Tibet 2004 (Everest).pdf

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Tibet 2004: Chomolungma (8848m,29030ft), J.S. Milne

Gombu asked the monks what the English [of the 1938 Chomolungma

expedition] were looking for on the summit of the mountain. The monkstold him that there must be a golden cow up there and they wanted totake it home.

October 2003

"Going to try Everest?" the gentleman sitting beside me asked, as I thumbed through a brochure inThamserku's office."Maybe", I replied."Better to go trekking," he said, "much safer".

When I saw Mr Rai, he told me that the gentleman was an undertaker, there to arrange the repatriation of the body of a Greek climber with whom I had been talking on Cho Oyu only a few days earlier.

Mr Rai also told me that he was organizing an expedition for two French climbers to the north sideof Chomolungma in the spring, and that for $6,400 I could share their base camps, cooks, transport, andpermit.

Such was the lugubrious beginning to my attempt on Chomolungma.

01.04.2004. Left Ann Arbor

The pilot announced that we would be flying to Tokyo over Russia at an altitude only a little higher than thatof Chomolungma...

03.04.2004. Arrived Kathmandu

During the flight, the temperature outside the plane at 29000ft (8848m) was -32 degrees F (-36 degrees C).

Was met by Ramesh from Thamserku Trekking at the airport. He said there was chaos in Kathmandu. Abouttwo years ago the King dismissed the democratically elected Prime Minister, and had appointed another.Ever since the politicians have been protesting. Today the five political parties had called a strike to protestthe takeover of the government by the King and there had been violence. So now there are three groups inconflict, the Maoists, the political parties, and the King.

A week ago the Maoists had attempted to capture the town of Beni, and had been prevented only after heavyfighting.

Mr Rai told me that Thamserku has four groups attempting Chomolungma from the north.

International Group. This consists of:Hugues and Maryse (French) and their Sherpas Ang Babu and Pasang;David Sharp (English) (no Sherpa);Maite, Nuria, Marisa, and Sylvia (Spanish/Catalonian) and their two Sherpas;Me (New Zealand) and my Sherpas Pemba and Kancha.

Hugues, Maryse, David, and I would travel together by road to the Chomolungma base camp with theSherpas and all the gear, and the Spanish would fly to Lhasa and join us later.

http://www.jmilne.org/mntn/Tibet2004/Notes.html






Hugues and David had both attempted Chomolungma in Spring 2003, Hugues from the south and Davidfrom the north, and both had reached about 8500m before being forced back by high winds. David hadsuffered damage to his fingers from frostbite and had lost part of a toe.

Austrian Group. This consists of one Austrian, Fritz, the two European guides, Markus and Zeb, he hadhired, and three Sherpas. [Zeb had climbed Everest and parapented off the top, but in doing so he haddamaged his eyes, and as a result he would not be going high.]

Greek Group. Last autumn, a Greek-Canadian had sponsored two climbing groups. One, which I met, hadclimbed Cho Oyu, and the other almost reached the summit of Broad peak. The first group is attemptingEverest from the south and the second from the north. They hope to light an Olympic torch on top tocelebrate the holding of the games in Greece.

Italian Group This is a very large and strong group planning to climb both Everest and K2 in one season tocommemorate the first ascent of K2 by Italians 50 years ago.

Met my Sherpas: Pemba, with whom I had climbed twice before, and Kancha. Pemba has climbedChomolungma four times from the south but has never been to the north side. Kancha has been very high onthe south side and has reached Camp 3 (8300m) on the north side.

We arranged the equipment we need to rent or buy from Thamserku: two North Face VE25 tents, oxygen,and oxygen masks/regulators.

Gave Pemba 1500 rupees towards the cost of puja --- he would go with the other Sherpas at 8am to thetemple to get the materials from the priests.

04.04.2004. Kathmandu

Met Hugues, Maryse, and David, and finished organizing my gear and food.

Beautiful downtown Kathmandu: the view from my hotel

05.04.2004. To Zhang Mu (2300m/7500ft)



We left at 8am and didn't reach Kodari until 1.30pm. By time we made it across the border to Zhang Mu, thepassport office was closed, and so we had to stay there rather than go up to Nyelam. Both Kodari and ZhangMu are ugly towns, but in different ways.

06.04.2004. To Nyelam (3700m/12100ft)

After breakfast we had to wait in line behind Russell Brice's 40+ Sherpas to get our passports stamped. He is

by far the largest organizer of expeditions in Tibet. This season he has groups attempting Cho Oyu,Shishapengma, and Chomolungma. In addition, he has weekly groups of "trekkers" going to the advanced base camp on Chomolungma and to Camp 1 on the North Col (7100m/23300ft). In all he has 127 climbersand trekkers on Chomolungma (the climbers pay $40,000 and the trekkers $6,800).

Eventually we drove to Nyelam. I managed to reach the skyline (c4500m/14800ft) to the east of Nyelam before the weather turned to nasty.

Nyelam, as it began to vanish into the mist.

07.04.2004. To the Dara Tsho (4270m/14000ft)

On a nocturnal visit to the toilet, David ran into a Czech climber in the corridor who was suffering from bothpulmonary and cerebral edema. He and his two companions had gone up the valley towards Shishapengmato acclimatize. During the night he had become ill, and his companions had helped him back to Nyelam.Fortunately, David knew where the doctor for the Greek group was. The doctor gave the climber someinjections and sent him back to Zhang Mu in the morning, where he appeared to be recovering.

We had breakfast at 6am and (as usual) climbed up to the holy lake Dara Tsho (4270m).



David (left) examines his lunch, while Hugues and Maryse check their text mail.

This year, we were briefly able to see Shishapengma before it disappeared into the clouds.



I climbed the hill (c4870m/16000ft) behind the lake, while Hugues and Maryse made a circuit of the lake,thereby enhancing their merit.

08.04.2004. To Dingri 4340m/13900ft

Slept well, as I have every night since leaving Kathmandu. We drove to Tingri in 3 1/2 hours.

