Everest(8848) - Page 12

Yesterday, May 5, a member of the 7 Summits Club Everest expedition Sergey Ponomarev died, presumably of a heart attack. He died almost instantly on a trail near the Camp ABC.

May 4th, the team of 7 Summits Club (23 climbers - guides and 11 Sherpas) went to climb the North Col of Everest 7000m. This was the final stage of acclimatization. Shortly after leaving the camp (6400m) Sergey Ponomarev was going very slowly. He was asked to return to the camp 6400m. There he should to spend the night and wait for the descent of the whole team from the North Col. Sergey agreed, and went down to the Camp 6400m. Rest of the team spent a night in the North Col.

The next morning, May 5, a part of the team made a successful ascent on the summit of Changtse 7600m. At noon the whole team started to descend to the Advanced Base Camp.

Sergey, accompanied by a Sherpa, decided to go up the path towards the team. At 100 meters from the Camp ABC, at an altitude of about 6500m, Sergey felt bad. He stopped breathing, heart rate is not detectable, the pupils did not react to light. All attempts at resuscitation using oxygen, closed-chest cardiac massage and artificial respiration, which lasted about 30 minutes, did not lead to success.

Early this morning, May 6, the body with porters was sent to the Base Camp of Mount Everest, for onward transportation to Kathmandu.

The whole team is mourning the sudden loss of a comrade ...

Alex Abramov

Alex Abramov from the ABC camp: After two days of acclimatization and training on ice seracs, today we go to theNorth Col.We are 23 “white” members and guides and 11 Sherpas. Next day if the weather allow we will try to climb Changtse (North summit of Everest).

Breakfast before the start. Unfriendly morning in the ABC.

Training

ABC

Alex Abramov from the ABC camp: Maybe one more world record for our expedition. This is a birthday cake at the altitude 6400 meters. It was made for 32-th birthday of our friend Thomas Senf. German-Swiss guide and photograph, he was a partner of Valery Rozov in many extreme actions. And now they are together.

Thomas was with Alex, Valery, Sergey Larin, Andrey Volkov in a helicopter which fall on the slope of Elbrus in 2008.

http://thomassenf.ch

Thomas Senf grew up inLeipzig. In 2002 at the age of 21 his passion for mountains made him move toSwitzerland. Today he lives in Interlaken in the Bernese Oberland. Besides his studies in mechanical engineering he was constantly drawn to the big mountain faces of the world. In this context he and his friends succeeded in the first ascents of both the route Harvest Moon at the Thalay Sagar and the North Face of the Arwa tower, two peaks that are situated in the Garhwal Himalaya in India. Besides his qualification as a mountain guide, photography started to play an increasingly important role for Thomas. Today he works in partnership with the outdoor photo agency Visual Impact.

Every last expedition we organize a couple of days rest in lower level then the base camp. We made this trip by jeeps a day after returning from acclimatization outing for ABC camp. We choose a village of Tashidzong for this. First of all for best sleep, then for best eat. Traditionally by buy here sheep for today dinner and for base camp.

The team of 7 Summits Club Everest expedition is in full on the Everest Base Camp. We rest after the first acclimatization outing, at 5800 m Today is a puja. This day the priests Lama recognized as favorable for the ceremony. The mood of all is festive.

Tomorrow morning the team of Valery Rozov goes to the Rongbuk Glacier, beneath the north wall ofMount Everest. The second part of the expedition, headed by Sergei Larin goes out the day after tomorrow in the Middle camp. Then the rest will go to the same camp and then to the ABC.

Yesterday we finished celebrating birthday of Vitaly Simonovic. Was arranged posh dinner and cake.

With Ecuadorian Patricio Tisalema, which plans an oxygen-free and high-speed race on Everest

Today, the day of rest, we had a competition in billiards. This is probably a world record on the height of billiards tournament.

Participants (all members of Everest climb).

Russia:

Sergei Dudko,
Dmitry Krasnov,
Sasha Apalko,
Sergey Ponomarev,
Vladimir Rychenko,
Vitali Simonovich.

Kazakhstan:
Yaroslav Sabirbaev.

Ukraine:
Konstantin Morozov.

Poland:
Zigmund Berdychovski (failure to appear at the start).

US-Russia-Azerbaijan
Murad Ashurly (failure to appear at the start)

Head Judge:
Catherine Pozdeyeva.

Main organizer:
Alex Abramov.

Result:

First place - victory went to Yaroslav Sabirbaev ofKazakhstan.

Second place - Sergey Ponomarev -Russia.

Third place - Konstantin Morozov -Ukraine.

Small Bronze (4th) Sasha Apalko.

Everybody is happy and participants and spectators.

Tomorrow we will start for great things, spending the first night at 5800m and .... birthday of Vitalik Simonovich!

Alexander Abramov: Today - the second day, as our team is to base camp. Initially, in the morning all members went down to the Old Rongbuk Monastery. And then all together we started for an installation of billiards. Yes, billiards.

