All news: 2015

In the morning in Delhi – a day already in a festive Moscow! So we have a double celebration. Our team came back, all intact and healthy. All  have unscheduled free time, it is - great! And the Chinese government has extended permits for Everest over the next three years. Long live the Sino-Russian friendship! It is rest to hope that Everest replaced an anger at the mercy to any innocent climbers.

Delhi: all free

Moscow!

Today is the day of departure. It is a pity. The Country is magic. Group is wonderful. No one wants to leave. We'll have to go somewhere else all together :)

Hi, everybody! This is Lyubov Pershina from Mexico. Today, on May 8, our group, three persons, as well as it was planned, reached the summit of Orizaba. We made it very quickly in 7 hours 15 minutes, the general time - 10 hours 15 minutes.

Weather was remarkable, the sun, soft fresh snow. There was no thunder-storm as the day before yesterday, that is, with the weather our team was very lucky.

Now we are already down the valley, have already a dinner … now we are ready to go to Mexico City.

May 6 was the day of the mass ascent on Elbrus. And that day had the most favorable weather conditions. Yes, there was a full visibility, but it was a terrible cold. Old-timers say so cold in May was never before. So the climb for our team was not sweet walk. The team reached the top at four, one of the members did not have the strength to a finish effort. We think there was not enough acclimatization. But it was impossible to postpone the climbing. In the following days, the weather forecast is much worse.

Photos taken this morning by Dima Yermakov:

Hello! This is Alex Abramov from Everest expedition. Our expedition is over. Today we flew from Lhasa to Kathmandu. Rumors that Kathmandu destroyed - completely exaggerated. Virtually nothing is noticeable, the city looks like a unbroken. Only a few old buildings collapsed. Everything else - completely unhurt. No external damage in town, roads or buildings. We are now at the hotel Yak and Yeti , everything is fine here. The only thing that the decorative stone, which was on the edge of the pool, got down to the pool. Everything else - completely intact. Today, some people from our team have already flies home, the second part flies tomorrow, the third part - the day after tomorrow ....

During the farewell party on May 2th suddenly heavy snow threw, the wind blew but we are in tent an had great drunk and overdance. It was great! And in the morning we saw a snow-covered sunny camp – as a nature has made us a gift for our departure:

The team of the "7 Summits Club", Valdis Pelsh with his videoteam, and the organizers and members of the remaining 13 expeditions from the Tibetan side were in a difficult situation: CTMA (Sino-Tibetan mountaineering association) closed Everest and all the other mountains of Tibet for the whole spring season 2015.

In the past it was in 2008, during the Olympic Games in Beijing - but that was the planned closure; China urgently closes the mountain for the first time. So we are all faced with unexpected insurmountable difficulty. Well, nothing special, we packed up and went home.

According to recent reports, the number of victims of the earthquake in Nepal has exceeded seven thousand men; our Nepalese partners believe that the government underestimates the numbers three times, therefore, it is about twenty thousand dead - an enormous figure. Tremors continue, in these conditions it is possible to say the same words as Alex Abramov: "You want to the mountain or you want stay alive?".

A group of 15 people led by Anastasia Kuznetsova today made a successful ascent to the summit of Jebel Toubkal in Morocco, the highest peak in North Africa. It's nice that the group has reached   the summit in full, including two children 11 and 12 years old. They did it like all climbers. The mountains  here are beautiful, alive - they are filled with streams, waterfalls, flying butterflies, ladybugs. In general, we walked and admired nature. It was very cheerful and fun. Now we are in Marrakech, enjoy the exotic East, rest after the climb. We have a wonderful mood, and we continue our journey through Morocco. Constantine Ryzhak by telephone from Marrakech...

Today in the base camp of Club of 7 Summits Club there was a significant event. We called its “farewell party”. We were tired to live in uncertainty, and today, at last, people relaxed. And at last, the sufficient attention was paid to girls.

As hit of evening, oxygen cocktail “for free”.

The last 3 days, our team have experienced big turmoils . In the beginning from the earthquake and death of a large number of people in Nepal. Then from understanding that our Everest expedition comes to an end.
For the majority of us, this ascenst was the biggest dream of the last years. And the spent time and finance can't be returned.
But now an understanding of correctness of this decision comes to us. Decisions on cancellation of all climbs by the Chinese authorities in Tibet in this season is right.

 First, the moral factor doesn't allow to go for climbing “among” thousands of lost people.
Secondly, the safety issue of ascent isn't rather defined. Tremors still proceed, as well as falls of stones and ice on the mountain and in the upper camps.
Thirdly, other expeditions already started being curtailed. The Chinese team and team on preparation of a route already left base camp. To be alone on the Everest for us it would be very difficult.

Not without regret, but with understanding of a situation, we declare the end of our expedition on Everest. And tomorrow, on May 2th, we will organize "Farewell party" for all big base camp. And the day after tomorrow, on May 3, we begin our far way home.
As the boundary cities of Jangmu and Kodari are destroyed, our way passes through Lhasa. From where all of us will depart on May 6th to Katmandu.
Best regards, everybody!
And with a holiday on May 1!

Abramov Alexander and Everest team 2015.

The group of 4 people arrives to Mexico today. They will spend May holidays, traveling around this country. The group will get acquainted with local sights, a historical and cultural monument, and also will try to make ascent on the highest peak of Mexico the mountain Orizaba (5700 m). It is also the highest volcano of North America.

The program will last from May 1 to May 11.

The guide of this group Liuba Pershina – almost local person, the certified specialist on the Mexican ethnography, also certified Mexican mountain guide, she lived in this country many years. Is it possible to find the best partner in travel in Mexico?

