Posted: Apr 15, 2009 03:51 pm EDT
(MountEverst.net) The route through the Icefall is open; Sherpas now rush to C2 to cherry-pick the best spots for their team's tents. Other Everest climbers are crossing the Tibetan border at last.

Also: "A rib that runs down the Northeast face of the mountain like a lightning bolt" - Ben Clark's plan for his Baruntse descent is set.

Everest South side

“We have just returned to base camp after spending the evening at camp one,” Altitude Junkies’ leader Phil Crampton reported earlier today. “The Sherpas have also established C2. “This year the icefall has fewer ladders than last year although it is somewhat of a more intricate route through the popcorn section than last spring season. Once above the icefall, the route again switchbacks through a heavily crevassed area and the camp site is still painfully some distance away.”

“We all plan to rest for a few days before heading back up, this time going to camp two directly. I am assuming that the various groups will be meeting soon to discuss sharing the task of fixing rope up the Lhotse Face to camp three. It seems this year things are moving at a normal pace due to no restrictions being imposed because of the Olympics.”

Peak Freaks have arrived in BC; their Sherpa will carry loads to C2 today. So will IMG's15 Sherpa strong team.

The Finnish Airborne Rangers are heading up to C1 today, with supplies and gear. “All going well, Antti and Mikko will sleep overnight at camp1, take some tents to camp2 and come back to BC the day after,” the team reported.

First Ascent American All Star Team

“On our first trip up the Khumbu Icefall, Ed graciously allowed me to go first so that I could set a pace I might live with and complain less about,” First Ascent’s David Hahn reported. “I'll admit that my natural tendency might have been to be a little insecure over having Ed Viesturs, one of the world's great aerobic athletes, two steps behind me where he could see just how feeble and weak I might turn out to be on any given day.”

“I swear I don't have any great love for the Khumbu Icefall,” Hahn added. “I wouldn't generally go through it without good reason, but when I hope to guide someone through it, I've come to value previewing the darn thing first myself."

"Ed, with his goal of going for the summit without oxygen, has to continually push himself in the weeks and months leading up to that attempt. He needs and wants all the exercise that he can squeeze in...preferably at altitude.”

Everest North side

“We finally got our papers to be able to cross the border into Tibet,” SummitClimb team leader Arnold Coster reported on Monday evening. The team was leaving for the border town of Kodari yesterday, hoping to cross the border into Tibet on the same day.

“We will go through Zhangmu, Nyalam, and Tingri before we will reach our final destination of Chinese BC,” Arnold added. “We’re all very excited - finally our expedition will start.”

Annapurna

“Libor Uher and his team reached 5850 m on Annapurna last week,” Czech Zdenek Strnadel told ExWeb. “Conditions are very bad: Crevasses, seracs... On Friday, the team members returned to BC, since the route on the ridge was too dangerous.”

Now the team is waiting to have their climbing permits for Tibet granted. “They are not yet properly acclimatized, so that the climbers will attempt Everest’s classic North Col route.”

Elisabeth Revol checked in over SMS from 6400m on Annapurna’s south face yesterday.The French lady climber reported on some very delicate passages among seracs and thin snow bridges.

Kangchenjunga

“We’re in Ramse just before the start of the glacier,” reported Edurne Pasaban over sat-phone yesterday. “The trek is breathtakingly beautiful but also hard. Ups and downs and unstable weather: scorch in the morning, pouring rain in the evening, leaving us soaked and shivering. We’ve all been ill, I had fever for three days, but feel better now.”

“Our porters are exhausted – we need to hire new ones. The problem is, there are barely 20 available here in Ramse. With our 140 loads several trips will be needed. Anyways, we hope to have everything stored in BC in 4 days time.”

“Meanwhile, a Korean team has already reached BC, after 15 days of trekking. Oscar Cadiach’s team is 5 days behind.”

Makalu

Alberto Iñurrategi, Mikel Zabalza and Juan Vallejo reached Hillary BC on Makalu’s south side Monday. “The trek was great in spite of mostly cloudy days,” they reported.

Both Alberto and Juan summited Makalu in separate expeditions during the 90’s. “Things have not changed that much since our latest visit," they concluded, "the trail is wider from Tumlingtar to Chichila, but all else remains the same; the “Great Black” looks as beautiful and impressive as ever.”

The Basque climbers still have two days before reaching their BC under the peak’s West Pillar.

