Himalaya 2011 climbing season – Year in Review.

It has been a tumultuous year in the world of exploration. 

New route attempts were rare on high altitude. There were no victorious expeditions to the North Pole and Greenland had a thin season. At the South Pole, Amundsen’s 100-year anniversary was celebrated largely without explorers.

But we got the first winter ascent of a Pakistan 8000er, a rare ascent of K2, and a fairytale Everest paraglide.

Political events shook the community and this time the Arab freedom fighters were more lucky than the freedom fighters in Tibet.

Adventurers stretched the limits of age as disabled folks overcame the most extreme parts of the world.
We lost some of our greatest profiles and watched a new generation form.

Here go some of the memorable news from the year that passed.

January

In January winter attempts on Denali and in Pakistan grabbed all attention. Over at Antarctica, a Norwegian solo speed skier shattered all previous records.

An ExWeb exclusive added yet another controversy to The Long Walk tale and three Norwegian kayakers made the first unsupported circumnavigation of South Georgia.

Three Kazakhs bagged the first summit in the deep cold of January on Khan Tengri in northern Tien Shan.

A South Korean team arrived at the South Pole after 41 days green-skidoo travel. It would be Park Young-Seok’s last adventure victory.

February

February kicked off in triumph on Gasherbrum II. The first Pakistan 8000er winter summit ever achieved became Italian Simone Moro’s third (all firsts), Kazakh Denis Urubko’s second, and American Cory Richards first winter 8000er top.

The first Pakistan winter summit overall was bagged on Mingligh Sar by 16-year-old Hafiza from Shimshal, in a milestone for Pakistani women.

Out on the Oceans, The Neverending Voyage ended.

At Antarctica, angry fuel strikers and a mechanical problem left 80 climbers & skiers grounded on the ice.

Norwegian yacht Berserk was lost outside the Scott base with three people onboard. Racing towards the coast in two ATV’s, Berserk’s leader/skipper Jarle Andhøy and an 18 year old crew/team member were airlifted.

Arab spring

In a thrilling 24 hour head-spin Egypt’s former President Mubarak finally decided to leave the palace after all, carried off by helicopter and the peoples’ roar of approval. As history was being made, ExplorersWeb was there.

Extreme trekker Arita Baajiens reported to ExWeb from the midst of the revolution at Tahrir square. First Egyptian Everest summiter Omar Samra commented from the summit of Aconcagua. “Gulf States are watching with some concern,” UAE based ‘Three Poles’ Adrian Hayes told ExplorersWeb.

Comparing to a North Pole expedition, ExWeb’s Tina Sjogren promised the Egyptian demonstrators victory after they had stuck it out for 16 days. More though, she revisited other – not so lucky – uprisings.

Khadaffi’s sat phone jam directed at the Libyan freedom fighters affected climbers in Africa and HumanEdgeTech ran a report on the tech used by the dictator.

March

The North Pole season had a dramatic start (and end) with all expedition teams from Canada aborting due to financial implications and too snug pick-up date related to failed logistics.

Christine Feret and Artur Testov debriefed about their Denali “retreat from hell.”

A bomb destroyed a Goldola lift at an Elbrus ski resort, three skiers were shot dead and two more were injured in a machine-gun attack while traveling on a bus. The peak was closed until fall.

April

In April choppers took off for Borneo, on the Russian side of the North Pole. When the runway broke beneath a coming plane, all flights were suspended and Prince Harry was stuck on the ice, barely making it to his brother’s wedding.

Spring Himalaya kicked off. News that Everest climbers would be able to breathe oxygen pumped up the mountain to South Col was April Fool’s hoax.

In a M&I Everest special Pete Poston explained “Why Andrew Irvine Will Not Be Found in a Sleeping Bag” and followed up by a gutsy editorial about the politics surrounding the search.

Adding to the proud collection of foreign correspondents at ExplorersWeb, Yusuke Hirai reported on the Japanese earth quake, tsunami and radiation scare. “Japan will rise again!” Himalaya climber Hiro (Hirotaka) Takeuchi chimed in live from Tokyo.

Mid April ExplorersWeb ran a 5-part Space special while HumanEdgeTech brought news of 3D streaming over satellite. Everest south meanwhile reported 3G with a 2G feel due to overload and charging of the station in Gorak Shep.

In Dubai Alain Robert climbed Burj Khalifa, 828m, antenna and all, with kids below chanting “Spiderman”!

The young and the old

“Be wild and don’t forget to have fun,” Tessum Weber said his advice would be to other adventure kids after becoming the youngest person to ski from land to the North Pole at only 20 years old. Dad Richard Weber’s Top 5 Reasons for North Pole expedition failure became a popular editorial.