We have a large tent, which we call the "Sports". There is a table tennis table inside it. And now the table for billlierds. We hauled slabs of marble. 3 plates - each up to 150 kg. Then pulled the cloth.

In general, everyone is happy with the result.

This is probably the first pool table at an altitude above 5000m.

The first played were the guides: Sergei Larin and Noel Hanna.

The deal is done: now we can think about the mountains.

Alex and his favorite motorcycle

Murad Ashurly is hungry after a walk

In our dining room we eat a traditional borshch (beetroot and cabbage soup a Russian - Ukrainian dish)

Billiards epic story

Night came to BC

Two parts of our expedition met before starting to the final part of route to the base camp. But their bus was suddenly broken. Members end guides were trying to push it.

We are here ! Everest and his brothers or Quomolungma and her sisters.

One group (main) under leadership of Alex Abramov started from Lhasa. The second group with Noel Hanna (guides and sherpas) goes with a baggage via Nialam and Jangmu.

Alex was met by our Nepal chief Mingma (7 Summits Adventure Co) and his friends Nima and Pemba.

This will be the 10th in a row, that is, the jubilee expedition, it will join a record number of participants. 27 clients and 5 guides will be at the base camp at Rongbuk Glacier. Our subsidiary 7 Summits Adventure Co has been involved in the preparation of the season.

In the expedition of 7 Summits Club 13 members will climb with permits for the summit of Everest, 4 guides will work with them, 7 pax have permits for Changtse, 2 – for North Col (1 guide), 6 persons have the right to go up to camp ABC.

Besides the main ascent, Alexander Abramov plans to re-try a new route: traverse Changtse - Everest.

In two days Alexander Abramov will fly to Nepal to Kathmandu to do on-site preparation for the great expedition of 7 Summits Club on Everest. This will be the 10th in a row, that is, the jubilee expedition, it will join a record number of participants. 27 clients and 5 guides will be at the base camp at Rongbuk Glacier. Our subsidiary 7 Summits Adventure Co has been involved in the preparation of the season.

In the expedition of 7 Summits Club 13 members will climb with permits for the summit of Everest, 4 guides will work with them, 7 pax have permits for Changtse, 2 – for North Col (1 guide), 6 persons have the right to go up to camp ABC.

Besides the main ascent, Alexander Abramov plans to re-try a new route: traverse Changtse - Everest.

Generally 7 Summits Club sends toNepalthree large groups: forIslandPeak, for MeruPeakand for the classic trekking to Everest base camp.

 1. History. Alpinist Magazine about 1962 adventure Everest expedition....

This is the true, almost unbelievable story of a daring attempt by four amateur mountaineers—a college professor, a school teacher, a lawyer and a geology student — to climb the highest peak in the world—Everest.

Without Sherpas or other porters, and with a bare minimum of money, food and equipment, this small band of adventurers, led by Woodrow Wilson Sayre, set out to climb Everest's North Face, which to date has never been conquered.

Not even bottled oxygen, considered by most professional climbers as a necessity, was taken. To make the journey even more hazardous, the expedition had to make a secret dash throughTibetto reach the North Face, risking capture, imprisonment, or even execution by the Chinese Communists, who reputedly patrol the Tibet-Nepal border.

The type of terrain the party crossed is some of the roughest in the world. Sayre recalls that the trek fromKathmandu,Nepalto base camp at the foot of Gyachung Kang was 'like walking up and down ladders fromBostontoAlbany.' Immediately beyond base camp the glacier 'rises 3,000 feet in a tumble of crevasses and ice blocks, and it includes two nearly vertical cliffs of around 1,000 feet.' The route then crosses some 25 miles of untracked glaciers averaging 20,000 feet in altitude. Never before in a Himalayan climb has base camp been at such a distance from the mountain to be climbed. The North Face route begins with the ascent of theNorth Col, which itself is a 1,500-foot-high wall of ice and snow.

The task was grueling and torturous. Carrying every ounce of their supplies for 40 days on their own backs, they had to struggle towards the mountain day after day, gasping for oxygen in the extremely rarified air. At one point a huge ice block overturned and obliterated their intended route. Without medical aid, and three weeks from help of any kind as they were, the slightest accident or misjudgment could have brought immediate disaster. Sayre himself, in three falls, slipped an incredible 1,000 feet down the North Face of Everest—and still walked out.

Each man was driven close to the breaking point. Exhaustion became a constant companion. Food rations ran logs. Before the end of the brutal journey, there was nothing left to eat, and they faced starvation

But there are those treasured, never-to-be-forgotten moments during the expedition when Sayre tells of his feelings of pure exhilaration—'of being close to the top of the world, of taking in at a glimpse thousands of square miles of untouched country, of walking where only a handful of men have walked in the history of the world.'

2001. Last time together....

2. Alan Arnette about new season:

http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/everest-2013-coverage/

 Dawes Eddy:

Q: Dawes, you are 70 and have already summited Everest. Why again?