Tibetan and his horse

As we neared Dingri we could see Chomolungma (left) and Cho Oyu (far right). The peak in the middle isGyachung Kang 7952m/26089ft.

09.04.2004. Dingri; walk to c4850m/15900ft

Maryse had a headache at breakfast, but the rest of us walked down the road and climbed a small hill. TheSherpas had told us that "Hello" in Tibetan (and Sherpa) is "Tashi Dalay", so I tried it out on an innocent



Tibetan bystander. Briefly, he looked startled, but then answered Tashi Dalay back, and we both broke intolaughter.

From the top of the hill, Cho Oyu (right) looked higher than Chomolungma (left).



Base Camp, 10.04-15.04.10.04.04 Drove to the Chomolungma base camp (5170m/17000ft)

On the way to base camp we passed by several villages

and the famous Rongbuk (Dza Rongphu) monastery (4920m/16150ft)



with its spectacular view of Chomolungma.

Chomolungma from near the monastery. The Rongbuk glacier is visible at lower right. Thenortheast ridge is the skyline ridge to the left of the summit, and the north ridge is the spur joining it where it "flattens" (at 8400m/27560ft).

The route follows the East Rongbuk glacier (to the left of the snowy ridge) to reach advanced basecamp (6400m/21000ft). From there it climbs to the North Col (7100m) between the East Rongbukand Rongbuk glaciers and follows the north ridge to about 7900m/25900ft where it cuts right toreach the northeast ridge above the junction of the two ridges. It then follows the northeast ridge tothe summit.



11.04.2004 to 15.04.2004. At base camp.

We spent five days at base camp acclimatizing. Every day I would go for a walk, but mostly I read orlistened to CDs. Almost everyone runs out of reading matter during the two months of aChomolungma expedition, but, along with several other books including the account of the 1924(Mallory-Irvine) expedition, I had brought the six-volume paperback version of Proust's In Searchof Lost Time , and so I didn't have that problem. I had also brought several books on MP3 CDs,including War and Peace, which I could listen to during the long cold nights. David had broughtShakespeare's plays in a single massive volume.

Except for the spectacular views, base camp was not a pleasant place.



Another view of Chomolungma from across the river from base camp. The plume on top is anindication of high winds.

I asked the Tibetan Mountaineering Association (TMA ) man whether I was permitted to climb the"small" peaks near the base camp. He said I was, but warned me to be wary of wolves and snowleopards. On the 13th, I climbed a peak P6206m without, however, seeing any animals except for afew goats.

On top there were a tripod and some old cans that had probably been left there by the surveyorswith one of the pre-WWII British expeditions.

http://www.jmilne.org/mntn/Tibet2004/Notes.html#TMA






The Greek group had left Kathmandu the same day we had, but instead of coming to base camp,they had gone to the town of Shigar to acclimatize. There one of them had been bitten by a dog, andthey had had to arrange for a Nepalese helicopter to bring the rabies vaccine to Zhang Mu, from where it had been taken to Shigar by jeep.

The Italian group had been delayed in their departure from Kathmandu by a three-day transportstoppage enforced by the Maoists.

The afternoons were very windy, and one gust blew down my Sherpas' tent



To Advanced Base Camp 6400m/21000ft; 16.04-17.04.

What is meant by high altitude? Some "formal" medical

definitions:

o High Altitude: 1500 - 3500 m (5000 - 11500 ft)o Very High Altitude: 3500 - 5500 m (11500 - 18000 ft)o Extreme Altitude: above 5500 m

From: www.high-altitude-medicine.com

16.04.2004. To Intermediate Camp 5700m/18700ft.

Base camp is as high as humans can live permanently. I would have liked to stay there longer before going to

the advanced base camp (ABC), but the others were anxious to leave, and so we had arranged with the TMAfor the yaks to come today.

My plan was to make only two trips to ABC. On the first I would acclimatize by spending two nights at Camp1 on the North Col and climbing to 7500m, and on the second I would attempt the summit.

Packing up: Kancha and Pemba are at right; the group at left are weighing everything.

By 9am, everything was packed, and we were about ready to leave, but there was a problem: the TMA said weneeded 13 more yaks than Thamserku had paid for, and someone would have to pay for them. Since each yakcosts 990 yuan (about $120) we needed $1560. The four of us had already split the cost of a $500 garbagedeposit between us [to our amazement, we got it back at the end of the trip], and we weren't prepared to payan extra $1560. Eventually, it was decided that Pemba would stay behind with 13 loads and would arrange with Thamserku for the extra yaks.

[When I got back to Kathmandu, I asked Mr Rai about this, since it is a common problem not only forThamserku's groups. He said that the TMA tells him the yaks can carry 45--50kg, and that he had arrangedthings accordingly. However, at base camp the TMA insists the yaks can carry only 40kg. This, he said, was ascam by the TMA to extract more money.



Incidentally, the Tibetans were willing to carry 20kg to ABC for about $20, i.e., for about one third of theprice per kilogram that the TMA charged for yaks. Of course, the TMA tried to prevent them doing this.]

We finally left about 1pm (David is in the white hat).

ABC is 24km distant from base camp and 1230m higher, and so we stopped at an Intermediate Camp. [TheBritish had two intermediate camps, and so ABC is their Camp 3, our Camp 1 is their Camp 4, and so on.]David and I arrived at the Intermediate Camp at 5pm, and had a very cold wait until the yaks arrived at 6pm--- fortunately, I was carrying my sleeping bag. Within 5 minutes of their arrival, the Tibetans had their tentsup and a cozy fire of yak dung burning inside. We were much slower.

17.04.2004. To the advanced base camp (ABC) 6400m/21000ft.

When I went for a pee in the night, I almost tripped over a yak, which, following my cue, itself got up for apee. [Yaks look clumsy, but they are amazingly good at not treading on things or tripping over guy ropes inthe dark.]



Today we followed a moraine ridge between seracs.

[The moraine was actually only a thin layer of rubble on top of the ice of the glacier.]

A yak, probably carrying 45-50kg



Higher up, Everest came back into view.