Retracing the route sailed by Amundsen, young adventure siblings Eric and Sarah McNair-Landry started their 3000 km kite-ski, sledge-hauling expedition through the Northwest Passage.

76 years old big wall climber Bob Shepton follows in Bill Tillmans wake by combining passions with no consideration to age. ExWeb caught up with him for an interview.

Sarah Outen left London Bridge on April 1st and will have covered 20.000 miles before she sees it again.

At age 70+ Carlos Soria continued to bag 8000ers.

May

May kicked off dramatic.

Osama Bin Laden was found not in a cave in Afghanistan but a fancy mansion close to Islamabad.

In areas where many women are still hidden behind shut doors, he built schools for girls. “No good deed shall go unpunished?” wondered Tina Sjogren in response to Krakauer’s accusations of Greg Mortenson.

A diabetic & former British Royal Air Force jet pilot, Douglas Cairns flew from Alaska to the Magnetic and Geographic North Poles in a light twin-engine, piston powered aircraft.

Erden Eruc returned to his rowing boat on Madagascar to finish the crossing of the Indian Ocean and reached mainland Africa.

Erhard Loretan died in a climbing accident in the Swiss Alps. American ski mountaineer Kip Garre was killed in an avalanche near Lone Pine. Nawang Gombu Sherpa, the youngest on Hillary’s Everest team in 1953, died at age 79.

The climbs

What’s most exciting in Himalaya 8000er climbing this season, we asked? Hang-glides/paraglides, ski/snowboard descents, new routes, youngest/oldest attempts? “New Routes” said 60% of you, of which we got none.

The 2011 Everest spring season brought summits only on 02 and via normal routes. Fatalities showcased the ongoing PR charade in many commercial outfits. Accidents were mentioned – and then in triumphant press releases – only if they happened to independent climbers.

IMG client Rick Hitch died en route to Camp 3. The fatality was made known by local media in California. Nepalese Sailendra Kumar Upadhyaya, 82, died in the Everest icefall. Japanese “Butterfly collector” Takashi Ozaki, 58, died at the Balcony. Irish climber John Delaney became the fourth known (to ExplorersWeb) fatality on Everest during the 2011 spring season.

The good: an amazing paraglide, a ski descent on the Lhotse face, and Everest-Lhotse traverses by Alpine Ascents. Ueli Steck solo-speed climbed Shishapangma in 20 hours tent-to-tent and Abele Blanc, 57, scaled Annapurna, his last 8000er.

The biggest story was a rescue report from Kanchenjunga. An unconscious woman climber – left head down on a slope by her Sherpas – survived only by the tenacity of two of her team mates.

Popular female climber Joelle Brupbacher died on Makalu La May 22. Dutch high profile climber Ronald Naar collapsed during descent on Cho Oyu. Iranian Isa Mir-Shekari died in C4 on Manaslu.

Half leg shorter, full spirit taller Hungarian Zsolt Eross bagged his 9th 8000er – Lhotse on May 21 – with an artificial leg following a serious climbing accident in the Tatras.

Come summer

No team was able to set off skiing from land to the North Pole this year, but two teams made it from the North Pole to land. In summer Greenland was hostile for the skiers. Only 2 Norwegian and one Swedish team made it over.

Brainchild of Bertrand Piccard (first balloon around the world) born with adventure imprinted in his genes (dad Jacques record-dove into the Marianas Trench); after a flight lasting 12 hours 59 minutes, using no fuel and propelled by solar energy alone, Solar Impulse landed safely in Brussels.

ExWeb kicked off “bits from the Silver Bullet” Silicon Valley tech roundups with an adventure edge.

New poll – which is toughest? While most of you checked correctly that a face mask will do a better job than artificial intelligence to protect from Khumbu cough, the next poll showed surprising results: rowing the Atlantic is more difficult than climbing Everest you figured.

In honor of our surprisingly techie polar ancestors HumanEdgeTech brought out two major news. The PDA – for almost a decade King of Antarctica dispatches – got to share the throne with the Polar Pad and Polar Netbook.

James Burwick and his family set an unofficial speed record from Maine to France. The youngest on board was 9 months old.

Paragliding World Cup boss Xavier Murillo was lost while paragliding in Peru.

Final countdown: “why we explore.” A big editorial by the founders of ExplorersWeb touched on the last voyage of the shuttle in the perspective of explorers, and new Americans.

Karakoram

Karakoram had a thin but serious climbing season with new route attempts without gas.

Alexander Odintsov’s Russian Big Wall team summited Latok III at last.

Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, Darek Zaluski, Vassiliy Pivtsov and Maxut Zhumayev summited K2 via the north pillar. K2 became Gerlinde’s, Max and Vasso’s 14th 8000er without supplementary oxygen.

“Summiting K2 with a small group of friends, through the peak’s wild side, and without supplementary oxygen is almost as beautiful as it gets,” wrote ExWeb founder Tina Sjogren about Gerlinde’s K2 success closing the dramatic and decade-long quest for the first female fourteen 8000ers.

The first female expedition leader from Iran, Leila Esfandyari fell to her death while descending from GII’s top July 22. Deeply admired by her countrymen, “she lived free and died free,” commented a reader the news at ExplorersWeb.

Two female climbers managed to work Nanga’s icy Diamir face in alpine style, via a bold combination of routes, and few aware they were there.

Difficult Arctic summer

On Svalbard 17-year-old Horatio Chapple was killed in a polar bear attack at a BSES camp. 4 other persons were severely injured.

Erik Boomer & Jon Turk traveled 1485 miles in 104 days on bad ice around Ellesmere Island. During the last week they were targeted by polar bears; one bit through the tent while 5 looked on. Knowing that this was his last big expedition, he needed to savor every last moment of the rigor and intensity, 65-year-old Jon Turk told ExplorersWeb. Being attacked by a walrus was much scarier than his 20 encounters with Polar bears Boomer, 26, told ExWeb.

A First Air passenger jet crashed near Resolute Bay, killing 12 people and injuring three. Aziz (Ozzie) Kheraj lost his 6-year-old granddaughter Cheyenne Eckalook, other victims included Arctic researcher Marty Bergmann and South Camp Inn cook Randy Reid.

Autumn climbing in Himalaya

The 8000er fall climbing season was slow to start and then almost over in a week. Simone Moro answered rumors about Himalaya rescue commissions and the world climbing community lost its ultimate reference for excellence when Walter Bonatti passed at the age of 81.

In an unique interview with ExplorersWeb, recent 14x8000er summiteer and climbing partner of late Miss Go, South Korean Kim Jae Soo talked about why he returned to Cho Oyu, language problems, controversies, definitions, why he climbs and how to help locals beyond building schools.

The youngest member in Col Hunt’s 1953 Everest team, Kangchenjunga pioneer George Band passed at 82 years old.

Year’s end

As Himalaya folded and Antarctica kicked off, we lost one of the greatest explorers of both worlds.

Displayed on a screen during his funeral service in Seoul, friends and relatives reportedly broke out in tears when Mr Park’s words came up: “I have the destiny of the explorer – my fate is to explore till I die.” Annapurna, where he pushed for a new route with two mates, became Mr Park’s last mountain.

“He made some very important journeys,” CuChullaine of the Long Riders’ told ExplorersWeb when great French explorer and Guardian angel of Tibet Peissel died in Paris, “and stood up the Red Chinese to his dying.”

In October the Antarctica anniversary kicked off with side-by-side now-and-then dispatches at ExplorersWeb providing interesting and unexpected insights in the evolution of exploration.

As for new technology, ExWeb Poll results showed that explorers would ditch Facebook and Twitter before website and emails if they had to choose expedition comms.

“The future is in the lap of the gods; I can think of nothing left undone to deserve success,” wrote Scott. Paying homage to the ancient polar men, 100 years later explorers from all corners of the world were on track from Hercules, Ross, and Novo to the South Pole.

By December it stood clear that it’s gearing up to a phenomenal winter climbing season with action on all the unclimbed 8000ers in Pakistan.

Over at Antarctica, when the anniversary finally hit no skiers were actually present at the pole. Out on the ice following silently in his tracks and comparing notes, Amundsen’s soul was instead charging them on: Be prepared, be fast, travel light, and keep spirits high!

Salute and have a great 2012 everyone!

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Himalaya 2011 climbing season, Pakistan wrap-up: K2 not over yet on either side, under the radar notes from Rodrigo, and more.

(Angela Benavides) Compared to Everest where KTM heli shuttles, food yaks, bars, and a general bustling scene of hundreds of climbers cushion the waiting game: hanging in the dark and cold BC on K2 south side is a challenge in itself. Fabrizio and Kinga have done it for two months already, still hoping for a summit chance. On the equally empty north side; the international team hopes for a final push early next week.

In other news: Rodrigo Granzotto Peron has compiled a bunch of expedition reports which passed unnoticed by most media. There’s also word from Korea, and about landslides in NW Pakistan.