I love adventure and a challenge and my Everest climb in 2009 provided me with both. The 45 minutes I spent on the summit watching the sunrise was a very moving experience, which I would like to repeat. Chronologically, I’ll be four years older, but my definition of aging is defined as loss of function. My loss of conditioning and aerobic capacity the past 4 years has been minimal and I want to demonstrate that with the proper lifestyle choices, all things are possible into a person’s 70?s and beyond.

David Tait

  Q: Your 2013 effort will require extraordinary stamina. Can you share with us your plan?

Yes, my plan does demand exceptional stamina. i have it physically, but do i have it mentally is the question – i will take it slow, realise that this visit is a gift, and try to extract the most from it. I’m not going to set public targets….. I have one in my head [an extreme one], but we shall have to see.

David Liano

He will be attempting in 2013 something no climber has ever done on Everest – climb both sides separately in one season. David is no stranger to Everest with three summits on five different climbs, so he knows what he is getting into.

Q: Now you are looking at a double summit of Everest meaning you hope to summit from Nepal, climbing from the South, then move to Tibet to climb from the North. This has never been done in one season. What is your motivation?

My goals on Everest have evolved mostly due to permit, political and health issues. But my motivation has stayed the same through the years: to live unique and challenging adventures and never to settle for the ordinary.

 North-East India Everest expedition. More than 20 climbers

3. Sherpa woman overcomes prejudice for Everest record

http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/02/28/nepal-everest-woman-chhurim-sherpa-idINDEE91R09O20130228

KATHMANDU | Thu Feb 28, 2013 3:50pm IST

(Reuters) - When Chhurim Sherpa was a child she was inspired to dream of scaling Mount Everest by the mountaineers heading to the Himalayan peaks which tower over her village in eastern Nepal.

But economic and social pressures stood in her way, including people saying she did not have the right to set foot on the sacred peak because she was a mere female.

Now the slender 29-year-old is celebrating her world record status as the first woman to climb Everest twice in one week.

"I am lucky to get sponsors and very happy that I have been able to earn a place of pride for our country," she told Reuters as she sat cross-legged in her second-floor Kathmandu apartment, wearing tight jeans and with a bowl of toffees in front of her.

Chhurim, who like many sherpas is called by her first name, climbed Everest, the world's highest peak at 8,850 metres (29,035 feet) on May 12 and 19, 2011. On February 25, Guinness World Records officially recognised her feat as a world first, making her an instant international celebrity.

The sixth of eight children, Chhurim was born in Ghunsa, a tiny village in the shadow of the world's third highest peak, Kangchenjunga, 8,586 m (28,169 ft) tall, in northeast Nepal.

As a child she was fascinated by tales of the historic climbs of Japan's Junko Tabei, who became the first woman to climb Everest in 1975, and Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, who was the first Nepali woman to summit in 1993 but died on the descent.

Actually climbing it herself seemed only a distant dream. While some 4,000 climbers have ascended Everest since it was first scaled by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa nearly 60 years ago, fewer than 400 have been women.

In addition, sherpas consider Mount Everest - known as Sagarmatha in Nepali and Qomolangma, or Holy Mother, in Tibetan - to be a deity.

"It was not easy," she said, recalling when she first said she wanted to climb Everest. "They were disapproving and said it is a god and why should a woman like you try to climb."

There were numerous hurdles to overcome. Maya Sherpa, another sherpa woman who has summited Everest, said expenses kept many women from the peak.

But Chhurim persevered, leaving school as a grade eight student and joining a climbing training course run by the Nepal Mountaineering Association. Sponsorship by a Nepali hiking group paid her fees for this and later climbing ventures.

After climbing two smaller mountains in the Everest region she began setting her sights seriously on Everest in 2010.

"Initially my parents were against the idea. They thought I might die," she said. "But I told them that other women had climbed as well and that I am well trained. Then they agreed."

Like other sherpa climbers, Chhurim performed Hindu and Buddhist religious rites before beginning the ascent, asking forgiveness for setting foot on the mountain.

"I bowed my head to touch the ground three times, offered khada (Buddhist prayer scarves) and planted prayer flags as soon as I reached the top," she said.

Chhurim now has a new goal - she wants to summit the highest mountains on all seven continents.

Attitudes are changing in the majority Hindu nation, and male climbers - including Pemba Tshering, who made headlines when he climbed the peak at 16 in 2001 - spoke with pride about her achievement.

"Nowhere has it been written that women should not climb mountains," he said. (Reporting by Gopal Sharma, editing by Elaine Lies and Paul Casciato)

4. Denis Urubko.

5. Valentin Bozhukov

 "At my age, to climb to such heights is dangerous - he says. - And especially dangerous - go down from such a height. Therefore, because of age, I'm going to use for the descent from Everest  a glider. The main thing - not to be mistaken with the weather. "

6. Cinema.

Film based on 1953 Mt Everest climb to begin shooting

Shooting begins tomorrow at Aoraki Mount Cook for the film depicting Sir Edmund Hillary's conquest of Mount Everest.

The 3D film Beyond the Edge tells the story of the monumental 1953 ascent.

