Four Climbers Missing On Dhaulagiri

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that three Japanese climbers, along with their Nepalese guide, have gone missing this week on Dhaulagiri. Search and rescue operations are underway, although authorities fear that they may have been caught in an avalanche on the mountain.

The four climbers, who have been missing since Tuesday, include the following:  Osamu Tanabe, 49, Toshio Yamamoto, 36, and Daisuke Honda, 32, all from Tokyo. Their Sherpa guide is Pasang Gyelu. Two other members of the team have been found and rescued.

The 26,790-foot tall Dhaulagiri is located in north central Nepal and is the 7th tallest mountain in the world.  The mountain has a distinct profile, and it's name, which means "white mountain," seems fitting, as its slopes are often clad in deep snows.

Rescue efforts are on going at this time, and SAR teams are holding out hope that they may yet find survivors amongst the snow.

Himalaya 2010: Edurne Claims Number 14, Summits on Everest!

It was a busy weekend across the Himalaya, with summits on a number of peaks, most notably Everest itself, where the expected weather window opened, giving access to top of the word. But that wasn't the only news to come out of the region this weekend.

We'll start on Shishapangma, where spanish climber Edurne Pasaban topped out, claiming her 14th 8000 meter peak, and adding her list to the names of elite climbers who have accomplished that feat. Edurne and her team reached the summit at 11:30 AM local time today, making her the second woman to nab all of the big mountains. Korean Oh Eun-Sun was the first just a few weeks back. Congrats to Edurne on a job well done!!

Edurne wasn't the only one taking advantage of the great weather that hit the Himalaya yesterday, and continuing through today. A number of teams put climbers on top of Everest from the South Side this morning, including the Hanesbrands sponsored Climb With Us Team, which had Jaime Clarke and Steve Simper top out. They're using the new Everest Supersuit on their climb, so I'm eager to hear out it performed. The Peak Freaks have put a number of their clients on the summit as well, including Carina Raiha, who became the first woman from Finland to climb Everest, ending a rivalry and race with Anne-Mari Hyryläinen, who is climbing with the Altitude Junkies, and was hoping to beat Carina to the summit.

All told, about 60 climbers topped out on Everest today, including Kenton Cool, who claimed his 8th summit of the mountain. Another wave of climbers is expected tomorrow, with roughly 60 more waiting for their opportunity to stand on top of the world tallest mountain. A second major push is expected to come next week, when another weather window will open, and more commercial teams will begin their ascents.

Meanwhile, just next door to all the action going down on Everest, there has been some developments on Lhotse as well. A strong Kazakh team led by Maxut Zhumayev topped out on the mountain yesterday. The weather conditions were reportedly quite good, with little wind as well, just like on Everest. But that isn't the biggest news from the mountain, as another Kazakh climbing star, Denis Urubko, has opened a new route on the mountain from the South Col. According to RussianClimb.com, Denis went solo on the new route when he summitted yesterday as well. All the Kazakhs are back in Camp 2 and resting before going back to BC tomorrow.

Finally, ExWeb is reporting that there has been trouble on Dhaulagiri, where an Austrian team aborted a summit bid last week due to poor weather, but a Chinese team went up in the conditions anyway. The team reportedly reached the summit, but were caught in whiteout conditions on the way down, and things only got worse from there. One member of the team died on the descent, and four others were severely injured, prompting a helicopter rescue to evac the climbers from the mountain. Lets hope there are no more casualties and that everyone makes a speedy and full recovery.

Stay tuned for Everest updates throughout the week. There is sure to be big news from the North Side soon too.

Everest 2010: Tibet Still Closed? Ice Doctors Going To Work!

April 1st has come and gone, and that means that things are really ramping up in the Himalaya, especially on Everest, where teams have been trekking to Base Camp for more than a week now. Well, on the South Side at least. It is business as usual in Nepal once again, but it seems the border into Tibet remains firmly shut.

According to ExWeb climbing teams headed for Everest's North Side had their permits in hand on Friday, but were still not given entry visas into Tibet so they could begin the journey to that side of the mountain. There was no real explanation as to why the borders weren't reopened at the beginning of the month as expected, but once again, the Chinese were not exactly being cooperative.

This is the third year in a row that entry visas have been difficult to acquire, to say the least. In 2008, the Chinese closed down the mountain altogether to allow their climbers to take the Olympic Torch to the summit, and last year entry was delayed due to the 50th anniversary demonstrations of the Dalai Lama going into exile. Eventually the borders did open, and teams made their way to the North Side, but very few ventured that direction due to the uncertainty of the situation. This year, it seems that that uncertainty remains. Who knows how long it'll be before access to the mountain is granted.

Meanwhile, on the South Side, the Khumbu Ice Doctors have already gone to work, and are fixing a route through the Ice Falls using ropes and ladders. With the first climbers due in BC later this week, it is quite likely that they'll find the route through the falls will already be finished when the arrive.

