great hug, filling me with some needed energy.

After filming Marco and hugging Evelyne, I had become separated from the groups, and continued alone across this slope and entered even more slabs of rock. The view: thousands of feet of air leading to the Rongbuk glacier. Thin strips of rope led me on and into a narrow cleft. With little ledges, the downward sloping rock is criss-crossed with the scratch marks of crampons. Every crampon that has been here has slipped at least an inch every time a climber weights it. The technique: try to fall upward a bit faster than you were slipping downward.

I pulled myself up the last of this rock pitch and there, a rise or two above me, was the summit. 100 feet away, an undulating crest, a sprinkling of friends and a summit jammed with damned people. It was absurd. Isn't climbing Everest supposed to be hard. Where did these people come from.

At the first crest, I met Ellen, Kieron, Karsang (Tibet) and Phurba heading down. We hugged each other and I shot some more video of them. A bit further along, I watched Naoki and Karsang (Nepal) summit. Robert was searching for some peace just below the summit, enjoying his own little place on the top of the world.

I made it to the top just past 10 am, and searched for a place to sit down. Naoki handed me his camera and I snapped some photos of him. Clouds were hiding much of the view, but Lhotse looked incredible, with the Lhotse Coulior rising straight up the black face. Makalu was capped by cloud as was Cho Oyu.

Over 30 people huddled on the top. "Want to call your wife?" someone pushed a phone outward. Guys in red jackets were organizing for an historic presentation. Spanish TV was trying to broadcast live.

My Everest was obviously down below. Robert was right, seek peace where you can find it. I slipped from the crowd and found a wonderful spot. The end of a prayer flag was tied to a stone and I chose this flat and safe place to lay out the gifts and mementos I had been given the last two years.

The gold encrusted, bejeweled Jubilum cross came out first. This was created by the Catholic Church to be commemorate the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Christ. I was now a year late, but...

Greg Pickering was an arm chair climber, and paralyzed. Greg died this past summer. I was given his "pointer" to leave on the top. He used the pointer to navigate the internet, following dispatches from Everest expeditions. A picture of a gym member's son's wedding, Buddhist prayer flags and a black pouch filled with a crystal from Mt. Kailas. It all made a nice scene, a kind of puja.

I pulled out a laminated photo of Greg. I laughed at the juxtaposition of him wearing a t- shirt, with a leafy background, sitting in the comfort of a motorized wheel chair. "OK Greg, take a good look around." as I swiveled in place so he could get a 360 degree view of the world. "Now you've got your work cut out for you. Get us down safely." Afterall, I figured that he was an expert at falling down. Greg's diligence might be just what the team needed.

As Robert, then Naoki, Karsang and Dawa descended I took the last of my photos. I wanted to get some hero shots of me holding various banners. No go. I improvised with a rock and an ice ax. There is a subtle difference in artistic interpretation between the white snow of Everest's summit and the white snow of my backyard..but I promise this is the real thing.

I pushed myself up and headed down. One last glance backwards and I was amazed that the pageants were still unfolding on the summit. Seeking a bigger stage, people were gathered near the lip of the cornice. A miracle kept them from falling through.

I crossed the summit snow pyramid about 11:30 am and came upon Andy, Asmuss and Jaime. "Hey Andy, you are at least 3 hours round trip. Are you sure you want to be going on."

"Yeah, we are climbing smoothly and Jaime really wants to keep going." All three of them were smiling and patting me with congratulations.

"It's the chance of a lifetime," Jaime said so lucidly I was impressed.

Russ came on the radio: "Andy are sure you want to keep going. It's getting late."

"Yeah, Russ, we are going to pull it off. We've got the strength."

"What about oxygen?" "Russ, Chris here, I can leave my bottle on top of the second step. That bottle is 3/4 full." "Listen Andy, this is your call. Your the guide on the spot. But you've got to get moving."

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Managing the lunatics

Throughout the afternoon, I heard Russ calling up to them, but I was too busy with my own trials to listen in. I found myself managing a lunatic asylum. Bottlenecks kept occurring as tired, perhaps suffering from Cerebral Edema, climbers simply sat down along the route and zoned out. We'd be stopped for ten to thirty minutes at a time. My oxygen supplies were rapidly draining.