K2 south

When everyone left for home after the failed summit push on Cesen last week, American Fabrizio Zangrilli and Polish Kinga Baranowska stayed behind in BC. First to arrive and last to leave, “We are alone in BC, just like in the beginning, checking weather forecasts which, unfortunately, are bad,” Kinga wrote. “We will give it another go if the weather will give us a chance in the next 10 days,” Fabrizio added noting that, “K2 is a tough nut to crack.”

K2 north

Dodging avalanches and shooting rocks, back in BC Maxut Zhumayev reports that the definitive summit bid may take place as soon as the currently strong wind recedes, by August 16.

It’s an all or nothing bet. “The next attempt will by our only chance to summit,” Gerlinde told Nachrichten.at.

Korean Gasherbrum summiteers: Cho Oyu next

South Korean Gasherbrum summiteers Kim Chang-Ho and Suh Sung-Ho will attempt Cho Oyu next, ExWeb correspondent Kyu Dam-Lee reported from Seoul. The ‘Turquoise Godess’ (Cho Oyu’s Tibetan name) could become Kim’s 13th 8000er (with only Everest left to go) and the last colective peak for the Busan Hope Expedition series. As for Suh, he has Cho Oyu, K2 and Broad Peak left to complete his 14x8000er challenge.

Dark horses: more expedition stats

Rodrigo Granzotto-Peron compiled a bunch of expedition reports which have passed largely unnoticed so far.

NANGA PARBAT + SPANTIK:

The Czech expedition made a summit bid in late July, when they reached C2 on the regular route of Nanga Parbat, but the attempt was called off on July 29 because of “steep ice and falling rocks”. Check for further info here.

On July 13, Pavel Matousek, Olga Novakova, Suzanna Hofmann, Antonin Belik, Vit Auermüller, Libor Kadlcik, Tomas Kruml and Michal Vyroubal became the first Czechs to summit Spantik (7027 m).

BROAD PEAK:

Strong winds, unfavorable weather forecasts and excess of snow on the upper plateau of Broad Peak led several expeditions to abort the summit bids and return home empty handed.

This was the case of Altitude Junkies expedition, under leadership of Phil Crampton, and with a multinational team of six climbers and five Pakistani HAPs. The expedition was called off on July 22.

The same reasons cut short the Spanish-Argentine expedition. All four members – Javier Camacho Gimeno (Chavi) Bueno and Arturo Aparicio, from Spain, and Lito Sanchez and Heber Orona, from Argentina – more or less reached 7850 meters, on the plateau, but due to strong winds (60-70 km/h) and cold feet, they headed down. Further attempts were halted by instable weather. Check for further info here.

Mexican well-known couple Mauricio Lopez Ahumada and Badia Bonilla de Luna, self-dubbed Una Pareja en Ascenso, managed to reach 7500 meters on July 12. Later, bad weather prevented further attempts, and they headed home.

Exception was the British-Spanish expedition. On July 25, Scott Mackenzie (UK), the expedition leader, and Koldo Zubimendi (SPA) summited Broad Peak.. The British side of the team had acclimatized on Mount Damavand (Iran, 5621 m). Scott summited and skied on descent.

HUNZA PEAK

Supposed to team up with Colin Haley for a new route on Ogre II (6960 m); when the American could not participate Norwegian top climber Bjorn Eivind Artun changed plans for a solo attempt on Hunza Peak (6270 m). The spire was first climbed in 1991 by Mick Fowler and Crag Jones and news are expected soon from Artun.

Among other conquests, Bjorn has two new routes on a 1000-meter-high wall on Kjerag Mountains (Norway) and a speed ascent of the Cassin Ridge on Denali, with Haley.

TAHU RATUM

Swedish duo Magnus Eriksson and Martin Jakobsson just arrived in Pakistan to attempt the 1500-meter-high central pillar of Tahu Ratum (6651 m). “The route has never been climbed before, so we really don’t know what to expect,” Martin said. The climbers plan to summit early September Check for info here.

Landslides strike NW Pakistan – again

Natural disaster is striking Gilgit-Baltistan region again. Nearly 130 houses in Talis village have been flattened by landslides, affecting 1,200 to 1,500 people, according to AFP.

NGO’s such as Alberto Iñurrategi fundation plead for help, since the relief work done in the area since last year’s flood is destroyed. Check the story on Barrabes here.

Links to 2011 Pakistan teams:

K2 – Pakistan (south) side:

Kinga Baranowska
Fabrizio Zangrilli

K2 – China (north) side:

Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner
Ralf’s Amical
Maxut Zhumayev

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Himalaya 2011 climbing season, Karakoram and Himalaya wrap-up /8/ – Week in Review.

Pakistan climbing is full throttle: season’s first summits went to Latok III; a massive rescue saved a life; scattered victories on the Gasherbrums so far.