More of the strange scenery

Today the yaks beat me to the camp site --- they are slowed by neither altitude nor steep slopes.



When I dropped some crumbs at ABC, I was surprised to see this tiny bird come and eat them.



Acclimatization at ABC, 18.04-24.04.

18.04.2004 Rest at Advanced Base Camp (6400m/21000ft)

At 7:30am, when the sun hit the tent, it was -9 Centigrade in the tent; by 9:30am it was +23. Thetent acts as a glass house.

Spent most of the day basking in its warmth and reading the book of the 1924 (Mallory-Irvine)British expedition.

At dinner Hugues told us on his attempt on Chomolungma a year ago, a twenty-nine year oldmember of his group had seemed fine, but when he didn't show up for the second breakfast at basecamp they had found him dead in his tent.

19.04.2004 Walk

Went for a short walk above the camp.

Advanced base camp

A large group of Korean and Arun Trekking Sherpas climbed to the North col quite quickly fixingropes. They are the first to reach it this year.

David took advantage of the calm weather to put his tent up on the North Col.

20.04.2004 Walk

David left after breakfast with a small load for the North Col. I walked up to the glacier below theNorth Col (6580m/21600ft), passing three very slow climbers on the way. One seemed to have noidea of how to move efficiently at altitude --- he would move very energetically for a few secondsand then have to rest. The others were merely slow.



Near the top of the walk.

When I returned, Pemba had arrived with the 13 yaks, to everyone's relief.

21.04.2004 Walk

Today I walked up to glacier in my double boots, and continued on to the start of fixed ropes(6650m/21800ft). I had promised to be back for lunch, and so was unable to go higher. Beautiful.

I met most of Brice's climbers including an Australian guide. They put on their climbing belts, so Iasked them if they were going up the fixed ropes: no, their boss hadn't given them permission.

Most of the large groups have already roped off areas at Camp 1 on the North Col. David hadaccidently put his tent up in the area claimed by the Indians, and their Sherpas had taken it down.[But the Indians are a friendly lot and made their Sherpas put it back up again.]

22.04.2004. Puja

I had arrived at ABC with a cold and a bad cough, but to my relief I had recovered. Now my cough was, as David put it, no worse than anyone elses.

The Sherpas won't go up the mountain without having the puja.

I told Pemba that I hoped that this year's puja would be better than the last two, which had notenabled us to reach a summit, but he told me that the puja's purpose was to appease the gods sothat they would not be angry with us. Since nothing bad had happened to us, they had beeneffective.



Several groups had their pujas today, and the Sherpas competed on who could get the longest run

of prayer flags. Ours stretched across a small gulley, but another group ran their flags half wayup a cliff.

Ang Babu, who had spent ten years training in a monastery, led the puja



After the puja: Chandra (cook), Pemba, Kancha, and the kitchen boy.

Normally on 8000m peaks, the large groups arrange to fix the ropes together and the smallergroups pay them for the use of the ropes, with part of the money going towards the cost of the ropes

and part going to the Sherpas who actually put the ropes up. [The commercial groups promise theirclients fixed ropes.] Today Russell Brice called a meeting to arrange this, but it broke upinconclusively with the Sherpas accusing him of pocketing the money intended last year for theSherpas.

23.04.2004 Walk.

Kancha carried a 3-man North Face tent and some snow pickets up to the North Col.

I went for a walk to about 300m below the camp and back again. When I returned, some of theguides from the commercial groups were teaching their clients how to climb on the glacier near ourtents.

The Sherpas from the various groups had their own meeting to arrange the setting up of the fixedropes, thereby cutting Russell Brice out.

24.04.2004. Rest

During night it had snowed.



Although there are occasional snow storms, the winds cause the most problems on Chomolungma.Day after day the weather looks fine, but there is a plume on the top of Chomolungma indicatinghigh winds. There are only a few days per year without high winds on the summit, and on manydays the summit is in the jet stream. Up to the North Col the route is fairly sheltered, but above it isimpossible to move when it is windy.

Today there were high winds and new snow, and so no one went up to the North Col.

After breakfast, Hugues and Maryse went down to base camp.Tomorrow I plan to go up the North Col and sleep there.



Acclimatization climb, and return to base camp,25.04-28.04

25.04.2004 Bad weather

I intended to go up to Camp 1 today and stay for two or three nights. Pemba and Kancha would carry somefood and gear up, put the tent up, and then return to ABC. However, by the time we were ready to set off, it was snowing, and so we decided to wait until tomorrow.

26.04.2004 To Camp 1, 7080m/23230ft

Beautiful morning. Pemba says he is too sick to go up to the North Col (he has a very bad cough), and wentdown to base camp instead. Kancha went up.

Heading up towards the North Col



The route climbs directly through the ice cliffs.

It would have been easier to skirt the ice cliffs on the right as the British did, but that slope is prone toavalanche.

I was tired when I reached the top, and so was happy that Kancha had pitched the tent only about 3 metresfrom the top of the fixed ropes.

27.04.2004. Climb to 7350m/24100ft and back to Camp 1.

Quite a bit of snow fell in the night. I left late, partly from laziness and partly to allow others to make thetracks.



Camp 1 is in two parts, separated by a nasty crevasse. This is the large upper part. The slopes we climbedto reach it are at right.



The route follows the foreground ridge to the top of the snow (7500m/24600ft) and continues to about halfway (7900m/25900ft) to the skyline (northeast) ridge, where it cuts right.

It was windy on the snow ridge and I was climbing quite well --- about 140m/460ft per hour (withoutoxygen) --- and so, when I got to about 7350m, I decided that was far enough, and returned to my tent atCamp 1.

28/04.2004. To base camp 7080m -> 5170m (23230ft -> 17000ft).



View from my tent at 7am as I was about to set off down. ABC is visible at lower-centre, as are the tracksleading towards the North Col.

I reached ABC in time for breakfast. For some reason, Kancha had also gone down to base camp. (Pasang:"Sherpas have no need to go to base camp.") The kitchen boy had shown signs of pulmonary edema, and hadalso descended.

