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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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None of the Sherpas caught up in the disaster was wearing an avalanche beacon, which transmits a signal so rescuers can find buried climbers. Such beacons, which cost about $300 each, aren't required and most expedition companies don't issue them to Sherpa staff members.
Mr. Hahn, the RMI guide, thinks the beacons should be mandatory. They are unlikely to save the lives of those who are buried, he said, but they will help reduce the risks to searchers trying to retrieve bodies by speeding their location and recovery.
But Guy Cotter, managing director of Adventure Consultants, said they only create false hope and thereby increase the risk to rescuers. When it is a large block of ice collapsing, "it's not an avalanche rescue," he said. "It's basically a mining project to get people out."
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Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado, Nepal & Okinawa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 8, 2014 - 09:20pm PT
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Well it's official now. There are old fashioned bottom to top ascents of Everest and a new category labeled "aviation assisted climbs". No less than Liz Hawley has recognized this new category.
“We at the Database think we need to add a new category of caveats perhaps called aviation-assisted climbs. That category would also include Yuichiro Miura’s climb of Everest in spring 2013, when he flew out of Camp II to Base Camp to avoid the Icefall. And Cleo Weidlich’s attempt on Lhotse this spring.”
"Wang Jing meanwhile admitted that she had used a helicopter on Everest. “The Sherpas have great mental pressure and they were reluctant to step into that place”, Wang said in an interview of China News Service. “I knew our decision could discount the climbing efforts. However, I would like to accept the losses for the sake of safety.”
This was confessed I might add, after she stated in writing for the Nepalese Tourism Ministry, that she did not fly to Camp 2.
http://www.explorersweb.com/offsite/?source=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.dw.de%2Fadventuresports%2Fnew-everest-category-aviation-assisted-climb%2F&lang=en
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Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado, Nepal & Okinawa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 25, 2014 - 06:53am PT
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And the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has now inserted some common sense, recommending a strict rule to ban the use of helicopters above Base Camp except for rescue missions.
This comes amid more unfavorable news about Wang Jing.
"The chopper use kicked up a row after Chinese climber Wang Jing flew to Camp 2 from the Base Camp, along with seven Sherpas, during her ascent to Mt Everest this spring.
Wang had chartered more than a dozen flights. Most of them with call sign 9N-AJI were piloted by Italian national Maurizio Folini starting May 10, bypassing the most treacherous icefall route during her summit. American climber Cleo Weidlich also flew to Camp 2 from Gorak Shep on May 8 but later abandoned her bid to scale Mt Lhotse.
Wang is planning to visit Nepal by the end of this month to collect her certificate. Mountaineering fraternity, including expedition operators, stand united against Wang, saying she flouted climbing norms and ethics to degrade Everest popularity. But MoTCA Joint Secretary Madhusudan Burlakoti said she had the right to obtain summit certificate.
Wang, who initially tried to hide information on helicopter ride, later owned up to it, claiming she was left with no other option to reach Camp 2."
CAAN’s aviation safety department officials, however, hinted that action against helicopter companies was unlikely due to lack of specific laws.
The report recommended that to ensure action there had to be a rule to allow only rescue flights above the Base Camp.
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Ban+rampant+chopper+use+on+Everest%3A+CAAN&NewsID=419271#sthash.2AkR1nqf.dpuf
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crankster
Trad climber
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Jun 25, 2014 - 06:57am PT
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Bold action on Wang's part - and an asterisk on her ascent.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jun 25, 2014 - 08:17am PT
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I wonder how many bureaucrats work in the certificate office.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado, Nepal & Okinawa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 25, 2014 - 09:52am PT
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All the ones who want a share of the $10,000 climbing permit.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado, Nepal & Okinawa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 25, 2014 - 02:58pm PT
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All the Sherpas I know are on the lookout for that camera! They know what it's worth.
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Jim Clipper
climber
from: forests to tree farms
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Jun 25, 2014 - 03:08pm PT
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what it's worth.
rimshot?... respectfully, namaste
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dave729
Trad climber
Western America
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Jun 26, 2014 - 02:27pm PT
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some stunning and sad views of the bodies being choppered out.
The guy taking the video then moves (w his group -1 thats now dead) to another mountain and falls into a crevass -while alone and unroped. Takes selfies in the bottom before climbing out with several broken bones.
Sat phones for rescue via facebook.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV45UD-NxcU&feature=youtu.be
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Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado, Nepal & Okinawa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 26, 2014 - 06:30pm PT
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Jim Clipper, I thought you were referring to the search for Mallory's camera?
And thanks John Duffield for that video. It's the most incredible one since the video of the skier caught in an avalanche.
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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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Jun 26, 2014 - 07:14pm PT
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video was cool and simply cannot escape parody
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Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado, Nepal & Okinawa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 1, 2014 - 12:19am PT
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Money talks, especially in Nepal.
We now have the first officially recognized aviation assisted ascent of Mt. Everest.
