All news: April 2023

The head of the Everest expedition of the 8000 Club Viktor Volodin reports from Nepal:

Today is April 25th.  News from Volodin's group. We spent today in a training style, went out on the glacier and had a good workout on moving the steep ice. We walked along the U-shaped railings and staircases through cracks, after which we carried out analysis and work on errors. The condition of the participants is good, the weather is favorable.

Vitaly Lazo: "Today, on April 24, a Puja ceremony (a ritual of receiving the blessing of the gods) took place at the Base Camp — a monk read prayers for more than an hour. Once upon a time I treated this with a laugh, but when ice discharges occurred near South Annapurna 15 years ago, in which several Koreans died, I began to throw rice towards the future path together with the Sherpas and say: "Om mane padme hum!".

Puja was held, sanctified, we can go to the mountain! Our group will go upstairs tonight. Plan: we go straight to Camp 2 at 6400. Overnight — and climb to Camp 3 at 7100, overnight. On April 27, maybe Anton Pugovkin and I will go higher — from Camp 3 to Camp 4, just one touch — and immediately descend to Base Camp.

Vanya Rodin and Anton Skripachenko will climb up to 6000 meters and immediately go down without spending the night. And Farit will be walking in the lower regions, in the BC area."

President of the 7 Summits Club, head of the Everest expedition Alexander Abramov reports from Nepal:

Masala Team news from Everest. In the morning it was snowing impenetrably. Nevertheless, the puja (opening, consecration of the camp) took place in any weather. They say it's good luck if it's snowing. In the end, everyone smeared themselves with flour and were very happy.  A lot of trekkers come to us. Lena invites everyone to the Bar where we spend most of our time. It's warm and there are board games. And a guitar. And music. And drinks to brighten up a snowy day. We have ice classes tomorrow. And we also wait for Makalu group of the 8000 Club.

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

Greetings to all from the team "We are just tourists!" of the 8000 Club! We continue to acclimatize at the Everest base camp. Today, the weather did not allow us to hold snow and ice classes, so we were checking and fitting equipment. We remembered the main nodes in mountaineering, conducted an instruction with a demonstration of the use of climbing equipment using jumars for climbing a rope and a descent device.  We discussed the specifics of traveling along the route.

The head of the expedition on Makalu Lyudmila Korobeshko reports from Nepal:

Greetings from Nepal from the height of 4900 (Lobuche) from the team "Minions of Makalu"! This morning we woke up in Feriche, swept by snow. For cheerfulness, we took out the flag, took a morning team photo with it and moved up.

A little rest was arranged in Dukla. Further along the way, we stopped at the memorials of the fallen comrades, tied prayer ribbons and honored their memory with a minute of silence.

By lunchtime we came to Lobuche at 4900, again in a snowfall. Somehow the weather doesn't want to get better yet. But we are not discouraged - we pray. In Lobuche we met Valera Babanov again. Tomorrow they are going to spend the night on the top of Lobuche. Tomorrow, according to the plan, we are coming to the Everest BC to visit our Alex Abramov Everest expedition.

Lyudmila Korobeshko, the head of the expedition to Makala, and Israfil Ashurli, the head of the minions, were in touch.

Nikita Slotin, a guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from Nepal:

Greetings to all from Chukung, from insatiable climbers Roman and Anton! After climbing Mera Peak, they decided to try their hand at Island Peak. And today they quite succeeded! Big eyes were not only from the views of Makalu, the Southern Face of Lhotse and the Northern slopes of Ama Dablam, but also from the technical difficulties on the route! 250 meters of fixed ropes at a height of 6000 made me tense up. The snow on the rock shelves, from which there was room to whistle in the dark, made me nervous! But the guys coped with the task by 5+ and the ascent was successful. And the guide once again managed to work out the technique of the "short rope" and remember a lot of techniques! Everyone alive and well is now resting and enjoying the spring snowfall in the Himalayas.

President of the 7 Summits Club, head of the Everest expedition Alexander Abramov reports from Nepal:

 Hurray! The Everest team "Masala Team" reached the Base Camp today. Our camp is just beautiful. It is right at the very beginning, so all our friends come to tea with us. There is a large tent in the camp, a dining room, a bar with a projector and various drinks. Tents in height, with beds and lighting and charging. And a lot of things. We'll show it tomorrow. The staff met us perfectly. And the team of Sherpas and cooks, also  the team of Vitaly Lazo and Anton Pugovkin, who are shooting a film and have already gone to 6400 and skied down. And the 8000 Club team led by Viktor Volodin.  It's snowing. But our camp is warm and cozy. Our food is prepared by the chef of the best restaurant in Kathmandu, La Sherpa. Tomorrow is Pooja. There will be a lot of photos. And we are waiting for the 8000 club team on Makalu, under the leadership of Luda Korobeshko, who will spend 2 nights with us and then fly under her mountain. Now we have 17 participants. It will be 28.

