ExWeb has all kinds of climbing updates again today, with this one from Everest topping the headlines. David Tait is reporting that the Chinese team has placed 17(!) people on top of Everest this morning in what is described as very windy conditions. As of this writing, we're still awaiting official confirmation, but Tait has a good handle on what's going down (or up as the case may be) on the North Side. He hasn't forgotten about his historic double traverse of course, and the word is that he'll make his first summit attempt around the 16th of May.
Meanwhile, over on Dhaulagiri, there is news that Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner will be heading to the summit on her own. When she and her climbing partner Lucie Orsulova proceeded up the mountain to make their first summit bid, they arrived at Camp 1 to find that all the gear they stowed there was missing. Someone found their stash and cleaned it out. The pair soldiered on however, making it to C2 the next day and the proceeding to C3 the following. But the exertion of climbing was too much for Lucie, who began suffering from altitude sickness. The summit attempt turned into a resuce mission as they proceeded back down the mountain. Now, Gerlinde will make the bid on her own. She is a strong climber and has topped out on nine of the 8000m peaks, so things look good. Still, a solo climb on a mountain like this one is never easy.
Finally, things are starting to heat up in Pakistan as well, with teams starting to arrive on Nanga Parbat. The climbing season is a bit different in the Karakoram, and while Everest teams are nearing their big push, the logistics of the climb are still being worked out. Dodo is at home right now, fresh off his double header of Shisha Pangma and Cho Oyu, but he'll only take a short rest before going to Pakistan for a second double climb, this time on Nanga Parbat at K2. This guy sure know how to make us all feel like slackers. Hey Dodo! How about you stay home, sit on the couch, and watch some TV for a change? Please?!?
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