KATHMANDU: Ignoring established climbing norms and values, the government today awarded Chinese mountaineer Wang Jing, 41, with an official certificate recognising her lone ascent to the top of the world. Wang, who made a number of ‘unjustifiable and disputable’ claims in writing, collected her certificate today after the officials decided to validate her claims yesterday.
In her application to the ministry, Wang claimed that she was at Camp 2 on May 10 and descended to the Base Camp on May 14, rested there for the next two days and again ascended to Camp 2 through the treacherous icefall route.
One of the icefall doctors with the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee laughed at her claim, saying no one crossed the treacherous route on foot after April 18 avalanche. A support staff, on condition of anonymity, also said she had flown to Camp 2 on May 10 and flew back to the Base Camp only on May 25. “She was at Camp 2 and above between May 10 and 24,” he claimed.
Joint Secretary Madhusudan Burlakoti, who heads the tourism industry division at the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, said the ministry issued a certificate to Wang, officially endorsing her May 23 Mt Everest summit .
He said the government treated Wang’s summit as a special case to show to the world there was no black year on Everest following April 18 avalanche. “It isn’t time to go by due procedures, as Wang’s summit was considered special in the time of crisis and uncertainty.”
Refusing to comment on her claims, Wang, who is here for a two-day visit, said she made it to the top with the help of Sherpas. “I thank Nepal government, Sherpas and well-wishers for supporting me to make the hardest ever summit.”
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Wang+awarded+Everest+summit+certificate&NewsID=419865&a=3#sthash.ZAzA75iW.dpuf
This happened just a few days after the Nepal Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry recommended that no flights be allowed above Base Camp except for rescues.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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The above post is an example of why "craziness" on Everest will continue until homo sapiens are extirpated (an event the planet's other living creatures would welcome). The highest place on earth will continue to be a goal for people whose only desire is to summit regardless of the means they use to do it.
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Don Paul
Big Wall climber
Aurora Colorado
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I was expecting Dr. All to die in that cravasse and was uncomfortable watching the video. Seems to have trained at the Ammon McNeely school of journalism.
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dave729
Trad climber
Western America
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In his place who knows what any of us would do after getting
our 'bell' seriously rung like that!
The memory card in a camera might survive a trip
down the glacier to be accidentaly found hundreds of years from now
and then he'd get his 15 minutes of fame after all.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado, Nepal & Okinawa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 3, 2014 - 12:24pm PT
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This story never ends, nor does the corruption and hypocrisy!
Wang Jing received a Summit Certificate from the Nepalese government even though she did not climb the entire route and lied about it (in writing) but the Italian helicopter pilot who flew her has had his flying privileges suspended even though he is responsible for the highest helicopter rescue on Everest ever (7,800 meters).
RAJAN POKHREL
KATHMANDU: Airlifting a Chinese climber above the Mt Everest base camp has landed a renowned Italian pilot in soup.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has initiated action against Maurizio Folini, who flew Chinese mountaineer Wang Jing to Camp 2 from the Base Camp on her way to the top of Mt Everest.
Maurizio, who had carried out a record setting helicopter rescue on Mt Everest last year, was taken off Fishtail Air’s roster immediately after THT published a story on May 28 with his photo with Wang, who had tried to hide information on her chopper-aided summit.
A directive issued by flight safety standards department of CAAN to Fishtail Air states, “In reference to the news published in The Himalayan Times about helicopter flights above Mt Everest Base Camp, you are asked to remove Maurizio Folini from active flight duty until further notice.”
CAAN Director General Ratish Chandra Lal Suman said the concerned company was asked to remove Maurizio from flight roster for further investigation.
A CAAN’s probe committee led by Senior Captain Gunj Man Lama also found that Maurizio had piloted a four-seater Bell 206B III Jet Ranger helicopter to airlift Wang and American climber Cleo Weidlich in May.
“Maurizio has already left for Italy after he was taken off the roster as per the directive issued by CAAN,” sources at Fishtail Air confirmed.
Sharing his experience with an Italian portal, Maurizio recently said, “Personally, I don’t agree with this kind of mountaineering … but at that moment I stood as a pilot for a helicopter company and so I did nothing but make the flight.”
Wang has already received a certificate from the government authorising her controversial helicopter-assisted summit.
After joining Fishtail Air in 2012, Maurizio carried out the highest-ever helicopter rescue at an altitude of 7,800m, saving the life of an injured Nepali-Canadian climber on May 21 last year. He has also worked for a number of aviation companies in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Canada and Uzbekistan. According to Fishtail Air, Foloni has 9,000 hours of flying experience and is also a mountain guide and a member of a rescue team in north Italy.
Meanwhile, CAAN sources said Fishtail’s senior captain Yogendra Mukhiya was also taken off the roster on June 5, as he failed to comply with flight safety standards while piloting a helicopter.
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com
/fullNews.php?headline=Italian+pilot+pays+price+for+airlifting+Wang&NewsID=420042#sthash.H4xR9W0F.dpuf |
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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It is sad that people will sacrifce their personal integrity for fame and fortune. Whatever happened to doing something for the pure love of it?
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