Everest Web

MSIG, Marty Schmidt International
Guiding signing in from Namche.

This is our 3rd day of the trek into BC.
We walked all around this magical Khumbu region today, soaking up the energy
that Sir Ed brought to this land back in the 50's with helping to build schools
and medical clinics. The Sherpa people are such a proud culture, spanning many
generations, still living the simple and true life style that most western
cities are lacking or have never found and yet they are connected to the outside
world with modern items and communication. The duality of living here is so
amazing for most western people that we want to be with these people longer and
longer. There is a warm welcoming for outside people to experience.

We leave tomorrow for Pangboche and then
award to the 5,360 meter Base Camp, so that we can get established before we
start pushing the route up the Khumbu Ice Fall.

So to let you all know, we are doing
well and happy. We are on schedule everyday now and looking forward to our next
trek up the Khumbu Valley.

Sending our love and light everyday,
cheers, Marty, Giannina and Tim

Earlier: 07/04/08
MSIG, Marty Schmidt International Guiding signing in for another day in
Kathmandu.

All is well, Tim
Burns arrived on time on the 6th April, had a good rest and up early to get some
work completed around KTM. Our permits are in hand and the flights booked for
early on the 8th April to Lukla. Our time spent in this magical city is always
a delight to the senses. But it is time to move on for greener hills and clearer
air. Off to experience the temples of the dedicated souls of this earth.
Nothing but respect for these true believers.

If all goes well,
tomorrow morning we are up at 0500, eat some breakfast, catch a ride to the
airport and load up for our flight to Lukla, 2866 meters, by 0700. We’ll start
our trek within the same day towards Namche, 3,446 meters, along the way working
with the village of Phakding. We’ll be taking 10 days of trekking time to get to
Everest BC. Along this trek we’ll try to send in more dispatches and let you
know how all is going with our small and dedicated team.

Namaste from KTM.
Marty

Earlier:
Hello everyone and greetings from New Zealand, Giannina and I are all packed and
ready to fly in the morning for Kathmandu, Nepal.

The journey has be changed from the
North side of Everest to the South side within the past few weeks do to the
Tibetan/Chinese situation in Lhasa and over the Olympic torch being taken to the
summit or near it by just the Chinese climbers. No one else is allowed to be on
the North side or even near the summit of Everest between the 1st of April to
the 10th of May, while the torch is being taken up to it's highest point. Then
after this time we are allowed to summit. All will be in place for Tim Burns,
from Dallas, Texas, and I to push our camp to the 8000 meter Col for us to make
our summit climb, most likely around the 20-25th of May.

We are flexible and focused with this
goal. Not using any Sherpas or 02 will be the main goal for us and we are ready
to make this happen.

Please join us while we climb Everest,
you can log into www.everestnews.com at
anytime and read about our ascent and others. I will write short blogs to

Everestnews.com from time
to time. It will not be everyday since we will be doing a lot of climbing and
acclimatizing to prepare ourselves for the summit. Giannina will be around Base
Camp and she will also write a few blogs from time to time.

Sending you all our very best energy,
filled with adventure, light and happiness. Next time we'll send in some words
from Kathmandu.

All the best, cheers, Marty, Giannina
and Tim.

We would like to send our sincere thanks to the Nepal Army for coordinating
communications and assisting in the rescue of the ill sherpa. Things went very
smoothly, thanks to them. We are grateful.

19 April, 2008 (Trek & Island Peak Photos)

Here are some photos from our recently returned Everest Basecamp Trek and
Island Peak expedition. Click one of the thumb nails below to view a bigger
version of each image.

The village of Jorsalle. Yaks and porters on Jorsalle bridge. Barbara Mallory
and Mingma Sherpa (Preston Stroud). Our team ascending the summit ridge on
Island Peak (Emil Friis). Kevin Cooper on the summit. Kevin Cooper on the
shoulder to the summit. Stefano, Emil, Tom and Kevin on the summit. Summit
morning (Stefano Ricci

18 April, 2008 (Update): The everest sherpa's rescue helicopter has arrived in
Kathmandu. Many thanks to all of the sherpas and team members who helped out.
Also a very heartfelt thank you and our deepest appreciation to the Nepal Air
Force for a brilliant helicopter-rescue.

