Spring 2011 news

31 May, 2011 Greenland. The dream of virgin walls. Alexander Ruchkin: "Search bold, and you will find many magical peaks ...." Interview for Russianclimb.com

20 May, 2011 Kangchenjunga. Russian expedition Alexey Bolotov summited May, 19 in bad weather. Nickolay Totmjanin and Israfil AShurly summited May, 20. Gleb didn't reach the top due to stomach problems. This short info got from Alex Gavan blog. (http://alexgavan.ro/expedition/kangchenjunga-2011)

18 May, 2011 Kangchenjunga. Russian expedition Evening SMS: "7-30 p.m. The summit attempt was aborted by the strongest wind gusts. We've returned to the tent. Waiting the wind dies down."

SMS from Israfil: "The fifth night at 7600. The body doesn't rest and recover at such altitude. Today we're going to the summit"

18 May, 2011 Tulagi, Bielorussian Himalaya Expedition. Simone Moro: "today cancelled the heli search due the bad weather. We will do again tomorrow. But no sign of possible survivors... I've flown a lot around tulaghi and searches in all faces and I also went at the same altitude of the summit...Tulaghi rescue are paid by insurance company.... Bielorussia asked also to send a Sherpas expedition to look for missed climbers, but I think is too risky and dangerous...Route is DANGEROUS!!! full of seracs and crevasses and unstable snow now. I've flown for 2 hours above that mountain, flying till the summit above 7000 m!!! I saw every corner of it. Many thigs are strange in that expedition... When I flown there there was no BC and ABC. Everything was already dismounted..."

17 May, 2011 Latok III. The dangerous wall in Pakistan is a goal of the expedition led by Alexander Odintsov. He was twice on this wall in the project "Big wall - Russian route". Three climbers were injured in the first attempt in the avalanche. Igor Barikhin died here in the second attempt. Other Russian team was there some years later - and again, the climber was injured in the avalanche. Now there're three climbers with the leader Odintsov: Alexey Lonchinsky, Eugeny Dmitrienko and Ivan Dozhdev. The team wil fly today from Moscow to Islamabad. Doc Mikhail Bakin is a member of the expedition too. .

16 May, 2011 Kangchenjunga. Russian expedition SMS from Israfil : "Two days ago we've reached 7500-7600 m. Too much snow and strong wind. Waiting the weather window about May, 18 for the summit. We're OK".

16 May, 2011 Tulagi, Bielorussian Himalaya Expedition. Two climbers, Nickolay Bandalet and Serguey Belous, who planned to climb virgin peak Tulagi (7057), missed after May, 8. No calls by sat phone. The last call was May, 8: "WE're on the ridge. Too much snow. No place for the safe belay. We spent the night outdoors, without tent, in two pitches to the top, at the altitude more than 6000 m. ". The rescue heli by Fishail Air's did the flight May, 14 and 15, but found nobody. The Sherpas team from "Sherpa&Swiss Adventure" are in Manaslu BC, not far from Tulagi, and are ready for the rescue if the heli will bring them to Tulagi route. Here's photo with marked points, where pilots have noticed the tent and footprints. Simone Moro's report: "On the 14th and 15th May, we had done aerial search on Thulagi Peak 7057 m (which is also called Mansiri Himal). The mountain had been scouted in the entire altitude, from the top till the bottom in all the faces. No life could be seen and today 15th we saw a tent at around 6300 m. It was dark green in color, and it was located on the south face. We landed and one of our rescuers jumped out from the helicopter and went inside the tent. There were sleeping bags and some equipment but no human sign. Few pieces of equipment have been taken as a proof of our research to be recognized by the family. When we took off from that place (6300 m) and we found some footprints above the tent, ending in a sharp ridge. We searched a lot below that ridge and above. We also went to other directions starting from other potential climbing routes but nothing could be found. From my climbing experience I’m quite sure that they fell in a crevasse or from that ridge because that place was really dangerous."

6 May, 2011 Greenland. The dream of virgin walls. Alexander Ruchkin and Mikhail Mikhailov May, 5 on 6-30 p.m. Alexander Ruchkin and Mikhail Mikhailov reached the top of virgin wall (one of the two Sharkteeth) in Greenland. Today night they sent SMS from the tent at 1300 (on the descent)

5 May, 2011 Greenland. The dream of virgin walls. Alexander Ruchkin and Mikhail Mikhailov "We're at 1350. Climbing via right ridge. Spent night on the ridge, today are trying till the top without bagpacks - it's 300-400 m vertical meters."

4 May, 2011 Greenland. The dream of virgin walls. Alexander Ruchkin and Mikhail Mikhailov "We're OK. May, 2 started to the route from ABC. The route begins from 640 m, we climbed via couloir 900 m. Next day climbed 4,5 pitches."

2 May, 2011 Kangchenjunga. Russian expedition SMS from Israfil: "Apr, 26-30 both of our groups worked on the route. Bolotov, Totmjanin and Ashurly spent 3 nights above 7000 m and set C3 at 7300 m. It took us 3 days to fing the way though seraks labirint to reach the big terrace. Gleb Sokolov, Dmitry Sinev, Alexander Lutokhin and Alex Manuilov reached 6900 m. Too much fresh snow. As earlier, our team is leading on the route. Sherpas and climbers from other expeditions only began to work above 6300. Now all our climbers rest in BC. Greetings to all."