Four more persons are added to our group today - Natalya, Andrey and Ilya Dulskiy from Irkutsk and Andrey Krasnik from Moscow. We almost all together, only Konstantin Ryzhak has to catch up with us in mountains.

Morocco opens to us infinite bright fabulous multi-colored east fairy tale. Tomorrow we go to mountains.

Hello! This is Vladimir Kotlyar. Please find news from our heroic team of Voronezh. Now we are in Namche Bazaar, the capital of the Sherpas. And all we have is good. The weather is excellent. Finally, we are pleased with the weather ... Now - a little stars in the sky ... All day was almost clear, we havea great view on the mountains: Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Everest, see everything ... And we continue to go down ... We continue quietly, slowly down….

Hi, Seven Summits! It Artem Rostovtsev. April 25 we started the Himalayan program. The plan was this: climbing to the top Lakpa Ri is north of Mount Everest. But immediately, the 25th of the adjustments we have made because of the events in Nepal. We tried to act according to the program, but yesterday morning it was reported that Lhasa we will not be allowed in the near future to Everest. Therefore, we have made changes. Now I bring you greetings from the area of Mount Elbrus already!

19 day, April 28, BC (5 200 m), day of rest

Source: blog of Evgeny Karyakin: everest-2015.blogspot.ru

Today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow there will be planned rest days in the BC after the ABC. We spend it in the internet tent reading the news about the horrible disaster in Nepal and in the Himalayas. The situation with the continuation of the ascent is unclear; there is a lot of conflicting rumors. Leaders of other expeditions come to our camp to talk with Alex Abramov, share gossip, bring and drink alcoholic beverages. The mood at all, in General, is rather depressed.

If you take the dry residue from gossip and rumors, so far there is no concrete. We have no official Chinese statements of authorized persons until now. Leaders of expeditions await of arrival of a big sports boss from Lhasa, it is possible that after his arrival appears some understanding of the situation, or probably not. When we get the big boss is also unknown.

Alex Abramov gives a Skype interview with the Russian media directly from the sun, Valdis Pelsh – by phone, Bogomolov – by e-mail.

On the Internet there are a whole bunch of distorted and just invented informational messages. Importantly, none of the Russian trekkers, hikers and climbers who were in Nepal during the Catastrophe, was not injured... This is important – there were a lot of friends in different places;

Thank God that all living things!

Currently we can only sit, to enjoy nature and to wait for further developments.

Author: Jack Karyakin

All, Hello! This Is Dima Semenov, a guide of the 7 Summits Club. Now we are at 3900 at the hotel-refuge LeapRus. The weather looks quite good. Tonight our group will try to climb Mount Elbrus. Good luck to everyone! All, goodbye!

Hi, everybody! This is Vladimir Kotlyar. Good morning! We have here a morning sunrise over the summit of Everest. We are staying now at the summit of Kala-Patar. We are very lucky: at the moment, visibility is excellent, no clouds, we can see al mountains aound. Simply amazing! He mount of Pumori is right in front of us, of course, beautiful mountain! Now here we take a little break for a smoke ... and we start go down. We plan today to try to get to Namche Bazaar... All the best! We are all OK…

A Message From Denis Provalov. Everest base camp from the North ( Tibet). The expedition of 7 summits club.

Dear friends! Just few minutes we are descended from ABC (6400). I hasten to reassure you. With me and our group, all right, we all are alive, no injuries.

A guide of the 7 Summits Club reports from Nepal:

Hi! This is Vladimir Kotlyar, expedition to Island peak, now probably quoted. Because we finally thought about it and decided that we're not going  the Island Peak. In response to recent events we decided to stop our expedition ... We are now in Lukla (?) .... In the group all feel great. We are a little tired, it's the only thing we have.. Nothing to worry about. Just because we had to help in the evacuation of wounded people... (more unclear)

In Russian

1. On Everest expedition from the North. Today our guide Noel Hanna called. He is now in the base camp with the second group. Today there was an aftershock in B.c... But that's okay. No one was hurt. The camp and the route are at a safe distance from a possible way of rockfalls and avalanches.

They decided not go in the middle camp as previously planned, to wait for the first group.
The first group with guides Alexander Abramov, Sergei Larin and Denis Provalov came out today from the camp at the altitude of 5800 meters into the camp of ABC at 6400 meters. They are also OK. Tomorrow they will descend back to the base camp.

2. The group of Vladimir Kotlyar on Island Peak today in Pheriche has assisted in evacuating of wounded from the base camp of Mount Everest. They have everything in order. Their journey will continue tomorrow

A message from Vladimir Kotlyar >>>>>>

3. A new group led by a guide Artem Rostovtsev flew this morning from Kathmandu to Lhasa. Also, all according to plan. In Tibet, there no great destruction, the situation is calm.

4. Our office in the centre of Tamel (7 Summits Adventures) suffered from the earthquake. All employees are alive and well. They are working from home or from their tents :(

Hi! It is Vladimir Kotlyar, the guide of the 7 Summits Club expedition to Island peak. We are still in the Pheriche. We don't leave this place for the simple reason, that today our group helped to evacuate the wounded, which was got down from the base camp of Mount Everest. It was a lot of them here. So we just found no moral strength to be aside and leave this small village. Our help was very useful. All members of the group, without exception, actively participated in rescue operations...

Then we planned to go further but it was again a new push and we decided not to risk. So we sit here and drink rum just before bedtime, enjoying life. In General, here it is not so bad.

And we send best regards to our Everest expedition! We could not contact direct, we are worry and hope that everything is OK.

So, we sit in the mountains, everything is closed, but somehow we will get from there. All the best! The rum supply allow us to sit here for another week. Not more! Adios!