Alan Arnette posted a great story over the weekend that looks at the current state of affairs on the Everest, including some preliminary news from the major teams and insights into what they are experiencing at the moment. Fun fact of the day: The Himex team will have over 300 tents for their group alone!

On some of the other peaks in the Himalaya, things are starting to get interesting too. Miss Oh has arrived in Annapurna Base Camp, where she came face to face with Edurne Pasaban. They are the two ladies squaring off to become the first to climb all 14 8000 meter peaks. Meanwhile, the Iranian National Team is now on Dhaulagiri and has already established Camp 1 as the begin their process of taking on that mountain.

Himalaya Fall 2009: Climb With Us Team Leaves For Pumori

While many teams have already packed up and gone home for the season and others are just now finishing up their expeditions, the Climb With Us Team, which is sponsored by Hanesbrands, is just setting off for their climb on Pumori, the 7161 meter (23,494 foot) Himalayan peak located on the border between Nepal and Tibet. The mountain, which is known as "Everest's Daughter" sits just five miles to the west of the Big Hill itself, and is a popular destination for mountaineers looking for a Himalayan climb.

For the Climb With Us team, they'll be making a trial run with the new gear that was recently announced from Hanes, ahead of an Everest climb scheduled to take place next spring. You'll be able to follow along with the expedition, which is led by Jaime Clarke, on the Expeditions Update page, which already has a nice story about Pumori from Stephanie Pearson, who is a contributor to Outside Magazine. Good luck to the whole team!

Meanwhile, ExWeb is reporting in that storms have moved into the region, and that is preventing many teams from moving up their mountains at all. Most climbers are hunkered down in base camp, waiting out the weather and hoping for a window to open soon.

On Annapurna, the Korean team, which includes Oh Eun-Sun, is holding fast for now, despite the fact that the heavy snow has collapsed tents and made life very difficult. Their weather forecasters tell them this storm will hold in place until the Friday at the very least, and after that they'll have to decide if they can make another go at the summit or if they'll come home. Annapurna is notorious for its dangerous avalanches, and this new blanket of snow won't help their cause much. Miss Oh is hoping to become the first woman to nab all of the 8000 meter peaks, and has just this lone mountain to go.

Similar reports are coming in from Cho Oyu, Shisha Pangma, and Dhaulagiri as well. Teams on each mountain say that heavy snows have left them stranded in BC with near arctic conditions raging around them. Of course, if conditions are this bad in the base camps, how bad will they be further up the mountain, where the high camps have already been established? Some teams will no doubt face the task of having to re-establish those camps once the storm clears.

Himalaya Fall 2009: Andrew Lock Claims Last 8000m Peak!

The weekend news from the Himalaya begins with Andrew Lock, who reached the summit of Shisha Pangma last Friday, claiming his final 8000 meter peak, and becoming the the 18th person to summit all 14. The details on the climb are still a bit thin, but judging from his latest dispatch, it sounds like things were a bit treacherous on the descent. Andrew reached the true summit on Shisha, along with Neil Ward, but on their way down they were forced to camp, without gear, at 7600 meters. They did return to BC eventually, but have yet to share the details of their harrowing climb. I sense there is a good story here. Congrats Andrew! Well done.

Also on Shisha Pangma is the Summit Climb Team, which I reported last week were having some drama high on the mountain. One of the members of the team, Bart Dirven, had collapsed on the descent, and was having a difficult time making his way down after a successful climb to the Central Summit. Bart was suffering from exhaustion and altitude sickness, but in their latest update, it was reported that the entire team, including Bar, were down safe and sound. Crisis averted!

Meanwhile, over on Annapurna, the Korean team was turned back this weekend due to bad weather conditions high on the mountain. They are all back in base camp now, and plotting another attempt. ExWeb is reporting that they hope to make their next summit bid sometime next week, with an eye on being on top by October 15th, provided they get a weather window to proceed. This has temporarily put a halt to Oh Eun-Sun's attempt to become the first woman to summit each of the 8000 meter peaks.

Over on Dhaulagiri, we have word that there is an Italian team making an attempt on that mountain. There hasn't been a lot of news from Dhaula this fall, but that doesn't mean it is deserted. The Italians went up as high as C3 over the weekend, but were also forced back down due to inclement weather. They hope to make another attempt, weather permitting, later this week.

Finally, teams are clearing out of the Himalaya and heading home. Alpenglow Expeditions returned to Kathmandu on Saturday, and Field Touring Alpine has already vacated the region, but they still found time to post an excellent trip report from their recent climb on Satopanth.

Clearly, the days are numbered on the Fall Season. Winter is not far off, but there are very few climbs during that season.

Himalaya Fall 2009: And So It Begins...

