Posted: Apr 15, 2008 06:02 pm EDT
(MountEverest.net) An expedition leaders meeting was scheduled on Everest today regarding communication gear. Meanwhile, GHM has posted a powerful statement for Tibet and keep a watch out for a brand new resource; the Adventure News Weekly to air on Wednesday.

GHM protests torch

The French mountaineering organization GHM (original Piolet d'Or) is the latest of mountaineers protesting the Olympic torch in Tibet.

"As representatives of GHM, we declare ourselves attached to alpinism with human values, which means respect for human rights," writes GHM in a posting at Kairns.com. "We oppose resolutely any forces in the world intervening with these ethical principles," GHM states.

Here goes the rest of GHM's powerful statement:

"Because of the serious political disturbances which affect Tibet since its annexation by China in 1959; because of the uprisings, and because of the bloody repression currently exerted by the Chinese military authorities on the demonstrators - we consider that China's plan to hoist the Olympic flame on top of Everest is particularly inappropriate. It is wounding for the Tibetan population and fundamentally degrading for Himalaya in general, and Everest in particular."

"Consequently, we ask all our fellow-member guides and mountaineer amateurs of all countries to take no part to facilitate the realization of this project."

"In the name of true ethics in alpinism which could not adapt to such compromise, we also call national and international mountaineering authorities, national trade associations and UIAGM, as well as all the national alpine clubs to also declare themselves officially against this operation and collaborate in this matter by all means."

Well, what we can we say. Vive la France.

New resource: Adventure Sports Weekly

The new issue of online magazine Adventure Sports Weekly (you don't even need the ".com") will be up Wednesday. The news resource will have a story of China's action, with news about Alberto Peruffo's red smoke signal protest, suggesting that it be done everywhere, not just on mountains, reports the editor.

Jason's blog the Adventurist btw runs a report from Peak Freaks about the current comms situation on Everest.

Everest update

Mountain Madness reports they have climbed to the "Soccer Field"- a flat area almost at the top of the Icefall at 18,680'. "It was truly beautiful. The flatness of this site so close to the top of the Icefall can only be explained by mountain contours underneath the ice where a flat surface and air pockets allow for an area about the size of a soccer field to exist year after year," they report.

Jagged Globe reports the ice fall route might have been fixed to camp 1 now. "A meeting of all expedition leaders and sirdars has been called for 14.00 today to discuss how best the climbing teams can cooperate with the Nepalese authorities to ensure that the climbing restrictions being proposed by the Nepalese Govt for the 2008 season can be implemented with minimal disruption to the preferred climbing schedules of the expeditions," writes the outfit.

Brazilian Rodrigo Raineri & Eduardo Keppke are trekking to Everest BC after solving some gear logistic problems and acclimatizing around Namche.

Annapurna

The mBank Annapurna West Face Expedition 2008 is stuck in Pokhara. All helicopter flights have been put on hold while the votes from Thursday's elections are being counted. Nobody knows for how long. In order to avoid losing their acclimatization, the expedition team is trying to get to Jomson, a place from which it's relatively easy to reach an altitude of about 3600 metres and then wait there for the transport to Base Camp. "Unfortunately, this means shortening the time the expedition will have for their activities on the mountain since their return is planned for 8th May."

Check below for new websites listed for this team that also includes Darek Zaluski.

Makalu

After acclimatizing in the Andes with a summit on Huayna Potosi, Waldemar Niclevicz and Irivan Gustafo Burda are in Kathmandu from where they will be helicoptered to Makalu in a couple of days, to try the peak's summit for a second time.

João Garcia has posted his Makalu blog, check the links section.

Dhaulagiri

Ivan Vallejo and Fernando Gonzales-Rubio (with the Al Filo team) have set Camp 1 (5.800m) and will spend a night there, for acclimatization. If all goes well, Ivan will crown his quest for all 14x8000ers and Fernando will continue to Makalu for a double header this season, and then go for G1 and G2.

This year also a group of Lithuanian climbers will try to reach the top of Dhaula. The 9-member team at first planned to go for Cho Oyu but had to reroute when the Chinese closed Tibet. The main group arrived Kathmandu April 13 (two members will join the team in the BC one week later.)

No Lithuanian woman has been to 8000 m yet; the current team includes two female climbers. In his 6th expedition to 8000 m, Saulius Vilius is expedition leader (summits: Everest in 2003, GII in 2006 and Broad Peak in 2007). Most members have no 8000 meter experience but have climbed lower technical peaks in Pamir, Tien Shan, Caucasus.

Members are: Eugenijus Simanauskas, Arunas Matukas, Danguole Bickuniene, Salomeja Jasinskaite, Egidijus Mockus, Rimvydas Mockus, Vladas Kalvelis, Ernestas Marksaitis. The expedition is organized by Angrita treks & expeditions agent in Nepal.

Manaslu

The first Chilean Manaslu expedition (Juan Andres Covarrubias Alcalde, Abdo Fernandes, Ernesto Olivares, Valentino Aguirre and Gerardo Krause) has postponed for August due to financial issues. The sponsors sent the money but the debts of Federación de Andinismo prevented the funds to get to the expedition team.

Chilean climber Rodrigo Fica intends to do a double-header in Pakistan, climbing both Gashebrum I and II.

(Ed note: South American updates courtesy of Rodrigo Granzotto Peron, Brazil.)

Links to teams currently dispatching from Everest and Himalaya:

Everest

Canadian Mallory
Lee Farmer
Irish Everest/Graham and Ian
Klimb for kids/Tim Warren
James Balfour
No guts know glory/Rob Hill
Peak Freaks
Adventure Peaks
IMG
Alpine Ascents
Adventure Consultants
Summit Climb
Alaskan Granite
Danish Everest
Cordoba Everest
Nepalese 77 year old
Eco Everest/Dawa Sherpa
Coldfeat Fiennes/Cool
Mountain Madness
Jagged Globe
Lincoln Hall rescuers Andrew Brash, Myles Osborne and Dan Mazur
Miura senior (Japanese)
Alan Arnette
David Tait
Rodrigo Raineri (Vitor Negrete's mate) and Eduardo Keppke (no 02)
Latvia:Atis Plakans (leader), Liga Plakane, and Kaspars Klapkalns
Gnaro's Share Everest
www.marcoconfortola.it
Andalusian Lina
www.stephan-keck.at
Keck at www.alpinist.at

OTHER HIMALYA

Makalu

UK Royal Navy
Waldemar Niclevicz and Irivan Gustavo Burda
Andrew Lock
French Makalu
Santiago Quintero
Blair Falahey
Joao Garcia

Manaslu

Dutch team expedition website
Katja Staartjes
Menno Boermans
Amical

Dhaulagiri

Dhaulagiri west face Babanov/Kofanov
Martin Minarik
Radek Jaros and Zdenek Hruby
Kinga and Kasia
Gerlinde
Carlos Pauner, Javier Perez and Marta Alexandre
Ivan Vallejo
Edurne
Polish Dhaula with Artur Hajzer and Ryszard Pawlowski
Himalaya Maestrat
Lithuanian expedition

Annapurna

Inaki Ochoa
Horia Colibasanu
Don Bowie
Piotr Pustelnik's dispatches
Peter Hamor's website
Piotr Morawski's website
Radek Jaros and Zdenek Hruby
Ueli Steck

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