Roland Hunter, Mick Parker and Paul Hudson reached Makalu’s lower BC on April 7th. Climbing on the peak’s normal route, they moved up to ABC, at 5,700m, on April 10th.

Manaslu

“Back from C1 we met some old and some new friends,” Carlos Pauner reported. “It was great to see Czech Radek Jaros, whom I know from previous expeditions. Four young Iranian climbers, all on their first 8000 meter, are the new friends.

Pauner and Co. will be back to C1 tomorrow, continuing to C2 on the following day, weather permitting.

Joao García has already set up C2 and carried a load to C3. However, he’ll be on his own for the remains of the climb. The team was first to reach BC in hopes to attempt the summit by April 18. Bad weather thwarted the plans and work obligations force Jean-Luc Fohal and Johan Perrier back home by May 1st.

Baruntse

“We are on our way to the Himalaya...for 6 weeks,” Ben Clark, Josh Butson and Jon Miller reported from Hong Kong yesterday. “This year's expedition is conventionally unprecedented, an excursion into the unknown even for us."

"Our goal is to lay fresh tracks on an unexplored feature of Baruntse...a rib that runs down the Northeast face of the mountain like a lightning bolt. Each jagged kink in this striking feature could surprise us with firm blue ice, cold grey granite and adventurous problem solving.”

“Over time we believe an objectively safe route and clear-headed decision-making will bring us to the summit of the mountain. Then we will ski. Skiing is why we are returning to the Himalaya.”

Links to 2009 Himalaya expeditions:

Lhotse-Everest traverse
Mountain.kz - expedition's official website
RussianClimb
Mount.kz

Everest South side:
Everest traverse - Bill Burke's blog
Alex Gavan
Jarle Traa
Richard Hidalgo's blog
Singapore's women on Everest updates
Airborne Ranger Club of Finland
Croatian female Everest expedition
Scott Woolums' Adventures International
Altitude Junkies
Manuel Pizarro - news
Lance Fox's dispatches
Jason Maehl
Peak Freaks - Everest updates
RMI Guides/First Ascent - Everest dispatches
Johnny & Brian Strange's dispatches
Asian Trekking - news
Yuri and Laura
Nic Cunningham's updates
John Golden's dispatches
Billi Bierling - Everest diary
David Tait's dispatches
Adrian Ballinger
Alec Turner's dispatches
Eugene Constant's blog
Megan Delanty's blog
Chris Dovell's blog
Norwegians Hjertnes, Jacobsen and Rambøl
Gilad Stern
Robert kojetin
German Thomas "Tomsky"
SummitClimb - News
Laserer Alpin
Iberic Everest expedition
Nancy Norris
Abramov's 7Summits-club
Adventure Consultants
Alpine Ascents
IMG
Mountain Madness
Jagged-Globe
Kenton Cool's dream Guides
Kari Kobler
Serbian Everest expedition

Everest North side:
Czech Hornbein Couloir expedition - Libor Uher's website
Nobukazu Kuriki - English blog
Kanagawa University Alpine Club
Kobler&Partner
Lee Farmer


Kangchenjunga:
Edurne Pasaban
Jon Gangdal
Kinga Baranowska

Makalu:
Zangrilli's blog
Zangrilli's guiding blog
Roland Hunter's expedition blog
News on Vallejo, Iñurrategi, Zabalza - EiTB bogs

Annapurna:
Martin Minarik
Elisabeth Revol's blog
Valeri Babanov
Nives Meroi & Romano Benet
Libor Uher's website

Lhotse:
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner - news
Ralf's Amical Alpin
Hirotaka Takeuchi's blog
David Göttler's website
Xavi Arias' blog
News on Mondinelli on Montagna.org

Manaslu:
Joao Garcia's expedition blog
Jean Luc Fohal's website
Andalusian female team - news
Lina Quesada
Carlos Pauner
Nick Rice's dispatches
Mario Merelli
Radek Jaros

Dhaulagiri
Piotr Morawski - news
Peter Hamor
Polish Tatra Rescuers team
News on Mehdi Etemadfar -MountainZone.ir
Luis Stitzinger - news

Shisha Pangma
Andrew Lock's Shisha+Everest dispatches

Other Nepal's peaks:

Puryear and Gottlieb on Lunag Ri
Ben Clark - Baruntse updates

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