Russian Adventure Team Everest expedition: news

Alexander Abramov reports:

"6,May. We connected with Dima Moskalev at 10 o'clock in the morning. He reported that all night they were strengthening the kitchen tent and the storm did not stop. It was an agreement to communicate with Dima at 4 o'clock once more. There is no doubt that in the village it is warmer and more air for breathing. None of the expeditions is going to the top. So it is quite reasonable to stay in the village and gather strength. It takes at about half an hour to get to the BC from the village. We are not so exhausted by the weather and stone walls protect us from the wind.
Dima informed us that wind was strong and gusty; two of our tents had been damaged badly. Fortunately our camp is situated under moraine it protects us from the wind. According to the weather forecast the wind will abate tomorrow. We decided if the weather became good they would send car for from the BC. We have a notebook computer with us and have already watched some films.
It is the end of the message,
Bye"

"5,May. In the morning the jeep from the BC came and took Slava Pashkov, Sergey Larin and Dima Moskalev, they are our scouts. In the afternoon dust was rushing level with clouds and strong wind was blowing. It was at the height of 4100m. According to the information the kitchen tent had been torn and many tents in other camps had been crashed too. The sherps who had been in the ABC informed us that all the tents in the top camps had been blown. We do not want to believe in these facts; we have tents at 7500m and all tents at 7000m there are twelve sleeping bags and many other necessary equipment. We will not be able to ascend to the summit without the equipment. Thank God, we did not pulled the oxygen cylinders. It is said that on the South Col at 8000m all the tents were blown down. Of course the storms in this place are evident. In 1997 early in May my tent was blown down with all equipment, oxygen cylinders, camera-recorder and est. Now one problem of our returning to the BC should be solved. According to the weather forecast tomorrow will be the last day of the foul weather. We will be waiting news about the weather from Dima Moscalev. His message will help us to make a decision.
It is the end of the message,
Bye"


"2,May. Take counsel with your pillow; sleep on it! We were able to discuss and solve all the problems with sherps in the morning. We promised them to add some tips and they signed the agreement. They will go working to ABC tomorrow. There are many talks about new illness. The border China and Nepal has been closed. We do not know exactly how to return home. According to the weather forecast a storm is expected at a height of 7000 and 8000m. We decided to have a rest in a village for three days at a height of 4000m, so we are going to move there tomorrow. I suppose we need to wash, sleep in warm place and eat fresh meat. During the whole month we are eating dried meat of yaks, not washing, not shaving and leading natural way of living.
Bye"

"1,May. The situation is difficult. The sherps went down. Our activity is stopped. I communicated with the cook Passanga. He said that the problem was evident sherps wanted to raise their bonuses. I knew from another expeditions that our bonuses were quite normal and some expeditions paid less than we did. I decided not to climb 7900m for acclimatization. We moved down to the BC where our sherps were. Pashkov, Larin, Kaimanchikov, Gudjabidze helped to organize the negotiations with the sherps. At first the sherps were offended and asserted that they were not the yaks and the matter of their strike were not bonuses, after that they blamed the leader. There were the moments when we wanted to dismiss all of them but we had to continue the expedition. Some days were lost because of their strike.
Bye."

"30,April. I like Sherpas and Nepal very much. But very likely I will become racist soon. We were planning the third ascent to the North Col. I gave sherps oxygen cylinders, 18kg (five oxygen cylinders) per man. It was an agreement that they should carry the load of 20kg to the North Col but suddenly sherps began to shake their heads. They did not want to carry 18kg per man only 11kg(three oxygen cylinders). It exasperated not only me but also another members of our expeditions. It was the matter of principle either the sherps would work or go back to Katmandu.
Probably I indulged them paying bonuses every week. Usually bonuses are paid at the end of the expedition.
I would like to report the names of "bad" sherps: Dzankby, Torgeeken and Tshuldim. If you do not want to have problems during your expedition never take these sherps. During the whole month sherps worked only five days at 7000m and asserted that the given work was beyond their strength. As a result they left the expedition and went back to Katmandu.
We connected with the firm Asian Trekking and they promised to provide us with following information next day: either to return money at about 3000$ per sherp or send another. As to the defaulters the firm promised to leave them without salary.
And now without sherps we decided to install the camp 7900m by own strength.
Bye."