Just below the Third Step I passed a cluster of climbers and dragged Naoki, Karsang and Dawa with me. At the top of the Second Step a Spanish climber, who had summited all 8000 meter peaks was laying, passed out on the rocks, a Venezuelan was fighting with his Sherpa at the top of the rappel. I was pulled by two arms at once. The Venezuelan eventually succumbed to my shouting and let his Sherpa rig his rappel.

The Spanish claimed he was blind, but no worry....Did he have other symptoms of High Altitude Cerebral Edema? of course not....Well these little tablets will cure your blindness. He greedily ate the dexamethasone and now would let me touch him and help him, but not to let himself use Oxygen because this was an Oxygen-less ascent. We got him down the Second Step, but it was like watching a drunk walk a tight rope. Once on the slightly leveler ground, he tried to wander off, using the train track walking technique of speeding up rather balancing out. Ten of us were on egg shells, waiting to see him peel away from the face and fall to his death.

At the First Step, he barreled past a few of us, almost running down the bulging crest. Eric, an Austrian and paternal figure, and I stopped him and eventually he agreed to follow Eric on rappel. Eric hopped down the face in two rappels. The Spaniard, attached himself to three different ropes and proceeded to tie himself in a knot in the middle of the face. I descended to him and freed him, but now he was unattached to any rope, in the middle of the face. Insisting I go first, I lowered myself to the bottom and shouted directions up to him. Suddenly he was bounding down. Ten feet from the end was a knot, where folks would stop rappelling and climb down to the safety of a narrow trail. He stopped at the end of the knot, untied the two ropes and was about to jump. Directly below him was the frozen body of an American woman. Was he going to jump on her???

Eric and I were frantic. We yelled and screamed at him. He eventually downclimbed and bit, then jumped. Eric actually tried to catch him. It seemed suicidal to me, but just another day in the asylum.

I snatched the walkie talkie from the Spanish and screamed at his team mates on the other side. More anger and frustration than logic came out of my mouth, but when you learn your Spanish in New Jersey the vocabulary is limited to car accidents and failed romances. Besides I had run out of Oxygen more than two hours earlier.

My own client and Sherpas were still rappelling the First Step. I needed to wait for them. Some divine being was keeping the Spaniard alive. I'm sure he was better off with out me. Until he jumped down another small cliff and thought he broke his leg. He looked at me with tears in his eyes, "Can you help me with my broken legs?" "Your legs can't be broken," I said because I knew he was dead if they were. But I went back to help him, because he was causing a bottle neck and my client was stuck behind him. "Get up!" I demanded. And he forgot his legs were broken, now more fearful of me. He pushed, I pulled and he stood. "I guess they are not broken," with that he scrambled on.

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Trouble Up High

By the time I got to the top of the Exit Cracks, two Sherpas were trying to help the Spaniard down. Naoki was was being pulled by Karsang, his speed and energy had rapidly diminished. I was becoming hypothermic after more three hours without Oxygen. Russ was constantly on the radio, first helping me deal with the Spaniard and then encouraging Andy, Asmuss and Jaime to keep moving.

Before departing the ridge crest for high camp, I found the bottle with the least amount of Oxygen and began to suck O's. I made it back to the safety of high camp at about 3 p.m. Naoki was the only client in sight. By this time Owen was safely at ABC, Evelyne, Robert and Marco also arrived for dinner. Kieron and Ellen slept at Camp 2. Naoki and Karsang made it to Camp 3 by dark.

The last of our team (Andy, Asmuss and Jaime) had summited at 2:30. There were still climbers from the south side up there at the time. With the North Ridge in daylight until 7pm, there still was plenty of time to get down. Unfortunately, the oxygen was draining from the cylinders and cerebral edema was setting in. Jaime started to complain of fogginess in his contact lenses. Actually, his brain was shutting off his eyesight. With little to no vision he could barely walk. The descent of the summit pyramid became a crawl. Andy's eyes began to fog as well. Asmuss guided them to the top of the Third Step.

Russ knew there was a stash of Oxygen at the top of the Second Step. Asmuss left to find it, a remarkable feat when you think of being Oxygen deprived, climbing downwards, collecting the 4 bottles, adding that weight to your pack, then climbing all the way back up to your friends who had by now made it down to the bottom of the third step.

