The Spring Season on Everest may be four months away yet, but it's never too early to start preparing. Alan Arnette, who always has the best coverage of the Big Hill on the web, has launched his coverage for 2010 today with his first blog post announcing a Double Traverse attempt for next year.
According to Alan's initial entry, Australian climber Gavin Turner is planning to make an attempt on history by completing the first ever double traverse of Everest. Gavin spoke directly with Alan, answering a series of questions about his plans, which are still in a bit of flux. For instance, he hasn't decided which guide service he'll be going with, or which route either, weighing the pros and cons of starting on either side of the mountain. One of the pros for starting on the South Side, according to Gavin, are the great fries in Gorak Shep, for instance. (I'm not making this up!)
For those that don't follow the Everest climbing season, a traverse of the mountain would mean climbing up from one side, while descending down the other. So, for instance, a climber would start on the South Side in Nepal, climb to the summit then descend down the North Side into Tibet. On a double traverse, the climber would then rest for several days in Tibet, then climb back to the summit, and down the other side of the mountain into Nepal, ending where they first started.
Considering how exhausting a single climb can be, you begin to understand why it has never been done before. Should be fun to follow along, and I'm already looking forward to the start of the season.
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