The doctor examined Gyelzen Sherpa and said he is OK, he just needs some
rest. Gyelzen is able to walk, speak, eat, drink, and seems fine. He went back
to his village to be with his family and the doctor will conduct a follow-up
exam tomorrow. We wish him all of the best. Thank God. It seems this was not a
very serious accident, and could have been much worse.

Today and tomorrow our entire Everest team plans to move into camp 1, and
we wish them all of the best for a safe and successful journey through the
Khumbu Icefall.

18 April, 2008: Mrs. Nima Sherpani telephoned us this morning to report
that our team worked through the night to carry the ill sherpa down to
Pheriche hospital.

Mr. Murari Sharma telephoned from Kathmandu airport to say the helicopter
will takeoff shortly to bring the sherpa back to Kathmandu, where he will be
immediately transferred to the Kathmandu hospital for further examination and
treatment

17 April, 2008: On a worrisome note: A sherpa, Gyelzen (1) Sherpa, has
suffered an apparent stroke at 11:00 am on 17 April, 2008 at the top of the
icefall. He was going up to camp 1, but did not reach there. Instead, he lay
down on the trail at around 5800 metres/19,000 feet and complained he could
not feel the right side of his body. He is unable to walk and his right side
seems to be paralysed. 20 sherpas working together carried him back to
basecamp and we are sending a helicopter for him now. We are very concerned
about his safety and are working to evacuate him to the hospital in Kathmandu
as soon as possible.

We are very mysified that this happened, as he climbed to the summit of
Everest in 2006 and 2007 with no trouble. In addition, during today's journey
to camp 1, he was not carrying a partcularly heavy rucksack, nor was he
climbing too fast, as he was together with the group. His age is 39 years old.

On a more upbeat note (not to diminish in any way the tragic happenings of
the day), 5 members and three sherpas moved to camp 1 at 5950 metres/19,500
feet, where they are safely spending the night. These are:

• Ken,


• Haris,


• Andrew,


• John Dowd,


• John Shelton-Smith,


• Dawa Sherpa,


• Tenji (1) Sherpa,


• Phurba Sherpa.

Sending our best wishes to the team and everyone in Everest basecamp,
especially to all of those who lent their kind help

15 April, 2008

Today we had the big meeting with the military.

This is what they said:

• Radios are allowed, but we have to give them one so they can listen in on
  our conversations.


• No Sat-phones or Rbgan until 10th of May. They want us to hand them over.
  


• No camera's or video until the 10th of May.


• We can't climb above camp 2 until the 10th of May, but Sherpa's are
  allowed to fix ropes up to the South Col between 06:00 a.m. and 18:00 p.m.
  


• Everybody will get a liaison officer but they are delayed in arriving in
  basecamp because of the elections. They will inspect our camp for sat phones,
  Rbgans, etc., but they will respect the privacy of our member's tents.


• There will be a check post at Gorak Shep and all trekkers will be checked
  and are not allowed to bring their camera's to basecamp.


• If the Chinese torch team summits early then we can just go ahead before
  the 10th of May. Right now the Chinese are planning to summit on 28 April.
  

14 April, 2008

Dear SummitClimb news readers,

Today we went into the Khumbu Icefall for the first time. I think the route
is great and a lot easier than previous times I was here. All of the members
enjoyed playing with the ropes and ladders a lot.

Yesterday most of our members went to Pumori ABC, which lies at about 5700
metres/18,700 feet, thus making today's walk in the icefall a lot easier.

We are not allowed yet to climb to camp 1 until the army arrives here. They
are going to keep an eye on the climbers here on the south side, so nobody
does anything bad to the torch climb on the other side of Everest.

I think tomorrow we will have another meeting in basecamp and then be able
to proceed to C1.

That is all for now. I'll write again as soon I have more news

Earlier: On our walk from Pangboche to Pheriche we got about 3 inches of
fresh snow, which made it pretty tough, but it was also a great adventure.
Luckily, when we arrived in Pheriche, there was a hot stove waiting for us and
our cooks prepared us an excellent.