It was now obvious that Jaime could not descend any further without fresh help. I pleaded with Russ to have Andy and Asmuss secure Jaime and get out of there alive. We could go back in the morning and see if Jaime were still living and then worry about rescuing him. We knew that almost no one could survive a night out at that altitude. There were dead bodies all over the ridge and a few corpses were only meters away. Our friend Mark Whetu had lost all of his toes, but his partner froze to death only 60 meters higher. Rob Hall had died clinging to a client a few feet lower on the South Side. Scot Fisher...the list goes on.

Of course, Russ was steps ahead of me. During his 11 trips on Everest he had helped with 14 extreme altitude rescues. In his mind, the details were unfolding. He knew just which teams to go to for help: who to ask for labor, who to ask for Oxygen and who to keep out of the way.

Please come down. We can go back for Jaime.

Asmuss was the first to realize that Andy, too, was fading. While he dug a nice hole in a wind protected spot, Andy and Jaime were bedding down in a windy notch. Asmuss climbed up to them with the Oxygen, placing three bottles among them. He then headed towards Camp 4.

Chuldim, Dawa and I were the only ones left at Camp 4. I was convinced that Asmuss and Andy were descending in the dark. All of our Oxygen was depleted at the high camp, however Russ had the climbing Sherpas stop at Camp 3, where there were reserves of oxygen. Russ also had the reserve Sherpas climbing down to the North Col, in the night, to grab more bottles and shuttle them upwards. By dawn these bottles were at Camp 2, at 7 am, they were at Camp 3, and by 9 am, the bottles started to arrive at high camp.

Few expeditions put stand-by Sherpas and oxygen in position for emergencies like this. In the past we've used these reserves to rescue other teams' members. Now we were putting all of our reserves and communications resources to the test.

Around 8:45 pm, on the 23rd, I went to the Americans and woke Dave Hahn. Between gasps of breath, and fighting back tears, I told him about our epic. Dave is a powerful person, and his climbing partners (Tap, Jason and Andy Politz) are equally gracious. He rallied from the fitful sleep of super high altitude and asked about our plans, fears and hopes.

At that point, we thought that only Jamie would be there in the morning and that if the Americans could give him fresh Oxygen and a few other supplies, Jaime could wait there for Lopsang and Phurba to climb back up and rescue him.

I slipped into my sleeping bag about 9:30 and called Russ to confirm the American's help. Two hours later Asmuss shows up, after a harrowing, hallucination filled descent. "You'll sleep with Chuldim and Andy will sleep with us." "Oh, Andy's not coming down."

As absurd as it sounds, Asmuss' arrival made me aware that gas was leaking in our tent. I tried to rouse Dawa, but he was passed out. I dug through all of the tent, and there in my back pack was a compressed gas cartridge that was slowly fizzing out iso-butane. We were lucky to not be asphyxiated.

I fell back into a fitful sleep.

At dawn the radios were crackling. Russ was trying to contact Andy. Eric was trying to contact his team. Asmuss was nearly comatose with exhaustion. Sherpas were pushing upwards with Oxygen cylinders. Our clients were waking up, first to the satisfaction of summiting, but soon to the realization that a drama was unfolding above them.

Andy and Jaime actually picked themselves up and found a more sheltered spot just as the sun was setting. They weren't the only two climbers sleeping on the ridge. A couple of hundred meters below, three Russians were huddled under the "mushroom" rock. Andy pulled his "emergency space blanket" out of his pack, but its thinness made it impossible to unfurl with mittens on. Taking off his heavy mitts, the first attack of frost bite hit. Later, trying to change his radio batteries, gave frost bite its second chance. Within minutes he was unable to rezip his jacket.

Andy and Jaime hugged each other through the night. They knew that sleep was death and so became each other's guardian: shaking, pleading, creating incoherent conversations.

Shortly before dawn the Americans came across the Russians. Despite the cold, each Russian had their parkas unzipped (a bizarre and often cited Everest dead person phenomena). They gave the Russians dexamethasone to treat the likely cerebral edema. They also reported, although apparently lucid, the Russians did not acknowledge the approach of the Americans.