I just wrote about the 2009 Fall Himalaya Expedition List yesterday, and now we get word today that things are already starting to happen in Nepal. ExWeb is reporting that teams have begun to arrive in Kathmandu, including the Basque team that will soon depart for Tibet, where they'll be attempting the Hornbein couloir along the North Face. They're joined by a Mexican team that has its sights set on Manaslu and two Chilean teams, one already on the trek to that mountain, and another preparing to set out for Dhaulagiri.

Swiss climber Ueli Steck continues his penchant for impressive climbs this fall by making an attempt on the West Pillar of Makalu. Ueli warmed up for this climb by making a solo summit on GII this past summer, and in keeping with that theme, he'll be going solo on Makalu as well. He will be joined by photographer Robert Boesch and mountain guide Andy Waelchli, but neither of those two men will go above base camp. According to Ueli's website, he expects to finish this project by the end of October. If there is a climber out there that can make a bold solo climb like this one, it's probably Ueli.

The Altitude Junkies have an expedition planned for Manaslu, and according to their most recent dispatch, the team should now be in Nepal, and beginning their trek to the mountain today. Expect the usual excellent updates from AJ as the climb progresses.

Finally, here's an interesting climb that is being sponsored by The North Face. It's called the Cho Oyu Trinity project and it will see a team of climbers make an attempt on the 8021 meter Cho Oyu. Following a successful summit, the team hopes to snowboard back down the mountain, before running and mountain biking their way back to Kathmandu, a distance of approximately 275 miles. I guess they were looking for more of a challenge after climbing the sixth highest mountain on Earth.

Himalaya Fall 2009: Expedition List Announced

With the summer Karakorum season now behind us, and the monsoon moving off, the mountaineering world is now turning back towards the Himalaya and big peaks there, including Everest. The fall season will get underway soon, with modestly sized teams making their way to Kathmandu for a decidedly different experience than found there in the spring.

ExWeb had just posted the first edition of the Fall Expedition list, and as usual, it has some very interesting climbs. For instance, Basque climbers Alberto Iurrategi and Juan Vallejo are headed back to the North Side of Everest to attempt the Hornbein Couloir in alpine style, while Simone Moro has his sights set on a new route along the South-West Face of Cho Oyu.

A couple of climbers will be hoping to finish off their remaining 8000 meter peaks, including Andrew Lock who needs Shisha Pangma to join the list of men who have topped out on all of those mountains. That list may not remain exclusive to the male gender for much longer however, as Korean climber Oh Eun-sun has her sights set on Annapurna, and if successful, she'll become the first woman to summit all 14 8-thousanders.

As usual, this list will probably be updated in the days ahead, as more expeditions firm up their plans and announce their last minute details. There are plenty of commercial teams making their way to the Himalaya as well, as the begin to lay the groundwork for Everest attempts next year. While the Fall Season isn't nearly as busy as the spring, it still holds plenty of excitement, as it seems that the climbers that are there are hoping to push the envelope a bit further without the crowds to get in the way. Should be fun to watch as usual. Lets hope everyone stays safe in the week ahead.

Himalaya Triple Header Puts Korean Climber in the Race for First Female on All 8000m Peaks

For months we've been hearing about how Nives Meroi, Gerlinde Kaltenbruner, and Edurne Pasaban were the three women who were gunning to become the first to reach the summit of all 14 8000m peaks. Well now, thanks to a stunning triple header in the Himalaya, there is another woman throwing her hat into the ring to make that claim.

South Korean climber Go Mi-sun along with climbing partner Kim Jae-soo, pulled off a first in the Himalaya this spring season by knocking off three 8000 meter peaks. The pair first took on Makalu, reaching the summit on April 30th, before moving on to Kangchenguna, reaching the summit of that mountain on the 19th of May. Not content with having added two big peaks to their resume, they went on to the summit of Dhaulagiri, finishing their triple header on the 9th of June.

Having completed these three climbs, Go Mi-Sun now has 10 of the 14 8000m peaks under her belt, and has achieved all 10 in just 2 1/2 years. She is also reportedly en route to Pakistan, where she'll attempt another triple header, this time bagging Gasherbrum I and II as well as Nanga Parbet. If successful, she'll have just Annapurna on her list, and she'll be right there with Nives, Gerlinde, and Edurne coming down the stretch.

Pretty impressive climbing to say the least. Having the potential to knock off six 8000 meter peaks in the span of just a few months is amazing. I wish her all the luck in the Karakorum this summer, and of course on Annapurna when she gets the opportunity. Saving that mountain for last may have been a good idea, but it is definitely no walk in the park, and often considered one of the most challenging mountains in the world.

Thanks to Stweart's Climbing Blog for this great story.

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Summits On Dhaula! Everest Next?

The calendar has turned to May, and while the rest of the world is dealing with the dreaded swine flu, in the Himalaya there is an altogether different ailment they are dealing with. it is right about this time each year that a nasty case of summit fever hits, and it seems to be indiscriminate in who it affects.

