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May 20, 2000
On four of the five last days, climbers have reached the summit of Everest
via the North Ridge. We're guessing that nearly 60 people have summited,
so many more than any season before. It is really amazing to watch,
as a stream of people top out on the ridge and cut across the prominent
summit snow field. At times its like a catepillar, stretching then contracting,
as the climbers inch upward towards the top.
As you can imagine, everybody is getting excited. Between 8 a.m. and
noon, as base camp radios crackle with calls from the top, different
groups let loose with cheers. It is contagious: a group of Japanese,
then an even louder cheer from the Ukranians, followed an hour later
by a rolling cheer for a Sherpani who summits via the North Ridge.
Today, though, is a bit different. A lenticular cloud is hanging over
the summit and everything above 8,000 meters looks nasty. We know that
the winds are high and rumor has it that most of today's hopeful summiters
are climbing without oxygen. The radios are crackling, but there are
no cheers. Instead, Everest is being Everest, chasing climbers from
the ridge and back to the safety of the tents.
Thousands of feet below, we're getting caught up in our own excitement.
Kieron, Tony, Daniel and Jean are organizing their backpacks, while
the video cameras are rolling. It is sunny one minute, light snow falls
the next. By 10 a.m. they are on their way to Camp 1. The long process
of climbing to the summit has begun. Things are happening quickly. An
hour and a half later, and Jean Clemenson has returned from his summit
bid. He is our 62 year old climber, and his body isn't cranking like
it should be. He's removed himself from the summit team. We are all
feeling a bit depressed by this, but respect Jean and his decision making
skills. Afterall, he is one of the more experienced mountaineers on
the mountain. (A 62 year old Japanese man has summited via the North
Ridge a few days ago.)
Jean's departure opens a spot in the team and Ivan moves into place.
He packs and heads for Camp 1 later in the afternoon. We now have four
clients (of the original 7) that are capable of making a summit bid.
Russell, Mark, Andy and I spend the afternoon shuffling things around.
There will be one summit team. Ivan, Tony, Kieron and Daniel, with all
five Sherpas and Andy and I as guides. Quite a ratio (7:4) and a really
powerful team.
The strongest of the climbers who were caught up high today are making
their way back to ABC. No one climbed much above the second step because
of the winds and sub zero temps. Normally powerful climbers are limping
through the camp site. Several are being lead by friends or Sherpas.
They are exhausted. Some have minor frost bite.
Despite all the climbers who have summited, or have attempted to, there
is still very little fixed rope above high camp. They've been pulling
on tattered old ropes and traversing knife edge ridges without any form
of protection. The risks people are willing to accept seems too high
to me. It would be so simple for each of these climbers to carry 5 pounds
of rope and anchor it where needed. By now, the route would be so much
safer and the risks of fatalities dramatically reduced.
In my opinion, the narrow focus of the summiters is short sighted. Any
single one of those folks could develop snow blindness, cerebral edema
or simply push too hard and suffer from exhaustion. A few more fixed
lines on the ridge would save their lives. If you're strong enough to
go for the summit, you're strong enough to carry the rope. And if you're
smart enough to raise the cash, you're wise enough to value the fixed
lines. Afterall, the North Ridge or South Col routes on Everest are
the trade routes, the paths of least resistance. They are not intended
to be the battle grounds of technical extremism. The community of climbers
on these routes should be banding together to make the routes safer.
Maybe, the shear numbers of climbers (300 or so) has given people a
false sense of security? Climbing Everest is just a chapter in my book,
exciting sure, but not worth dying for. I'm really glad I'm part of
a team that is willing too work a bit harder to improve our margin of
safety. Weather forecasts, properly stocked camps, a smart acclimatization
schedule and fixing lines are all part of the formula.
We received a new weather forecast at 6 p.m. Originally, the 24th of
May was supposed to be the magic day, with clear skies and light winds.
Now, a small trough of low pressure is pushing towards us. The 25th
is now the day. Russell calls the guys at Camp 1 and tells them to sleep
in.
May 21, 2000
As I sip my coffee, a band of wind is scouring the summit and everything
down to 7400 meters. A small, powdery avalanche streams down the north
east face.
I'm glad we've decided to stay put. Otherwise the four climbers at Camp
1 and I would be battling our way up to Camp 2. While we would have
made it, it would have been exhausting.
At least two climbers were spotted on the summit snow slopes this morning.
I imagine that the wind speeds must be exceeding 35 knots. Good luck
to them. I'm glad I'll be rolled up in my sleeping bag, reading a book,
instead of crawling to the summit in these conditions.
Despite the bad weather, our team is really fired up. We've been having
so much fun. Each of us has pulled all sorts of flags, photos, and other
memorabalia from our duffels and shoved them in our packs. It's going
to be "show and tell" on the summit.
While no one's trinket is better than the next, I've got to tell you
about a special one I've been given. The year 2000 is really important
to the Catholic Church. 2000 years ago, Christ was born. This year has
been named the Jubuliam and so many special events have been planned.
Now, being a retired altar boy, having a mother creatively placed in
the Archdiocese of Newark, and a grandmother who was a saint on earth,
it has become my duty to place a Crucifix on the summit. Sister Sandy
chose this particular Crucifix and is hard at work praying for our success.
The source of our enthusiasm and confidence is pretty solid.
OK...in
the early morning I'm heading off to Camp 2. While we are on the hill,
we've made arrangements for a guest writer to fill you folks in on our
adventures.
May your beds be warm and your showers hot.
Your pal, Chris Warner
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Expeditions