I left at 10:30 and reached base camp at 4:30. On the way, I met the four Spanish women on their way up andalso Hugues, Maryse, and the Austrians. The Austrians, Greeks, and we share a cook and some tents at basecamp.

Pemba had seen the Italian doctor at base camp who had given him an antibiotic, which seemed to be helpinghis illness. The doctor told the kitchen boy that he needs to go down to Dingri and take oxygen (perhaps hedid, but the doctor tells almost everyone that).

I will rest at base camp until I'm ready to go up and make a summit attempt.



Rest at base camp 5170m/17000ft, 29.04 -05.05.

29.04.2004, High winds.

Pemba and the kitchen boy went down to Dingri last night. My expedition seems to have stalled: one Sherpais in Dingri and no one knows when, or even if, he will return, and the other is sitting around at base camp.Between them, they have made only two carries to Camp 1 whereas David has made four.

So I searched out Kancha in the Tibetan quarter of the base camp, and we had a little chat. Next morning heleft at 6:30am for ABC. He said that, even without Pemba, he can have the camps set up in time for us toleave for the summit about May 10.

[Kancha is 42 and, although he has been very high many times of Chomolungma, he has never been to thetop. He says he is very keen to get there before he is too old. He is from Kumjung, which is one of the highest year-round Sherpa village.]

30.04.2004, High winds.

The kitchen boy at base camp is Tibetan, so I had the cook ask him what Chomolungma meant. The answer was long and animated, but the cook (who is a Sherpa) said he didn't know enough English to be able totranslate it. [Later he said Chomo means cow in Tibetan, as it does in Sherpa.]

01.05.2004, High winds.

For 1000 rupees (about $14) the cook has bought a solar panel connected to a battery/transformer and afluorescent bulb, so now we have light in the dining tent. He plans to take them home to his village, wherethere is no electricity.

Pemba arrived back, recovered from his illness. He will go up to ABC tomorrow. The kitchen boy is still atDingri, but is recovering.

An American tourist comes into our tent and asks where the taxi down to the Rongbuk monastery leavesfrom (good luck).

Six of the Greeks arrive down. Their doctor has returned to Kathmandu, claiming illness.

02.05.2004, High winds.

The Austrian group arrives down.

03.05.2004, High winds.

At breakfast, one of the Greeks, who is completing a Ph.D. in high-altitude physiology, was measuring thearterial oxygen saturation of his team members. He said that for acclimatized individuals at 5000m it wastypically in the 70s, but for his team members and their Sherpas it was in the upper 80s. Mine was 90%. [Areading below 95% at sea level means you are gravely ill.]

He said that doctors still have no way of predicting who will perform well at high altitude frommeasurements made at sea level. Perhaps one day they will discover a high altitude gene.

The Greeks went down to stay in the new hotel near the Rongbuk monastery, and two of the Spanish, Sylviaand Marisa, arrived down from ABC. They said that the winds had been very bad at ABC. Few were going toCamp 1, and no one was going above it.

To my surprise, the kitchen boy arrived back from Dingri, and said he was going to ABC tomorrow.



04.05.2004, High Winds.

Today, the wind seems even stronger, but by late afternoon it had calmed, and for the first time since I hadarrived back at base camp, the weather was (briefly) beautiful.

The view down valley from my tent at 5pm.

Hugues and Maryse came down. They had spent a night at Camp 1 but had been unable to go higher becauseof the high winds. Kancha blames the continual high winds on the presence of so many women on themountain.

The forecast is for somewhat lighter winds for the next three days, and then a return to high winds.

05.05.2004, High winds.

It was calm in the morning, but by 8:30am the wind had returned. During the night, the Austrian group leftto spend a few days in Kathmandu.



Early each morning, tourists would arrive, climb this small hill (one used oxygen), take photos, and thenvanish again.

Every day while at base camp, I would go for a walk up the hill behind the camp.



Chomolungma was always a brooding presence.

Tomorrow I will go back to ABC even though it appears that it will not be possible to make a summit attemptfor several days.



Base camp to the sky..., 06.05.2004 -18.05.2004.

The trouble with Everest is not that it is a very hard mountain.

It is just a little bit too high.

Andre Roch, after the 1952 Swiss expedition had turned back at 8597m (28200ft).

06.05.2004 Return to ABC, 5170m -> 6400m (17000ft -> 21000ft)

It is a long way to ABC. Unfortunately, when I came down from ABC, I had carelessly left some climbing gearin my pack, and with it, a sleeping bag, clothes, stove, two volumes of Proust,... my pack weighed about 30lbs.Left at 7:30 and arrived at ABC at 4:30 (8 hours walking).

I saw only a few climbers on the way including some Asian climbers going home, who cheerfully wished me“Good lucky” as we passed.

This was the first calm day since I had gone down to base camp. When I arrived back one of the Sherpas said(not quite accurately): "When you went to Camp 1 it was calm; when you went down to base camp it wascalm; now when you come back to ABC it is calm; perhaps you will be lucky the whole way." Perhaps.

Kancha and Pemba have each made two carries to Camp 1 in the last two days.

07.05.2004, Rest.

Kanja and Pemba went to Camp 1 today. If, as planned, they can carry to Camps 2 and 3, then the camps will be ready for a summit attempt.

Kancha had a mini-puja before going up the mountain (he is a classy dresser).

Maite and Nuria went down to base camp.



Hugues and Maryse arrived back from base camp. According to the weather forecast they receive fromChamonix, tomorrow will be good, but then we'll have several days of bad weather. However May 16, 17, 18may be possible summit days.

Based on the report, we plan to leave for the summit on May 15 (16 C2; 17 C3; 18 top).

08.05.2004, walk.

Hugues and Maryse leave after breakfast to spend 1-2 nights at the North Col --- they had so far spent onlyone night there.

I walk up to the glacier at 6580m in 44 minutes, much faster than when I was here before. As I come down Ipass a climber moving down very slowly and clumsily on the loose stones --- I can only hope he isn't planningto try to climb Chomolungma.

