All news: 2010

Today, May, 16 in the morning, leader of the 7 Summits Club Everest expedition Alexander Abramov, Sirdar of the expedition Mingma Gelu and two mountain porters Nima Wangdi and Pemba Nurbah climbed Northern summit of Everest (Changtse, 7550 m) along the Southern Ridge. The climb took 6 hours, the route was quite difficult, according to our classification 4B - 5A category of difficulty. Alexander Abramov has compared it with classic route on Khan-Tengri from the Saddle . A lot of mixed climbing using ice tools, ice screws. "Difficult climb, we are tired. But I'm happy. I admired this summit since 2000. In 10 years no one climbed it. But it is also Everest, although Northern ! "

The group descended on the North Col (7000 m.), the expedition continues.

May, 13 a group of climbers from Club 7 Summits climbed on Ama Dablam. Now they go down, everything is OK. It was Pavel Laktyushin, Dmitriy Nikitin, Vladimir Khitrikov (our guide) and two Sherpa climbers.

Today the whole team, led by Nicholas Cherny, went into the Tillman’s Glade for additional acclimatization. I and Mingma tomorrow go to the Middle Camp and the day after to the ABC. 16 – 17 of May a weather "window" is expected and our Sherpas plan to finish supply of goods and equipment to the camp at 8300m. And we (Alex and Mingma) probably go up to the Changtse in this brief moment of calm. Weather forecast promised after 22 May good conditions and we plan to climb the main Peak on these days ...

Alex Abramov

Thanks to Alex there was a meeting of generations: 13-year-old Jordan and Nicholay (a legend of Mount Everest, aa  www.jordanromero.com)

Changtse, South Ridge

We rested three days in Xegar and Tashidzong, where we fished for trout in mountain river, and from where we brought a fresh lamb. Then the whole team gathered on May 9 at the Base Camp. And the holiday began.

We invited all expeditions, which were in BC (15 expeditions) and staged a party in honor of the Victory Day. This is the traditional celebration here. Almost everyone came, because now in the camp has nothing to do, there is too strong wind above ABC camp. Guests were interesting to look at the camp of "7 Summits Club", especially at a big new tent, named a space station. Inside that big tent more than fifty people sat around the table.

The party was fantastic. People eagerly communicated with each other, drinking beer and other beverages. Climbers from different expeditions tried to know each other better. In the focus, of course, were women, only seven for hundreds of men.

Everything was going so well that the official part was not required. But one time Alex Abramov told about the Victory Day. The people happily agreed, that is all, and they continued their conversation.

Soviet and German military marches sounded, someone even danced. In the next tent somebody was singing with a guitar. The guests were reluctant to finish, joy and communication. The party lasted from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. .

People sometimes have to relax. Such an unusual event memorable!

About plans of our team: for May, 15 forecasts promise a small window for 1-2 days.

But we are a big and serious expedition. We want to wait for a good stable weather for climbing. We hope the good weather will come after the 23rd May.

Best regards,

Alex Abramov

President of "7 Summits Club"

In 2008, the year of the Olympics in Beijing, the Chinese announced that they provided cell phones to camp ABC (6500m). This was called "China Mobile". So it was - they put on from BC to ABC 4-5 powerful repeaters. All repeaters except one, are on the slopes of the mountains surrounding the valley and it is hard to pin down. Therefore, up to the Middle Camp there is a very good mobile connection.

But above the Middle Camp, we found on the trail broken by someone, probably by Tibetan yaksmen, amplifying station (repeater). Solar pelted with stones, antenna and cables were plucked out of touch. Who do it ? Now there is no mobile in the ABC camp, because the signal is fed from the amplifier to an amplifier, and now the chain is broken.

Training in the area of the camp ABC.

During the acclimatization ascent, we surveyed the route of ascent on the southern ridge of the North summit of Everest (Changtsze).

