Makalu summit push was aborted this weekend. In Pakistan meanwhile, Simone reached BC at last. The Arctic winter quest continues, while the Denali winter attempt has been aborted.
Everest is gearing up for 2008: Marc Batard will try a new speed record, and space engineer Boris Korshunov will join the senior age race – both from the Olympic north side.
Makalu winter climb summit push A bad blizzard hit the climbers early last week, draining batteries and tearing the expedition tents. “I’ve never seen so fast moving clouds before,” Denis reported. A forecasted weather break prompted a summit push this weekend; Denis and Serg reached 7200 m, but Serguey became ill, so the Kazakhs descended. The Italians brought rope to 6800 meters, and have descended to 6500 meters.
Broad Peak winter climb: Leo leaves Pakistan, Simone reaches BC at last Leonhard Werth went home last week and with time running out on him; Simone was getting very upset. Later in the week, an army helicopter rescued Simone and his men from Skardu at last, but made it only to Paiju at 3400 meters, where the flight was put to a halt due to very high winds. Saturday however, the pilot made it all the way to 1 hour short of BC. The expedition team has since been lugging 850 kg of gear to BC proper at 4800 meters. “It is cold, extremely cold!” Simone reports, logging -32C/F on arrival at the base of the mountain.
Denali north side update: Attempt aborted at base of wall, Artur to return next winter Carrying an 8 foot ladder and dragging behind him supplies for two months on sleds, Artur hiked through 25 miles of Alaskan tundra in order to reach the north base of Denali’s huge Wickersham Wall. Losing 25lbs on the approach, traveling in complete darkness and deep powder Artur Testov made it to almost base camp. Except for a really big, dark shadow cast by the wall – there was no visibility. Everything was flat, “it was like going in milk – you just couldn’t even see divets, holes in front of you,” Artur said. The temperature went down to minus 59 and there were no possibilities to dig snow caves even on the glacier. Artur spent the whole month in his tent, unable to get any relief from the weather. The good news is that the climber plans to return next winter, with two Russian mates.
Piolet d’Or domain purchased by Grivel On December 12, 2007 Grivel registered the internet domain pioletdor.com. According to information available to ExplorersWeb, the name Piolet d’Or is shared property of Guy Chaumereuil, Montagne Mag and GHM. It’s not clear what this purchase means for the future of the award.
Everest 2008: Marc Batard back for speed record attempt on north side 20 years after his Everest south side speed record (without oxygen); this spring Marc Batard will try to beat Austrian Christian Stangl’s speed record on Everest north side.
Everest 2008: Space engineer Boris Korshunov to join senior summit race Gagarin’s former space engineer and 7-time Snow Leopard Boris Korshunov plans to return to Everest north side to join the senior race for the oldest Everest summit. Everest skier Yuichiro Miura, 74, plans to repeat his ascent this year; from the north side this time, at age 75. 76-year-old Min Bahadur Sherchan from Nepal plans to climb Everest this spring from the south side, aided by 12 Nepali Sherpa.
Everest 2008: Expedition Cordoba Also the Andalusian mountain club and Cordoba Club Vertical is launching an expedition to Everest north side this Olympic spring.
Everest: Who will be the first climber to summit 20 times? The race seems at first glance a done deal; Apa should be the undisputed winner (with 17 summits, he is 3 ascents ahead of runner-up Chuwang Nima). But right now it is more likely for Phurba Tashi to become the first to summit Everest 20 times.
Ang Tshering Sherpa about Hillary: “I was one of the first students to graduate from the Khumjung School” Ang Tshering Sherpa has gone a long way since he graduated from the first school built by Hillary. President of the Nepal Mountaineering Association; Ang Tshering chairs the biggest trekking agency in the country and a flight service to Lukla. January 13, a memorial was held for Edmund Hillary in Khumjung. Ang Tshering shot over pictures from the event, and also an open letter with some thoughts and memories of Ed.
Fitz Roy and Torre newsflash: New lines, first traverse, Camilo Lopez summit Rolando Garibotti and Bean Bowers made a new line on the West Face of the North Pillar (no summit) on Fitz Roy. This weekend, news also arrived that Rolando Garibotti and Colin Haley did the first ever traverse of Torre.