It seems Dhaulagiri may be the latest mountain to feel the impact, as ExWeb is reporting that Czech mountaineer David Fojtík topped out over the weekend, and completed the first summit of the season on that mountain by skiing most of the way back down. It is also reported that an unnamed Korean climber also reached the summit, although one of his teammates was not so lucky, and suffered severe hypothermia and frostbite on his descent back down the couloir. Congrats to the first summitteers of the season on Dhaula!

Meanwhile, things are really heating up on Everest's South Side, where Alan Arnette is reporting that the lines could be fixed to the summit as early as tomorrow, with Sherpas reaching the summit for the first time in 2009. The prediction is that the weather will turn bad after that, stranding the teams in BC while they wait for the first window of the season, which is expected to come early next week. Everything is in position, and the stage is just about set. It is nearly go time on Everest.

Alan also reports of another significant development on Everest that should hopefully make the mountain safer this year and in years to come. It seems that fresh bolts have been dropped into the Yellow Band, a notorious bottleneck on the mountain, and new lines have been put into place. There will now be a rope for climbers going up, and climbers going down, which should help to move things along a bit more quickly. It is also reported that the guides who installed the new lines, Willie Benegas and Adrian Ballinger, also cleared out a lot of old rope that was just hanging on the face. That should greatly improve the route as well.

You may have heard that an avalanche hit Everest over the weekend, and you can checkout some video of it from the First Ascent Team below. Fortunately no one was hurt, but it sure looks scary enough. The Peak Freaks are reporting more ice slides today, and can't help but wonder if global warming has anything to do with it. Speaking of the First Ascent team, Ed Viesturs and Peter Whittaker went up the mountain yesterday and established Camp 3 at 23,400 feet, where they also waited out the storm that hit over the weekend.

Finally, the Boys of Baruntse are taking a much deserved rest day today following a few days of scouting the mountain. They received a dusting of snow as well, but everyone is in good spirits and health, and they are preparing to make their assault on the 23,390 foot mountain, along a new route, and then make the first ski descent as well. Of course, they're capturing the entire thing on video for future episodes of The Rest of Everest too! Can't wait.

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: News From All Over!

As we sit on the edge of May, you can feel that we're also on the edge of lots of activity in the Himalaya. Teams are moving up and down Everest, making their last acclimatization runs, and the Sherpas are busy working on the final fixed lines, laying the ground work for plenty of action to come in just a few short weeks.

ExWeb starts the updates off today with the news that the Lhotse-Everest Traverse Team are on the move and expect to spend the night in C3 today before carrying the last of their supplies to C4 tomorrow. They'll spend the night there, then descend one final time. From there, they'll make a go at it on the next weather window, with the plan that they'll summit Lhotse, then trek across the ridge to Everest, where they'll top out one final time, before descending back down the mountain. This one should be fun to watch.

On Everest's South Side there is poor weather in the forecast, with snow expected tomorrow, which may strand a few teams in BC before making their next rotation up the mountain. Most are on their way to Camp 3 for the acclimatization process, where they'll spend the night before one final hike back down the South Col. From there, it'll just be a matter of resting up, and watching the weather.

The North Side is facing it's own set of issues, as more teams are arriving on the mountain, but suffering from acclimatization issues of their own. Thanks to the fancy new road that was built to base camp for the Olympic Torch Team last year, teams are arriving faster than ever, but are also finding themselves ill equipped to deal with the altitude and finding themselves out of breath when they do get there. At least one team has gone back down the mountain to regroup already as well.

In other parts of the Himalaya, teams are preparing to make their bids. On Kangchenjunga for instance, Edurne Pasaban has gone up to Camp 3 and cached supplies, while other teams have moved up as well. On Makalu, a large Korean team is building the high camps and fixing the lines, while a lone female team member stays in BC, and awaits her shot at going up. Over on Dhaulagiri there have been rumors of a summit push going on now, but there have been no confirmations of this or word of successful summits just yet, while the word from Cho Oyu is that BC is quiet with relatively few teams there this season.

Finally, our friends on Baruntse, who are attempting to climb a new route, then make the first descent on skis checked in with CNN again yesterday. Check out the video below.

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Issues in the Icefall, Summit Push on Manaslu

Time for a late week round up on what is happening in the Himalaya, where throughout the week we've been hearing that there are issues in the Khumbu Icefall near Everest. It was widely reported throughout the week that the route through the icefall, often called the most dangerous part of the mountain, had collapsed, preventing teams from making their way up to the high camps. The route was down for portions of three days in a row, but of course, it was repaired fairly quickly, Ice Doctors doing their usual bang-up job, and access was restored to the mountain once again. This is not an uncommon occurrence in the icefall, where the ice shifts constantly, and seracs collapse with regularity. It can obviously be quite dangerous, but the Docs are consummate professionals, and usually have things repaired ASAP.

