Makalu 2023

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

 Yesterday, a solemn celebration of the Makalu climbers took place in the Makalu BC. They were awarded certificates and medals. And then the unofficial part began - with a cake from our chef Dandy and dancing from our Sherpas. By the way, we also solemnly presented the main sirdar and Guinness Book record holder Lakpa Makalu from our 8000 Club with a commemorative medal for Makalu (this year he climbed to this peak 7th times). This morning, part of the group was able to fly to Kathmandu. 5 participants were stuck in Lukla due to bad weather (Simone Moro personally settled everyone in good hotels and promised to take them to Kathmandu tomorrow). One participant, Volodya Belkovich, flew to the Everest BC and plans to climb Lhotse in the coming days. We hope that tomorrow, on May 20, everyone will gather in Kathmandu - both Makalu and Everest teams and celebrate our successful ascents!

 Congratulations to the brave climbers!  On May 17, six climbers from the 8000 Club team climbed the summit of Makalu.

List of summiters:

Lyudmila Korobeshko - head of the expedition;

Israfil Ashurli – deputy leader;

Igor Smirnov;

Yuri Lukyanov;

Vladimir Belkovich;  

Valery Babanov.

At the Base Camp, the climbers received certificates and honorary badges-medals.

On May 17th, the team of the 8000 Club climbed on the summit of Makalu 8,485 m:
Lyudmila Korobeshko - head of the expedition;
Israfil Ashurli - ascended on the second attempt, took part in rescue work;
Igor Smirnov;
Yuri Lukyanov;
Vladimir Belkovich;
Valery Babanov.
Now the whole team is in the Base Camp.

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This morning on May 17, the 8000 Club team led by Lyudmila Korobeshko was able to climb to the top of Makalu 8485m! Now the group is coming down, everyone is healthy and safe. Details will come later.

Today, the 8000 Club group led by Lyudmila Korobeshko climbed to Camp 3 at a height of 7,400 meters. The weather is very bad, a hurricane-force wind is blowing. In such conditions, climbing to the top is impossible. We need to wait for the weather to improve.

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

May 13. In the morning, a helicopter arrived and finally our entire team of Makalu Minions gathered in Makalu BC. Yesterday, due to bad weather, only part of the group - 5 people - was able to fly. Even the pilot Simone Moro himself could not immediately take off. And he spent about 2 hours with us at the base camp waiting for the weather to improve.

So, there are 9 of us. Marina Gevorgyan completed her program "Touching the Makalu" and flew home. Veronika Zaripova, one of the strongest participants of the expedition, fell on the descent after the second rotation and suffered a severe knee injury. Until the last, she hoped that she would be able to return to the ranks. But the doctors said that a month minimum load is prohibited. So Veronica had to complete the expedition. She has already left Nepal.

Yesterday there was a strong wind and a terrible cold in the camp.  The weather has improved this morning. And at 8.00 the good news came - a team of Sherpas led by our Lakpa hung ropes to the top!!!  There is the first ascent on Makalu in the 2023 season!!!

By the way, Kristin Harila also climbed the summit of Makalu.

Tomorrow we are going to start - the first climb to C2 and further according to the plan.

 List of climbers:

1. Lily Kovalenko
2. Irina Zisman
3. Vladimir Belkovich
4. Yuri Lukyanov
5. Igor Smirnov
6. Vasily Kernitsky
7. Valery Babanov
8. Israfil Ashurli (deputy leader)
9. Lyudmila Korobeshko (leader)

 Wish us good luck!

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

Part of our group flew under Makalu. Barely maneuvering between the clouds. And then the weather completely deteriorated. Simone Moro made an attempt to fly out for the rest of the participants, but got into heavy clouds. He had to come back, turn off the screws of his helicopter and sit with us at 5700 waiting for the weather to improve…

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

Greetings from Nepal from the magical Rivendell from the Makalu Minions team! We have the third (it is the last) day of rest. Yesterday, some of the Minions went for a fabulous walk to the village, where no one had been before - the Portse. It is located on the opposite bank of the river. To get into it, you need to climb to the Tengboche monastery, then descend 300 meters, cross the river and climb 300m again. There are practically no tourists in the village (it is far from all routes). But there are many mountain tours in the vicinity, musk deer, ulars, eagles are found here.

 In the evening, Alla Mishina from the Everest Masala Team group gave us a surprise - a festive dinner at home style: fried potatoes with onions, baked chicken with garlic, sauerkraut ... we were shocked ... pleasant.

Closer to night, we received news from Makalu base camp that Kristin Harila had arrived there. Now the fixing route will definitely  fast!

In the morning, I solemnly signed my new books with all the participants of our exp. (the first 10 copies were delivered to me from Moscow - thanks to Kristina for bringing them to Nepal).

Our participant Marina Gevorgyan was escorted to Kathmandu today. Her program "Touching the Makalu" has ended. But she promised to continue to pray for us. 

At lunch, we walked to the stupa above Tengboche and ran down to the soup that Alla had prepared. In the evening, she promises some kind of surprise for dinner ... tomorrow morning on May 12, we fly to BC Makalu. Most likely, this will be the plan.

 May 13 - preparation at the base camp (BC)

May 14 - move immediately to Camp 2

May 15 - climb to C3

May 16 - climb to C4

May 17 - summit and descent to C2

May 18 - descent to BC.

