Image: Rob Follows and Dan on oxygen Rob Follows and Dan on oxygen

Base Camp Deliberations and Booze
20 May 2005    
While waiting at BC for summit attempt one is constantly on weather watch and assessing the progress of other teams. How strong are the winds aloft? Is the forecast accurate? Has today's forecast come in? When is the next probable summit window?

This season is a tough one and just got tougher. Today several more of the teams trying for the 20/21 May 'summit window' backed off while enroute between C3 and C4. This was probably a good call but nevertheless sobering. This means more folks trying for the next available 'weather window' which equates to crowding. Potentially big time crowding and this causes safety concerns. It appears a small number of climbers still plan to set out tonight for the summit; the forecast indicates they had better be prepared to deal with wind.

So when is the next likely summit window? What to say? The low budget trips without weather forecasts are always trying to glean information from the higher resourced commercial expeditions. Trying to keep the forecast contained is a challenge. At this stage it appears we are in for a wait! Last season Everest had already had several summit days by this time. This year Everest is protecting its summit slopes but for how long?

Today we had a debrief on using oxygen and summit day procedures and we live in hope to use these! Tonight we have a 'party' with a neighboring Swiss Expedition led by fellow Kiwi Mark Whetu. So......beer o'clock....

Cheers for now
Mike for the AC Team

Previous Dispatches
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Reuniting at Base Camp    19 May 2005
Today Piers and Phil returned to BC from their down valley sojourn in Pangboche. Piers has become a great advocate of the 'drop back': relatively thick air; sun soaked grass meadows to lie in;

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Telegram from Mongo    18 May 2005
Rest day BC, no new news on weather or changing scheduling. Downvalley members are on their way back to BC as early as tomorrow. They have left me in charge of dispatches while they are gone or busy.

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Viva Basecamp Vegas    17 May 2005
Rest days....hydrating, eating...and...gambling?! That's right, an ancient game from Tibet called Sho. This game involves dice, coins, and actual seashells as part of the traditional game that tra

Later dispatches - Previous dispatches