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Fluoride
Trad climber
West Los Angeles, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 24, 2012 - 01:35pm PT
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You're right Jan.
everestnews.com says a huge wave of people have started up for the summit. Weather window opened early.
Best wishes to Conrad and his crew.
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bmacd
Trad climber
100% Canadian
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May 24, 2012 - 02:05pm PT
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My prediction is Simone Moro is going to make a fricking killing on rescues with his shiny new Eurocopter parked in basecamp . 10 to 20 $k per flight I wager he is going to gross a very pretty shiny penny or two....
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Fluoride
Trad climber
West Los Angeles, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 24, 2012 - 02:40pm PT
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bmacd - is Simone a pilot for helo rescues there? Tell me more.....
That guy is so badass.
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Seamstress
Trad climber
Yacolt, WA
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May 24, 2012 - 03:00pm PT
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Conditions that aren't ideal ensure that teams will be moving more slowly or that a problem will develop. Crowding makes your incident my problem, too. Falling stuff is affected by how many people are walking on and touching stuff that falls.
I won't predict, but I will pray.
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Fluoride
Trad climber
West Los Angeles, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 25, 2012 - 01:32pm PT
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"05/23 Everest 2012: Luigi Rampini who was reported dead by 'reporters' is descending the mountain; alive."
everestnews.com
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philo
Trad climber
Somewhere halfway over the rainbow
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May 25, 2012 - 01:33pm PT
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That is great news Flouride.
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Fluoride
Trad climber
West Los Angeles, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 25, 2012 - 01:34pm PT
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"
24 May
I am back in base camp for a day now organizing a 2nd summit attempt.
Richie and Steve waited in camp 2, but all the others decided to go down and try to recover in the thick air of base camp.
For most of our members our summit attempt on the 20th had a big emotional and physical impact. Most of us were prepared to see some tragedy, but not on this scale. So only 4 members decided to try again. Tomorrow John and Sandra will scale the icefall one more time to join Ritchie and Steve in C2.
Our plan is to summit on the 26th, early in the morning. According to the weather forecast there are low winds again; which gives us a chance to climb high.
Stay tuned for more news,
Arnold Coster, Expedition leader"
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Kalimon
Trad climber
Ridgway, CO
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May 25, 2012 - 01:40pm PT
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I have a feeling something bad will go down this weekend up there and Conrad will be the hero.
Books and speaking rights to follow as he much deserves anyway.
No one is immune to the dangers involved in high altitude moutaineering.
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Stewart Johnson
climber
lake forest
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May 25, 2012 - 01:50pm PT
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the problem with oxygen is you will run out. which will happen if you are a slow person and didnt play in the snow when you were a child.
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Fluoride
Trad climber
West Los Angeles, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 25, 2012 - 02:07pm PT
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Kalimon -
I said that cause of all the people on the mountain, he's the most capable of going without O2 bottles. That's what killed the ones last weekend.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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May 25, 2012 - 02:23pm PT
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Simone Moro has just cancelled his attempt at climbing Everest with no oxygen due to crowding on the fixed lines.
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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May 25, 2012 - 02:55pm PT
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From Voice of America today
Several climbers are heading for Mount Everest's summit, despite concerns of overcrowding after four deaths last week.
Many are trying to take advantage of what is seen as the last weekend of good weather to reach the 8,850 meter summit.
Officials in Nepal say at least 50 climbers reached the top of the world's highest peak early Friday. Close to 100 others were also on their way to the top of Mount Everest.
I like how the writer describes over 100 climbers as "several"
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bmacd
Trad climber
100% Canadian
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May 25, 2012 - 03:14pm PT
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How fortunate for everyone else there will be an ace rescue pilot on standby at the basecamp heliport now.
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Kalimon
Trad climber
Ridgway, CO
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May 25, 2012 - 08:03pm PT
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“Hello, this is Mark Jenkins reporting for National Geographic from Mount Everest.
“Well, we did it. This morning, May 25, all five of us—Kris Erickson, Hilaree O’Neill, Sam Elias, Emily Harrington, and myself—summited Mount Everest 55 days after we first arrived in Base Camp.
“We left Camp 4 on the South Col at around 9:30 p.m. wearing our puffy down suits, oxygen masks, and headlamps. Looking up the black mountain, we could see at least a hundred pinpricks of light, all in a vertical line going straight into the stars. These were the headlamps of all the climbers who had started before us.
“We first ascended the face, passing three bodies frozen in the ice. Reaching what is called the Balcony, we ridge-walked for four hours all the way to the South Summit, descending only slightly, we then climbed the famous Hillary Step, reaching the summit beyond.
“The wind howled from start to finish. And without goggles, we would have quickly frostbitten our eyes. We all had to pass dozens upon dozens of climbers, a fair number of whom have no business being on Everest. Crowds of inexperienced climbers are generally the bane of the highest point on Earth if you take the standard route. But there are over a dozen other routes for hard-core mountaineers.
“None of us get more than a few minutes on the summit. The irony and absurdity of which, I admit, we are all fully aware. Climbing Mount Everest makes absolutely no sense at all.
“Why do we do it? Well, we all need some deep sleep before we can answer that. Assuming we even can.
“Mark Jenkins, reporting from Mount Everest, National Geographic.”
Note: Conrad Anker did not summit with the team this morning. After a long hike from Camp 2 to Camp 4 on Thursday, May 24, he determined that it would not be in his best interest to make the final push. He was spent after several days helping Sherpas fix the ropes up the mountain. “I did a 5,000-foot day yesterday, and it was just too much,” he said. “I tapped all my reserves.”
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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May 25, 2012 - 08:21pm PT
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Good for Conrad.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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May 25, 2012 - 09:43pm PT
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Way to go Mark!
-didn't he graduate the same year as us (and Todd S) Mike?
Mouse Fm, are you related to Dr Sprock?
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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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May 26, 2012 - 12:06am PT
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the Everest scene is lame and has been so for decades
it takes a special species of narcissist to bother with that slag and the riffraff it attracts. They can have it.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
bouldering
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May 26, 2012 - 12:16am PT
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^^^ agreed. I don't see the attraction.
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Curt
Boulder climber
Gilbert, AZ
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May 26, 2012 - 12:30am PT
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29,000 feet? Am I the only one here who understands meteorology? Basic atmosphreic physics? You think writing a 70,000 dollar check is gonna buy you safety up there? Am I the only guy who read "Into Thin Air?" Krakaur was one bad-ass climber, and when he writes about how he almost died up there -- not because of bad rock, or shitty anchors -- but simply because there is no Oxygen to breath -- I go, "whoa".
Roughly 235 torr at the summit. Thin air indeed.
Curt
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