The past two weeks brought out interviews and some major stories; one such touching the final flight of the shuttle.

Pakistan wrap-up: Alexander Odintsov’s Russian Big Wall team summited Latok III at last.

‘World’s Toughest Jobs’ Chances are slim that Discovery will do a feature on Sherpa and HAP’s but they probably should: people from unrelated expeditions on the Gasherbrums saved the life of a Pakistani climbing porter reportedly seriously neglected by his Japanese employers.

A total of 12 climbers summited GI or GII last week. Later pushes were aborted, along with pushes on Broad Peak. Following no-shows including Swede Strang’s, Nanga Parbat is quiet: bad weather finally thwarted the Kyrgyz-Russian summit attempt and only the Spanish remain in a wet BC, hoping to at least try the normal route. Austrian Stangl is enroute back to K2, saying he’ll tape on real summit and post to YouTube. The north slope K2 climbers are fixing route.

ExWeb interview with 14x8000er summiteer Kim Jae Soo: “Korea is isolated behind the language barrier” In this unique interview with ExplorersWeb, regular partner of the late Mi Sun-Go and recent 14x8000er summiteer Kim Jae Soo talks about why he will return to Cho Oyu, the language problems, the controversies, the definitions, why he climbs and how to help locals beyond building schools

Opinion: Royal Marines Officer Sean Chapple about polar teamwork and success In addition to polar feats both north and south, a few years back Sean Chapple led a team of three Royal Marines unassisted and unsupported at Antarctica in over 2200 km distance. The 2011-12 Antarctic season will be busy and Sean discussed at ExWeb what makes the difference between teams who succeed and those who don’t.

A blind man’s adventure, “What inspires and encourages humans is consciousness of one’s power” “In summary, this trip reminded me of what I could do, and not what I was incapable of doing,” said Imtiaz Moosa following a canoe expedition down the Yukon River. Fellow seeing adventurer Howard Fairbanks in turn wrote how returning to the city changed everything.

ExWeb interview with Alex Hibbert about Greenland speed ski attempt in August After being grounded in Tasiilaq in April, Hibbert & Wilkinson will be back in Greenland in August to attempt to break the Norwegians’ 8 days & 9 hrs ski record across the appr 530km Nagtivit – 660 route. Hibbert told ExWeb about their April experience.

ExWeb interviews with Dimitri Kieffer, finals Losing 2 tents in 2 seconds, cooking in the open in minus 35°C and skiing with open toes were some of the low points in Dimitri’s trek in Far Eastern Russia. In the final two parts of the interview series he told ExplorersWeb also about the magic, life changing moments, and The Missing Link.

Africa walk from Mozambique to Angola ended near heavily land mined area Julian Monroe Fisher has completed his ‘Equatoria’ – A Walk Across Africa, from the coast of Mozambique, across Malawi, Zambia and the DRC to the coast of Angola. He experienced Africa as a complex mixture of beauty and ugliness all wrapped up into one vast space.

Avalanche evaluation made easy by southern volcano On June 4th the Puyehue volcano in the Andes mountains of southern Chile erupted, setting up an incredible snowpack in the ski resort of Cerro Bayo. French avalanche specialist Cedric Larcher sent over pictures of the ashes clearly dividing layers of snow.

Paragliding World Cup boss Xavier Murillo missing Paragliding World Cup boss Xavier Murillo went missing while paragliding in Peru on Friday 1 July. The Paragliding World Cup Association (PWCA) appealed for donations to help fund the aerial search. “The support that we have received on Xavier’s behalf via the appeal fund has been wonderful, and a reflection of the love and affection that we all feel for him,” wrote PWCA in a note to ExWeb. Unfortunately, Murillo remains missing.

US Family of four heading for unofficial speed sailing record James Burwick is known for his exhausting solo adventures at sea. On Sunday June 26th James and his family left Maine to set an unofficial speed record to France. The youngest on board is 9 months old.

Are you ready for it? ICON raises 25 million, let production begin! The new Sport Pilot License is cheaper and faster. With a mission “to bring the fun and adventure back to flying,” ICON says it has closed a $25 million round of venture financing. With that, full-scale manufacturing of the sport plane can begin.

Bits from the Silver Bullet: latest from Japan A few times each month SF New Tech come ashore and head for the Mars Bar. There, developers and inventors are offered 5 minutes sharp to pitch their ideas. Latest we checked out the 6 most promising startups from Japan.

