Image of climbers heading up on Dhaulagiri courtesy of recent summiteer Carlos Pauner (click to enlarge).
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Himalaya breaking news: Dhaula summits in storm conditions
Posted: May 01, 2008 12:11 pm EDT
(MountEverest.net/Madrid.Story updated at 1:10 pm EDT)A yet unknown number of climbers summited Dhaulagiri today. Teams up on the mountain have reported on cold and windy conditions. Also, a lightning storm hit the upper slopes in the afternoon.
Edurne bags her 10th - and Gerlinde her 11th?
Al Filo de lo Imposible team members Iván Vallejo (from Ecuador), Ferrán Latorre and Nacho Orviz (from Spain) and Fernando Gonzalez-Rubio (Colombian) were the first to set foot on Dhaula summit earlier today. Team mates Edurne Pasaban (on her 10th 8000er), Asier izaguirre, Alex Txicon and Muptu Sherpa followed some 30 minutes later. The climbers barely spent some minutes on top, battling 40km/h winds, according to reports.
All Al Filo summiteers made it safely back to C3 for the night. Tomorrow they will proceed down to BC.
According to ‘Al Filo’ director Sebastian Alvaro, tough conditions have forced many climbers back. However, among those who have endured the wind and reached the summit could be Austrian female climber Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner (should the news be confirmed, Dhaula would be her 11th 8000er!).
Thunder and lightning on the summit
Also Spaniard Carlos Pauner topped out his 8th 8000er at 2:00 pm, Nepal time. Team mate Marta Alejandre reached the summit 90 minutes later. Carlos reported on fierce wind, thunder and lightning while he was on the summit.
Himalaya Maestrat team member Jesús, latest reported from 7700m – while team mates David and Rafa were turning back, he was pushing forward together with an Argentinean climber. Further reports are expected from the team.
Carlos has called his home time minutes ago from C3. Marta is still on her way back from the summit, together with Jesús, the Argentinean climber (whose name has not yet been confirmed) and, reportedly, Polish Kinga Baranowska. The three of them would have topped out as well. Climbers in BC are watching the later summiteers' headlamps on their way to C3.
Links to Dhaulagiri 2008 expeditions:
Dhaulagiri west face Babanov/Nick Totmjanin
Martin Minarik
Radek Jaros and Zdenek Hruby
Kinga and Kasia
Gerlinde
Carlos Pauner, Javier Perez and Marta Alexandre
Ivan Vallejo
Polish Dhaula with Artur Hajzer and Ryszard Pawlowski
Himalaya Maestrat
Lithuanian expedition
News on Al filo team on S.Alvaro's blog
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