Interest is already building following the announcement last week that actors Chad Moffitt and Sonam Sherpa have been cast as Sir Ed and Tensing Norgay.

New Zealand Film Commission chief executive Graeme Mason is wishing everyone working on the film the best as they embark on the ambitious mountain shoot to recapture one of the country's most historic moments.

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/news/nbent/513169675-film-based-on-1953-mt-everest-climb-to-begin-shooting

A Canada-born hypnotherapist with only a few minor acting credits willl play Sir Edmund Hillary in a 3D film recreating his 1953 conquest of Mt Everest.

Wellington-based Chad Moffitt, whose previous roles included playing a flesh-eating zombie, won film-makers over with a simple approach - he sent in a photo of himself holding a $5 note bearing Hillary's face.

His resemblance to the mountaineer has delighted Hillary's son, Peter, and family.

Hillary's granddaughter, Anna Boyer, said photos of the actor in the movie bore a striking likeness to her grandfather even though Moffitt is five years older than when Hillary topped the world.

"The photos look fantastic," she said.

"He's got the perfect craggy face, it's terrific.

"Peter met Moffitt last year and he was really happy with him."

Beyond The Edge producer Matthew Metcalfe said they deliberately did not want a famous face in the role.

"He's pretty much our most well-known icon, and everyone in New Zealand feels like they have a vested interest and connection with Ed.

"So we made a decision early on that we didn't want to use a ‘movie star'.

"There were various people floating around, but we made a point of saying the movie is bigger than the star, the story is bigger than the man."

Moffitt, who at 192cm is just 3cm shorter than Hillary, grew up in Nelson and is a keen mountaineer.

He says he is used to people telling him how much he looks like the late knight.

Moffitt has worked for Sir Peter Jackson's Weta Digital - but trained last year in hypnotherapy and works part-time for a Wellington clinic.

Moffitt will be joined on screen by Sonam Sherpa, who will portray Tenzing Norgay. Sherpa is from Nepal but is a New Zealand resident living in the Mt Cook region.

"Tenzing was described by everyone who met him as the most charming, charismatic man, with an amazing smile," director Leanne Pooley said.

"Sonam is exactly the same and while relatively new to acting he is completely relaxed in front of the camera. It just seems incredible I found my Tenzing in New Zealand."

Filming for Beyond The Edge is scheduled to start on March 3 on and around Aoraki/Mt Cook, which will double as the Himalayas.

The film, which will use footage from 1953, is scheduled to be released later this year.

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7

. Everest book celebrates climbing, publishing firsts "Coffee tablet" book, available now on itunes

Two skilled climbers and talented writers, two distinctly different expeditions and one very big mountain comprise the key ingredients of the innovative "coffee tablet" book, Everest: High Expectations.

Written by Pat Morrow, who summitted Everest as a member of Canada's 1982 expedition two days after teammate Laurie Skreslet became the first Canadian to reach that pinnacle, and Sharon Wood, who became the first North American woman to reach that same point in 1986 with teammate Dwayne Congdon via a difficult new and never repeated route, the book itself represents several firsts.

In a narrative sense, it's the first publication to tell the story of how the preparation, unfolding tragedies and successes of the 1982 expedition spurred the particular planning, execution and triumph of the 1986 expedition.

But its production as an electronic book designed specifically to take advantage of the iPad's unique technological capabilities sets a new standard for illustrated books by combining the tradition of splendid coffee table books with multi-media innovation.

With 142 full-colour photographs illustrating its 140 pages, the book contains chapters by both authors. Each describes their personal histories and apprenticeships that led to their inclusion on their respective teams in an era when the only people climbing Everest were highly skilled climbers invited by their peers.

Subsequent chapters detail their respective climbs, and the book concludes with afterwards by each of them, in which Wood and Morrow share insightful comments on the mostly lamentable state of Everest as overcrowded and disrespected, with Morrow writing, "Adventure tourism has turned one of the world's great mountains into a crowded playground. Admission is costly, and sometimes fatal."

Both Morrow and Wood's writing styles are engaging and captivating as they describe the adventures and experiences that defined and celebrated that particular chapter of each of their life stories.

At the same time, the book's equal triumph is in its multi-media 3D presentation facilitated by the iPad's technology.

A flick of the finger on any photo expands the image to fill the screen. Numerous photos have two, three or as many as 10-full colour and sharply textured images accessed as interactive slide shows, each bearing captions that share additional details about the climbs' events, personalities and state of the mountain.

Not stopping at still photos, the hybrid book also incorporates video and audio footage from both the '82 and '86 expeditions, which literally bring the story to life — including breathless commentary by Skreslet as he films an avalanche thundering down a not-very-distant slope, adding an extra dimension of drama and depth to the story.

You can feel the cold in Skreslet's voice.

--

The book also includes links to external resources including a one-hour documentary, as well as electronic footnotes providing valuable information about key people and story elements that can be accessed later without interrupting the text.

