May 2005 news

30 May, 2005 First climb K2 West Face - next project of the RUssian high-altitude team begins! The team'll go to Pakistan in June for the reconnaissanse. 30 May, 2005 7 members of the "7 Summits CLub" team reached Everest top today. Karo Ovasapjan (at 7 a.m.), Alexander Jakovenko (at 7-30), than Nickolay Cherny, Igor Pokhvalin, Yuri Taidakov, Ivan Dusharin and Gregory Skalder. And six high-altitude Sherpas led by sirdar Mingma (4th Everest climb). Special congratulations - for Nickolay Cherny! 30 May, 2005 Gleb Sokolov and Yuri Uteshev summited Cho Oyu May, 22 at 1-30 p.m. Nobody climbed after that. There were 320 pretendents for that top thias season, but only 14 summited. Siberian team will leave Kathmandu June,1. 24 May, 2005 Manaslu: expedition's aborted. Serguey Bogomolov from Base Camp: "The Mount not only took off our climb chance, but it took off our gear..." Detailes soon. 23 May , 2005 7 Summits Club Everest expedition; Viktor Mlinar and Marko Lihteneker summited Mount Everest May21, at 12-30 local time. First Everest summits 2005, but... Marko missing. Chronology. 20 May , 2005 Melungtse: Yuri Koshelenko :yesterday we climbed along the ridge, but after sitting night (at the wall) all of us feel bad, I have pulnonary edema symphtoms. There are not less than 15 pithches till the top, work for three days - so we decided to descent... 20 May , 2005 Manaslu: Spanish climbers, Serguey Bogomolov and Gia Tortladze reached yesterday the place of Camp 2 and saw only a white plateau, tents were buried under two meters of snow. Climbers tried to dig it out, but the surface was covered with a crust of hard ice. All were down to BC. No info about Japanese team. (www.mounteverest.net) 19 May , 2005 Melungtse: Yuri Koshelenko : the trio climbed the wall section of the route in five days. It took them five days and 31 pitches (60 m each) to tackle the very difficult wall - 6B+ (Russian grade). Every afternoon, the weather has taken a turn for the worse. And it smowing now - but we're in tent already - drinking cocoa. The last night we sat on the small ice ledge (40 sm width) All night around we tried to hold our position and fought with the snow. Now we 're on the ridge - I hope that all key parts we've already climbed. We dream about fine weather! (info - www.bask-company.ru) 11 May, 2005 Manaslu, Serguey Bogomolov called that the group reached 7100 m , then descended to the Base Camp. They're planning summit push as soon as possible. THe snow conditions are very difficult. 11 May, 2005 Yasen Djachenko: The history pages - Caucasus battle, August -December 1942. 6 May, 2005 Climbers from Central Sport Club of Kazakhstan Army Maxut Zhumayev and Vassily Pivtsov summited Cho Oyu May,3.

Mountaineering World's news 30 May, 2005 Willie Benegas May, 30 summited Everest first from the south, followed by Mountain Madness team. 25 May, 2005 Eurocopter, the European helicopter maker, has said it had landed a helicopter on the top of Mount Everest in a world first. The Ecureuil/AStar AS350B3 helicopter landed May 14 at 8,850 meters atop the Himalayan peak, setting a new world record for high-altitude landings and takeoffs. The aircraft, flown by test pilot Didier Delsalle, took off from Lukla, and remained atop the peak for more than two minutes, Eurocopter said. A second successful landing and takeoff took place later. Eurocopter said it had submitted the feat to the International Federation of Aviation for approval as a world record. The company is a division of the defence and aviation giant European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. 24 May, 2005 Valery Babanov and Rafael Slavinsky are going to Denali, new route at South Face. They started on May, 21. (www.bask.ru) 24 May, 2005 Annapurna from South: expedition's aborted. " I'm sad and also proud. We did with Piotr all the work..." - the letter by Piotr Moravsky to Denis Urubko. 24 May, 2005 Christian Trommsdorff, Yannick Graziani, and Patrick Wagnon summited the previously unclimbed Chomo-Lonzo Central on May, 21 at 6-15 p.m.. 24 May, 2005 Portugese climber Joao Garcia summited Lhotse May, 21 at 1.00 p.m. local time 19 May, 2005 Annapurna: Cristian Kuntner died from inner hemorrhages in Camp 2. - after the avalanche came and ice boulders struck the climbers -. Annapurna was Christian's ultimate 14, 8000er climb 12 May, 2005 Mario Merelli, Mario Panzeri, Daniele Bernasconi, Ed Viesturs, and Veikka Gustafsson have reached the summit of Annapurna today at 2:30 pm Silvio Mondinelli did not make it to the summit due to cold. Ed Viesturs has therefore become the first American to summit all the 14 8000ers. 11 May, 2005 Shisha Pangma traverse: Ralf Dujmovits, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, and Hirotaka Takeuchi May,8 summited Shisha Pangma - in alpine style. THey climbed via South side and headed down the North side. Now they're going to Everest, Superqouloir! 5 May, 2005 Everest (South, normal route): A huge avalanche struck Camp 1 early yesterday morning. Big chunk of a serac fell from Everest's West Shoulder and hit the glacier at the left side of the tents in C1. Seven people suffered injuries. 4 May, 2005 First summit on Shisha Pangma this spring. Gerfried Goschl 32 y.o. Austrian, member of Alpine Rescue Team Gesaeuse, summited Shisha Pangma May 03, at 8:45 a.m. without supplementary oxygen. Then he'll move to Everest for a no O2 attempt. He's a member of Northland Professional expedition (www.mounteverest.net)

24 May, 2005 Annapurna from South: expedition's aborted. " I'm sad and also proud. We did with Piotr all the work..." - the letter by Piotr Moravsky to Denis Urubko.