Later, when approaching Andy and Jaime, they noticed the same things: no acknowledgement, appearance of lucidity, jackets unzipped. In fact, on the surface, Andy and Jaime were fine. They could answer questions, but they were conscious on a superficial level. The first order of business was drugging them up with Dexamethasone. Oxygen cylinders were switched. But neither climber could stand up. When the drugs finally kicked in, Jaime had a small seizure, as if his engine was restarted.

The descent was slow. The Americans decided to forgo their summit, showing true heroism by guiding Andy and Jaime downwards.

Phurba and Lopsang, who had summited on the 23rd, rushed up again on the 24th. Now the quickest ever turn around has been 5 days, on the north side by the legendary Ang Babu Chirri (who died this year on the south side). Both of these amazing Sherpas had the reserves to go back up. By the time they reached the Americans, additional help was needed.

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The Russians 

Back at high camp, the movement of Oxygen was our primary concern. I stumbled to the Russian Camp, in which a lone women, who spoke no English was in distress. Her three friends were missing. Her radio did not work. But it was rumored Oxygen cylinders were stored in this tent, and we had her expedition's permission to use them to help both our team and the Russians trapped above. We rigged a radio transfer in which a Russian team mate in ABC could talk to her, but we couldn't talk back. With tears in her eyes, she tried to listen, but her heart was so full of questions. She reluctantly gave me some Oxygen and two more of our Sherpas set off, laden with the precious gas.

A few hours later a Russian stumbled down to us, and as we fed him tea and dexamethazone, two new Russians climbed up to us.

"My partners are coming, only a short way back, but one has stopped breathing."

"For how long?" I asked.

"More than 15 minutes."

"Well, after 8 minutes and it is too late."

"But you are American, you must have some adrenalin or other drug to bring him back."

"OK try this." and I pulled a syringe from my kit and gave him the only injectable drug I had: dexamethasone. "but you better get going."

Within an hour, with Sherpas, American heroes, Russian optimists, and Jaime the Gautamalan, all spread along the few hundred feet of rock and snow above high camp, I noticed a flash of yellow tumbling among the rocks and through the sky. The Russian who had stopped breathing over an hour ago, slipped from the North Face of Everest. He would not have to spend eternity, as another corpse, frozen in place along the route.

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The Homecoming

Jaime and Andy were slowly lead back into high camp. I cried again during their return. The radio transferred the news to ABC, where Owen called Jaime's wife and Andy's girlfriend. We had been keeping them up to date. Trying to stay one step ahead of an internet distorted media.

That afternoon, Asmuss and I lead them down to Camp 3, at 7900 meters. Phurba and Lopsang met us there with hot drinks. The next day, around 3:30 on the 25th, we stumbled into ABC. Each of us had tears in our eyes.

14 of 15 summit hopefuls reached the top. Evelyne Binsack became the first Swiss woman to reach the summit, seemingly with ease. Marco Siffredi snowboarded from the top, down an improbable line, skidding to a stop in ABC. Karsang (Tibet) became the first Yak herder to summit the mountain that stands above his house (last year, he summited Cho Oyu with Himalayan Experience, another peak he can see from his doorway). Naoki finished his seven summits and three poles. Jamie finishes his seven summits, becoming the first Gautamalan to do so. Ellen Miller became the first American woman to successfully climb the North Ridge. Asmuss tags his second Everest summit. Andy gets his third Everest summit. Karsang has 4 Everest summit, Lopsang his third, Phurba his second and Dawa his first. And Jaime and Andy both survived the second highest forced bivouac. Jaime looks none the worse for the wear, and Andy could care less about a little frost bite, now that his girlfriend accepted his marriage proposal.

Today we finished cleaning up all of our camps on the mountain. The yaks are coming tomorrow. We'll be leaving ABC over the next two days and will return to Kathmandu on June 1st.

Of course, Russ considers the expedition far from being over. His criteria involves us all safely stepping into a hot shower in Kathmandu. The seriousness of climbing Everest can't be misunderstood. Guiding Everest puts your life in even greater danger. We depended on more than excellent logistics, the kindness of friends and the perseverance of the human spirit to climb Everest. Russ is always well aware of this and endeavors to run his expeditions as safely as possible. However, Andy, Jaime and all of us were very lucky this year.