Beyond the high-tech bells and whistles though, Everest: High Expectations masterfully shares a story from a perspective that's never before been recorded — how the circumstances of the 1982 expedition, during which a large team intent on making a uniquely Canadian stamp on Everest by climbing a new, technically challenging route, fractured after the tragic deaths of three Sherpas and a cameraman. The team regrouped and ultimately succeeded in its goal of placing the first Canadian on the summit — which inspired and guided the planning and execution of the self-sufficient, smaller Everest Light 1986 expedition.

To produce the publication to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the '82 climb, Morrow teamed up with publisher Frank Edwards, with whom he first worked in 1975 when Edwards was editor of Canadian Geographic magazine.

For her part, Wood said she valued the opportunity to write about the '86 expedition from her perspective as one member of the team and to express how the '82 expedition influenced and inspired her.

"I really enjoyed writing about how I was very moved to witness my peers facing such hardship and rising to it, and also by how different individuals rose to those challenges in very different ways," Wood said. "The '82 trip was very much an inspiration for me, and I wanted a chance to rise to a challenge the way they did."

With both the '82 and '86 climbs being ground-breaking Canadian mountaineering accomplishments, it's only fitting that the book that links their connection should be too.

More than just a book, Everest: High Expectations is a well-written, introspective and thoughtful story artfully told in a 3D multi-media experience. As such, Morrow said he feels confident that while many fans of mountain literature may not own or use iPads, with 600 million current iPad users projected to rise to 100 million, he expected the book's captivating stories of adventure combined with its high production values have the potential to reach a large audience, including those who might discover mountaineering as literary genre. At the same time, he added, the book could potentially be made suitable for other electronic readers.

"Mountaineering is a natural fit for electronic books, so many expeditions have video and audio components," Morrow said. "Keep in mind; this is only version two of this software. We're just at the dawn of iBook publishing. The iPad itself is underutilized. Our book stands a chance of opening eyes to what's possible."

Everest: High Expectations is downloadable on the iPad by searching for the title, authors' names or at the iTunes book store for $9.99.

8. Tom Whittaker visited Kyrgyzstan

The famous Russian high-altitude climber Gleb Sokolov visited the Moscow office of NPF BASK company, his lead sponsor. He spoke to the press about their plans. This year Gleb will be under Everest with the expedition of 7 Summits Club. He plans to made a new route via the middle of Kanchung face in alpine style.

Gleb Sokolov was a member of the Russian team on the north face of Everest, on the west face of K2, on the first ascent of Lhotse Middle. Plus he climbed also Makalu, Lhotse Shar, Lhotse Main, Cho Oyu and Manaslu. He became famous in Russia after high speed record climbs of Peak Communisma and Pobeda in late 80th. He is an author of two new routes on the northernmost seventhousander Peak Pobeda, made solo traverse of it. At least 40 times climbed peaks above 7000 meters. In short, Sokolov is the leading high-altitude climber of Russia. Gleb lives in Novosibirsk, this year he will celebrate 60 years anniversary, with four children, and at least one grandchildren.

"Last year for me was sad and unfortunate. Very people close to me left us: my friends, first Vitaly Gorelik February 6 on K2, then Ilyas Tukhvatullin and Vanya Lobanov October 7 at Annapurna. All my plans were broken….

Trek to Annapurna, with Ilyas

In April-June this year, I and Alexander Kirikov plan a new route on Everest on the east face and in the alpine style + without oxygen (photo 1). We will prepare for climbing with the great company of climbers from the 7 Summits Club. We will go up to the Changtse Peak (7550m), hike on the "northern classics route."

After acclimatization we get to the glacier Kanchung, to go climb the main goal. The descent we plan to the north side.
Summer - nothing serious. May be – Aktru mountaineering camp. For support of acclimatization, in July and August, I plan to climb Lenin Peak.

In September-November, we organize an expedition to Shisha Pangma. With Alexander Kirikov, and maybe with someone else, we want to go via a new route on the two peak of Shisha Pangma starting from a traverse of Molamenking peak (7661m) (photo 2). Remaining members of the expedition will follow the classical way, and will also try to climb the two peaks (8008m and 8027m).

Of course, plans are plans, and what you get is what you get. The mood is great, and then - let's see ... It better 10 times turn back, then ....

Dear friends,

I wish you a Healthy, Prosperous and Happy New Year 2013!!!!

Asian Trekking's Celebration of 30th Anniversary:

Completing the year 2012, was a landmark for Asian Trekking. It marked the completion of our 30 year journey since being established in 1982.

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Asian Trekking in adventure tourism, we organised a tree plantation programme followed by a picnic on 30th Dec 2012 at Lakhuri Bhanjyang, above Kathmandu Valley. Among our 122 staffs (office and permanent field staff) most of them were present on the occasion.

On the occasion we felicitated, with certificates and rewards, our staffs who have been with us since the beginning in 1982. I feel proud to mention that these loyal and hard working staff are Suk Bahadur Ale (Sukre), Kali Bahadur Basnet (Kalu), Mingmar Tamang, Bhai Kaji Tamang (Maila Tamang) and Bala Bahadur Magar (Maila Magar). And, to my great surprise and honour, the field staff presented me with a mini stupa as a "token of love." It is because of our staffs' hard work, honesty, passion and dedication that Asian Trekking is where it is today.