For most of the teams, it was another acclimatization week on Everest, with many making their way up to C2 for the first time, where they generally spend the night, and sometimes all the next day as well. The process of getting your body use to that altitude is a slow one, so it is important to spend time there before returning once again to base camp. Alan Arnette conintues to update his Everest 2009 page with some great info of where everyone is at on the mountain, plus his own personal insights into what is going on.

ExWeb is also reporting that the Sherpas have fixed the lines as high as Camp 3, opening the door for the climbers to head on up to that point soon, and continue the acclimatization process. They are also reporting that the Kazakh team working the Lhotse-Everest Traverse, are already at 7300m as they make their alpine style go both summits.

The Himex Team has split into several groups, and are heading back to Lobuje Peak for another acclimatization climb according to Billi Bierling, who will be going for her second successful summit there. Of course, Russell Brice know what he is doing in get his clients ready for the big hill, but not all clients are treated the same, as David Tait, who has climbed with Brice in the past, will skip a second trip up Lobuje, and instead climb to C2 on Everest instead. David already has a successful North to South traverse to his name, and is quite experienced on the mountain.

Meanwhile, other teams are weighing in, with the Peak Freaks updating their blog to indicate that they have team members stretching from BC all the way up to C3 where the Sherpa are fixing ropes. IMG is in a similar position with climbers in BC, C1, and C2. They are also helping to coordinate with other teams on fixing the ropes, making sure everyone is contributing something to the cause. The Adventure Consultants are back in BC on the other hand, having already spent four nights on the mountain, including one night in both C1 and C3. The team is well ahead of the game when it comes to acclimatization and are feeling good at the moment.

On the North Side of Everest, things are still gearing up. The Summit Climb Team reached ABC this week, and there are several other teams strung out between base camp and advanced base camp, with an interim camp in between. ExWeb is also reporting that the Canadian team led by Manuel Pizarro have elected to go for a permit to climb from the Tibetan side of the mountain, rather than their planned South Col route. They are en route to North Base Camp, and hope to be there early next week.

Moving away from Everest and to some of the other peaks, it looks like it is go time on Manaslu, where teams are in the midst of a summit push at this very moment. There is reportedly a lot of snow on the mountain, and that is making things treacherous, but despite those conditions, teams hope to top out on Monday.

Meanwhile, over on Annapurna, the weather conditions are forcing teams to abandon the mountain altogether. There is a lot of snow on the upper slopes, and Annapurna is notoriously dangerous when it is prone to avalanches. Base camp is reportedly nearly empty already.

On Dhaulagiri, the Polish Tatra Rescuers Expedition has already made a run up to C3 and are currently back in base camp, resting, and waiting for a weather window to make a go at the summit. ExWeb also reports that sadly, Peter Hamor has returned to Kathmandu and is filling out reports on climbing partner and friend Piotr Morawski, who died on the mountain a few weeks back.

Finally, Ben Clark posts a dispatch on the Ski The Himalayas website with an update on their progress. He, along with friends Josh Butson and Jonathan Miller, have their hopes set on as summit, and ski descent of 23,390 foot Baruntse. The team is still two days away from BC, but it has already been quite an adventure, with plenty of rain and snow so far. Ben notes that yesterday alone they had to traverse three 14,000 foot passes, in whiteout conditions no less. The best part is that all of that hasn't dampened Ben's enthusiasm for the adventure at all, and just reading his words you can tell how excited he is to be back in the Himilaya. We should all be so lucky.

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Puja Ceremonies and Through The Ice Falls!

Lots of stuff happening in the Himalaya while I was off the grid. So hard to get caught up when you haven't had Internet for days during one of the busiest times of the year in terms of adventure.

First up, by condolences go out to the friends and family of Piotr Morawski, the young climber from Poland who, at the age of 33, had already made quite a name for himself in the climbing community. I'm sure for most of you this is old news, considering he perished last week, but I'm still catching up, and this was sad news indeed. It seems Piotr fell while descending from Camp 2 on Dhaulagiri, and slipped into a crevasse. He had six 8000m peaks to his name, including the first winter ascent on Shisha Pangma with Simone Moro back in 2005.

In other news, it seems that the Ice Doctors have gone to work creating a path through the Khumbu Icefalls, allowing the climbers to make their first forays onto the upper portions of Everest. As you no doubt already know, the Icefall is part of the glacier that extends down the mountain, and is continually moving and shifting its position. This opens up large cracks and crevasses, and each year a new path through the region, the most deadly on the South Side, has to be built using a series of ladders, which are set down over the openings, allowing the mountaineers to pass by waking across, stepping on the rungs. Many say it is a scary portion of the climb, but it is done multiple times throughout the climb as the teams go up and down the mountain establishing their camps and acclimatizing. According to Alan Arnette's Everest 2009 page, the first teams have moved through the early portions of the Icefall to get use to the process, which can be, in Alan's words, intimidating.