Yesterday all members of 7 Summits-Club Everest expedition depart to Xegar on 4200 m for rest. Jeeps come only at 7 p.m., so we had time to put our new eightmeters-tent. The task was not simple, but interesting. Nicholay Cherny acted as foreman and as topman. Then the rest teammates enthusiastically joined in the work, including Sherpas. When it came time to raise the curtain, it was 15 people working together. ...

This is a real super-construction. Outside you can not understand the scope, but it towers high over our giant yellow tent. Inside the tent - everything looks like a cinema hall and recreation room for 20-25 people.

Today a team of our four guides and doctor Igor Pokhvalin, with a sense of accomplishment, go to Tashidzong at 4000 m, to rest for 2 nights. On May 9, we plan to return to the base camp and invite guests for celebration on the Victory Day in the new tent. .

Best regards !

Alex Abramov

Today in the 6.45 a.m. our team reached the highest point of the Kilimanjaro Uhuru Peak (5895 m). The ascent was done in a very high tempo, despite strong winds, storm and almost complete lack of visibility. Now the group has descended into Horombo Hut, all happy and getting ready for the wildlife of Africa on safari.

Here are the names of heroes: Natalia Adler, Adele Bahtigozin, Mikhail Belyakov, Stanislav Gradov, Maxim Zadubrovsky, Vladislav Mamulkin, Alexei Skaballanovich, Vladimir Khristenko, Dmitry Chikin. Guides: Ludmila Korobeshko, Vladimir Lavrinenko.

In recent days, there was a peak of bad weather. In the morning, on May 5, as was predicted by forecast, there was heavy snowfall. We, four guides, Alexander Abramov, Nikolay Cherny, Sergey Larin, Noel Hanna, after consultation, decided to turn the whole team down from ABC to the Base Camp. Moreover, the forecast for today and tomorrow promises to bad weather and the forecast is justified.

Snow falls in the base camp too. We must wait till end of this attack of monsoon. Thus, the process of acclimatization is complete. We decided to organize rest for the team until May 9 holiday, and then plan the assault on Mount Everest.

Climb North summit, we also plan to climb after May 9. We are now 16 climbers and 12 Sherpas. Everybody felt fine.

Alex Abramov

May, 9  Russia celebrates The Victory Day, the  most significant holiday for our country. Nickolay Cherny, who last year turned 71 years old, is currently in camp ABC at 6500. He work as a guide of the  7 Summits Club Everest  International Expedition under the leadership of Alexander Abramov. Whole team of climbers is preparing for the second acclimatization climb to the altitude of 7700 meters. At that time, Alexander Abramov and Nickolay Cherny are going to take a new route to the North Peak  of Mount Everest, named also Changtsze,  7550 meters, via the Southern Ridge from the North Col.

Direct view on the ridge

Profile - right ridge

Nickolay Cherny

Alex Abramov

Yesterday we started to climb, for 2,5 hours got to the Mandara Hut. On the road we met a couple of lovely colobus and a pair of lovely Australians. Then we went to the bottom of Crater Moundy. In the evening we enjoyed the stars. Using GPS technology we have identified the Southern Cross.

3rd May, the team quickly, before the timetable, reached Horombo. In his spare time we had a disco and "dressing". Fog, rain a little.

Kilimanjaro Group

Guides: Ludmila Korobeshko, Vladimir Lavrinenko.

Members: Natalia Adler, Adele Bahtigozin, Mikhail Belyakov, Stanislav Gradov, Maxim Zadubrovsky, Vladislav Mamulkin, Alexei Skaballanovich, Vladimir Khristenko, Dmitry Chikin.

Just one hour we were on the top of Jebel Toubkal, the highest in Morocco and in North Africa. Ascent and descent took a total of 5 hours and 40 minutes. Seven of the eight members of the expedition 7 Summits Club took part in the ascent. Everything is OK.

Guide of the 7 Summits Club Luba Ivanova.

The first tourist group 7 Summits Club in Morocco.