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

Greetings to all from the team "We are tourists!" of the 8000 CLUB!   Today we had a day of active acclimatization: after breakfast, we walked at a leisurely pace to the Pumori base camp, up to an altitude of 5500 m. Towards noon, the sky was overcast, but we managed to see a beautiful panorama of Mount Everest and Lhotse, opening from this height.  Also, the scale of the Khumbu icefall is almost entirely visible from there.

By lunchtime we went down and went to tea at the base camp of the 7 Summits Club. We met with Alex Abramov and his team of Everest climbers.  Well, in our 8000 Club camp there is another innovation: last night in the tent of each participant there was a lamp that is charged from a solar battery. So now there is no need to burn flashlights in the evenings — now we always have light!

We plan to hold snow and ice classes tomorrow.

The head of the expedition on Makalu Lyudmila Korobeshko reports from Nepal:

Greetings from Nepal from a height of 4200 from the Makalu Minions team! Today we made the trek from Deboche (3600) to Pheriche (4200). On the way, we made a small detour to visit the oldest monastery in the Solo Valley-Khumbu - Pangboche. Here we were shown the scalp and the hand of the Yeti (they are kept inside the monastery in a locker under lock and key). In the village of Shomare we ate delicious pizzas. After that, the weather turned bad. In Pheriche, we were already almost fully laid out - in gortex and warm clothes.

In Pheriche, we stayed in a cozy Edelweiss lodge, where there is a cappuccino and even a foot massage! We'll try it tonight!

Lyudmila Korobeshko, the head of the expedition on Makalu, and Israfil Ashurli, the head of the minions, were in touch.

Expedition leader Alexander Abramov: Today, along a snow-covered trail, which became slippery as soon as the sun warmed up, we quickly rode to the village of Lobuche, which consists of 10 loggias. As always, we settled in the most comfortable Oxygen Altitude loggia and watched a football match. It's snowing again, but we're already at home. Tomorrow we have to move to the Base camp. In the evening, Dr. Andrey Selivanov conducted a medical examination. Everyone feels good.

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

Greetings from the Everest base camp from the 8000 Club team "We are just tourists!"! Yesterday our friendly team reached the base camp! This year's acclimatization program is slightly different from the previous one: for better acclimatization, we spent 2 nights in Namche Bazaar and 2 nights in Dingboche, so trekking took 8 days.

Our camp pleasantly surprised all participants: comfortable tents in full height, where there are beds and dressing rooms for storing things. The floors are covered with carpets, there is enough space for storing equipment.  We have our own separate toilets, showers, a washbasin with hot water and a separate large tent where we can all gather together. Everything is at the highest level!

Three times a day we are deliciously fed, and at any time you can come to the coffee shop and drink delicious coffee with fresh pastries with a view of the Himalayas.

Today our group was left by Elena, who accompanied her husband only to the base camp. We presented her with a diploma and a medal for completing this beautiful route.

Today we rest all day and adapt to the new height. Tomorrow our leader Viktor Volodin will once again check the equipment of all participants, we will fit the crampons and we will prepare for snow and ice classes.

The guide of the 7 Summits Club Sergey Avtomonov reports from Nepal:

 Hooray! The Drink team group made an ascent on Mera Peak. We tried not to get drunk too much and we could! There was no communication for two days.  During this time, we reached the assault camp 5800. We slept at a new height for everyone in tents. In the morning, we went out to climb, views of Mount Everest Lhotse and other eight-thousand-meter Summits opened. While we were going up, the weather was frosty, but clear. And on the descent the fog tightened and we were looking for a way between the cracks to the camp. On the descent from the assault camp, it snowed with a thunderstorm, which turned off the Internet in the whole district. And in the morning we safely went by helicopter to Lukla, where we continue to rest now. We're splitting up tomorrow. Part of the group is flying under Island Peak.  And part of it is in Kathmandu to rest and fly home.

The head of the expedition on Makalu Lyudmila Korobeshko reports from Nepal:

All namaste from Nepal from the expedition on Makalu "Minions of Makalu". Today we woke up in Namche and saw that the entire Sherpa capital was covered with snow. But by the time we left, the snow had almost melted - we were walking to the sound of drops. The whole trip to Tiangboche pleased us with beautiful views of Ama-Dablam, Cholatse (where Valera Babanov is going now), Everest and Lhotse. We walked through thickets of yews and rhododendrons.

