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ALPINDUSTRIA: RUSSIAN ADVENTURE TEAM EVEREST 2003 Normal route, Tibet Expedition chronicle:
17 May , 2003 Alexander Abramov reports: "15,
May. The weather is extraordinary this year. Sherps told that such strong wind
had been only one day last year. It is strange the sky is absolutely clean and
it is impossible to ascend. The west wind is blowing now and soon will be southwest
this means monsoon. There were years when nobody was able to ascend the summit.
Perhaps the anniversary year is preparing us such gift. The weather becomes warmer.
The tent is not frozen inside. The sherps are working; they have carried 20 oxygen
cylinders at 7500m and 8300m. We are trying to install the tent today at 8300m.
The wind is going to drop for two or three days. Abramov, Pushkarev and Tzarev
are not going to BC now; they are staying in the ABC to ascend on the 16th of
May. We are planning: 17, May - 7500m, 18, May - 7900m, 19, May - 8300m, 20 or
21, May - the summit. According to the new weather forecast from the 16th to the
21st of May the snowfalls are expected. 15 May , 2003 Alexander Abramov reports: 14
May. Slava Pashkov is depressed: "The hell with your mountains! I have got
a lot of impression". Slava has never devoted to mountain climbing before.
It is like experiment for him and us. He paid for the guider and porter. During
the expedition Slava was able to have night in the camp 2. If Slava ascends to
the summit it will cause the sensation in the mountaineering. Without doubt he
has a good chance to do it. Tzarev, Pushkarev and three sherps are in the ABC
now. They have not been a success to install the camp at 8300m because of the
strong wind. Our plans are spoiled all the time. At the height of 7500m Elagin,
Gudjabidze and Kaimachnikov installed the tent at about one hour and a half yesterday.
They did not sleep and held the tent with the help of their bodies all night.
The camp at 7500m was called "The dead town" because there was nobody
except them. Nobody has gone to the top today. The peak is ice-coated and the
ropes have not been changed for a long time. Probably the expedition from China
will be able to trace the ropes. I should lead the first group of climbers to
the summit. In spite of the weather all the expeditions are planning the ascension
on the 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th of May. The tents are torn in the ABC and there
is the full moon in the sky. 13,
May. Already as a month we have gone with yaks to ABC. I suppose you are tired
of reading about the adventures of our walking between the BC and the camp at
7000m. Please be tolerant it is a classical expedition to Everest. None of the
other expeditions have ascended above 7700m. This fact can constitute justification
to us. According to the weather forecast the good weather is expected after the
22nd of May. The strong wind is ruining our plans. We have tickets to Moscow on
the 2nd of June. In order to have time to return we should go down with yaks from
the ABC to the BC on the 26th of May. It seems to us this will be unreal. Most
members of our expedition are ready to postpone the date of the departure. Alecsandr
Sergeev was not able to ascend from 7000m to 7500m because of the strong wind
and he had to return to the BC. The leaders of all expeditions will gather at
17.00. The expedition of China offers to combine efforts to trace the ropes of
railings above 8300m. Some expeditions provide 16 sherps. 14 May , 2003 Alexander Abramov reports: "12
May. We are informed about weather forecast every day and they come true. The
wind was strong on the North Col 20m/sec. We did not manage to ascend at 7500m.
We were able only to climb 100m up and down with frozen noses. Of course we did
not climb for naught our expedition was photographed with the banner "Adventure
Team of Alpindustria" and with the banners of our sponsors "BASK"
and "KANT" against a background of Everest. We fixed the tents and went
to the ABC it took us one hour and a half to get to the camp. Our process of acclimatization
has finished. We are waiting for better weather. Through hearsay the expedition
from China is planning the ascension at the 17th of May. According to the weather
forecast the strong wind will be from 12 to 19 May, but many other expeditions
are going to climb too. It has been an agreement to take an attempt of the ascension
at the 17th or 18th May. Elagin, Gudjabidse, Sergeev, Kaimachnikov have gone to
the Col to have night there. The strong wind is blowing in ABC and we are afraid
that our tents will be blown away.
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