David comes down --- he has carried a tent and gear to camp 2.

09.05.2004, walk.

Usual walk. It is windy, but a few climbers seem to be going to Camp 2.

Maryse and Hugues come down --- Maryse has been to about 7300m and Hugues made it to the top of thesnow at 7500m.

Pemba and Kancha come down. Pemba is keen to reach the top. He has a friend on the south side who saysthat many people there are planning to attempt the summit on the 17th. Pemba suggested we go to Camp 1 onthe 14th and attempt the top on the 17th .

10.05.2004 High winds.

Everyone is getting a bit irritable. Each year there has been a window when it has been possible to attemptthe summit from the north, but what if this year is different?


Sylvia comes up from base camp.


Walk up to the glacier at 6580m in 39 minutes!

Despite the wind, one of Brice's "trekking groups" goes up to the North Col. About 4pm I saw many peoplenearing the Col, and I saw two of the "trekkers" returning to ABC still wearing oxygen masks.

13.05.2004

It is still very windy in the morning, but the weather forecast is for the winds at 7000m to be14th (60kph); 15th (70kph); 16th (30kph); 17th (0kph); 18th (40kph). Then there will be bad weather until atleast the 22nd.

A problem: there are no fixed ropes above Camp 3, and may not be any for many days since none of theguided groups are ready to attempt the summit. We discuss this, and decide that, if necessary, we'll climb without them. (Only Ang Babu bragged that this didn't bother him.)

I plan my attempt with Pemba and Kancha. I had been trying to decide whether to take one or two Sherpason the summit day and, if one, which one. The problem was resolved when Kancha declared that he was sick.Sick or not, Pemba persuaded him to carry two bottles of oxygen to Camp 3.



Our plans: Pemba and I leave on the 14th and go to Camp 1; 15th Camp 2; 16th Camp 3; 17th summit. Kancha will go to Camp 2 on 15th and carry two bottles of oxygen to Camp 3 on 16th.

David, Hugues, and Maryse will also leave on the 14th and attempt the summit on the 17th.

14.05.2004. To Camp 1, 7080m/23230ft

My appetite at ABC has not been great, but at breakfast I felt almost as if I would vomit, and only managed toeat two bowls of cornflakes.

Fortunately, once I started walking I felt much better, and reached the start of the fixed ropes in 2 hours.Towards the top I tired, and was passed by David and some of the Italians. Below the final slope, I had to wait while Brice's trekkers came down --- one managed to fall off and was left dangling on the rope until one ofthe guides rescued him. (There were two fixed ropes at this point, but it seemed prudent to stay well out ofthe way.) I reached Camp 1 in 5 hours, which was about an hour faster than my first time. Pemba came uplater in 3 1/2 hours.

15.05.2004 To Camp 2, 7080m/23230ft -> 7650m/25100ft

Left at 9am, after the sun had warmed the tent.

The view just before I set off.



Sylvia (left) is ready to go for an acclimatization climb, while the Italians (yellow suits) are preparing to goto Camp 2

Some climbers can be seen already on the snow ridge.

I soon got into the wind, but in my down suit I was not cold. For a while I kept pace with the Italians who hadpassed me yesterday. I had planned to start using oxygen at the top of the snow (7500m/24600ft) in order toconserve energy for higher up, but when the "last" steep snow slope turned out to be the second last,the oxygen bottle in my pack began to weigh heavily and I started using it. At this altitude, the oxygen hadonly a small effect, but I managed to pass one of the Italians, who promptly quit his attempt, and returneddown.

http://www.jmilne.org/mntn/Tibet2004/Notes.html#oxygen






At the top of the snow, I stopped to admire the view (Cho Oyu in centre; Gyachung Kang to its right).

Reached our camp site at 4:30. Pemba had got there before me and put the tent up. It was very windy ---probably about 70kph.

Pemba had come up in 5 1/2 hours carrying 17kg/38lbs, and I and taken 7 1/2 hours carrying 12kg/27lbs.

16.05.2004 Camp 2

The wind dropped during the night to about 30kph, as predicted. I had slept for 9 hours using oxygen at 0.5l/hr.

Pemba said, that without Kancha, we would both have to carry heavy packs if we went to Camp 3 today. Hesuggested that I rest at Camp 2 today while he carries a load to Camp 3. Since the last two days had beenhard, the next few looked harder, and Camp 2 was the last place where a rest might do good, I took nopersuading.

Pemba left at 8am with a tent and three oxygen bottles. At 8:30am, Kancha arrived from Camp 1 with twooxygen bottles, and continued on to Camp 3.



A climber (right) on his way up while a camp-two resident watches

A climber stops to admire the view from a little below my tent; Camp 1 is visible. A few days later, aclimber fell from the rocks onto the snow and narrowly avoided tumbling off to the left down to the

Rongbuk glacier.

At 2pm, the Austrian group arrived outside my tent. They will try for the summit tomorrow from a camp at7900m. (The tents of Camp 2 run from the top of the snow (7500m) to the point at which one leaves thenorth ridge (7900m)).

Proust being too heavy for 7650m/25100ft, I spent the day reading Three Men in a Boat and especiallyenjoyed the section on the stretchers fishermen tell --- mountain climbers are more reliable, mostly.

Kancha and Pemba arrive down at 3pm looking tired. Pemba says it will take me 8 hours tomorrow to reachCamp 3.

[The first climbers reached the summit from the south on the 15th, two days before anyone was able toattempt it from the north, and on the 16th ten parties reached the top from the south. The southern route islargely protected from the wind until Camp 3, whereas the northern route is exposed to it from Camp 1. Also,the route above Camp 3 on the south is fairly directly straight up and down whereas on the north there is a

http://www.jmilne.org/mntn/Tibet2004/Notes.html#stretchers






very long traverse on a ridge at over 8500m. For these reasons, the southern route is easier than the north, which explains its popularity despite the huge fees charged by the Nepalese.]

