Posted: May 18, 2007 02:45 am EST
(MountEverest.net) Robie Vaughn and two Sherpas may have been the only ones to summit Everest today from the south side - and they reported beautiful weather. Several other teams will attempt to reach the top through the weekend. On the north side, news is often delayed or inclomplete - nevertheless climbers speak of nearly 200 summits during this week's wave.

Everest south side

Exploradus: Robie on top!

American Robie Vaughn, Nima Tashi and Nima Tamang summited at 7:15 a.m., local time today, in beautiful weather. Expedition leader Jim Williams said yesterday Robie and the Sherpas would surely be the only team attempting to reach the summit of Everest today from the south side.

Robie had previously attempted the summit on Wednesday, but aborted the push one hour after departure from C4, due to cold.

Finding life: Summit push tonight?

Elia and guide Gabriel are proceeding to C4 today, and hopefully the summit tomorrow.

David Tait: “I am not going back – I am no Superman”

“We had achieved BC to BC - at last,” wrote David from the base of Everest’s south side. “However, during the later part of the endless painful descent I realized … I was not going to be able, in all seriousness to motivate both mind and body to turn around and do it all again, at least not in the time-scale allowed. There might be some supermen in this world, but I discovered that I am frankly not one of them.”

Super Sherpas: Koreans’ bodies recovery

While on their way from C2 to BC, Apa and Lakhpa Gelu were asked a to help recovering the bodies of the two Koreans perished on the SW face yesterday (see previous story). According to the expedition’s blog on the Salt Lake Tribune, Oh Hee-joon, 37, and Lee Hyun-jo, 34, died while sleeing in ther tent, possible swept off by an avalanche – details are sketchy though.

Alpine Ascents: C2 and spotting climbers on Nuptse

The team, on a full-scale sumit push, spent last night in C2 .

”There was a pair of (unconfirmed BC scuttlebutt) Italian climbers doing a technical ice route up our side of Nuptse,” noted BC manager Ellie. “We could see them up there today, and through binoculars it looked like they only had light day packs. We speculated that they were either up there for the day or were going to be doing a very cold bivouac. Later I was told that they were putting up fixed lines and would be going back up again in a couple days. So this will be future BC entertainment watching them work their way up a probable new route.”

Mountain Madness: Family reunion

Willie and Erik reached back BC yesterday - the rest of the summit team will joing them today, for a proper celebration. However, it is not clear whether MM team will pack up and go, or will stay and launch a second summit push for some other members.

Meanwhile another MM crew member provided with some entertainment to the climbers scatered between C2 and the South Col, by skiing down the Lhotse face. "Jaime, who was on-board with Mountain Madness earlier in the season, guiding the group who climbed to camp II, skied the Lhotse face today, from the yellow band all the way down to camp II," the team reported. "There were maybe 100 people watching, and they say every turn was perfect for a full 4,000 feet of descent."

Mike Haugen: C1

Mike, Casey and Zach reached C1 yesterday in a good time and very warm weather.

Tim Warren: Ready for the Super Bowl

“Well everyone......the Super Bowl starts tomorrow morning May 18,” Tim reported yesterday. “The plan include up at 4am, through the icefall to camp1, rest,eat and drink;early day to C2;next day rest day, OR, up to C3; once at C3 suck oxygen. Next day early to C4 at the South Col and then , at 10:00 p.m., off to the summit!”

Caudwell Xtreme Everest Docs: Time to go - up

“Well, the moment is finally here,” reported the British Docs. “Yesterday Mike Grocott (our expedition leader) called us all together to set out the plans for our remaining science on the mountain and our summit bid. Having consulted the long range weather forecast, plans have been put in place and we will soon move high to camp 2 and above."

Everest north side

Kari Kobler’s team: Summits on Wednesday – two w/o O2!

Kari Kobler (CH), Veronika Meyer (CH), Simen Mørdre (NO) and Sherpas Mingma and Da Nima summited Wednesday at 4:00 a.m. At 8:30 a.m. French Ludovic Challéat and Pemba Sherpa summited as well – Ludovic achieved the summit without supplementary O2. The team is back in ABC. This was Kobler’s 3td Everest summit, and Da Nima 4th.

Korean Goh: Summit at second try

Female climber Goh Mi-yeong (40) summited Wednesday from the north side. Goh had attempted Everest already last year, but back then she was forced back down at 7,500 meter with frostbitten toes. She had also summited Cho Oyu.

Nives and Romano: On descent

Nives and Romano latest reported on their way back to ABC, after reaching the summit without supplementary O2. Nives mentioned it was bitterly cold. The couple had left their camp at 8,100 at Wednesday at midnight, and reached the top 10 hours after. The third member in the team, Fabrizio, turned back from the camp due to cold.

Nives has become the first Italian female climber to summit Everest without O2. According to her website, and most Italian media, Everest is claimed to be her 10th 8,00er. However, it is not confirmed she actually reached the main sumit of Shisha Pangma.


Links to teams on Everest North:

David Tait's dispatches | Gavin Bate's updates | Philippine expedition's blog | Nives Meroi's website | Anker's Altitude Everest | Colombian Colseguros team (Spanish) | Cato's news on Nettavisen | De Jong's Dutch team - blog | Win Holf's diary | News on Makalu Gau's team | Lungevity team's blog| News on Adrian Crane's Team Karma | Scottish Scouts | Phill Michael's Freestyle Everest | Project-Himalaya - latest dispatch | DCXP - dispatches | Jon Miller's podcasts | Jean-Noel Urban's updates (French) | Thomas Bubendorfer's blog (German) | Manny Pizarro's Learning without limits updates | Cyril & Clement's website (French) | Hamars til Topps (Norwegian) | Adventure Peaks' news | Kari Kobler's team (German) | Xinjiang expedition's website (Chinese) | HiMex | Abramov's 7Summits-club


Links to teams on Everest South:

Caudwell Xtreme Everest's blogs | Meagan McGrath's travelogue | Mostafa Salame | Paul Adler's updates | Mike Haugen's Coleman Everest | Everest Denali 7 Summits' dispatches | Tim Warren's dispatches | Al Hancock's dispatches | Exploradus team's dispatches | Stefano Biffi's blog (Italian) | SuperSherpas | Sky High - Scouts on Everest - news | London Bussines School's Everest team | Everest Pixel Dream cleaning expedition | Alpine Ascents' cybercasts| Adventure Consultants | IMG - Everest 2007 | Michael Dunjey | Werner Berger | Finding Life expedition - blog | Ta Loeffer | Summit Climb - news | Mountain Madness | Jeanne Stawiecki's website | Ice 8000 - news | BaseCampMD

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