Posted: Sep 25, 2009 01:55 am EST
(MountEverest.net/Madrid) Following Cho Oyu’s summits yesterday, a number of teams are heading up on the mountain hoping to reach the top between Sunday and Monday. On Everest, the Basque team aim for 7,100m today on their alpine style bid up the Hornbein Couloir.

Summit pushes are also underway on Manaslu and Shisha’s North side (check for updates on MountEverest.net though the weekend).

Back in BC in Garhwal Himalaya, Satopanth summiteers report on some very tense seconds experienced on descent, as a 6.1 earthquake shook the entire mountain.

Everest

Things looked good for Alberto Iñurrategi, Juan Vallejo and Mikel Zabalza from their tent pitched at the base of the Japanese Couloir yesterday. "Weather is stable, snow conditions are apparently great, and the bergschrund we had worried about doesn't seem so umpassable anymore," they said.

The Basque trip planned to start their light, single push today. "They need to gain 1,000 vertical meters up and across the Japanese Couloir (50º-60º steep) - there is no place to stop until they reach 7,100m," their BC crew stated.

Cho Oyu

After four Spaniards became the season’s first Cho Oyu summiteers on Tuesday, a number of climbers have followed today – check for a previous story on Cho Oyu summits here.

"Everyone made it to the top yesterday and then descended to C1 - today they will go on down to ABC," IMG reported yesterday evening. "Team leader Greg Vernovage said the weather yesterday was excellent but this morning it is cold and windy with a cloud cap on the upper mountain."

Meanwhile Mario Merelli is back in ABC after setting up and supplying C2 at 7,100m. “We will rest through Friday, and then will set off towards C1, then C2 and on the following morning, hopefully, the summit.”

Manaslu

“It's come around quickly and the plan is to take advantage of the current weather window - as it's due to change in the next 4-5 days,” Dream Guides home team reported. “Guy and Trotty are currently at Base camp, having been up to Camp 3 and climbed to nearly 7000m already. Emma is a day behind and currently on her way down to Camp 1 from Camp 3, where she'll wait for Guy, so they can make their summit climb together and ski down as a pair.”

Shisha Pangma – North side

Dan Mazur’s Summit team climbed up to C1 at just below 6400 metres/21,000 feet on Wednesday “We had excellent weather with lots of bright sunshine in the morning and just a few scattered clouds - the temperature was about 10 to 15 degrees Celsius,” Dan noted. “on Thursday we’re going to C2 for the night. Then we’ll come back down to ABC for a rest before our summit push.”

Satopanth

FTA’s team had a scary experienced on their way down from Satopanth’s summit last Monday, according to a later report by the team’s leader Chris: An earthquake struck as the climbers were traversing a steep ice face. “Chris describes the entire summit ridge shaking and serac cleaving off from the summit,” FTA’s home team stated.

“We have confirmed that there was indeed a 6.1 magnitude earthquake on that very day in Bhutan and a 4.8 magnitude aftershock was felt in Uttaranchal where Satopanth lies. After further research is seems that our team was climbing less than 40km from the epicenter, which explains the very exciting time they had on the mountain and that they must have really been experiencing the full import of the quake the way a mountain of jello would if you bump into the table!”

Listen to Chris’ audio dispatch here.

Cholatse

“We arrived at Cholatse BC on the 22nd,” SummitClimb leader Felix Berg reported yesterday. “We’re going to hike up to Chola Col, at about 5600 metres/18,400 feet, to get acclimated and spend a few nights up there.”


Links to Himalayan fall 2009 expeditions:

Everest:
Basque team Hornbein expedition

Makalu:
Ueli Steck

Annapurna:
Oh Eun-sun

Shisha Pangma:
Edurne Pasaban
Ferran Latorre
Andrew Lock
Kinga Baranowska
Juanito Oiarzabal
Carlos Pauner
Nick Rice's dispatches
Romanian Expedition
Piantoni's Italian expedition
SummitClimb

Dhaulagiri
Chilean expedition

Manaslu:
Mexicans Badia & Mauricio
Altitude Junkies
Chilean Ski expedition
Guillaume Hintzy
Dream Guides team

Cho Oyu
Simone Moro - Cho Oyu SW face
Cho Oyu SW face Czech team
Mario Merelli
Argentinean team
Malta's Challenge8000
Alpine Ascents
Hvitserk
Adventure Consultants
IMG
Jagged-Globe
Reto Everest

Himalayan 7000ers:

FTA - Satopanth
Fabrizio Zangrilli - Pumori
Peak Freaks - Pumori

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