MountEverest.net has reported, in another one of it's Himalaya Updates that Russian tennis ace Marat Safin will be climbing Cho Oyu this Fall with Alex Abramov's Seven Summits Club.
Safin, who was once briefly the number one player in the World, has won two Grand Slam events as a professional player, claiming the 2000 U.S. Open and the 2005 Australian Open. He's also played on the Russian Davis Cup team, helping them claim a win in 2003. On the tennis circuit he's known as a big, powerful, and rangy player, but he'll need all that strength if he's going to get up the 6th highest mountain in the World in Cho Oyu. I have absolutely no idea what his mountaineering experience is however, but I'm sure we'll learn a lot more about his abilities in the weeks ahead. He, and the rest of the team, have just arrived in Kathmandu.
Also on Cho Oyu, the Adventure Consultants Team went up to C1 yesterday, and reported massive ice towers along the route to camp. Everyone arrived safely, if a bit exhausted, and they are expecting to have their Puja ceremony today. The Field Touring Team has arrived in Tingri at last, and now have Cho Oyu in it's sights as well. They intend to take a rest day today, before proceeding to BC tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the Canadian/Mixed International team on Manaslu made their way up to C2 yesterday, but have not returned to BC as part of their normal acclimatization and camp building routine. Much of yesterday was also spent ice climbing and setting down lines as the team prepares for the long siege to claim the summit.
That's it for today. I'll keep you posted on Marat Safin's Cho Oyu bid as we learn more about it. Pretty cool stuff.
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