We are packing away the computers now, and so will be off line until we reach Kathmandu. Those of you wishing to reach team members should begin to use their personal email accounts.

Chris Warner

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Wrapping up

June 7th

The descent from ABC to BC ended up being a long and painful day. We thought we could evacuate Andy with a team of 6 yak men, each carrying him for a short distance in a jerry rigged throne. Afterall, he had lost a good thirty pounds. Well, the first yak man disabused us of that plan, collapsing after 100 meters.

An hour later, we had him loaded on a stretcher with four guys holding his weight via an improvised yoke system. This got us a few hundred more meters down the trail. But when the thin trail contoured around the steep and icy glacial humps, the downhill stretcher bearers collapsed under the weight and poor footing.

Next...hijacking a yak from the descending Russian team. Despite centuries of domestication, yaks were never bred to be ridden. Their backs tilt, from their tall shoulders, steeply back to their shorter hips. When you sit on one, you are constantly sliding backwards. However they are extremely sure footed and many are gentle creatures. The yak chosen for Andy was the best of the bunch, but still took off like lightning, the second Andy straddled him. 100 meters later and Andy was still aboard...even with frostbitten hands he could qualify as the Tibetan rodeo champ.

Eight hours later, we arrived in BC.

Packing and cleaning up took us another two days, but finally we were ready to leave Everest behind. Russ and the Sherpas went with all of the gear, in four trucks. The rest of us bolted ahead in three jeeps, racing across the Tibetan plateau, hoping to reach the border before it closed. Maybe, just maybe, we could arrive in Kathmandu before the better restaurants were closed. The clock was ticking, as we slid down the final hairpins towards Zangmu, the Tibetan border town. Suddenly, my jeep blew a tire. The spare was rusted in place. The jack was too short. And I had the group visa. Without our jeep, no one on our team would make it to Kathmandu. After breaking a record for the world's slowest tire change, we hydroplaned down the freshly paved street that is Zangmu. The Tibet Mountaineering Association official and the rest of our team were waiting anxiously for us and the second we skidded to a halt, they pushed us into line at the border check point. Within minutes we were on our way to Kathmandu.

In keeping with the craziness, the Crown Prince then shot his family. The city slammed its doors shut. Crowds gathered, not knowing how they should mourn (peacefully or violently). Andy, Ellen, Jaime, Owen and I were lucky enough to fly out on the 3rd. While on the 4th, many of the airlines cancelled flights. The City imposed a curfew and tourists stayed in their hotels.

Now back at home, the climbing press is trying to come to grips with the "rescue." Climbing magazine is working on an article. In various international websites and newspapers, all sorts of half truths and misinformation were reported. Some poor folks (the Colombians) were even treated as villains. When it comes to expedition dispatches on the web, including my own, readers need to critically evaluate every "fact." The web is hardly journalism. There are no fact checkers nor editors on Everest.

In the end I simply hope that everyone is positively recognized for their super human efforts: from Jaime and Andy (who showed the greatest courage), to Tap, Jason, Dave, Andy and their two Sherpas, to our Sherpas: Phurba, Lobsang, Lacchu, Ram, Kuhl Bahudur, Dawa, Chuldim, Kharsang, Karsang, Danuru and Dorje, the Russians, Mark Whetu, Asmus, Russ and myself. Before we even arrived at ABC, the rest of our team jumped right in, helping Andy with the daily tasks of living and his continued evacuation to BC, Kathmandu and finally home. We also want to thank Jim Litch and Rachel Brown, for their excellent medical advice and treatment.

Back at home, the trip is slowly morphing into perspective. Besides entertaining reporters, I don't think too much about the long and eventful descent from the summit to ABC. My mind is caught up in the wonderful memories of our tight and motivated team, the beauty of climbing high on the North Ridge, the satisfaction of feeling strong through out the summit push, and the quiet moments I spent alone just below the summit. Those are the reasons I went to Everest and I am thankful that those are the memories I will carry with me.

