The south side of Everest now seems to be closed for climbing, until the torch team summits. There are approx. 120 tents in C1 and about 80 tents in C2, with check-points along the ascent. Word from Rimpoche monastery was that more army troops (about 30 men) were approaching BC last week. This in addition to the police already there, including Chinese army personnel. A banner seals off the Lhotse wall and a small police post guards camp 2, with a soldier doing the rounds each day with a sniper rifle. AC told NZ media they even had to pay thousands of dollars to feed the soldiers on the mountain. "It is insane. It is extortion to pay for your own persecutors," leader Guy Cutter told Stuff (NZ). Radio restrictions were enforced between BC and high camps. “The Army alleges security reasons we can’t really understand; what we do know for sure is that our Sherpas are far from safe, risking their lives without contact with BC,” said Gnaro.
On the north side, journalists are cold, altitude sick, miserable, and left to interview only Chinese-conditioned Tibetans with no word about the torch. The Chinese should however be done this upcoming week, if forecasts are right. Veteran high altitude forecaster Javier Corripio said it seems rather calm after May the 3rd with weak winds, warmer temperatures and clear summits - although forecast reliability drops fast after 5 days, Javier made clear.
Following a young American climber, last week a BBC reporter was next to get kicked out from Nepal's side of Everest. The Nepalese authorities have imposed a complete communication ban on journalists from the south side base camp and upwards. Tourism ministry official Prabodh Dhakal, said that climbers were not allowed to hold even informal chats with media; in fact, if any mountaineer talked to the BBC, he or she would be expelled. "We are doing this for our friend, China," Dhakal said.
ExWeb China Special: A new evil in our world The recent events on Everest are just a small taste of what's going on in China where in 36 death camps organs are taken while prisoners - many young and healthy people abducted by authorities - are still alive. "The impression China must get [with the Olympics] is that it does not matter how much it violates human rights; the international community seems not to care," stated two independent Canadian investigators.
Word from Lhasa: State media reported that a Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced 30 people, including six monks, to jail terms ranging from three years to life in prison for their alleged roles in deadly riots in the Tibetan capital last month.
Dhaulagiri summits in stormy conditions Iván Vallejo (his 14th 8000er), Ferrán Latorre, Nacho Orviz, Fernando Gonzalez-Rubio, Edurne Pasaban (her 10th 8000er), Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner (her 11th 8000er), David Göttler, Carlos Pauner (his 8th 8000er), Marta Alejandre, Asier izaguirre, Alex Txicon, Muptu Sherpa and possibly Polish Kinga Baranowska all summited Dhaulagiri in 40km/h winds, thunder and lightning on the summit.
Valery Babanov and Nickolay Totmjanin summited Dhaulagiri via the NE ridge, RussianClimb reported. Check in for details next week.
Ueli Steck and Simon Anthamatten completed a first ascent of Tengkampoche (6500m) north face, in alpine-style, without bolts or fixed ropes, on April 24 at 7.15 am. They named the route Checkmate and graded it VI/85 degrees, ice M7+/6A0. The climb took 4 days and a hard final bivouac on the razor-edge summit crest.
Martin Minarik left Dhaula BC just hours after returning from the summit. According to Polish HiMalaya team, “he descended to BC at night and claimed that he had reached the summit. Very early on the following morning, he left BC and headed towards the French Pass and Kathmandu – possibly due to severe frostbites. At noon all his BC equipment and crew had gone as well (this information is however uncertain and comes from Sherpas). We were a little surprised because Martin acted on our permit and it is the expedition’s leader, Ryszard Pawlowski, who registers summit ascents in the Ministry of Tourism and receives summit certificates," the Polish noted.
Prior to her summit, Gerlinde traversed pass the spot where she was caught in an avalanche last fall. Back then, she managed to dig her way out of the snow, but Spaniards Santi and Ricardo, who slept in tents just meters away, were lost. “It was quiet,” Gerlinde wrote. “Just snow and ice, as if nothing had ever happened there.”
The 14th knight: Ecuadorian Ivan Vallejo is ready to continue With his summit, Ivan has entered as climber number 14 on the unique list of people in the world who have scaled all the world's tallest mountains - the fourteen 8000ers. Following Italian Silvio "Gnaro" Mondinelli last year and American Ed Viesturs in 2005, Ivan also became only the seventh mountaineer in the world to have done them all without supplementary oxygen. Check out ExWeb'special on the "natural-born-climber" who plans to tackle the polar areas next.
Makalu Chopper crash VIDEO "We are alive only by miracle,” said Juanito Oiarzabal after he and seven other climbers crash landed in Makalu’s BC last week. He wasn't kidding showed a video shot by Brazilian ace climber Waldemar Niclevicz - kindly forwarded to ExWeb by Brazilian portal Extremos.
Annapurna/Serguey Bogomolov reported problems with Thuraya connections all week. "We have some Thuraya phones, and none of them work as usual. We suppose, it has to do with the Olympic torch," dispatched the climber from Annapurna. The latest climbing report was that the Russians set Camp 4, Inaki and Horia were in Camp 3, the Polish had to abort only 150 meters short of summit after 12 hours of climbing in storm and lightning.
Manaslu update Maxut reports it appears there is a lot of snow above 2nd camp with difficult ice sections; most teams have been turned back below camp 3.
Greenland S/N Finns have hit the ice Finnish Pete Mäkelä and Pete Vourenmaa are going for a unsupported, kite assisted Greenland expedition the long way; south to north at 2700km. The two hit the ice Monday last week, after their cargo arrived Narsarsuaq with the entire side of one plywood box falling off. "The damage control had to wait as we had been invited to a local private club, and we were anxious to go there. The night was great and full of action including for example dancing and arms wrestling," they described the budding Greenland nightlife famous for its non-stop summer schedule.
Mitsuro Ohba's trek on Ellesmere Island Japanese Mitsuro Ohba has skied to the North Pole (with resupplies) and kite-traversed 3824 km on Antarctica (with resupplies). Now he's out on a Longitudinal crossing of Canada's High Arctic from Resolute to Ward Hunt Island. The expedition set out mid February and is expected to last through mid May.
Planet Erden: longest oceanrow in history This upcoming week Erden will row into ocean rowing history when he will exceed the 304 days spent at sea by Peter Bird. For this, Erden has been nominated for Ocean Rower of the Year by the Oceanrowing Society. It wasn't supposed to last this long. But winds and currents had the final word and Erden had to choose: abort or continue. 300 days in a tiny capsule out at sea makes your brain scream "enough." But Erden chose to stick to it, with a little help from his friends. In anticipation of Erden maxing out on food and technical supplies, his home team has been organizing goods for a resupply effort.
Anasazi Girl update: Whale collision! From Cape Town, James Burwick is now trying to get to Bermuda with the port rudder lost after a collision with a whale. "No water coming in the boat. Keel looks good as far as I can see. I have decided to try and finish my trip. Little shell shocked but lucky. Over and over in my mind I hear the boom and feel the boat lift and watch the main gybe and turn to sea the whale surface with a pool of blood. This one will be with me forever."