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

May 10th.  Greetings from Nepal from the magical Rivendell from the Makalu Minions team! We have the second day of rest. Yesterday, on May 9, Victory Day and Igor Smirnov's birthday were celebrated. In the morning, we arranged a festive exercise and a festive breakfast with songs. Then we went for a walk through the sacred places above the Tengboche Monastery. Having descended, we found a group of Everest with Abramov at the head in our lodge. We continued to celebrate together.

This morning Viktor Volodin flew to visit us in a blue helicopter, and then a group of trekkers led by Kristina Putintseva came. They promised to send us the book "The Height Gene 2. A Woman's Look" from Namche by this evening.

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

Greetings from Nepal from Deboche, from a height of 3800 m, from the team "Minions of Makalu"! All night the Minions slept a heroic sleep in the Makalu base camp at an altitude of 5700 m, after the second acclimatization rotation.  By morning, they listened with trepidation to see if the wind was getting stronger. After all, we decided to fly down to Deboche, relax on the green before the decisive assault. And according to the forecast, strong winds were promised for three days. After breakfast, we packed our things, and the painful hours of waiting dragged on. The wind was getting stronger. And lo and behold, Simone Moro cuts the clouds with screws and descends after us from heaven (more precisely from the Mainland). In a couple of hours, he transported the whole group to the wonderful Rivendell hotel (2 km lower in altitude than BC). He drove 2 people each time - from 5700 it's the only way.

And now our dreams come true - hot water, heated sheets, cappuccino and apple pie! How little a person needs for happiness!

According to the plan, we have three nights of rest on the green (May 8-11).

May 11 return to BL.

May 12 preparation for the climb.

May 13 climb to C2 (6600).

May 14 move to C3 (7500).

May 15 move to C4 (7800).

May 16 assault Makalu and descent to C2.

May 17 descent to BC.

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

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

News from the expedition on Makalu.  A couple of hours ago we went down to Makalu base camp. As planned, we acclimatized to 6800, spent two nights in the second camp. Everyone feels good, we are waiting for the good weather to fly down to rest. Valery Babanov, who later went to the slopes of Makalu, stayed one more night in Camp-2 at 6600m.

Against the background of Barunze. On the way from Makalu Base Camp to Camp-1. The height is 6000m. The views are amazing.

The team "Minions of Makalu" goes from the second to the third camp on Makalu. Behind - Everest and Lhotse. So they look unusual from here.

Camp 2 at 6600 on Makalu at night.

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

On May 5, we entered the second rotation. By 18.00 we arrived at Camp-2, having gained 900 meters in a strong wind. We warm up in tents. A heavy mountain. But it's all right. Tomorrow we will go up to 7000 meters if the wind subsides. The weather is not good, there is a strong wind. We are also planning to meet Valery Babanov, who is planning an oxygen-free ascent as part of the 8000 Club expedition.

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

May 4. The weather has deteriorated since morning.  Snow and wind. We decided to postpone the climb until tomorrow. A team of Sherpas came out to try to fix ropes to the top of Makalu on May 6-7.

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

Happy May 1st to everyone!  Yesterday we went to the first acclimatization. The climb to Camp 1 turned out to be quite difficult - there was a steep part in front of the camp itself. We spent the night at 6300. In the morning, part of the group got up into Camp 2, left the drop there and also ran down. The snowfall was quite heavy both days. Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, May 2 and 3, according to the plan, are rest days. Everyone feels good. But we tired, of course.

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

  Hello everyone! The 8000 Club team flew into the Makalu base camp. The helicopter flight impressed the participants very much, there were passes, gorges, ridges under us. The pilot was the legendary Italian climber Simone Moro. The camp itself also pleased the participants of the expedition. Very comfortable and convenient. At the camp we were greeted with bread and salt by our old friend the cook from Everest - Dandy. He treated us to the traditional Everest soup "Chicken Water" (potato chicken rice). Tomorrow  there will be the puja ceremony in the camp and if the weather allows, the team will go to camp 1. Everyone feels great, the mood is good.

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

 Greetings to all from Nepal, again from Pheriche, from “Makalu Minions team”! Today we spent the second night at the Everest Base Camp and left the hospitable camp of climbers on the Everest of the 7 Summits Club. We went down to Pheriche. By 15.00 we were in our cozy Edelweiss lodge. And then it just started snowing. We hope the weather will improve by morning, because tomorrow morning we have to fly directly to the ABC camp on Makalu. We will burhan today for good weather! Wish us the weather and good luck!

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

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

Greetings to all from Nepal from the Everest BC (altitude 5300) from the Makalu Minions team! We spent the first night at an altitude of 5,300 in the Everest BC. Slightly swollen. To disperse the blood, we went for a walk around the camp. We went to lunch at the camp of our partners - 14 Peaks. Here we met a lot of friends - including Volodya Kotlyar.  We met the legendary Kami Rita Sherpa - 26 times on Everest. After a delicious lunch, we went to visit our group with Vitya Volodin and Sveta Kotlyar. In their camp, we were given delicious coffee. According to the plan, Victor and his team will go up for a few days for acclimatization tomorrow.

And we're going down to Periche tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow we have to fly into the camp near Makalu.

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

P.S. Alex also conducted a theoretical oxygen lesson.

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

 Greetings from Nepal from Everest Base Camp (altitude 5300) from the Makalu Minions team! This morning we left Lobuche (4900) and by lunchtime we arrived at the Everest Base Camp of the 7 Summits Club Expedition. Here we were greeted with a solemn formation and champagne, comfortably placed in large tents with beds, fed a delicious lunch.

For the next two days we will live here and acclimatize. All participants of the expedition on Makalu feel great. Almost as good as the Everest people who have been living here for three days.

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

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.

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.