Until the next climb,

Chris Warner

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Final Notes 

Another Everest season has come and gone. It was busy, successful and had it's fair share of drama.

Many reports on other sites have had a good old say about us, some saying a few positive things, and others saying a lot of negative things. So be it, but at least I should let you know how our trip went as far as I am concerned.

This year saw some of the most advanced communication equipment in situation. Combined with the ISDN satellite phone we used Sony notebook computers that were capable of sending video and photo images. Although I am not a big fan of spending time sitting in an office at 6,400m, this is fast becoming an important part of our expeditions. This all sounds like easy task, but takes a considerable amount of pre-expedition planning, and requires extensive time and effort during the expedition. The ISDN satellite phone and two backup analogue sat phones, plus three laptop computers were configured for use by Chamonix Networks before departure. Although we have several solar panels for charging batteries, we still need a generator for charging at peak periods. Of course like humans, generators do not like to be cold or to breath in this atmosphere, so these are always a problem. However all this combined with the Icom radios and Panasonic batteries we were able to have the best communications on the mountain.

The Sherpas continued to work well past my expectations. This group of young men are all part of the team that is so essential to getting my clients to the summit. Many teams bring very few Sherpas, which in turn puts a lot of pressure on the few that are employed. I have always preferred to hire many Sherpas so as we can train younger men and some of the pressure off the more experienced men. This year was no exception. Yet again, Loppsang and Phurba proved how strong they are at altitude. As usual Loppsang did a great job, as did Sirdar, organizing the other Sherpas and staying calm under the increased pressure of an emergency.

The weather forecasting was even better than we have had before. We received not so accurate forecasts from a new Swedish web site, the ever accurate Bracknell forecasts which, although they cost a lot, are always accurate, so long as you have the experience to read them. We also had access to some very informative Swiss forecasts. By analyzing all these sources with precision we were able to find a very good window for a summit attempt. There are many expeditions around us that do not make any investment towards acquiring this information. They just listen to our calls on the radio. To those people, I trust that you feel happy that we made the right decision earlier enough for you to get yourselves into position and go to the summit.

Again it was a pleasure to work along side the only other IGO8000 expedition on the North side of the mountain. Eric Simonson was at BC very early this year, so was well advanced on the route before we arrived. Although many of the teams provided Eric with rope, equipment and a little money, no other team helped our two teams to actually put the route in. We provided the labour to carry rope to 8,300m.

As you know, 15 of the 16 people that set out from ABC for the summit reached the top during the day of 23 May. Never before have I attempted to put so many people on the summit, on the same day, and I am not sure that I would do this again. This year was exceptional to have so many strong and like-minded people together. With 4 x Sherpas, 3 x Western guides, 2 x unguided clients (both of whom are guides in their native land), 4 x guided clients and 1 x yak man, the ratios were still much higher than most commercial expeditions.

Although we had a very successful summit day, we also almost had a disaster. I know that so long as I continue to operate expeditions to 8,000m peaks, and especially Everest, one day I will have an accident. The statistics state that 8.3% of all Everest summiteers die on the way back down. I do not want this to happen, which is why I spend so much time and money on safety during my expeditions. The back up resources I put in place paid off this year.

You all know that I was conducting the operation of my expedition from camp 1 at 7,000m on the North Col. This is an ideal place to be as there is a superb view of the entire upper route, and very good communications with all parts of the mountain, BC - to the summit. (From other positions there is limited radio communication between ABC and C4).

On summit day, I was in radio contact with each camp, the 3 western guides, the 4 Sherpas, one of the unguided members and Marco, who was later to snow board down the Great Couloir. Communications started at 01.00am with reports about the weather conditions and the condition of each team member. Also, I was able to see all the camps and the entire route above, through a very powerful telescope. In fact I could recognise each of our members by what they were wearing that day. At 01.30am there was a great fairy light show as about 45 people left the top camp at 8,300m.

Progress appeared to be good for most members, with Marco reaching the summit just after 06.00, others getting to the top closer to 10.30. All in all, a very good effort. Marco had already snow boarded down the top snowfield by the time that many of the others were reaching the bottom of the field. This gave them remarkable views of this first snow board descent. For some reason Marco had a problem with his binding, but with some good handy work from Loppsang they were able to repair this so as he could continue.