An interaction program between office staff and field staffs were also held on that day. Various topics were discussed such as improvement in Asian Trekking’s services, welfare of the staffs, upgrading equipment to meet the existing requirement, required training for the climbing guide as well as trekking guides, cooks, kitchen boy etc. Though we completed 30 years, we are excitedly looking forward to the next 30 years.

Joint Tourism Coordination Meeting Between Nepal and China

On 17th and 18th December I attended the Sixth Meeting of the Joint Tourism Coordination Committee between the Government of Nepal and the People's Government of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) which was held in Lhasa. I was a member of the Nepalese delegation, in the capacity Mountain and Adventure Tourism Expert.

The meeting was held in a very cordial and friendly atmosphere. The 17 member Nepalese delegation was headed by Mr. Mohan Krishna Sapkota, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation of the Government of Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region delegation was led by Mr. Yu Yun Gui, Director of Tibet Tourism Administration of the People’s Government of Tibet Autonomous Region.

The purpose of the meeting was to promote and expand cooperation in the areas of tourism and trade to the mutual benefits of both Nepal and Tibet Autonomous Region.

Meeting with China Tibet Mountaineering Association

Also, on 19th December 2012 I had a meeting with China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA) general secretary including other authorities of CTMA over the Tibet Expedition.

We discussed about the cooperation of future expeditions and how to run the expeditions smoothly without disruptions, visa issues and border closures. We also discussed over the issues of rope fixing, route making and permit fees on Mt. Everest, Mt. Ch-oyu, Mt.. Shishapangma and other mountains inTibet. CTMA assured me that the future expedition will run smoothly. I firmly believe that our mutual cooperation and our frequent dialogue will bring fruitful results in the development of mountain tourism both in Nepal and Tibet Autonomous Region. I will continue to voice our concerns with the authorities for the betterment of mountaineering and tourism in the Himalayas.

First Aid and Medical Training:

Continuing our committment of safety in the mountains, this year again Asian Trekking organized first aid and medical training for the staff. A total of 40 staff participated in a two day training program.

The course focused on First Aid, Patient Stabilization, CPR, High Altitude Sickness and Response, etc.

Our sincere gratitude goes to Dr. Pranav Koirala, Dr. Kamal Thapa and Dr. Simant Thapa of the Mountain Medicine Society for conducting the training.

Maurice Herzog, French mountain climber, dies at 93:

I also have sad news to share. Legendary French mountaineer and author Maurice Herzog, died at the age of 93 on 13th the December 2012. Maurice and his climbing partner, Louis Lachenal ascended Annapurna I, the 10th-highest mountain in the world, on June 3, 1950. Doing so, they became the first person in history to successfully climb to the top of an eight thousand m peak.

Following this feat, Maurice wrote the hugely popular book, Annapurna, which has been translated into dozens of languages and estimated to have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. First published in 1951, Maurice's book put Nepal on the world map ‘for the first time’ and greatly promoted Nepal as a mountaineering and tourism destination.

I am very proud to have known him as a close friend. His passing is a great loss, though his legacy survives in all the mountaineers and adventurers he inspired.

Asian Trekking and I express our heartfelt condolences to his family and pray for his peaceful eternal journey.

Thank you for your support:

Lastly, it is my pleasure to keep you all up to date as to our activities here in the Himalaya. If you have any questions please do let me know. I thank you for your support in the past and look forward to our cooperation in the future.

Ang Tshering Sherpa

Asian Trekking (P) Ltd

www.asian-trekking.com

44-year-old guide of expeditions of 7 Summits Club on Everest, our great friend Noel Hanna is 5-time Everest summiter. He is a records man for Irish. A former cop, Noel mow is focused on sport.Marathonrunner and mountaineer, he is a fitness instructor, guide and also earns from advertising.

The magazine Mountain Pro published an article, that gives concise and accurate advices to those who are going to climbMount Everestfrom Noel….

Read Online .......

Our friend and partner Noel Hanna, Northern Ireland based adventure sports trainer and endurance athlete finished his project named 7 SUMMITS TO SEALEVEL. It means climbing Seven summits of the world's highest peaks, followed by seven arduous and top-speed descents to Sea Level. Almost five years, seven continents, thousands of column inches in media coverage - and one goal in sight, a new entry in the Guinness Book of Records.

http://7summits-club.com/newsarchive/all_1/date_2010_1_18_1/item_1570/

Explore a huge photograph showing Everest in extreme detail. What looks like litter might in fact be base camp, and what you think is a speck of dust could be a climber. Click the green boxes to zoom to a panoramic photo.

Ed Douglas. guardian.co.uk, Thursday 20 December 2012

Filmmaker and climate-change campaigner David Breashears spent this spring taking around 400 images of Everest and its near neighbours from a vantage point above base camp through a 300mm lens. Now he's released them digitally stitched together to form one image.