Aymeric Clouet and Christophe Dumarest did Supercanaleta and are out for more. Camilo Lopez reports he summited Fitz Roy on January 15, in a 24 hour single push along with three other climbers.
Everest supermom and secretly wed couple to meet on Alaska motivational cruise Remember Supermom Monica Kalozdi? The only woman from Louisiana to have climbed the seven summits, Monica came back home from Everest just in time for Hurricane Katrina. Her house was 8 feet under water and she had to be rescued several days after the storm by boat. Monica summited Everest about the same time as bride Moni Mulepati, 24, and groom Pem Dorjee Sherpa, 23, exchanged their vows at the top. Today, Pem lives in Nepal and in Boulder, Colorado. All three summiteers will meet up at the ‘climb your own Everest’ motivational cruise in Alaska.
Wanted: International women for Caucasus adventure The Russian Mountaineering Federation are inviting climbers, runners and base-jumpers to join the big Mountaineering and extreme sports Festival in Caucasus, Uzunkol gorge, July 11-30. One part of the Festival – the very first Open Women’s Internal Cup in Russia – invites female adventurers from all over the world. Routes of various difficulties are set to fit all technical and physical levels.
Antarctic wrap-up Doug Stoup (guide) and Richard Dunwoody arrived at the South Pole on 18 January after 49 days on the ice. They pioneered a new route (1,089 km), starting out on the Recovery Glacier at the Ronne-Filchner Iceshelf. Norwegian women Ine-Lill and Rita won the time race against ALE and planted a new route from Vinson to South Pole. John Huston (Northwind guide), Cameron Hudson and Everest IMAX Sumiyo Tsuzuki extended their days to 30 hours and made it as well. “Our 57 day journey has included only one rest day (day 10) and we have completed the last 300nm in just 20 days,” John wrapped up. PH chef Ronny Finsaas left South Pole just after midnight on 20 January Chile time and covered 165 nautical miles in his first two days, reaching 87°15 S. Ronny expects the kite ride to the coast to take 7days (plus/minus 3days).
Polar alert: Jerry has a website Last year Jerry Kobalenko finished his 15th sledding expedition and 30th self-propelled arctic journey. A devout photographer but die-hard luddite – Jerry refused live trip reports, he seldom brought a sat phone and didn’t have a homepage. Until now. “The mighty have fallen and Sasha & I now have a website,” Jerry wrote to ExplorersWeb.
North Pole Winter: The horizontal death zone “The death zone of the Everest is presented by the final 500-700 meters near the summit. In our expedition every day is as the day of a summit assault, though everything takes place at the sea level,” reported the two Russian winter polar skiers from the Arctic ice.
Tomek and Wacek ‘wrong-way’ voyage update: Bye Cape Horn! January 6, on day 306 of their voyage, Tomek and Wacek passed Cape Horn at last. “We’re sailing,” are the triumphant messages. “Since January 8 I fight with the engine,” Tomek however reports, “I will have to learn the repair of injection pumps, but my qualification for it equals those of someone who has watched ER and now must perform an open heart surgery.”
Sea kayak expedition to Papua New Guinea coming up Paddling around Papua New Guinea, in about three months Aussie Andrew Hughes will be launching from hundreds of kilometers up the remote Fly River, then head for the coast and not stop until he reaches the northern border with Irian Jaya.
Henk De Velde update: Almost there! All eyes were on Henk de Velde trying to make it back to Mar del Plata without sails and no engine. “Almost there,” the sailor reported January 23, with only 40 miles to go.
Expedition Amazonas update: Hard paddle to Brazil Out for 125 days already, Nathan Welch, Mark Kalch and Philip Swart have landed in Manaus, Brazil. “We are absolutely knackered after paddling around the clock, 24 hrs a day, 6 hour individual shifts for almost 15 days straight,” the boys reported. “We have paddled just over 2000km in this period & we reckon we must be pretty bloody close to a world record for time/distance travelled in a whitewater raft on flat water! We are 2000km from our goal. Much rowing lies ahead. We have been through so much that we must finish.”
Anasazi Girl update: “I feel so fortunate to be here.” Anasazi girl is flying with the dolphins at 20 kts speeds. Only 915nm remains to Cape Town out of the 8300nm from Auckland which James Burwick left on December 14.
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