17.05.2004, To Camp 3, 7650m/25100ft -> 8300m/27230ft.

I set off for Camp 3 at 8am with a partly full oxygen bottle that will last me about 4 hours. Pemba would leavean hour later and catch me in time to give me a new bottle.

It was a bit windy in the morning, but this was not really a problem. Climbed scree up the ridge to7900m/25900ft.

(7900m/25900ft; 10:45am). View across the north face towards the summit. The north ridge and face arenot steep, but the strata slope down and the rock is loose, and so it is a little like climbing a slate roof with

loose slates. The people in the yellow down suits are the Italians: at 6am the weather had looked bad, andso they had turned back from their summit attempt; an hour later it cleared, but by then it was too late.

(c8000m/26250m, 12:05pm). By midday my oxygen was running low, and so I found a comfortable spotto stop. A few minutes later, Pemba arrived using oxygen (see photo), and we had some hot drinks.

I continued following the traverse across, and soon saw the tents of Camp 3 looking quite close. I met a veryhappy Markus (of the Austrians). He said that they had reached the summit in 11 hours from their camp at7900m. David had been very slow without oxygen, and had turned back at the northeast ridge. Maryse had



turned back at about the same point with cold feet, but Hugues, despite a fall a little above Camp 3, hadcontinued to the summit.

As Pemba had predicted, I arrived at Camp 3 at about 4pm. This is the highest commonly used camp in the world (c8300/27230ft). Resting I felt fine, and I was able to walk around the camp without oxygen. I think Icould have descended from here without oxygen, but it was not something I wanted to risk.

[Altitudes above 8000m (the so-called "zone of death") are very dangerous - climbers trapped in their tents by prolonged storms can weaken and die in a matter of days. It was noticeable that the Sherpas avoidedspending more than one night here.]

Pemba and I rested, drinking copious amounts of hot sweet drinks. We decided we would leave at 1 amtomorrow for the summit.

18.05.2004

We both had a good, if short, night --- we were both using oxygen to sleep. We woke at midnight as planned, but we didn’t manage to leave until 2 am. Above the camp, the climbing was easy, but it became steeper as weneared the northeast ridge.

There were fixed ropes from previous years, which were helpful for finding the route, but were not to betrusted --- the ultraviolet light at high altitudes weakens ropes, and a rope that looks strong may turn outhigher up to be almost cut through by rubbing on a rock edge. I felt clumsy climbing in the dark in a downsuit, double boots, and with an oxygen mask that made it difficult to see where I was putting my feet.

We arrived on the northeast ridge a little before 5am to spectacular views, and continued along the ridge alittle way. According to my altimeter, we had climbed almost 300m above Camp 3 in three hours. At thispoint we were only about 350m below the summit, but over a kilometre away. We had reached the ridge quitequickly, and if we continued at the same pace, we could expect to reach the summit in about 5-6 hours.

The summit looked tantalizingly close

But as I looked up I could already see signs of winds higher up which we could expect to grow only worse.Together with the lack of any reliable protection, I decided that to push on to the summit would be toodangerous, and so, after taking some photos, we descended. (Pemba was willing to continue.) My bestestimate is that we reached abou t8500m/27900ft .

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The view west towards Cho Oyu 8201m/26907ft (centre) with Gyachung Kang 79452m/26089 to its right.

Makalu 8475m/27806ft (the distant peak at left is Kangchenjunga 8586m/28169ft)

We could also see Lhotse 8501m/27920ft, but I neglected to take a photo of it.



Pemba took this photo of me. At this point, when viewed from base camp, we were on the skyline, close towhere Mallory and Irvine had fallen to their deaths 80 years earlier.

In fact, as I feared, the winds did increase: by 10am, the summit had its familiar plume, and Pemba was blown over twice on the way down to Camp 2. That day two very experienced Korean climbers, who had bothclimbed K2, became trapped by high winds near the summit, and died there. [They may have continued in worsening winds in the hope of finding a team member who had gone missing the day before.] In the space ofa few days, six climbers died on the northeast ridge (3 Koreans, 2 Bulgarians, and one Japanese).

One of those who died was attempting to be the first Bulgarian woman to reach the summit. As Ed. Hillaryalways says when asked about Mallory and Irvine, getting down is an important part of mountaineering.

By 7:30am, we were back at our tent, and I told Pemba that at 9:30 he could pack it up and head down. For 2hours we rested and drank hot sweet drinks.

When 9:30 came, I found it very difficult to rouse myself from the comfort of my sleeping bag, but there wasno choice. Besides, Pemba was starting to take the tent down.

In the tent, Pemba took a photo of me looking even more exhausted than I remember, and I managed toscramble out of the tent (without oxygen) and take a photo of it with the plumed summit of Chomolungma behind (Pemba can be seen inside packing up). Alas, my camera had slipped from MyMode to MovieMode(this happens also at sea level), and so we both took short movies. Following are a few frames (extracted byPete Downie).



We both set off about 10am. About 8000m the tube from my oxygen bottle to the mask/regulator caught on arock and popped off, and I lost some oxygen. A little later, my oxygen ran out, but I was so exhausted by then,that it didn't seem to matter. Descending the north ridge was very frustrating with the strong gusty wind andthe loose stones. Not far above my tent I was passed by the remnants of the Korean expedition --- theyseemed almost as tired as me.

Finally, I reached my tent. Pemba had continued down to Camp 1, but had kindly put a big ball of snow at thedoor of the tent. Thus, all I had to do was crawl inside and make myself hot drinks. The wind was very strong,and my tent was flapping quite a bit , but it didn’t seem to be in danger.



Camp 2 to sea level, 19.05.2004 - 28.05.2004.

19.05.2004. Camp 2 to ABC, 7650m->6400m/25100ft->21000ft

Left camp 2 at 8am. Felt weary descending the rock to the top of the snow at 7500m.

While I was putting my crampons on, a Sherpa asked me whether I’d reached the top. "No, only 8500m, too old. ”

"How old ?""Sixty-one.""Ah, the same age as my grandfather."