Guide and leader Luba Ivanova. Members: Pauline Aksenova, Oleg Anishchenko, Igor Demyanenko, Jamila Murtazina, Andrey Prozukin, Victor Serov, Sergey Sokruta

Alexander Abramov reports from the camp ABC. Our Everest expedition went to the ABC camp. Climbers successfully carried out an acclimatization ascent to the North Col. Guide Sergey Larin with three members Sergei Dudko, Dmitry Krasnov and Andrei Perepelkin stayed on an additional night at the North Col. After three nights of rest, we'll go for a second acclimatization ascent, this time to the height of 7700 m. All goes as planned, the weather is normal: with snow almost every day after lunch. And now it's snowing, in spite of the forecast.

ABC: when it is a good weather

I am writing to you from paradise. I'm sitting at 5 meters from the pool among the vines, palms and acacias. Around me, marabou and other birds. From time to time a light breeze drives off the clouds, there is blue sky and I think, just about, and you will see just over a immensity of Kilimanjaro.

By the way, a few hours before we have seen the summit from the height of 7000 m, on the flight from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro. While the four of us: 2 leaders (Ludmila Korobeshko and Volodya Lavrinenko) and 2 members of the expedition - Stas Gradov and Natalie Adler. The remaining 7 members, headed by Vladimir Khristenko arrive tonight directly from Amsterdam, where they began the solemn celebration of May Day. We hope to continue already here, all together, among the coffee plantations on the slopes of Kilimanjaro.

Ludmila Korobeshko

In Namche Bazaar, we purchase a product, and some equipment. Then we noted the so-called "garbage deposit". Tomorrow at 8 am we leave in Pangboche.

Everything is OK. Vladimir Khitrikov

 Yesterday, the group celebrated the meeting trying Moroccan beer. Then we opened the season of swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. In the evening we moved to a restaurant, try the local cuisine, which contributed to final consolidation of the group. Now we're in Marrakech, and drive towards the beginning of the trek - in the village of Imlil.

The search for Laszlo Varkonyi has ended. Today morning according to the informations of the Hungarian embassy in Beijing, the Ministry for foreign affairs informed us, that by the report of the Chinese contact officer they finished searching for Laszlo Varkonyi. The local authorities will fill out a document on the lethal accident. The decision was made because after searching for two and a half they presumed that they won't find him dead or alive. In the area of the searching the ice is not stable and the weather was adverse.

David Klein told by phone that he would rather talk about his from Kathmandu. Now he only said: 'There was an avalanche accident, an icefall. My friend Laszlo Varkonyi has died, I was lucky, the safety rope held me.' David will start off to Kathmandu today afternoon or tomorrow morning and hopes to reach it tomorrow evening.

Statement of David Klein, April 27, 2010

Yesterday around noon we were on our way down from the North Col (7000 m) to the Advanced Base Camp (6400 m), when at half way, at a relatively easy area the ice started to fall, which means that the ice-wall above us fell down. The ice took Konyi and me off our legs. The ice threw me onto an ice-wall, cross an edge, and I stopped hanging at the vertical wall, on the fixed rope. I didn't know what happened to Konyi, he was behind me. I hoped that the avalanche missed him.

Later I was rescued from above, with the help of a rope, and I learnt that Konyi was missing. They searched for him yesterday and today with big teams, but they didn't find him. According to the eyewitnesses, while I was carried away by the avalanche, Konyi was caught by it 15-20 meters behind me, and the ice fell on him directly.

I have few bruises on my right arm, it was already reinstated by a Mexican doctor here on the mountain.

I will go down from the mountain the day after tomorrow.

I would like to emphasize that these are only the first impressions! I will give a more accurate description of what happened later.

Last photo from Everest

Today Annapurna relented and took a large group of climbers have long dreamed of meeting with this summit. First of all, it should be noted the ascent of Koreans Oh Eun Sun, who went in history as the first woman who ascended to all 14 eight-thousanders. Reporting on its landmark ascent was on Korean television.

Except Koreans and her team (5 Sherpas + 2 cameramen), the peaks reached by Romanians Horia Colibasanu, then a team of Peter Pustelnik, King Baranovskaya (Poland) and Peter Hamor (Slovakia). Thus, Peter Pustelnik also completed a program of 14 eight-thousanders. Later, our honored, great climber Sergey Bogomolov and Eugene Vinogradskii reached the top. Both, close friends of the club 7 Summits, traveled with us and worked as guides with our groups. We hope that the descent of the company's to base camp will take place without incident. Then we could raise a glass for them.