Final countdown: “Sad, not fatal,” says Space industry CEO On Friday, the final Space Shuttle launch is scheduled. What will this mean to the industry, and the very soul of America? “It is the end of an era. It is not the end of the world,” said Elliot Holokauahi Pulham, CEO of the Space Foundation, in a newsletter.

ExplorersWeb space shuttle editorial: why we explore “Exploration can’t wait for perfect times and it never has.” Who founded National Geographic and why; Why military and academia make poor explorers; Who we are and who we are not; Why we matter; and What American historian Frederick Jackson Turner had to do with it – a big editorial by the founders of ExplorersWeb touched on the last voyage of the shuttle in the perspective of explorers, and new Americans.

* Polish Himalayas – Become a Fan

Exweb Week-In-Review is sponsored by HumanEdgeTech the world’s premier supplier of expedition technology. Our team helps you find ultra light expedition tech that works globally.

e-mail or call +1 212 966 1928

* Read these stories – and more! – at ExplorersWeb.com

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Himalaya 2011 climbing season, Karakoram and Himalaya wrap-up /7/ – Week in Review.

Climbing statistics, a new list of Pakistan expeditions. Antarctica anniversary technology kick-off and ‘Bits from the Silver Bullet’ new Silicon Valley adventure tech series.

A camel caravan to K2 north side, a few early summit pushes and one success already in Pakistan: Here goes a wrap from ExplorersWeb.

2011 Pakistan List of Expeditions Karakoram will have a fairly thin but serious climbing season. There are new route attempts, records to be finished without gas, and controversial figures returning to the jagged peaks alongside mountaineering veterans. The list of the 2011 Pakistan climbing expeditions is up.

Word is Latok III is in the bag Check tomorrow’s Pakistan wrap for details.

Early summit pushes: French Sophie Denis wants it all, in record time Sophie saw the light during a hard trip that included new routes in the Andes: she would chain-climb the 14x8000ers. She summited Cho Oyu and Lhotse within two weeks this past May. On Friday, barely days after arriving Broad Peak BC with FTA, Sophie chanced a rapid summit attempt with Lakpa Sherpa from C2 but it was cut short by high winds. After Broad Peak, Sophie hopes to bag K2.

Pakistan 2010/2011 stats heads-up: chronicle of the winter firsts Before kicking off the Pakistan climbing season, a stats wrap by ExWeb contributor Brazilian Rodrigo Granzotto Peron revisited the past Karakoram winter.

Preliminary stats: Himalaya and Everest 2011 spring review Youngest, oldest, first and last. Rodrigo Granzotto Peron wrapped the past Himalaya spring season, the interesting along with the sad, in numbers.

French Alps in the news Six French climbers were found dead by a hiker at the Neige Cordier peak (3,614 m) in the Alps on Sunday morning. Seems the rope team slipped at the top of the corridor and fell 200 metres (650 ft) fairly soon after starting out on Saturday morning.

Human cargo sling: Fishtail Air retrieves remains from Naya Kanga Fishtail Air retrieved the body of Japanese woman hiker Masue Yoshida, 63, who was killed in an avalanche at Naya Kanga peak 5844m, 30 kms north of Kathmandu. The operation was carried out from an altitude of 18000ft.

Communications on ‘the cheap’ from Everest Base Camp While in BC, research assistant professor at the University of Washington and recent Everest summiteer Seth Wolpin compiled a detailed technology report that could prove useful for the next batch of Everest south side climbers.

Karakoram clean-up effort continues Launched by the Italian EvK2Cnr Committee (manning the solar powered Everest Pyramid near Gorak Shep, keeping the live web cam at Kala Patar and running the weather station near Everest summit), Maurizio Gallo leads this year’s Karakoram cleaning expedition. Since 2009 the campaign has cleared the area of 20 tons of junk, and hopes to remove another 7-8 tons this season.

Skog and Gjeldnes turned around Cecilie Skog and Rune Gjeldnes decided to abort their summer mission to the North Pole after plenty of brash ice, but no open water for the canoes, killed the planned schedule.

Johan Ernst Nilson update Following his ski from the North Pole to Canada; Nilson is cycling through Nunavut’s clouds of mosquitoes heading south.

Basque high altitude climbers finished Greenland kite ski What was intended as a test ended up much harder than they thought, Alberto Inurrategi, Juan Vallejo and Mikel ZabalzaI said after finishing their Greenland crossing from Narsaq to Qaanaaq.

ExWeb interview series with Dimitri Kieffer “I simply realized how clearly focused I needed to be along every step” Dimitri Kieffer completed what he calls, ‘The Missing Link’, from Knik Lake near Anchorage, Alaska, USA to Omsukchan, Russia. In an interview series he tells ExWeb all about his big walk.