ExWeb is also reporting that the Icefalls may be completely open as early as today, although some reports are indicating that the last 200 meters or so are giving them particular troubles. Once the route is finished, the teams will be free to begin establishing Camp I just on the other side of the Falls.

Alan also reports that many of the teams have now had their Puja ceremonies as well. The traditional religious ceremony is conducted for each team before they begin the climb up from base camp to show respect for the mountain and to ask for safe passage to the summit and back. For the Sherpas who are integral to any successful Himalayan climb, and for the experienced mountaineers who have climbed in the region in the past, it is a very important part of the process.

The action is heating up on some of the other peaks in the Himalaya as well, with ExWeb saying that teams have established C1 on Manaslu, where a Koren team is expected to make a summit push in just three days. I'm assuming that's from a different route, or they're going up in Alpine Style in a fast climb. Meanwhile, German Luis Stitzinger has announced that he intends to ski down Dhaulagiri from at least 8000m and possibly the entire mountain, depending on conditions. It would be the first ski descent of that mountain.

Finally, Joe Puryear and David Gottlieb have announced that hey will have a go at Lunag Ri, which they are calling “the highest unclimbed permissible and independent mountain in Nepal.” There are several mountains in the region that are higher, but are off limits, with no permits being issued, because of the religious significance of the places. It should be fun to follow their progress over the weeks ahead, as they go for the first ascent.

Everest 2009: Czechs Get Ambitious in the Himalaya

A late Friday afternoon report from ExWeb give details on the plans for a Czech team that will be climbing Everest as a warm up for Annapurna.

The South Side of Everest continues to get more and more traffic, but Libor Uher and his Czech team won't notice, as they are planning to pass on the South Col to try their luck on the Hornbein Couloir instead. Alan Arnette is reporting on his Everest 2009 page that due to the North Side remaining closed though, the Czechs are already working on a contigent plan just in case. Few teams use Everest as a warm up, but that's just what Uher, along with Petr Masek, Radim Sliva, Petr Valchar and Ján Behun will be doing as once they finish up there, they'll head to Annapurna to attempt the East Ridge. According to ExWeb, they'll head to Nepal next Monday.

Meanwhile, Polish climber Piotr Morawski and his Slovak partner Peter Hamor, have plans of their own for the spring season in the Himalaya. Relaunching their "Triptychs" project, the two men will warm-up on Dhaulagiri before attempting a new route on Manaslu's West Face. At the moment, they'll share Dhaula with just a single team from Korea, as there are few announced plans to climb that mountain.

Finally, Alan also brings us a good story today about Lori Schneider, a climber with MS. Lori will be climbing Everest with Alpine Ascents and if successful, she'll claim the last of her Seven Summits.

Everest 2009: ExWeb Posts Expedition List

A month from now the already bustling streets of Kathmandu will become even more hectic, as teams of climbers from around the world descend on the city in preparation for their various climbs throughout the Himalaya. Most will be headed to Everest, where they'll be spending several weeks acclimatizing and eventually, if all goes according to plan, making an attempt on the summit.

As is typical for this time of year, Explorers Web has released their definitive list of Everest Expeditions for the Spring of 2009, as well as other peaks in the region that will be seeing some traffic as well. All told, there are more than 40 expeditions on the South Side of the mountain alone, while on the North, 8 optimistic teams hold out hope for access to the mountain from that side. Those plans all hinge on what happens in Tibet this month.

Some of the more interesting stories include David Liaño's attempt at a South-North-South double traverse, as well as American Bill Burke's attempt at a South to North traverse at the age of 67. Of course we also have the Sherpas attempting to stay on the summit for 24 hours straight, as well as a variety of attempts sans supplemental oxygen, and the news that I reported earlier today that Ed Viesturs will be returning for another go, climbing with Dave Hahn and Peter Whittaker.

Everest is never short on stories or drama. The mountain just attracts attention of course, but it isn't the only game in town when it comes to spring climbing in the Himalaya. The expedition list also has the scoop on the teams headed to Kangchenjunga, Annapurna, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Lhotse, Shisha Pangma, and Cho Oyu. I also personally have a friend headed to Island Peak for a climb of his own, which I'm looking forward to following as well.

Only a few more weeks before things get really interesting. Looks to be another wild year in the Himalaya.

Yeti Footprints??

Way back in August, I mentioned a Japanese team that was headed for Dhaulagiri to search for the mythical Yeti, or abominable snowman, an ape like creature that is said to live in the remote and high regions of the HImalaya. At the time, I noted that they were taking all kinds of high tech gear to find their prey, in hopes of proving to the world, once and for all, that the creature actually exists.

Well, it seems they may have found something. According to this story at the Daily Mail, team leader Yoshiteru Takahashi claims that they have found footprints of the Yeti in the snows near Dhaulagiri IV, where the team spent 42 days hoping to have the snowman trigger one of their motion activated cameras. Failing to catch the big guy on film however, they settled for the next best thing, amongst cryptozoologists it seems, in tracks in the snow.

