Everest wrap-up: summit counter at 5000

“After adding up the summits achieved on May 25, Everest has now more than 5.000 successful ascents,” Rodrigo Granzotto concludes. With no further attempts announced the season is closing with some last words.

Everest south side

“I am back in Base Camp after quite the mountain experience,” Chad Kellogg reported yesterday. “Four days ago I left on a speed ascent May 22 at 4:30 pm.”

Chad reported that his speed ascent went pretty well until shortly below the balcony where heavy traffic and weather worries slowed him down.

”I reflected on the combination of problems at hand: wind, snow, traffic and fatigue,” Chad recalled. “The focus of the climb had not just been to get to the summit; if that were the case I would have just strapped on a bottle of oxygen and gone to the top. This climb was about meeting the mountain in the most difficult way I could imagine. I had made it nearly 10,000 vertical feet from Base Camp to the Balcony at 27,000 ft. Although I was dissapointed with not acheiving the summit the effort was noteable.”

”Hopefully I will get another shot at an expedition for a speed ascent in the near future,” Chad said.

Michael and Anita Kobold, climbing in Kenton Cool/Henry Todd team, summited on May15th. Michael has posted a detailed report about the ascent/descent, including some dramatic episodes. Kenton Cool mentioned frostbites.

Everest north side

Swedish Peter Adolfsson, who summited Everest from the north side on May 24th, reported details on the lost Japanese climber mentioned by Yuri Contreras yesterday. Hirosi (surname unknown), 62, apparently didn´t make it through the night in C3 after reaching the summit.

Pierre Näsman turned back at some point during the summit bid.

Silvio Mondinelli found out after being told by Montagna.org that he is only the second European climber to ever summit Everest from both sides without supplementary O2.

Adventure Peaks members reached BC on Tuesday. Max O’Meara, Brendan O’Mahoney, Matt Snook, Peter Sunnucks, guide Stu Peacock, and Sherpas Sonam, Nima, Phurba, Norbu, Tsring and Raj had reached the summit on May 23rd. “The group had to battle against high winds (50+mph) on the North Ridge to 7800m, in order to be ready for the short weather window.” Some members hoped to launch a second attempt, but saw no proper weather window ahead.

News is expected from Duncan Chesell and Jochen Hemmleb, both in search for Andrew Irvine’s body, and from Jordan Romero’s team.

Jordan’s father and stepmother reported on a very fast climb with no other teams in front. “We punched through a “breezy” day to get to camp 2, where again…we modified our plans to hopefully achieve a quiet, non-crowded route: We planned a 5:30 pm start from Camp 2 and planned to skip Camp 3, only stop to change out oxygen bottles,” they posted. “We stopped briefly at midnight and then it was onto the summit. When we arrived, we had the entire north face to ourselves, just our team.”