ExWeb interview with Henry Worsley and Mark Langridge: Obviously no one will be ‘Going outside for some time’ At the end of the year, 2 British teams will follow Amundsen and Scott’s routes from the Bay of Whales and Cape Evans. They told ExWeb about what they have learned from the early explorers.

Big kayak challenge reaches milestone Richard Harpham’s Big5 Kayak Challenge has reached a 5,000 Mile Expedition milestone. Headed back to Alaska and Canada, Richard will complete his 11th kayak and canoe based expedition.

NWP: shoestring project on different route The season for sailing the North West Passage is coming up. A Swede and a Canadian plan to sail a more northerly route this year in a small cruising yacht on a shoestring budget.

ExWeb tech series kick-off: bits from the Silver Bullet Chased by early winter storms we fled across high passes in our version of the pioneer wagon: an old aluminum trailer dubbed the Silver Bullet. Now arrived in Mecca; stay tuned for ExplorersWeb’s Silicon Valley tech roundups with an adventure edge.

Bits from the Silver Bullet: San Francisco NextGen K2 frostbite? Get a glove-keyboard to dispatch using only one hand. Korean climber or Messner’s bro? Sample with your desktop sized DNA xerox machine. Adventure clothes made of silver; toys built to beef up your focus: last week San Francisco ran a small NextGEN Science Fair spotlighting futuristic products and ExWeb was there.

“Hi I’m Tiny!” GoPro’s little hero now in 3D 3D has been all the rage in 2011 but GoPro should have the most innovative solution: Add a second cam plus housing to your existent GoPro Hero HD and you’re all set at $99. (The housing is water proof to 60 meter). 3D editing software is included and works on Mac and PC.

New poll: which is toughest? In the past poll, only 31 of you figured that AI is best remedy for Khumbu cough; 233 correctly voted that a face mask will do a better job. Only a few days old, the new poll shows surprising results. Is bobbing across the Atlantic really more difficult than climbing Everest?

Have your say – comment stories Do you think an expedition is over-hyped? Or under-reported? If you think that exploits are ranked to media connections, financial might or sheer bullshitting skills – now you can change that. Like or unlike stories at ExWeb, and comment what’s going on using the power of facts.

Polar Pad and Polar Netbook: Antarctica 100 year anniversary tech news and roundup This Antarctica season marks the 100 year anniversary of the discovery of the South Pole. In anticipation and to honor our surprisingly techie polar ancestors HumanEdgeTech brought out two major news. The PDA – for almost a decade King of Antarctica dispatches – will have to share the throne with the Polar Pad and Polar Netbook.

* Polish Himalayas – Become a Fan

Exweb Week-In-Review is sponsored by HumanEdgeTech the world’s premier supplier of expedition technology. Our team helps you find ultra light expedition tech that works globally.

e-mail or call +1 212 966 1928

* Read these stories – and more! – at ExplorersWeb.com

zapraszam do subskrypcji mego bloga

Himalaya 2011 climbing season, Karakoram and Himalaya wrap-up /6/ – Week in Review.

Greg Mortenson on trial, Erhard Loretan killed, Ueli Steck’s unexpected climb, Abele Blanc done at last: in a fairly calm (so far) Himalaya climbing season the news have been anything but. Other: Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in a mansion on KKH today, Sunday.

Osama Bin Laden was found not in a cave in Afghanistan but a fancy mansion close to Islamabad. This could put serious tension on US relations to Pakistan and change the upcoming climbing season scene. A global travel warning for Americans has been issued.

Editorial: Three Cups of Tea and Krakauer’s Beef Greg Mortenson has spent most of his life building schools in Pakistan. In areas where many women are still hidden behind shut doors, Greg dared the unthinkable: he built schools for girls. “No good deed shall go unpunished?” asked Tina Sjogren in response to Krakauer’s accusations.

Erhard Loretan and Kip Garre killed in accidents Swiss mountaineer Erhard Loretan died in a climbing accident in the Swiss Alps on Thursday afternoon. American ski mountaineer Kip Garre, 38, was killed in an avalanche near Lone Pine, California on Tuesday.

Sherpa legend dies Nawang Gombu Sherpa, the youngest on Hillary’s Everest team in 1953, died at age 79 during Easter Sunday.

Ueli Steck summits Shishapangma 20 hours tent-to-tent “That’s right- the Shishapangma Expedition is over, the yaks already on their way,” read the dispatch on Don Bowie’s website. Already on Cho Oyu, Ueli solo-speed climbed the peak during a recon tour and Inaki tipping his hat above.