Well, I suppose that looks a bit like a track. Maybe if you squint real hard. It certainly does look like snow in any event, with some kind of depression in it that could have been made by nearly anything. Takahashi has vowed to return to Dhaula, where he claims to have seen the Yeti back in 2003, until he finds proof of it's existence. Maybe he's just hoping to cash in on e-bay, like those other famous monster hunters.

Thanks to BackPacker.com for this one.

Chasing The Yeti

Tech site Gizmodo is reporting that a team of Japanese explorers are headed to the Himalaya to stalk the fabled Yeti, and this time they're taking some high tech gear along to help.

"Yeti hunter" Yoshiteru Takahashi and six others, will be setting off for Dhaulagiri, the seventh highest mountain in the world, where they'll spend the next two months setting up a sophisticated array of motion tracking cameras in an attempt to capture the elusive abominable snowman on camera.

This will beh Takahasi's third trip to the region to search for the creature he claims to have seen back in 1971, when he first visited the mountain. He also claims to have seen the Yeti again in 2003 on Dhaula's South East ridge. You can find out more about the expedition, at their official website (if you speak Japanese) or at Pink Tentacle. (Yeah, I have no idea either!) Personally, I think the "expedition" is just an excuse to go hang out in the mountains for a few weeks. ;)

Perhaps they should join forces with these guys, who will be unveiling their Big Foot corpse tomorrow. Didn't we get a new X-Files movie just a few weeks back? Coincidence?

Video: First Ski Descent of Dhaulagiri!

The Wend Blog has posted this awesome ten minute long video on the first ski descent of Dhaulagiri. The video opens with some cool shots of life in Nepal, with a mix of great scenery and some video of the wonderful people that live there, but soon it shifts gears to the mountain and the action there.

Dhaula is the 7th tallest mountain in the world, and is located in the north central region of Nepal. It stands 8167m in height (26,795 feet). The video shows the challenges of the climb, along with plenty of snow. But reaching the top is just the beginning, as the descent by skis is quite a site as well.

Enjoy!

Himalaya Update: Now or Never on Annapurna!

This morning I posted updates from the Everest teams, who continue to move into position on the mountain, and will begin making summit bids in the next day or two. The other big Himalayan peaks continue to see their action as well, with climbers on Lhotse following a similar schedule as their mates on Everest, and teams on Annapurna gearing up to go up or go home.

We'll start with an update from ExWeb with news from all around the region. They report that Spaniard Iñaki Ochoa, Romanian Horia Colibasanu, and Russian Alexey Bolotov all moved up to Camp 5 yesterday, fixing lines as they went. The weather window remains open at the moment, although they have seen cold mornings and snowy afternoons on their ascent. If all goes well, and the weather continues to cooperate, they should reach the summit later today or sometime tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Makalu has seen several successful summits with Joao García of Portugal topping out with out the use of supplemental oxygen, and not far behind him was a French team who also reached the summit. The reports are that it has been very cold and windy at the top, but as expected, the views were spectacular.

The latest news from Brian Oestrike is that he is moving into position on Lhotse and hopes to make his summit bid beginning on the 21st. Brian has been using acclimatization gear from his sponsor Hypoxico to help train for his climb, and he's looking to go solo, without oxygen, to the summit. The latest word is that he may go on oxygen at night while sleeping to help his circulation due to the very cold nights that have been hitting the area recently. Other than that, things are going according to plan, and Brian should be topping out around the 21st or so.

Spaniards Carlos Pauner and Javier Perez, who recently knocked off Dhaulagiri are making their bid for a Himalaya Double Header, and have arrived on Lhotse as well. Already well acclimatized, the two started up the mountain, but Javier turned back at C2, while Carlos continued up to C3. His current plan is to proceed to C4 tomorrow and summit on Wednesday. Husband and wife team of Ralf Dujmovits and Gerlinde Kaltenbruner hope to complete their own doubleheaders on Lhotse as well. Ralf already summitted Makalu and Gerlinde finished up Dhaulagiri. The pair of met in the Khumbu and will not proceed to BC to start their climb. If successful, Gerlinde will have just 2 8000m peaks left to become the first woman to summit all 14. Besides Lhotse, she's still missing Everest and K2.

Finally, last week I posted an update on the Annapuran IV team making the decision to go down the mountain rather than attempt a summit in poor weather. The team was besieged with bad weather since arriving in base camp, and a safe window never really opened for them to go up. Their most recent and possibly last dispatch, is a long and detailed account of their climb told in Ben Clark's well written style. Ben does a great job of really laying out his feeling about being on the mountain with his friends, and at times his words are almost poetic. Obviously the guys are a bit disappointed that they didn't stand on top, then ski back down as intended, but you can tell that the spirit of adventure is what drives them, and just being there and experiencing the mountain is fulfilling in it's own right.