Andy and Jaime were moving slowly, Asmus was doing as he was asked, and was moving up the mountain as "tail man Charlie" hence he was with both of them. At about 11.30 I spoke to Andy and suggested that they were moving too slow for a reasonable summit time. Andy also talked to Chris who told him that it would take 3 hours to return to this position. Andy and Jaime decided that they could make the summit, which they did by 14.30. Although this was late considering the available oxygen supplies, it was not too late in the day as the sun stays at the top camp until 19.00. So there would be enough day-light left and it would remain relatively warm till dusk.

Problems started shortly after beginning their descent, when Jaime complained that he was unable to see. This became a big problem for the small group who, by this time, were well behind all the other team members. Andy did a very good job of getting Jaime down the summit snow slope, but by now I suspected that this was difficult for both of them. Asmus was just a short distance ahead of them and had reached the bottom of the third step. I asked Asmus to do a very hard task. There were still 3 half full bottles of oxygen stored at the top of the second step, a distance of about 100m horizontally and 20m vertically. I asked Asmus to go down and collect these and take them back to Andy and Jaime. Asmus being the great guide that he is, fulfilled this task with no complaint and no fuss, meeting Andy and Jaime at the bottom of the third step. At this stage, I asked Asmus to leave them as it had become apparent that neither man could move any further that night. With all credit Asmus did as I asked, which in turn enabled him to get back to the top camp at 11.30pm. Thanks Asmus, with out you the final out come would not have been so pleasant.

Marco descended on his snowboard the by way of the entire Great Couloir to a point 100m below the North Col. I had watched him the whole way and given directions, by radio, on routes through various passages, which linked snow slopes. On arrival at the Col, I went to collect his board and made a trail back up the 100 or so meters to the col. Marco was very tired, but happy to be back on the Col. After a short while here he descended to ABC. Evelyne was not all that far behind him and she passed by Camp 1, also returning to ABC that day. Owen, who had decided to turn around earlier in the day had already returned to ABC, and later in the day, Robert also passed by on the way back to ABC.

By night fall I had arranged for 5 of the RAF expedition Sherpas to come up to North Col from ABC and for 4 of Eric's Sherpas, who were going empty to Camp 4 the next day, to carry extra oxygen up for us. Chris, who stayed at C4, had already been in contact with Dave Hahn and had asked for help the following day. My Sherpas stayed at C3 where there were still supplies of full oxygen. They left C3 early the next day carrying the oxygen to the top camp. I asked more of my Sherpas to come down from C3 to the North Col during the night to collect even more. They climbed back up to C3 early the next morning. So, by mid morning the following day, we had another 12 bottles of oxygen delivered to the 8,300m camp. There are very few expeditions that even have this quantity of oxygen available, let alone get it to top camp in a matter of hours of an emergency. I must point out that this did mean a lot of favours from many of my Sherpa friends from other teams. I appreciate all of this help, and have since paid all fees requested. Thank you to all the teams that offered assistance without hesitation.

So although many were sleeping soundly from their summit exertions, I was working for most of the night making brews for Sherpas and trying to work out what else to do. Others talk of having to stay by their radios all night long, but few did the unenviable work that I asked Owen to do. First he made contact with Andy's girlfriend and then Jaime's wife to keep them informed of the situation.

The following morning dawned fine with very little wind, much as we were expecting from the weather forecast. I was pleased to see, through the telescope that both Andy and Jaime were at least alive, but were making no efforts to come down. I was not expecting them to move until some time after the sun had reached them, so this was not a surprising.

I was in contact with Eric Simonson using his radio frequency which was different from mine. We had begun to discuss the logistics that were becoming apparent for his members to help with a rescue.

Dave Hahn, Jason Tanvay, Tap Richards and two Sherpas made very fast progress up to the first step and then the "mushroom rock". Here, very unexpectedly, they came across 3 other climbers who had also spent the night out. They took time to help them and asked one of the Sherpas to leave his oxygen and go down the mountain with no chance to reach the summit. Knowing that Andy and Jaime were alive, the American team moved on very quickly to the top of the second step and then onto reach my two expedition members.

