Posted: Sep 28, 2009 08:15 am EDT
(MountEverest.net/Madrid/second update) Word just in that Ueli Steck summited Makalu over the normal route last Thursday. Robert Bösch turned back at approximately 7900 meters.

Earlier news: Cho Oyu has taken the season’s first life: American Clifton Maloney’s. On Shisha Pangma Oiarzabal, Panzeri, Calafat and Rice topped-out the Central summit yesterday but turned back at some point on the ridge to the Main peak.

Simone Moro’s plans to open a new route on Cho Oyu’s SW face are over – thanks to Chinese authorities’ decision to close the Tibetan border.

Also, there are further summit reports and pics from Cho Oyu, Dream Guides team hopes to top-out Manaslu today, Korean Kim continues on Annapurna in spite of injuries sustained on an avalanche.

Cho Oyu – normal route

American Clifton Maloney, 71, passed away while resting in a higher camp, shortly after summiting Cho Oyu last Friday. Malta 8000Challenge’s team members were first to report on the events, without revealing the climber’s name or nationality. News hit two days later though, since the perished climber was US Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s husband.

The climber’s remains have been retrieved and taken back to BC, family’s relatives told media. "There is enormous determination from all those involved to return him as quickly as possible," they said. Secretary of State Clinton spoke to NY’s Democratic Congresswoman Maloney on the phone over the weekend, saying: ’We're doing everything to bring him home,’ according to New York Daily News.

Updated Oct 1st: Clifton Maloney was on his second attempt on Cho Oyu and, by topping-out, he became the oldest American to ever summit an 8000er.

SummitClimb leader Arnold Coster reported yesterday on his team’s successful summit bid. “Of the 10 members who left camp, 9 reached the summit at around 1:30pm, local time, in almost perfect conditions,” Arnold recounted. “Climbers are resting in C2 and heading back to ABC tomorrow (today) – which is great, since clouds are apparently coming over.”

SC's summiteers were Adam Dixon (UK), Gavin Vickers (Australia), Ry Fable (USA), Eric Plantenberg (USA), Scott Patch (USA), Wiktor Mazur (Canada), Ridlon Kiphart (USA), Arnold Coster (Netherlands) and Stephen Marsh (UK).

Mario Merelli and Marco reached C2 yesterday. “We are staying put in C2 for one more day, hoping to have better weather conditions for a summit push tomorrow,” Mario told his home team today.

Hvitserk Norwegian team members are also in C3, preparing to set off for the top tonight.

Alpine Ascents’ team has set off from ABC as well, hoping to reach Cho Oyu’s summit on Wednesday. The Argentinean Mar del Plata expedition ran out of expedition time and headed home.

Cho Oyu’s SW Face

“The Chinese have closed the Tibetan border from 24th September till 8th October - apparently there are some celebrations scheduled for October 1st in Tiananmen Square after the Chinese republic’ 60° anniversary,” Simone Moro reported from Nepal. “Again, all visitors are refused to enter Tibet until October 8th (that is, if the Chinese don’t change their mind and extend the ban) - whatever they had planned and paid for.”

“Our remaining time for a Cho Oyu climb and run back to Kathmandu is too short - we have to fly back on October 30th,” Simone explained. “At the moment, we are discussing alternative plans - there are lots of peaks and new routes to climb... But it is not so easy to combine the climb with a snowboard descent (as Emilio would like to do) and a mountain bike / run way back to Kathmandu.”

“We are also afraid we might lose Cho Oyu climbing permit’s money,” the Italian climber reckoned. “Let’s see what will happen in the next hours/days. In the meantime, we will continue with our acclimatization trip in the Khumbu area.”

Sponsored by The North Face, Simone Moro and Herve Barmasse were attempting a new route on Cho Oyu’s SW face while Emilio Previtaly, Lizzy Hawker and Tamara Lunger went for the peak’s normal route, without supplementary O2. Emilio would also attempt a snowboard descent from the summit. Then, the team would return to Kathmandu running (Simone and the girls) or on MTB (Herve and Emilio).

Shisha Pangma

“The summit ridge was heavily corniced and treacherous,” Juanito told friends back at home over sat-phone from C3 yesterday. “We tried to advance for three hours from Shisha’s Central summit. We were in danger all the time; I was seriously concerned. Then bad weather came in and we realized it was impossible to go any further – we turned around.”

Oiarzabal, climbing with Tolo Calafat, Mario Panzeri, Nick Rice and one Sherpa reached Shisha’s Central summit at 8:30am yesterday. “We tried to fix 400 meter of Kevlar rope on the ridge – to no avail,” Juanito ensured. “Snow was too unstable.”

“At least, I have topped-out a secondary 8000er I’d never summited before. I don’t know about my mates – but I am done, and heading back home,” Oiarzabal added.

”That traverse from Central to main summit is where I've also been stopped on previous attempts,” Andrew Lock wrote from ABC, at hearing of yesterday’s summit attempt. “My team's plan is to attempt to traverse from camp 3 to another ridge on the north face which cuts out the central summit and provides direct access to the main summit. However, it is long, crevassed and difficult climbing, so we know we'll have our work cut out for us.

”We'll start the summit push tomorrow,” Andrew announced. “If all goes well, we're hoping to summit on 2 October.”

SummitClimb Shisha team members are also off on a summit push, planning on October 1st as summit day.

Manaslu

“Everyone is now at Camp 4 at 7400m, having had a really good climb up over the last 3 days,” Dream Guides’ Guy reported yesterday. “Monday (today) is summit day - They'll be leaving camp 4 at 2am local time and hope to summit around 9am.”

Everest

Back in ABC, the Everest’s Hornbein team members are still shocked after the scary night they spent among avalanches at 7,200m in the Japanese Couloir. “The first avalanche flattened the tent, with us inside,” Mikel Zabalza recalled. “We went out, put on our boots and crampons and ran. Then the second avalanche came over us. For I moment I lost sight of Juan – it was scary. Then he popped his head out of the snow shouting ’let’s get out of here – NOW.’ "

"We took a rope and the gear we could in a hurry, stuck a snow anchor, rappelled down 50 meters down to a rocky outcrop, and hid behind it," Mikel added. "We spent the rest of the night there. At dawn, we returned to the rest of our tent, picked up some more rope, and started descending: two of us rappelled down every pitch, while the third of us climbed down in order to retrieve the rope. It took us 8 hours before we touched back the ground.”

Annapurna

“Korean Kim Jae-soo was hit by an avalanche between C1 and C2 on Annapurna last Friday,” ExWeb's Korea correspondent Kyu Dam Lee reported. “He sustained some injuries in his arm, but otherwise is ready to go on with the climb.”

“Oh Eun-sun is currently acclimatizing between BC and C1,” Kyu added. “She plans to launch a summit bid by mid October.”

Gauri Shankar

Recent Piolet d’Or winner and GI summiteer Kazuya Hiraide will lead a Japanese expedition to Gauri Shankar (7,134m), Japan’s Mountaineering Association representatives told Kyu Dam Lee in Seoul. The team will depart on October 5th, aiming for a new route on the Nepal’s Rolwaling peak.

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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