Continued down the snow, and met Kancha going up to retrieve the tent and gear from Camp 2. Mostly Icramponed down the hard snow without clipping into the fixed rope.

It was sunny and windless, and I became very hot in my down suit, so I stopped for a brief rest, and unzipped

the top half. Just before Camp 1, I passed a Japanese group heading up already using oxygen.

I reached Camp 1 and rested in our tent. Hugues arrived also from Camp 2 while I was there. He said that Ang Babu had complained all the way to summit about having to climb without fixed ropes. Near the top, Ang Babu had left him, and when Hugues arrived on top Ang Babu had on a lama’s robe and was praying tosome artifacts that he had placed on the summit. On the descent, Ang Babu again left him, and Hugues ranout of oxygen. With no oxygen at 8800m he was barely able to move. He waved to Ang Babu to return, but Ang Babu simply waved back and continued down. Eventually, Ang Babu did wait, and Hugues was able toreach him and get a new oxygen bottle. It was after 8pm when he made it back to Camp 3. He had spent thenight there, and descended to Camp 2 yesterday.

About 1pm, Hugues and I set off down the fixed ropes to ABC. On the way down we spoke to two Bulgarianclimbers heading up for their tragic summit attempt.

It was a relief to reach ABC and be at an altitude where I could live and eat comfortably.

There was great excitement in our camp when I arrived. Maite and Nuria had reached the summit a fewhours earlier, and had radioed down their success. They were the first Catalan women to have climbedChomolungma, and Sylvia was doing live interviews with Catalonian TV and radio stations via her satellitephone.[New Zealanders have been climbing Chomolungma with such frequency and for so long (51 years!) that noone there pays attention any more.]

Later David came down. He had planned to rest and then return for an attempt on the summit using oxygen, but on reaching Camp 1 he discovered that his hands had been frostbitten when his tent blew down in the

night at Camp 3. Fortunately, his fingers looked as though they would probably recover without additionalpermanent damage.

Our neighbours, the Greeks, were down. Five members of the party on the south side of Chomolungma hadreached the summit as had three of eight on the north. Now they were famous in Greece (well, at least for afew weeks until their soccer team won the European cup).

[One of those reaching the top had suffered damage to his eyes from both the cold and the sun, and wasalmost blind by the time he got back to ABC. Two of the Greeks escorted him down to base camp, and he wassent back to Kathmandu for treatment.]

Except for meals, I slept solidly for 36 hours.20.05.2004. Rest.

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It was snowing in the morning. At lunch I learned that Maite and Nuria had been in trouble descending fromCamp 3 in bad conditions, and had had to radio for help.

Maryse arrived down during the morning --- after her attempt on the 17th, she had spent the night in everycamp on the way down.

While we were still having dinner, an exhausted Maite wearing an oxygen mask was helped into the dining

tent by two of the Greeks. Sylvia, who is a doctor, helped her (IV tubes etc.), and then she was assisted to hertent.

Shortly afterwards Nuria came in, looking surprisingly fresh and told us their story. On the climb aboveCamp 3, she (Nuria) had fallen, and thought she would die, but after about 10 metres, an old rope that shehad clipped into had held her. They had reached the summit quite early, but soon after beginning the descentthey found the two Koreans who had been trapped there the day before. They were still alive, and Maite andNuria had spent some time with them trying to persuade them to descend, but without success. When it began to snow, they had had to leave them. [A little later, one of the Koreans gave an Indian climber hismother's telephone number and a message for her.]

When they got back to Camp 3, Maite and Nuria were very tired, so they decided to spend the night there inthe hope that they would feel better in the morning after a rest and hot drinks. Their Sherpas went down to

Camp 1. In the morning Maite and Nuria were just as tired, and it had snowed heavily during the night, butthey had no choice except to descend. They had trouble finding the fixed ropes under the snow, but hadmanaged to reach the highest tent (7900m/25900ft) on the north ridge, which to their disappointment wasempty. By now Maite was too exhausted to continue, and so Nuria had radioed for help. Three Italians hadresponded by carrying oxygen and hot drinks up to them from their tents in Camp 2 (c7700m/25260ft). Acombination of climbers and Sherpas then succeeded in rescuing them.

Nuria was upset that, while so many people had combined to successfully rescue them, they had been unablehelp the Koreans.

21.05.2004, ABC -> base camp

In the morning Maite (left) had recovered; on the right, Nuria.



Hugues, David, and Maryse. David's fingers are already starting to turn black.

Pemba had ordered the yaks for the 23rd. They would carry everything down to base camp on the 24th, andour gear would reach Kathmandu on the 26th . We (H+M+D+me) decided we would walk down today andhope we could persuade the TMA to allow us to leave for Kathmandu on the 22nd.

I packed up, said goodbye to everyone, and left at 10am. The weather was gloomy during the descent (lightsnow), but I reached base camp at 4:30pm. Hugues and Maryse arrived at about 6, but David not until afterdark at 9pm.

22.05.2004, Bored at base camp

Our efforts to persuade the TMA to arrange for us to leave early were unsuccessful --- they claimed that there

were no jeeps available. [However, when we got down to Dingri on the 24th, there were a dozen idle jeeps ---I'm sure that if we'd offered to pay extra, a jeep would have miraculously become available.]

At lunch a Nepalese woman was bragging about how many times she had climbed Chomolungma while David whispered in my ear that he thought she was the person who had been so slow on the second step of thenortheast ridge last year that 20 climbers behind her had been forced to abandon their attempt on thesummit.

Once when I was trying to explain, without much success, to some do-or-diers why I had done neither, Davidcommented (perceptively) that I was a mountaineer.

23.05.2004, Bored at base camp.

The Spanish arrived down from ABC --- their sponsors are arriving, and they are to entertain them.

News. An Italian who had been missing was found to be at Camp 3, where he had spent 3 nights --- he was so badlyfrostbitten that he may lose all his fingers.

A Mexican had reached the summit without oxygen, but then had to be rescued on the descent. A Greenlander, hoping to be the first from his island to climb Chomolungma, was unsuccessful, but plannedto return next year with three others.