Hi Denis!
And we finished expedition. Unexpectedly. The rest of our team came down and told that they are exhausted and fed up, and finished. So we tried with Piotr Pustelnik. But he stopped also. He had no power to go up (after 40 days of working). So I left alone. On 7300, after almost all dificulties (which in the main part are V, A0, very hard climbing on 7200). Before summit it was two days of work (some fixing and setting C3) for 2 people a lot of work. I felt strong enough to do it alone. I was full of power, I think even stronger than on Shisha. But Piotr, as a leader told, that cannot go alone, and he did not allow me to go. Now, when I look at it, it was wise. I'm still not enough experienced. The weather now is bad
(it is storm and hail). So I'm sad and also proud. We did with Piotr (the rest of expedition did almost nothing) all the work. Fixed all the ropes. Piotr allowed me to lead all (2600 meters of ropes on 2000 meters hard wall, amasing), so I
climbed like with wings. I just climb (as we told), and it gave me a lot, a lot!

And now I'm already mentally at home. This winter I stay at home. But on spring I'd like to go somewhere. I'm so hungryQ. Sorry for that kind of mail, but I'm already on basecamp and full with emotion. Maybe one day we climb together. I hope so! Keep in touch!

Piotr Morawski, May, 23. Annapurna Base Camp

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23 May , 2005 "7 Summits Club" Everest expedition. Messages from Alexander Abramov (head of the expedition) from ABC:

May, 21 15:00: "21st of May, 03.00 China Time Slovenian climbers Marko Lihteneker and Viktor Mlinar and Russian climber Vladimir Lande and his Sherpa Pasang Dorji left camp 3 at 8300m for the summit. Near 2nd step Vladimir had crampon problems and went down together with his Sherpa. The Slovenians continued up. At 14.00 Sherpa Rengin arrived at Camp 3 to provide any assistance to the summit climbers if needed."

May 21, 17:00: "Today at 12.30 Viktor Mlinar summited Mount Everest; one hour later Marko Lihteneker arrived at the summit. Weather was good, Viktor arrived back at 8300m camp at 16.00."

May 21, 21:30: "At 21:30 Marko has not arrived at the camp 3, 8300m. The weather is bad, it is snowing and strong wind. The Sherpa can not go up."

May 21, 22:00: "We hope that Marko has arrived in one of the many other tents at the 8300m camp. Nobody has summited from the South Side."

May 22, 14:00: " At 05.00 Pemba Tensing and Pemba Rengin went up searching for Marko on the ridge above 8300m. 9 other high altitude Sherpas are in ABC, ready to go up if needed. The Sherpas have checked all tents in camp 3, 8300, and in all camps around 7700 as well as on the North Col, but Marko was not found there. Today, about 20 Chinese climbers summited Everest, but they also have not seen Marko. Vladimir and Victor and the 2 sherpas are now at the North col, Vladimir is feeling good, Victor is reasonably ok."

May 22,, 17.00, message from Chineese expedition: Victor Mliner & Vladimir Lande arrived to ABC. They feel well. Chinese expedition sherpas found body of a climber at the altitude of 8800 m. This body looks as Marko. Six sherpas, which climbed together with the members arrived to ABC. Pasang Dorji has a frost bite on his right hand. (www.mounteverest.net)

5 May , 2005 A huge avalanche struck Camp 1 on Everest's south side route early this morning. It began when a big chunk of a serac fell from Everest's West Shoulder and hit the glacier at the left side of the tents in C1. Seven people suffered injuries.

The snow and the massive wave destroyed most of the tents there (between 40 and 60, depending on the sources). After the avalanche, only 5 tents remained undamaged. The German team from Leipzig was on its way down to BC from C2 and they found Camp 1 destroyed 30 minutes after the avalanche.
"I will never forget that sight," reported Olaf Rieck. "In the place where the colorful tents of Camp 1 stood, there was just a flat surface of ice rubble and stones. Among the debris we found three injured climbers. They have sought shelter inside a half destroyed tent, waiting for help. Two Sherpas were already helping them. Three other injured climbers cried at us for help. One Sherpa and I tried to reach them very carefully, as the broken terrain through the tents was not safe anymore."

Guys had no first aid kit, so they ran back to BC. 45 minutes later they met the rescue group. At that moment nobody knew for sure how many people had spent the night in C1. Later they knew that one Sherpa's status was critical. Three Americans, Canadian and a solo Polish climber were injured. "Ironically the whole Iranian Women's team were spared the destruction by camping slightly farther away from the main camp. They left for camp two without even knowing that the rest of camp was flattened under feet of snow." The team members at base camp sent their crampons and harnesses up with Sherpa team to replace those lost under snows above.
Info (www.mounteverest.net)

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