Everest 2008: First Teams In Camp 3!

The weekend saw some updates from Everest, and reports have begun to trickle in this morning as well, with the news that teams on the mountain are beginning to move into position to make their final push for the summit. The weather appears to be holding steady, and the project first summits are set for tomorrow, the 20th of May.

Our friend Alan Arnette checked in this morning with an audio dispatch from Camp 3. Alan reports that everyone on his team is healthy and in good spirits. They are looking to top out on the 21st. They'll spend the rest of the day resting in C3 before heading up to C4 early tomorrow. They'll rest a few hours there, and begin their summit bid in the late hours of the 20th with a plan to reach the top early in the morning on the 21st. Good luck Alan!

Peak Freaks have also updated their Everest blog with the news that they reached C3 yesterday. By the time you read this, they are probably already in C4, resting, and preparing for their summit bid starting tonight. (Local time of course.) If everything goes according to plan, we should have news of their summit later tonight or first thing in the morning. They are expecting to share the summit with a couple of other teams including the Indian Army Team, The Nepalese Women, and the Project Himalaya Team.

The latest dispatches from International Mountain Guides tells much the same story. Their team is broken into two, with the stronger climbers moving into C3 already, and the bulk of the team in C2. They look to put their first climbers on top starting on the 21st, with the rest of the team following suit on the 22nd.

Finally, the Everest Challenge Team, who are climbing to raise fund and awareness for the Marie Curie Foundation, have begun their summit bid today. They should be moving up to C2 with an eye on summitting near the end of the week. Their latest dispatch has a great video from their acclimatization climb to C3 last week, and the reports are that Sir Ran is doing great, is climbing strong, and seems poised to claim his first Everest summit.

Hang on tight folks. Looks like it's going to be a very busy week on Everest!