After a good night's sleep in Pheriche, we woke up in
the morning and the sun was shining again, with all of the high peaks around us
covered in a fresh layer of snow. We had a beautiful hike to Dughla with nobody
having any trouble with the altitude.

We had a good meal and sat around the stove again. After
a good night's sleep we walked to Lobuche, where we plan to stay tonight. We saw
our first views of Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, and Pumori here. Everybody is
getting very excited to reach basecamp tomorrow.

Tomorrow is going to be a tough walk, taking about 8
hours to reach basecamp. There are rumors that basecamp is not very busy, which
is good for us and I'm sure our sherpas have reserved a very nice spot for us.
So until we reach basecamp, that's it for now. Everybody is doing great and
we're having a good time. I'll call you again from basecamp. This was Arnold.
Bye, bye.

Earlier: 6 April, 2008: Team moving up
to Pheriche.

Hello SummitClimb news. This is Arnold,
the leader of the Everest/Lhotse Expedition 2008.

I'm calling from Pangboche at about
3950 metres/13,000 feet and it's a snowy day. All of the members have left and
are walking to Pheriche today, 4200 metres/13,900 feet. Everybody is doing
fine and we are strong and healthy.

Yesterday we had a big puja ceremony
led by the lama here in Pangboche and the expedition got blessed, so we are
good to go now to base camp. We decided to stay one extra night in Pangboche
because we had some problems getting enough porters and yaks. All of the teams
are moving up at the same time because of the permits being issued so late
this year. While creating some minor logistical problems in the valley for
others, it's not going to affect our expedition at all.

Right now it's snowing a lot and I think
it is going to be an adventurous walk to Pheriche. That's it for now. Everybody
is doing fine and I'll call back in a couple of days. Thank you. Bye, bye.

One of the many terraced hillsides
on the trek to Everest basecamp (Elselien te Hennepe).

5 April, 2008: Mr. Kaji Tamang, our
field supervisor telephoned today. Due to heavy snowfall, the team stayed put in
Pangboche today, and did not move up.

Hopefully the snow will clear so the
team can move up tomorrow. Thanks for reading.

4 April, 2008: Mr. Emil Friis called
today. He is from our EBC trek plus Island Peak climb.

"The team are having a wonderful trek
and staying in Tengboche tonight. It was a very beautiful trek from Namche and
spectacular views of Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Everest, Lhotse, etcetera, were on
display throughout. The Tengboche monastery itself is a very beautiful place. We
are staying in a comfortable teahouse now and enjoying delicious hot drinks and
biscuits before dinner. Our trek leader Mingma and his wife Yengi are doing and
amazing job of leading and taking care of us. We are looking forward to
tomorrow's adventure."

Our past Everest basecamp trek leader,
Elselien, receiving a blessing from the local Buddhist Lama in Pangboche (Liz
Stevens).

Everest 2008:

Hello SummitClimb news readers, I am
Arnold the leader of the Everest / Lhotse expedition.

On 1 April, after a rainy start in Lukla, we all arrived dry in Phakding
the same day. Everybody was very happy to be on the trail in the fresh
mountain air!

After a quiet night of good sleep, the whole team walked up to Namche Bazar
at about 3500 metres on 2 April. Although this is a steep hike, the whole team
did great. I think we have a strong group this year.

On 3 April we spent our day relaxing in Namche Bazar. This is the last big
village on the way to basecamp. It has a nice market some good restaurants and
bars, and the hiking around town is great with some good views of Ama Dablam,
Everest and Lhotse.

On 4 April, we will walk to Pangboche, which is about a 6 hour walk from
Namche. On the way we will pass the monastary of Tengboche. This will be an
interesting stop on the way.

We will stay in a nice lodge with great views of Ama Dablam and the south
face of Nuptse and Lhotse.

So everything is going well and all of our team members are having a great
time.

More news in the next dispatch.

2 April, 2008

The team made it to Namche Bazaar. It was
a beautiful trek. They plan to rest tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

Namche Bazaar, the capital of the
Sherpa people. See this unique village on our trek to and from basecamp (Tunc
Findik).

1 April, 2008:

Our team flew to Lukla today on a
beautiful sunny morning. Everyone was very pleased to be getting out of
Kathmandu and beginning their expedition.