I have known Dave, Jason and Tap for many years, we have climbed together, drunk beer together and have been involved with making rescues for our own teams, and others. It is always a shock to have to do this at all, but even more so when it involves your own team members. I will never be able to thank these incredibly strong men for what they did to help Andy and Jaime stay alive, and to keep them alive. They gave up their summit chance when they were just a few 100m below it on a perfect day. Having done the same myself, I know how that feels, but because of the strength of their character, they were able to do this. I also want to thank Andy Politz, another good friend from previous expeditions, for leaving top camp where he was going to stay during the day, and climbing up to the second step just to help my members. To all of you, and Eric who put all of his efforts into helping my team, I say, thank you. Dave sent another Sherpa down. He lost his chance to reach the summit so my members could use his oxygen. Again I agreed with Eric to pay for both Sherpas summit bonus's.

After a tremendous amount of work, Dave, Jason and Andy, managed to get Andy and Jaime onto their feet and to start moving down, just a few metres at a time, until they eventually reached the top of the second step. This must have felt like an impossible task at the time, and incredibly frustrating. They knew their own oxygen was going to run out before they would reach the top camp.

By the time this rescue team reached the bottom of the ladder on the second step, the first of my Sherpas, Phurba arrived to help. This was just at the right time to be of real assistance. Loppsang was not far behind. Along with the extra assistance from Andy and my Sherpas the team was able to make good progress along the ridge and back to the top camp. Remember that the Americans also helped the other teams members who were still making their way down the mountain as well. Eventually Andy and Jaime made it back to top camp where they met with Asmus, Chris and Chuldim. After some re-hydration they continued on down to C3 at 7,900m. Amazing that the American rescuers went all the way back to ABC, arriving very late that night. The following day everyone else made it back to ABC.

We will always learn many lessons from such an episode, and it is always easy to be wise after the event. We were lucky this year, but without the resources of Himalayan Experience, the outcome could have been very different.

Jaime received minor frost nip, and Andy frostbite to his nose, thumbs and toes. He is currently convalescing at home, but it is too early for a prognosis of the final out come as yet.

During the course of the expedition we planned on using 94 cylinders of oxygen. Due to the rescue we used 105 cylinders. All of the cylinders are painted and numbered in Himex colours and are very noticeable on the mountain. Due to the circumstances that we evacuated the mountain, it was necessary to leave 6 of our cylinders behind on the route. This is something that I would never do under normal circumstances. However, as it turns out, the Sherpas had already brought down 9 empty cylinders from other previous expeditions who had left them behind. Over the years, I have always paid the Sherpas $10 per cylinder to bring old empty cylinders off the hill when they have been returning empty from load carries. This year was no exception. So, despite the emergency I was still able to clear the equivalent of all of my equipment off the hill. Of course next year I will make a big effort to recover the six remaining cylinders, plus others as the situation may allow.

During this expedition there were many great personal achievements that can go almost unnoticed because of the other drama. For me personally, I am very pleased that Karsang the Tibetan yak man who lives in the local valley system, and who has worked for me as a camp support man for the last 4 years, reached the summit. During the time that he has worked for me, he has always shown an interest to learn new skills. Several years ago he asked if he could attempt the summit of Everest as he can see this from his house. Last year we took him to the North Col as part of his initial training. Then last season he went to the summit of Cho Oyo on the same day as Marco and Ellen. So he had ample experience to summit Everest this year.

Marco made the first snow board descent from the summit, a great feat. Evelyne became the first Swiss woman to summit Everest. Ellen became the first American woman to summit and return on the North Ridge. Jaime became the first Guatemalan to reach the summit, and the first to finish the 7 summits. Naoki became the youngest person to finish the 7 summits and also the two poles. Andy reached the summit for the 3rd time, Asmus for the second.

We also had two groups who joined the expedition to the North Col. Both groups were quite successful in reaching the Col. Different people have different goals, and to these people this was their Everest, well done!

I am now back in Chamonix settling the nerves and getting ready for our next Cho Oyo expedition in 2 months time.

I trust that you have enjoyed reading about the Everest trip, and hope that you will stay for future expeditions. To everyone that helped me this year, a big THANK YOU, and you know that I will always do the same for you if required.

Russell Brice

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