We could not pass by the famous Tiangboche Monastery - already, according to the good old tradition, the whole group made a cora around the monastery and went inside. We were very lucky - a very cool local lama was reading a prayer there. At our request, he agreed to bless our expedition on Makalu and tied a thread around each participant's neck and katu.

Now we are staying at the wonderful Rivendell Lodge (perhaps the best on the route). The owners of the lodge and their dog Shenki remember us well and welcome us very cordially. We washed with hot water, had lunch and rest.  We're going to Pheriche tomorrow.

President of the 7 Summits Club, head of the Everest expedition Alexander Abramov reports from Nepal:

Massala Team News, Everest expedition. The day started with beautiful views of Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam. Slowly we overcame half of the way. We were constantly overtaken by yaks. Then it started snowing. Fortunately, we just got up for lunch. Have eaten. The sun came out. That's how we got to Periche. Now we are in a great Edelweiss loggia.

The head of the expedition on Makalu Lyudmila Korobeshko reports from Nepal:

All Namaste from Namche from the participants of the expedition on Makalu! We started this morning cheerfully - with morning exercises.  After breakfast, we went out to acclimatize to the famous Everest View Hotel. In an hour and a half we gained 400m and sat down to drink tea with a view of Everest and Ama-Dablam (soon covered by clouds). After about 10 minutes, the snow began to fall. We danced in the hope of dispersing the clouds (it helped for 20 minutes) and through this window we rushed down to Namche.

Only three of the most advanced (Irina, Marina and I) decided to stay and try something new - yoga at the lodge at 3800. It was awesome! First the tuning, then stretching and asanas, at the end - shavasana with singing bowls and tea with rhododendrons.  While we were at yoga, bad weather raged, as soon as we came out, the sun came out. We quickly rushed down to Namche. We ran straight to the Sherpa Barista, where we had a great lunch with the whole group and even with Valera Babanov.

Here the weather has completely deteriorated. It's been raining and snowing for the fifth hour. We hope the weather will improve tomorrow. We have to go to the famous Tiangboche Monastery.

By the way, today we finally approved the name of our team – "Makalu Minions". Everything will be clear from the photo.

A couple of days ago, the team "Death zone freeride" (Vitaly Lazo, Anton Pugovkin and Ivan Rodin) went from the Base Camp to the Camp 1 (6100m). After overnight stay there, next day they climbed to the Camp 2 at 6400m. Great news today! There is the first ski descent on Everest — our team has successfully descended on skis from a height of 6500 m.  Guys skied through the icefall!  The start is given!

The guide of the 7 Summits Club Olga Rumyantseva reports from Nepal:

Greetings to all from Kathmandu, from the Beautiful group! Early yesterday morning we made a rapid jump from Khare to Kathmandu. It's great that we didn't have to walk for three days and then wait for the plane in Lukla. Instead, we flew by helicopter from Khare to Lukla, and then immediately to Kathmandu.  During the flight from Khare to Lukla, our pilot was Simone Moro himself, so a regular flight became an unforgettable attraction with beautiful views. In the evening, a farewell dinner was held in Kathmandu, where all participants of the ascent received certificates and commemorative medals.

President of the 7 Summits Club, head of the Everest expedition Alexander Abramov reports from Nepal:

Hello everyone!  The team of "Massala tim" of the 7 Summits Club on Everest today cheerfully reached the Rivendell Hotel in the village of Deboche. Here are the best conditions on the route.  Whoever was there will understand.  The rain has already captured us at the Tiangboche Monastery. Where we sat him out in a cafe and visited the monastery itself.  Tomorrow the forest will end, and under the slopes of Ama Dablam we will go to Periche 4200m.

The head of the expedition on Makalu Lyudmila Korobeshko reports from Nepal:

20 April. News of the expedition on Makalu.  Namaste from Namche Bazaar - the capital of the Sherpas! We ran here together in 5 hours from Phakding today. And very timely - immediately after our arrival in Namche, it began to rain with hail. But we were no longer afraid - we settled in rooms with hot water and heated sheets.

At lunch in the most famous cafe in Namche - Sherpa "Barista" - we met with Valera Babanov. He and a friend were lifted to Namche  by Simone Moro by helicopter. The next 3-4 days our routes coincide with Valera.

Tomorrow we are planning a day of rest and a disco in a Japanese hotel with a view of Mount Everest.

The 7 Summits Club congratulates Alexander Utkin, a regular participant in our programs! He decided to celebrate his anniversary by climbing Island Peak! And he did it perfectly. On April 16, the hero of the day was on top! Alexander, congratulations! We wish you many more beautiful views and ascents!