Looking forward to an enjoyable trek to basecamp.

Our team boarding the plane for Lukla (Dan Mazur).

31 March, 2008:

Today we gathered the entire group
together and had a nice breakfast and then all of our expedition and trek
leaders, as well as office staff presented an orientation session to the
members and helped them finish their shopping and packing. We are ready to go!
We had a delicious final banquet, said goodbye to our new friends in Kathmandu
and went back to the hotel to get to bed early.

Tomorrow, April 1st, we will fly up to Lukla first thing in the morning to
begin our trek. Kathmandu has been lovely, warm and peaceful, a very
interesting city, and we will miss it very much. However, we will look forward
to the next chapter: trekking to bascamp. We will keep in touch. Thanks for
reading!

30 March, 2008:

Hello, this is Dan Mazur from
SummitClimb.com writing to you from a beautiful and peaceful Kathmandu.

More of our team members are arriving in Kathmandu, and our staff has been
meeting their flights and bringing them to the hotel. We have been checking
the members equipment and clothing, as well as helping them purchase/hire any
missing bits and pieces. We all went out to dinner and had lots of fun. Our
team orientation is scheduled for tomorrow morning, and we are looking forward
to having our team all together.

We fly to Lukla tomorrow, on the 1st of April to begin our trek to basecamp.
Thanks for reading and we will send more news tomorrow.

29 March, 2008:

Hello, this is Dan Mazur from
SummitClimb.com writing to you.

Our team members are arriving in Kathmandu, and our staff has been meeting
their flights and bringing them to the hotel. We all went out to dinner last
night and had lots of fun. More members are due to arrive tomorrow, and our
expedition orientation meeting is scheduled for the morning of the 31st.

Then, we will fly to Lukla on the 1st of April. Thanks
for reading and we will send more news tomorrow.

A view of Swayambhunath Stupa,
the "Monkey Temple". It is the most ancient and enigmatic of all the
holy shrines in Kathmandu valley. Swayambhunath's worshippers include
Hindus, Vajrayana Buddhists of northern Nepal and Tibet, and the Newari
Buddhists of central and southern Nepal. Each morning before dawn,
hundreds of pilgrims will ascend the 365 steps that lead up the hill,
file past the gilded Vajra (Tibetan: Dorje) and two lions guarding the
entrance, and begin a series of clockwise circumambulations of the stupa.
On each of the four sides of the main stupa there are a pair of big
eyes. These eyes are symbolic of God's all-seeing perspective (Elselien
te Hennepe).

This is a picture of the
popular South Col Route up Mt. Everest. Base camp is located at 17,500 feet.
This is where climbers begin their true trip up the mountain. This is also
where support staff often remain to monitor the expeditions and provide medical
assistance when necessary. Many organizations offer hiking trips which just go
to base camp as the trip is not technically challenging (though you must be very
fit).

From base camp, climbers
typically train and acclimate (permitting the body to adjust to the decreased
oxygen in the air) by traveling and bringing supplies back and forth through the
often treacherous Khumbu Icefall. This training and recuperation continues
throughout the climb, with the final summit push often being the only time to
climbers do not go back and forth between camps to train, bring supplies, and
recuperate for the next push.

The Icefall is in
constant motion. It contains enormous ice seracs, often larger than houses,
which dangle precariously over the climbers heads, threatening to fall at any
moment without warning, as the climbers cross endless crevasses and listen to
continuous ice creaking below. This often acts as a testing ground to judge if
less experienced climbers will be capable of continuing. The Icefall is
located between 17,500 and 19,500 feet.

Camp I - 5900
meters

After the Icefall, the
climbers arrive at Camp I, which is located at 19,500 feet. Depending on the
type of expedition, Camp I will either be stocked by the climbers as they ascend
and descend the Icefall, or by Sherpas in advance.

The area between Camp I
and Camp II is known as the Western Cwm. As the climbers reach Camp II at
21,000 feet, they may be temporarily out of sight of their support at Base
camp. Nonetheless, modern communication devises permit the parties to stay in
contact.