A rumour that three more climbers had died on the northeast ridge happily turned out to be false.

24.05.2004, to Dingri



Finally, about 4pm, our jeeps arrived, and we drove to Tingri.

[Today was very windy, and a Sherpa took advantage of the absence of other climbers to claim the fastestascent of Chomolungma (from the south). The previous record holder said he didn't believe him, but none ofthe Sherpas seemed to believe him either.]

25.05.2004, to Kathmandu

Left at 7am, and reached Kathmandu at 6:30pm

26.05.2004. Kathmandu.

Succeeded in changing my tickets so I now depart on the 28th, and get home on the 29th.

I visit a barber.

27.05.2004. Kathmandu.

Our Sherpas and gear arrived in Kathmandu late yesterday, so I went out to Thamserku and arranged it withthe help of Pemba. I sold all my oxygen gear back to Thamserku, so no more attempts on 8000ers: Cho Oyudidn't look so exciting from 8500m on Chomolungma, the southern route on Chomolungma holds no interestfor me, and clearly I lack the correct do-or-die (Mallory-Irvine) spirit for the northern route.

While I was talking to Mr Rai, the Greeks were having a row with their Sherpas: it is standard that Sherpasare paid a bonus of $700 for reaching the summit, but the Greeks were refusing to pay.

28.05.2004. To Bangkok, 0m/0ft

29.05.2004. To Ann Arbor, 255m/837ft.

Postscript: On May 28, 2004, Sherpas acting on the instructions of Russell Brice cut down all the fixedropes below the North Col (Camp 1), including those place there by other teams, while climbers werestill attempting the summit. Tired climbers require these ropes to be able to descend safely --- forexample, there is an almost vertical ice cliff that would be difficult to descend with neither a rope norspecialized ice climbing equipment. Fortunately, another group was able to replace the ropes on the moredifficult sections.

Postscript 23.05.2006. David Sharp attempted Everest again from the north in 2006, and died there. Itappears that he ran out of oxygen while descending, probably from the summit. At least 40 climbers saw himin difficulties the next morning about 300 metres above Camp 3 as they headed for the summit, but by thetime one of Russell Brice's sherpas offered him oxygen it was apparently too late. He was 34 years old and thesixth climber to die on Everest in 2006.

Postscript 24.05.2006. Ed Hillary said he was shocked at the dozens of climbers, in particular, those inthe group including New Zealander Mark Inglis, who continued with their ascents without offering anyserious assistance to David Sharp. "It was wrong if there was a man suffering altitude problems and washuddled under a rock, just to lift your hat, say 'good morning' and pass on by. ... I don't think it matters a

damn whether it's a member of another party - if he'd been a Swiss or from Timbuktu or whatever - thatdidn't matter, he was a human being and we would regard it as our duty to get him back to safety... I don'tapprove of the fact he just rang up base camp and let them know about the guy out there ... that attitude tome is pathetic"



In response, Inglis said that he had radioed his base camp and been told: "Look, you can't do anything.He's been there X number of hours, without oxygen. He's effectively dead". His expedition leader, RussellBrice, had made the decision to leave him. Later Inglis said that David was virtually frozen solid, could notspeak and the only signs of life they could detect was movement in his eyes. [Other climbers give a differentpicture --- some report that David was still alive and lucid when they saw him on their descent many hourslater. The reports of David's condition in radio conversations overheard by other climbers on the day differfrom those given later. Until David had been helped with oxygen and drinks for a considerable time, no onecould say with any certainty whether it was possible to save him.]

In response, Brice said that "at no stage during the ascent did I know that there was a man in trouble...There were never any radio conversations concerning the sighting of David Sharp between my team membersand myself during the ascent."

According to another New Zealander, Jamie McGuinness, who climbed with David on Everest in 2003,"Dawa [Sherpa] from Arun Treks also gave oxygen to David and tried to help him move, repeatedly, forperhaps an hour. But he could not get David to stand alone or even stand resting on his shoulders, andcrying, Dawa had to leave him too. Even with two Sherpas it was not going to be possible to get David downthe tricky sections below. Dawa, who did not summit because of giving his oxygen to David, told this to meless than 24 hours later when I met him on the fixed ropes. He was close to tears eventhen." Source [Obviously, it was too much to expect of one Sherpa, but with a more prolonged effort, two mayhave succeeded. Since David had twice climbed to 8500m without oxygen, I would expect him to be able tosurvive a night at that altitude and be able to descend with help.]

Eleven climbers died on Everest in the spring of 2006. Oops, make that ten --- the eleventh, Lincoln Hall, was found still alive at 8600m by an expedition led by Dan Mazur, which gave up its summit attempt in orderto rescue him. According to his agent, Hall will make several hundred thousand dollars selling his story.

The most complete accounts of the events surrounding David's death that I've found areat: everestnews.com and mounteverest.net

For me, it's not beating the conditions but being with the conditions. It's knowing when the mountain isletting me go up and knowing when it's telling me to go down. That's the art. You have to know when tolisten.Ed Viesturs, only the twelfth person to climb all fourteen 8000m peaks (New York Times, June 18, 2005).

[I worry most] when he approaches the summit. I know he's careful but also know that stuff happens upthere. Ed Viesturs's wife (ib.).

The next thing an aspiring mountain climber should do is choose which mountain to climb. Mountainclimbers that are still alive (usually because of luck and not for long) will probably advise that you shouldstart with a fairly easy mountain to ascend so that you aren't killed or maimed or disfigured. However,that is total nonsense since as a mountain climber it is inevitable that you will be killed, maimed, anddisfigured, possibly in that order. So, if you want to climb Mt. Everest first, go for it and God have mercyon your soul.

From: How to Climb Mountains

Copyright J.S. Milne

http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=2112



http://www.everestnews.com/everest2006/sharp06012006.htm





http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A617041







Tibet 2004 (Everest).pdf

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Transcript of Tibet 2004 (Everest).pdf