This adventure that we have shared: Abele Blanc summits Annapurna Abele Blanc, 57, scaled Annapurna, his last 8000er. This is a major triumph for the Italian mountaineer who had attempted the peak six times already and lost his best friend there.

Jae-Soo Kim climbs Annapurna According to Korean media, Jae-Soo Kim (50) climbed Annapurna on March 26, along with Byoung-Woo Shon, Chang-Ho Kim (BuSan Dynamic) and Sung-Ho Suh (BuSan Dynamic). Chang-Ho Kim and Sung-Ho Suh originally hoped to open a new route on the peak but bad weather forced them to change plans. Jae-Soo reportedly plans to repeat Cho Oyu this fall in order to place a photo of his climbing partner the late Miss Go (Mi-Young/Mi-Sun Go) on top. Miss Go was on a quest to summit all 14, 8000ers when a climbing accident took her life. Jae-Soo wants to bring her picture to the summits she didn’t climb.

Iran summits Manaslu Iranian Mountaineers reached Manaslu summit at 14:15 (Tehran Time) on Friday April 30 reported IMZ.

Spring 2011: Swiss rescuers standby in Nepal For the second year, mountain rescue specialists of Swiss Air Zermatt are present in the Nepalese Himalayas. In the months of April and May they are training Nepalese helicopter pilots and rescuers of Fishtail Air how to perform rescues at high altitude. In the meanwhile the crew is on standby.

Everest wrap Except for a commercial vs. independent climbing clash (“Willi sat next to me and told me to be patient as this is what things are like here,” Edurne reported from the expedition leaders’ meeting on Everest south side. “Like this?” I said to him, “but are we all stupid or what?”) Mount Everest has been uneventful so far. On Everest south side, Everest climbers are in a camp 3 (7350m) rotation. That over with, summit push will be next pending weather. On the north side, climbers are acclimatizing in the north col camp and above.

North Pole wrap-up: April 26 was due date for pick-up by the Russian helicopter. All the last degree and last two degree skiers were picked up at the North Pole and flown to Longyearbyen while the remaining Russian staff started to dismantle Barneo’s tents. Two sets of amphibious cars, who attempted an Arctic crossing, were halted by technical problems and open water. The ski teams from the NP are still heading south to Greenland.

Diabetic pilot, Douglas Cairns, flies to the North Pole A diabetic & former British Royal Air Force jet pilot, Douglas Cairns, flew from Alaska to the Magnetic and Geographic North Poles in a light twin-engine, piston powered aircraft. After circling 90 deg N, he flew to Barneo and landed on the ice runway where they fixed two problems on the plane.

ExWeb interview with Wendy Booker, to the North Pole with Multiple Sclerosis, “we can’t take a single day for granted” Running beside a dogsled on the Arctic Ocean, Wendy’s ability to run long distance was born out of a challenge she set for herself after being diagnosed with MS, she told ExWeb.

Polar other:The Greenland British team who wanted to attempt a speed ski world record, went home before they started. One of the Ellesmere circumnavigation team broke his back in a kayak accident. Very low visibility and freezing fog at the North Pole grounded the Polar Pumpkin at Eureka, Canada. Since the Cessna lacks de-icing capabilities. Art Mortvedt finally canceled his flight to the North Pole.

Georg Sichelschmidt’s advice to cross from Greenland to Ellesmere Island: take a kayak, not a sled Georg Sichelschmidt and Ondrej Kotas planned a round trip, sledge-hauling on north western Greenland across to Ellesmere Island. Broken sea ice and broken stoves prevented them from making a crossing. Georg told ExWeb about the conditions.

Into The Cold – A Journey of the Soul: DVD release Into the Cold retraces Sebastian Copeland and Keith Heger’s ski expedition to the North Pole. The film is as much about adventure and advocacy as it is a deeply personal journey by foot to the top of the world.

Human power circumnavigation update: Dimitri Kieffer without a gun in polar bear territory Dimitri Kieffer is closing in on his destination with water/river crossings, potential bear encounters and potential annoying rain ahead. Lately he has been traveling up a crevasse filled Shirokaya River, crawled and grinded up a steep pass, and saw polar bear tracks around his tent.

Erden Eruç finishes the Indian Ocean In the middle of March Erden Eruç returned to his rowing boat on Madagascar as the cyclone season in the area was winding down. His aim was to finish the crossing of the Indian Ocean, and on April 21th he successfully reached mainland Africa.

Urban exploration: Kagge’s notes from the underground “The going is slow when you hike on slippery shit, toilet paper and brown water, but we were never in a hurry on this trip.” The first to do all three Poles, this time Norwegian pioneer Erling Kagge decided to face his biggest fear. Don’t miss his report.

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