Everest 2003, from the base Camp of the Golden jubilee

news from Everest base Camp in the 2003 pre-monsson season. Fabio Meraldi in 24 hour summit attempt

manuel Lugli

May 2003

It's time to go! In just a matter of hours the decisive moments on Everest will begin. As many will know, the celebration of Everest's 50th anniversary has attracted an unusual large amount of interest this pre-monsoon season, with 30 expeditions vying for the summit. Weather conditions in the Himalayas have been particularly harsh, with high winds forcing climbers to remain low on the mountain throughout the last two months. Reports just in talk of the much anticipated "weather window", which will finally give the mountaineers a chance to bid for the summit.

Manuel Lugli, expedition leader of the Everest Speed Expedition (which supports Fabio Meraldi's 24 hour ascent and descent attempt) has sent us the following report which underlines, if proof were needed, that even after 50 years, Everest is by no means a walk over!

EVEREST GOLDEN JUBILEE
Base Camp Everest - Nepal, 21 May 2003
by Manuel Lugli - photo Oscar Piazza

Exceptional discovery: Everest is a difficult mountain
It now being the 21st of May, most mountaineers here at Everest have discovered, to no great surprise, the Everest is a difficult mountain. For all of this month cold, violent winds from Tibet have swept across the mountain, roaring along the slopes from Camp 2 upwards. Lhotse's steep west face, that leads up to Camp 3, has become an blue icy slide, which even the most expert mountaineers find a challenge. Not to mention the various clients on the commercial expeditions or those aiming to climb the mountain in 24 hours, who have now been forced to use those strange shoes with the "so-called" crampons. has to be seen to be believed. And how high this mountain is! Meters upon meters have to be climbed, step after step. Dozens of times up and down, past the crevasse, seracs and rocks. Repeating the same moves again and again, while your mind tells you it's time to stop. The problem comes when you reach the South Col - at 8000m - after having exploded your lungs every step of the way from base Camp upwards, when you reach the Col you still have a mountain to climb. You suddenly find yourself at the foot of another mountain, that's for sure. Eighthundredandfifty more meters to climb. If you're using oxygen and you're feeling fine you've got at least another ten hours to climb. If you're running low, perhaps twelve, or fourteen. And then you need to descend. Possibly unharmed. Two more days of feet and legs shouting out for revenge. And this is what they call and easy mountain, an 8000er in everybody's reach? Those still convinced raise an ice axe. And hang it on the wall, please.

Numbers
It's the 20th of May, evening. According to differing reports, there are between one hundred and two hundred people at the South Col. Perhaps it's a good night to try to reach the summit. What will happen at hour X?
Even the most classic scenes and only begin to imagine what might happen. A column of light along the SE Ridge. Hissing oxygen masks in this thin air. Crampo0ns biting into the little snow that has remained. Sherpas and guides who, the higher they get, increasingly push and pull their partners/clients. And all hope for the weather to improve, with an watchful eye skywards, remembering what happened in 1996. While the first traffic jams materialise at the Hillary Step.
First Hillary theorem: 100 people x 12 meters x 8 minutes each = 800 minutes = 13,5 hours roughly. I know, this is perhaps a bit approximate/exaggerated, to shock, but nevertheless it makes you wonder, doesn't it? And all hoping for the weather to hold, keeping one eye on the time and another on the oxygen level: at 14.00 all reach "turnaround" time. No point discussing this, it's the golden rule. if you haven't reached the summit by then, it's time to turn around and descend. Yes, yes but... Do you know how much it costs to climb Everest? When will I ever return again? And so the beat goes on, with one eye on the clock, the other on the sherpa, just to make sure he doesn't decide to reach the summit before the "tourist". Don't laugh, that's exactly what they call us here...

We're off
On Thursday Fabio Meraldi will start off on his record attempt, exactly as planned. We’re all ready here, or almost. Everyone is getting ready at their camp, ready and waiting for the athlete, formidable and calm, to come racing past. A quick change of equipment, a drink and a snack and then off again, ever upwards. One camp leads to the next and the rythem, obviously, is inversely proportional to the height gained. But it seems as if most will try for the summit today and tomorrow night, the majority should be going up between Tuesday and Wednesday night. Finally, after more than a month’s preparations, we’ve reached the critical moment. We don’t want to appear rhetorical or hypocritical, especially after all that has been said about the Golden Jubilee, in particular about the type of mountaineers that this Everest attracts. But we’re happy to be here to help Fabio in his ascent, a serious man who doesn’t try to sell himself for what he is not. The esteem that Fabio held in comes from mountaineers such as Patrick Gabarrou, Patrick Berhault and Fausto De Stefani. The fact that they’ve become companions, discussing mountaineering (amongst other things) in-depth is a good sign for all.

by Manuel Lugli

Photos: the Icefall; members of the Team Everest Speed Expedition at Camp 2. (ph Oskar Piazza)