ALPINDUSTRIA: RUSSIAN ADVENTURE TEAM

EVEREST 2003

Normal route, Tibet

Expedition page

Expedition chronicle:

10 April, 2003 Alexander Abramov reports :

April 9, it is still dark. We have a quick breakfast and off we go. We are in for a 5-hours drive. The trucks have to get over another pass. We stopped at Tashidzu village to wait for the second truck. In an hour we pressed on. After passing Rongbuk monastery, we saw Everest in all its beauty, though the clouds are coming, the weather is closing in.

We drove up to the moraine where we stayed in 2000. The place is very nice and quiet, almost no wind, and no neighbors for the time being. The altitude is 5200m. I can feel a light headache already. While waiting for the second truck to bring the tents, I walked around in search of a liaison officer. I met several expeditions: the international expedition of Russell Bruce, American, Estonian expedition (4 members), Chinese (120 members), St.Petersburg expedition. There must be some others as well.

Now the topic of the day is which expedition will put fixed ropes, and who will pay for that. Tomorrow at 11.00 a.m. there will be a leaders- meeting. So I-ll have to go there.

Our yaks to carry loads to ABC are already ordered for April 12. But may be because of the big number of expeditions we-ll have to shift it to April 14

9 April, 2003 Alexander Abramov reports:

April, 8. Morning in Nyalam. Looks like everybody is OK, though I heard some coughing at night. It is cold in the morning, -5C. We had flat bread, omelet and tea for breakfast. At 11.00 we started our way to Tingri on two Toyotas Landcruisers. The road is very dusty. We passed the pass of 5300m. It gives a splendid view of Xixapangma. In an hour we had an impressive view of Everest black and deprived of snow.
Old Tingi seemed very dirty, poor, with nothing to look at, just Tibetans playing billiards in the street. So the team
decided to take another hour and a half drive to Shigatse. But I am staying in Old Tingri. The team will spend two nights in Shigatse, and I will go to set BC tomorrow with two trucks. Everything will be ready by the time the guys arrive. It's not long till the real climb will start. We are looking forward to it!
Good-bye

7 April, 2003 Alexander Abramov reports:

April,6 at 8:15 a.m. the bus with our team and the truck with all our equipment left the Kathmandu hotel for Chinese boarder. The road moves in zigzags: up and down. The whole Himalayan ridge stands on the horizon in all its grandeur: Xixapangma, Cho Oyu, Everest, Makalu, Lhotse. All the way along the road there sit people, hammering at the stones. This is the cheapest way to get ingredients for the concrete. In the afternoon we reached the frontier check post: here all the people and loads are shifted into Chinese cars and proceed along to Zhangmu (2600m). Two more expeditions crossed the boarder together with us: French expedition (7 people) and International (2 people).
This year it is much warmer in Zhangmu than it was in 2000. I hope by the time we reach BC, there will be no snow there. There are lots of "Red Lights" houses in Zhangmu. Those who know say that Amsterdam is not fit to hold a candle to Zhangmu "Red Lights". They say, Sherpas come here after 2 months of expeditions.
Zhangmu is situated on such a steep slope, that the roofs of one houses serve as bases for the others. We tried several
sorts of beer in order to decide 12 boxes of what kind we are taking with us to BC.
The atmosphere is very friendly in our team. Tomorrow were are leaving for Nielamu. Good-bye