At 2:30 p.m., Chinese time, a big avalanche came down from the North Col of Everest. In the opinion of witnesses, a snow cornice was broken on the crest above the North Col. At this time, about 100 people were on fixed ropes. The avalanche grazed the edge of fixed ropes. According to an eyewitness, sirdar "7 Summits Club" Mingma Gelu, they could see from the camp ABC that search and rescue operations began.

More precise information in one hour: no member of the expedition 7 Summits Club was next to these accident. According to preliminary information, 2 Hungarian climbers fell under the avalanche. One of them have taken already to the camp ABC, he is alive. The second climber has not yet been found.

Our Everest team approved the following plan of action.

28.04 - Intermediate Camp.

29.04 - go to camp ABC

30.04 – rest and training at Camp ABC

May 1 - climb to the North Col. (overnight stay at an altitude of 7000 meters)

May 2 - descent into the camp ABC

May 3-4 - rest in ABC

May 4 - the rise in the North Col. (overnight)

May 5 - exit at the height of 7800 meters and descend to camp ABC

May 6 - descent to the Base Camp.

   North Col never looks safe

 View from the ABC camp to the North Col

Pune, April 25 (IANS) Braving strong gales and temperatures below minus-20 degrees Celsius, Pune mountaineer Krushnaa Patil Sunday scaled Europe’s highest peak, Mt. Elbrus (5,642 metres).

Accompanied by a sole guide, Vladimir from Russia, Krushnaa started the treacherous climb in a blanket of 20 cms snow at 6 a.m. Sunday.

“Owing to heavy snowfall, low temperatures and strong winds, she had to wait for three days at the base camp for the weather to clear. Luckily, she got a window today to finally attempt the climb and succeeded in reaching the summit by 1 p.m.,” her mother Ranjana Patil told IANS here Sunday night.

By late afternoon, Krushnaa started her descent and is expected to reach base camp - at around 3,694 metres - by early Monday morning, Ranjana, herself an avid mountaineer, said.

With this, Krushnaa has scaled six of the world’s seven tallest peaks in all the continents and her eyes are now set on Mt.McKinley in Alaska (6,194 metres).

Incidentally, last month (March 13), Krushnaa and Ranjana both scaled the 2,228-metre Mt. Koscinszko, the highest Australian peak.

A couple of months before that, Krushnaa summitted South America’s highest peak Mt. Aconcagua - 6,961-metres high - in January this year.

Earlier, in May last year, Krushnaa reached the summit of the world’s highest peak, Mt. Everest (8,848 metres), followed by Africa’s tallest mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres) in October and the highest peak in Antarctica, the 4,897-metre tall Mt. Vinson massif, in December.

Ranjana Patil said her daughter plans to conquer even Alaska’s Mt. Mckinley within the next few months. She added preparations are already underway for the effort which will make her the first Indian to scale all the seven peaks in the seven continents of the world.

Krushnaa, who is pursuing Bachelor of Arts (BA) at Pune University, is a professional Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She also designs dance costumes, jewellery and home interiors.

One day members of the expedition visited the monastery of Rongbuk. There our Dr. Igor Pokhvalin performed miracles with the help of simple tablets. And the other team members trained on the sacred rock. So we all deserve a miracle. And in the evening the miracle happened… at the base camp. Huge glowing pylon rose up between the tents. It was a miracle worthy deeds of the Gods. If it had happened a hundred years ago, all of Tibetian fell to the feet of Alexander Abramov. But even now, we feel that respect for our leader among Tibetans have risen.

Alex Abramov wants to climb Everest on bike

To the monastery for a miracle

Miracle 1: Our Doctor help to a monk

Miracle 2:  8d + on-sight

 Main Miracle

 Our Wizard - Uncle Kolya

 Woa !