Camp II - 6500
meters

As the climbers leave
Camp II, they travel towards the Lhotse face (Lhotse is a 27,920 foot mountain
bordering Everest). The Lhotse face is a steep, shiny icy wall. Though not
technically extremely difficult, one misstep or slip could mean a climber's
life. Indeed, many climbers have lost their lives through such mishaps.

Camp III -
23,700 feet (7200 meters)

To reach Camp III,
climbers must negotiate the Lhotse Face. Climbing a sheer wall of ice demands
skill, strength and stamina. It is so steep and treacherous that many Sherpas
move directly from Camp II to Camp IV on the South Col, refusing to stay on the
Lhotse Face.

Camp IV -
26,300 feet (8000 meters)

As you’re
leaving C4…it’s a little bit of a down slope, with the uphill side to the left.
There are typically snow on the ledges to walk down on, interspersed with rock,
along with some fixed rope. The problem with the rope is that the anchors are
bad, and there’s not much holding the rope and a fall could be serious.
Fortunately it’s not too steep, but there is a ton of exposure and people are
usually tired when walking down from camp. The rock is a little down sloping to
the right as well, and with crampons on, it can be bit tricky with any kind of
wind. There’s a little short slope on reliable snow which leads to the top of
the Geneva Spur, and the wind pressure gradient across the spur can increase
there as you’re getting set up for the rappel. Wearing an oxygen mask here can
create some footing issues during the rappel, because it’s impossible to see
over the mask and down to the feet. For that reason, some people choose to leave
Camp 4 without gas, as it’s easier to keep moving down the Spur when it’s
important to see all the small rock steps and where the old feet are going.
Navigating down through all of the spaghetti of fixed ropes is a bit of a
challenge, especially with mush for brains at that point. One lands on some
lower ledges which aren’t so steep, where fixed ropes through here are solid. At
this point, it’s just a matter of staying upright, and usually, the wind has
died significantly after dropping off the Spur. The route turns hard to the left
onto the snowfield that leads to the top of the Yellow Bands.

Camp IV, which is at
26,300 on the Lhotse face, is typically the climbers' first overnight stay in
the Death Zone. The Death Zone is above 26,000 feet. Though there is nothing
magical about that altitude, it is at this altitude that most human bodies lose
all ability to acclimate. Accordingly, the body slowly begins to deteriorate and
die - thus, the name "Death Zone." The longer a climber stays at this altitude,
the more likely illness (HACE - high altitude cerebral edema - or HAPE - high
altitude pulmonary edema) or death will occur. Most climbers will use oxygen to
climb and sleep at this altitude and above. Generally, Sherpas refuse to sleep
on the Lhotse face and will travel to either Camp II or Camp IV.

Camp IV is located at
26,300 feet. This is the final major camp for the summit push. It is at this
point that the climbers make their final preparations. It is also a haven for
worn-out climbers on their exhausting descent from summit attempts (both
successful and not). Sherpas or other climbers will often wait here with
supplies and hot tea for returning climbers.

From Camp IV, climbers
will push through the Balcony, at 27,500 feet, to the Hillary Step at 28,800
feet. The Hillary Step, an over 70 foot rock step, is named after Sir. Edmond
Hillary, who in 1953, along with Tenzing Norgay, became the first people to
summit Everest. The Hillary Step, which is climbed with fixed ropes, often
becomes a bottleneck as only one climber can climb at a time. Though the
Hillary Step would not be difficult at sea level for experienced climbers, at
Everest's altitude, it is considered the most technically challenging aspect of
the climb.

Summit -
29,028 feet (8848 meters)

Once the climbers ascend
the Hillary Step, they slowly and laboriously proceed to the summit at 29,028
feet. The summit sits at the top of the world. Though not the closest place to
the sun due to the earth's curve, it is the highest peak on earth. Due to the
decreased air pressure, the summit contains less than one third the oxygen as at
sea level. If dropped off on the summit directly from sea level (impossible in
reality), a person would die within minutes. Typically, climbers achieving the
great summit will take pictures, gain their composure, briefly enjoy the view,
then return to Camp IV as quickly as possible. The risk of staying at the
summit and the exhaustion from achieving the summit is too great to permit
climbers to fully enjoy the great accomplishment at that moment.

As most readers of this
page know, the return trip can be even more dangerous than the climb to the
summit.