That's all for now. I'm sure we'll have more updates in the next few days on these mountains as well. Annapurna should be interesting, and Lhotse is heating up literally right along side Everest.

Himalaya Update: Summits!!

The past few days have seen some good activity on the other Himalayan peaks. Remember those? The ones not called "Everest"?
ExWeb brings us an update.

It seems that there were several summits to celebrate over the weekend, not the least of which was Juanito Oiarzabal topping out with Pasang Nuru Sherpa and Roberto Rojo on Makalu. The three men have already returned to base camp, but the climb has left it's mark, as Juanito is showing the effects of frostbite. Having suffered from the affliction in the past, he is more susceptible to it now, and once again he is threatened with the loss of more toes. A small price to pay however for claiming his astonishing 22nd 8000m peak. Amazing work Juanito, hope the toes thaw properly.

Expect more summits on Makalu soon, as the word is that Brazilians Waldemar Niclevicz and Irivan Burda, Argentinean Hernán and Ecuadorian Santiago Quintero have all moved up to C3 and should be making their summit bids at any time in the next day or so.

Meanwhile, over on Dhaulagiri, the mountain where the summit parties never end, comes the news that the Polish Team has also topped out yesterday. Artur Hajzer and Robert Szymczak reached the top at approximately 2:45PM. More news on the team is expected one they reach BC, and they were headed for C3 at the time of their last report, so it's likely they are already back down the mountain.

Carlos Pauner and Javier Pérez are on their way to the Khumbu Valley, as they are hoping to take advantage of their acclimatization on Dhaulagiri to go for a rare double-header. After reaching the summit of Dhaula a few weeks back, they'll now pit their skills against Lhotse as well. They are expected in Kathmandu tomorrow, and from their they'll head to Everest BC where they hope to make one long, alpine style, attempt on the summit. Good luck guys!

Finally, over on Annapurna, Iñaki Ochoa and his partner Horia Colibasanu, have announced that they will no longer be climbing with Don Bowie. It seems there has been some kind of personal falling out between the men, with Iñaki saying: "ue to irreconcilable differences, Horia Colibasanu and I have decided not to continue climbing on Annapurna with Canadian Don Bowie, who has not been up to the level of demand required and has thus upset our trust in him". Harsh words coming from one of the top climbers in the world. Iñaki and Horia hope to make their own summit bid in just a few short days if the weather cooperates.

Everest and Himalaya Update: Everest An Armed Camp

ExWeb has an update of all the happenings in the HImalaya over the past few days, including news of a summit on Makalu.

First, we'll start on Everest however, as that's where most of the attention is now while we wait for the Chinese to summit with the Torch. ExWeb says that the South Side Teams are either in BC or scattered throughout the villages in the Khumbu Valley, while they wait for news. The earliest opportunity the Torch Team has will be tomorrow, but at this point we don't even know if there is even a team in position to go to the summit at the moment.

The reports also say that the mountain and Khumbu Valley, are crawling with soldiers and checkpoints to make sure that no one is attempting to communicate without authorization. Cameras and video equipment remain off limits, as do flags and banners that mention Tibet as well. The mood is said to be disgruntled, as the teams wait their opportunity. On the South Side, the weather has been good, and there are fears that when it becomes their turn, they may not have the same opportunities that they currently do.

Either way, the speculation is that the Nepal side of the mountain may remain closed until May 10th, even if the Chinese do summit tomorrow. You can bet, however, that when the word is given that it's time to go, there are going to be an awful lot of climbers scrambling up the mountain. Lets just hope that doesn't cause any unforeseen issues as well.

Moving away from the big hill, and over to Makalu, this past weekend British Airman Jonathon Percival, along with his Sherpa guide Dawa, reached the summit of the mountain. They are on their way down now, and are expected back in BC soon. Other summits are expected in the next few days as climbers such as Denis Urubko, are in BC resting before making their final bid. Denis and his climbing partner Boris have already been as high as 7500m, and are now feeling ready for the final push.

Sad news on Dhaulagiri over the weekend, as the news that Spanish climber Rafael Guillén has fallen to his death. It seems that Rafael had turned back on a summit bid last week, but his partner Jesús Morales continued to the top. On his way down, Jesús experienced the symptoms of frostbite, so Rafael decided to climb up to assist him, only to have an accident in the process. My condolences to Rafael's friends, family, and teammates.

On Annapuran, the third push for the summit has begun for the Russians. Inaki and Horia are back in BC resting before making their next climb up the mountain, but snow has hit the area, which is making things a bit treacherous at the moment. They hope a weather window will open in the next few days, and they'll finally be able to make their summit bid.

Finally, for a little taste of what it's like on the summit of Dhaulagiri, check out this video below. It's from Spanish climber Carlos Pauner, so much of it is in Spanish, but you can still appreciate the conditions, even if you don't speak the language.