1 May, 2011 Greenland. The dream of virgin walls. Alexander Ruchkin and Mikhail Mikhailov "We've brought our gear to the bottom of the wall. That's 10 km of skitour in the deep snow. Very strong snowfalls every day. We had to break the trail again and again. Today we are back to BC, wet from foots to the head. Tomorrow will bring the rest of gear to the route beginning and then will wait the weather improve in ABC" .

29 April, 2011 Nuptse - Everest expedition finished formalities in KTM and tomorrow will fly to Lukla.

27 April, 2011 Shishapangma, Kiev-Conti expedition: lived Donetsk for Nepal. Guides Serguey Kovalev and Vjacheslav Vyblov, members are Oleg Loginov, Alexey Davydov, Andrew Haraman, Serguey Orlov, Roman Kutsy and Denis Lisov.

27 April, 2011 Abele Blanc summits Annapurna and all 8000ers. At 13.40 Nepalese time Italian mountain Guide Abele Blanc reached the summit of Annapurna (8091m, Nepal, Himalaya). In doing so he has now ascended all 14 8000ers, and is the third Italian to do so without supplementary oxygen.

26 April, 2011 Nuptse - Everest expedition led by Valery Shamalo, started today from Moscow. The goal: Nuptse 2nd West first climb, via the North ridge. Guys don't have a picture of the ridge, the climb'll be a clear expromt. Then, if condition will be sufficient, guys will climb Everest normal route (in the June beginning). The members: Valery Shamalo (leader), Vladimir Milodozhe,. Pavel Chochia, Alexander Gukov, Edward Rubtsov (all from Saint Petersburg).

25 April, 2011 Greenland. The dream of virgin walls. Alexander Ruchkin and Mikhail Mikhailov are in BC. "We've carried the part of equipment to the bottom of our route. Waiting the weather improvement. It's warmer today. Cloudy, it snowing. We're preparing to acclimatizing push". Some days ago, when guys reached BC (12 km till the route bottom, they planned to set BC 7 km further, but couldn't come closer on motosledges), it was deep snow and cold there.

23 April, 2011 Kangchenjunga. Russian expedition SMS from Israfil: " Both groups rest in BC now. April, 20 Bolotov and AShurly reached 7000 m. Other expeditions didn't hurry, waiting when the route will be fixed. Only today their members are going to C1."

18 April, 2011 Kangchenjunga. Russian expedition SMS from Israfil Today we strted up from C1. Climbed the most of the plane part of the glacier. Alex Frolov then descended to BC. We began to fixed ropes on the icefall. The beginning thunderstorm forced us to set a tent and to wait at 6400 m. Tomorrow we're going to reach C2."

16 April, 2011 Kangchenjunga. Russian expedition SMS from Israfil: " Bolotov, Totmjanin, Asurly, Frolov and Stangl spent 2 days and nights on the route, fixed ropes till 6200 m. Set C1. Returned to BC. Gleb Sokolov, Andrew Manuilov, Alex Lutokhin, Dmitry Sinev started to the route the next day after Bolotov, fixed 7 ropes above C1, and also spent 2 nights on the route. Returned to BC today. Tomorrow Bolotov's group will continue the climb".

13 April, 2011 Kangchenjunga. Russian expedition "SMS from BC: "Some loads arrived, at least, to BC yesterday night. Glad this fact, A. Bolotov, N. Totmjanin, A. Frolov, I. Ashurly and C. Stangl started to the route. There were first in the season, who stepped there. In spite of the worsened weather, they fixed ropes the most part of the way to C1. Pity, but they haven't enough ropes, so couldn't reach 6100 m. They spent night at 6000 m. Tomorrow our guys will bring them more ropes, which had been carried to BC today after the dinner. And then Bolotov's group will continue the climb".

13 April, 2011 Greenland. The dream of virgin walls. Alexander Ruchkin and Mikhail Mikhailov started today from S-Petersburg to Grenland. They hope to climb new route (routes) in Eastern part of the island. They had to take minimum of the climbing equipment not to pay for the extra luggage, so they'll climb in alpine style without portaledge and on not so long wall - about 700 m. Most probably, it'll be Sharkteeth

12 April, 2011 Kangchenjunga. Russian expedition Today Israfil Ashurly and Alex Bolotov called me from BC.
The team (9 persons) are waiting their loads for 5 th day in BC. Without food, warm clothes, etc.
The porters lost the loads somewhere on the way to BC. And turned back to the valley.The situation is critical. The members can fell ill in the cold BC. Do you have info about other expedition to Kangch? Where they're? Did they saw Russian loads on the way? Or porters?

10 April, 2011 Kangchenjunga. Russian expedition led by Alex Bolotov reached BC. Israfil Ashurly wrote to Russianclimb: "Members of our expedition are Russians Gleb Sokolov, Nickolay Totmjanin, Andrew Manuilov, Alexander Lutokhin, Dmitry Sinev, Australian Alexander Frolov, Austrian Christian Stangl, and Azerbaidjanian Israfil Asurly. After the 12-days trekking we has reached BC at 5450 m. We're here the 3rd day, the strong snowfall was yesterday. The most of our high-altitude equipment is on the way yet. So, we can't begin to prepare the route. Two foreign expedition will arrive soon to this BC".