April 29. It has been snowing all night through - justifying weather forecasts. This morning at 10 a.m. we were informed over the radio that Sergey Larin and Slava Pashkov had left for Camp 7500 to spend a night there. Three more members of our expedition - Moskalev, Soifer, Litinsky - are going for an acclimatization hike to 7500 today as well.
It started snowing even more heavily. We are sitting in the dining-tent playing preference for oxygen bottles. Our kitchen boy came with hot water. We've been playing for 6 hours and it is still snowing.
Last time we haven't fulfilled our plan: we haven't set Camp 7900m. Now we have a new plan: tomorrow Abramov, Gudzhabidze, and Pushkarev are going together with Sherpas to install Camp 7900m. It will take about three days. The snow is still falling, I am afraid that the pitches between 7000m and 7500m can be avalanche-prone.
Today Vasya Elagin arrived in ABC. He said that the group of Yuriy Koshelenko arrived in BC.
The snow is still falling. It looks like Christmas Eve. I nearly failed to find my tent in the dark. So tomorrow we'll make an attempt.
Bye

"April 28. 8:00 a.m. Radio conversation North Col (7000) - Camp II(7500). Abramov - Gudzhabidze.
Abramov: "Good morning. How's the team? What are your plans?"
Gudzhabidze: "The weather at 7500 is crap. We can't even peep out of the tent."
Abramov: "Next connection is at 9:00 a.m."
Meanwhile negotiations with altitude sherpas are going in full swing. They are saying that all sherpas are heading down, the forecast for the three nearest days is bad. It's snowing heavily, the wind is raging.
9:00 a.m. Radio conversation North Col (7000) - Camp II(7500). Abramov - Gudzhabidze.
Abramov: "The weather is bad. All sherpas are going down. They refuse point black to go and set Camp III"
Gudzhabidze: "Then we are going down too."
There is a snowstorm above the Col. Several climbers made an attempt to get to 7500m. We have no further information about them.
So, "Alpindustria Adventure Team" is among the first expeditions to have set Camp II at 7500m. That is a good result.
Soifer, Moskalev and Litinskiy will spend this night on the Col. By 12:00 they were already in Camp I. Everyone is OK"

“April 25. I am lying in a cold tent writing my diary. The night was very cold, the gas lamp didn’t warm two-person BASK tent at all. I was having nightmares about expedition matters. I had some problems with Sherpas. It all started on April 19. Leaving ABC for BC I told Sherpas to come down to BC with us. Only one of them obeyed. The rest neglected leader’s (my) words. I came to ABC on April 24, and decided to settle the situation, explain to them who is the leader and threaten to leave them partially without bonuses.

The point is that staying alone in ABC altitude Sherpas start working for other expeditions (for money, of course). And when the time comes to work for their own expedition, they fall ill. As a result of our conversation, Sherpas are addressing me now “leader” or “Mr. Alex”. Tomorrow they are going to work on the North Col and higher.

You won’t believe it, but Mikhail Litinsky has returned. He had some rest in Old Tingry and felt better. So this morning Moskalev, Soifer and Litinski took off from BC.”

Later: Today 4 sportsmen: Kaimachnokov, Gugzhabidze, Tsarev, Pushkarev and three altitude Sherpas took off for the North Col. They will spend a night there, and tomorrow all seven will proceed further and pitch a tent at 7500 with all the necessary supplies: four sleeping bags, food, gas, foam pads. The Sherpas will descend to 7000m.

The same day the other party of four: Abramov, Larin, Pashkov and Sergeev – will climb to the North Col. The ultimate task of this push: to set Camp 7900m by April 30, and spend a night there.

The first party of four started today at 11 a.m. for the Col. The rest engaged themselves in struggling with our expedition oxygen bottles. We put all 48 bottles on the moraine and supplied each bottle with the sticks of our main sponsors – BASK and KANT – and our media sponsors – “Vertikalniy Mir” and “Mountain.RU”. Here on the mountain all expeditions have the same oxygen bottles – orange, of Russian company “Poisk”. They can be easily stolen, and oxygen is not cheap at all.

In the afternoon the weather abruptly changed to worse. Now it’s –15C in ABC with heavy snowfall and piercing wind. The toilet tent was taken away by a gust with all its contents.

The guys are already drinking tea on the Col and asking over the radio about weather forecast for tomorrow. We’ll try to find it out for them.

08.05.2003