The result is a stunning panoramic photograph of the Everest region – with a twist. You can zoom in on specific areas and see the roof of the world in extraordinary detail. From a distance small colourful dots mark the location of base camp. Zooming in, you can pick out each tent clearly – and a man bending down as he washes his face.

The high definition also allows viewers to examine the mountain's icefall – and even pick out climbers descending between terrifying ice cliffs and crevasses. Think of it as an extreme, alpine version of Where's Wally.

Everest itself is the highest summit in the picture (just to the left of centre), a black pyramid towering above its paler western shoulder. Zooming in, you can see in detail the peak's famous yellow band - a section of interlayered marble, quartz and semi-schist. To the right of Everest, at the head of the western cwm, isLhotse, the fourth-highest mountain in the world, that rises up from the south col. Right again is Nuptse, the third peak in the Everest horseshoe. Like the western shoulder of Everest, the rock here is granite.

Curling from between Everest and Nuptse is the Khumbu glacier, a chaotic river of ice flowing downhill splitting into crevasses and ice cliffs. The route up Everest climbs up the left-hand side of this, and several climbers are visible on the thin trail that snakes up this dangerous section. To the left of the Khumbu glacier's lower section, the small colourful dots become the tents of base camp, giving an indication of just how popular climbing Everest is these days.

Source >>>>>>>

Glacierworks Project

http://www.glacierworks.org/the-glaciers/pumori-spring-2012/

This fullscreen panorama was published in connection with the 50 year anniversary in May 2003, for the first who reached the top of Everest.

50 years ago May 29 1953 The top ofMount Everestwas reached for the first time by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.

Since then 1.200-1.500 has climbed the top. Nobody knows the exact number. More than 140 climbers died on the way.

On May 24, 1989 the Australian photographer and mountaineer Roderick Mackenzie reached the summit. He was no 271 since 1953

He made which as far as I know is the only 360 degree panorama From the top.

Roderick Mackenzie made the image at the top ofMount EverestMay 24 1989. Below is in his own words his feelings of the event.

It's been thirty years since the first Soviet expedition reached the summit of Everest, the world's highest mountain. And, to mark the occasion, the 70 climbers who reached the top...

Were honoured in Moscow last Thursday...
And re-lived some of their unique experiences, with Konstantin Potapov

Yuichiro Miura, known as the godfather of extreme skiing, has set himself a new task that would tax most men half his age: Climbing Mount Everest at the age of 80.

The skier and adventurer plans to make his assault on the 8,848-meter peak in spring. It would make him the oldest person to scale Everest.

Miura turned 80 on Oct. 12. He has climbed the world's highest mountain twice since turning 70.

"To challenge Everest at 80 may be the limit for a human being," Miura said. “But I couldn't be happier, especially since the challenge is a mountain peak."

Miura will be accompanied by his second son Gota Miura, 43, and Noriyuki Muraguchi, a 56-year-old photographer who has scaled Everest seven times and holds the record for the feat by a Japanese.

The team aims to reach the summit in mid-May by taking a route from the Chinese side.

Miura rewrote the world record as the oldest climber to scale the Everest in 2003, when, at the age of 70, he and his son climbed the mountain.

Miura again conquered the Everest in 2008 at age 75, which made him the second oldest person to reach the summit after a 76-year-old Nepalese who reached the top around the same time.

Miura has skied down some of the world's highest peaks.

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 Oldest Everest climber seeks new record

 http://www.mmtimes.com

A nepalese mountain climber who already holds the world record as the oldest person to scale Mount Everest told The Myanmar Times last week that he plans to break his own benchmark by conquering the world’s highest mountain again early next year.

Min Bahadur Sherchan reached the 8848-metre (29,029-foot) summit of Mount Everest on May 25, 2008, at the age of 76 years 340 days, a record-breaking feat that has been recognised by Guinness World Records.

Not satisfied with his achievement, he said he is planning to climb the mountain again next February, at the age of 82.

“I want to do something tough that others at my age don’t do,” Mr Sherchan said during a visit to Yangon from September 30 to October 2.

“Most people drink and smoke and giving up the habits that seem too difficult for them. When they get older, there are many factors that make succeeding less probable,” he said.

“But elderly people need to get into the habit of walking, hiking or mountaineering. I want to prove how the wonders will never end for us if we can succeed. That’s why I gave up drinking and smoking, and try to be a role model for other people to aspire to.”

Mr Sherchan said he was a soldier in the British Gurkha Army from 1948 to 1953, and later turned his attention to growing apples on his plantation in Nepal.

After selling the plantation, he started a new career as an agent for hikers and mountaineers in Nepal. He has also worked as a building contractor.

He said he was “very determined” to break his own record and succeed at summiting Everest again.

“If I don’t succeed, I might come to the end of my life. Whether or not I reach the summit, fate will decide. But I have a strong will to conquer it and succeed,” he said.

Mr Sherchan said he reached the peak in 2008 with five other climbers.

“I didn’t have much trouble and the weather was fine too. When I stood at the summit of the highest mountain on earth, I felt as if I was even higher than Mount Everest,” he said.

