Everest success for Mondinelli and Merelli, plus other news

Silvio Mondinelli and Mario Merelli reached the summit of Everest and have descended to Base Camp. Denis Urubko and Simone Moro have descended to BC. Spanish expedition success via Everest North Face. Lhotse Middleclimbed by a Russian expedition.

PlanetMountain.com

May 2001

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They’ve done it! Silvio Mondinelli and Mario Merelli, from N. Italy reached the summit of Mount Everest on 23/05/2001 and are now safely back in Base Camp. Mondinelli and Merelli set out from the South Col at 8000m for the final summit push at 0.30 two days ago and reached the summit at 11.30 without the use of supplementary oxygen. They then descended quickly to Base Camp. Everest is Mondinelli’s fifth 8000m peak after Manaslu ('93), Lhotse ('94), Shisa Pangma ('96) and Cho Oyu ('97), and this latest success finally caps year’s of effort and dreaming, for this was Mondinelli’s third consecutive attempt at Everest. In June he will head for Gasherbrum II as part of the Appennino 8000 expedition.

Other news

Lhotse-Everest Traverse
Simone Moro has now been joined at Base Camp by Denis Urubko. "We’re a team, we’ll try again together” is what Denis told Simone. And so their dream of completing the Lhotse-Everest traverse disappears for a second year running. Simone will certainly think about the other day, when he decided to rescue the young Englishman Tom Moores. He definitely knew that he’d be risking his chances of success at the traverse, a highly demanding undertaking that would have required all his strength and reserves. He made his choice and should be commended for it! Everest and Lhotse are still there, but above all so is Tom Moore.
Further info, in Italian only, at: www.freeridespirit.com

Everest Nord
The highly anticipated weather window has resulted in a series of Everest ascents, including that of the Spanish TV expedition led by Juanito Oyarzabal, which reached the summit vie the North.

Lhotse Middle
A Russian expedition has successfully reached the summit of Lhotse Middle 8423m. This peak has only recently been opened to mountaineers by the Nepalese Government.

From left to right: Everest, Lhotse e Makalu - photo F. Tremolada