Mr Sherchan was visiting Myanmar as an honorary goodwill ambassador for Visit Lumbini Year 2012. Lumbini, located in Nepal, was the birthplace of the Buddha and is a popular pilgrimage site.

Alpari-life.ru:

After our trio made it through Stage III of “Alpari: On Top of the World” with a successful climb of Mount Everest, we decided it was time to hold another press conference to let them share their stories. The event, which was held June 6, drew in journalists, Team Alpari partners and renowned Russian climbers.

Alpari Head of Marketing Vladislav Kovalchuk was there to speak on the company’s behalf: “Our employees were there with the team as they climbed Kilimanjaro and next they’ll be heading with them to Mount Elbrus. I think this says something about what this company is all about. And that’s the pursuit of achievement and success.” As it just so happened, our team made it to the summit of Everest exactly 30 years after the first Soviet expedition to the Himalayas. The climbers from Team Alpari proved themselves worthy successors, demonstrating the style, tactics and teamwork that have come to characterize Russian mountaineering.

Everest, the longest and most difficult climb our team will face, really took a lot out of the three of them. After two months of toil and overcoming numerous obstacles, the team finally got to share their tales. Their stories were emotional and filled with vivid detail.

Team captain Lyudmila Korobeshko started by explaining the intricacies of acclimatization on Everest, then confessed how worried she was during the final stretch of the climb, when she was running a fever of 38 degrees (having a temperature this high on a mountain this high can be extremely dangerous). She described how difficult it was making the decision to go ahead with the climb, given the enormous responsibility she bore as the leader. “It was really important to make the right decision. I didn’t want to risk having my body fail on me up there, but I didn’t want to let everyone down either.”

This was Ivan Dusharin’s third time on Everest, but as he pointed out, “Mountains always feel a little bit different, even if you take the same route.” Dusharin believes that it was his persistence and his ability to push through discomfort that helped him this time around. He is planning on writing a book where he will reveal a side of mountain climbing that goes unnoticed by the public at large, including the psychological component. Working on a mountain for 22 hours at an altitude more than 8,000 meters above sea level requires a tremendous amount of willpower. “Your body is going to rebel, but you just have to push through it.”

Team cameraman Maxim Shakirov, who dropped the most weight of the three over the two-month expedition (12 kg!), was asked why there was so little footage from the mountain. Maxim was honest. It was too cold and he was too tired. All of his effort went towards self-preservation. Just falling asleep is tough up there. As he explained, it’s really tough to get to sleep in a cold sleeping bag. To warm your sleeping bag up, you have to heat yourself up first – and that’s not always possible. Maxim jokingly noted, “I was very pleased to find out that I do have willpower.”

Seeing as how there have already been more than ten fatalities on Everest this year, a reporter from the Russian site Sport-Express-Extreme asked the team what they thought about the fact that virtually anyone can get a permit to climb Everest. The growing crowds of climbers on Everest have led to dangerous traffic jams along the main climbing routes as well as increasing environmental problems. Ivan Dusharin, with his years of experience climbing and organizing expeditions provided a little bit of insight on the matter. He pointed out that just a couple of decades ago, getting a permit to climb Everest from the Chinese or Nepalese government meant not only filing a formal request to have your expedition approved, but also providing evidence of your climbing ability. These days Nepal is more interested in the income that the recent inflow of climbers and tourists is bringing to the country.

So what do climbers eat on Everest? This was another question that came up. What does Ivan Dusharin carry in his backpack? During the team’s final 22-hour stretch of the climb, in the extreme conditions of Everest, Ivan took only 1.5 liters of tea and a handful of dried fruit (keep in mind that you typically lose around 6 liters of fluids a day when climbing). Is this some sort of special climber’s diet? Nope. As Ivan explained to the reporters, you don’t really think about eating or drinking when you’re up there. As a side note, when the team returned to Base Camp, they were surprised to discover that the Tibetan chefs there had learned to prepare borscht!

A representative from the Russian Mountaineering Federation asked the team what they were planning to do to recover after a hellish stretch of mountain climbing. Maxim answered that he is returning to his village, where he’ll spend his time mowing the lawn and digging up potatoes. Lyudmila is going to spend most of her time before McKinley at the doctor’s office, trying to get better. Ivan Dusharin doesn’t have time to relax either. He has a lot of work to do in Moscow.

Olga Vasilchikova, a representative from the sporting equipment company Red Fox, after congratulating the team on making it through the tough part, asked how their equipment is holding up. This may have been a strange question coming from someone else, but not from Red Fox, the official outfitter of Team Alpari, who has been there for us every step of the way.

At the end of the press conference it was announced that Lyudmila Korobeshko had already made her way into the record books. It turns out that she is the only Russian woman who has climbed Everest twice.

A journalist from Expert magazine wanted to know how many kilometers our team has climbed so far. We did the math, and as it turns out, they have climbed around 15 kilometers vertically and covered around 150-200 kilometers of ground.

And there’s much more ahead…

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