News from Russian Adventure Team Everest expedition from Moscow

Alexander Abramov reports:

14 May.
Slava Pashkov is depressed: "The hell with your mountains! I have got a lot of impression". Slava has never devoted to mountain climbing before. It is like experiment for him and us. He paid for the guider and porter. During the expedition Slava was able to have night in the camp 2. If Slava ascends to the summit it will cause the sensation in the mountaineering. Without doubt he has a good chance to do it. Tzarev, Pushkarev and three sherps are in the ABC now. They have not been a success to install the camp at 8300m because of the strong wind. Our plans are spoiled all the time. At the height of 7500m Elagin, Gudjabidze and Kaimachnikov installed the tent at about one hour and a half yesterday. They did not sleep and held the tent with the help of their bodies all night. The camp at 7500m was called "The dead town" because there was nobody except them. Nobody has gone to the top today. The peak is ice-coated and the ropes have not been changed for a long time. Probably the expedition from China will be able to trace the ropes. I should lead the first group of climbers to the summit. In spite of the weather all the expeditions are planning the ascension on the 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th of May. The tents are torn in the ABC and there is the full moon in the sky.
It is the end of the message, Bye

13, May.
Already as a month we have gone with yaks to ABC. I suppose you are tired of reading about the adventures of our walking between the BC and the camp at 7000m. Please be tolerant it is a classical expedition to Everest. None of the other expeditions have ascended above 7700m. This fact can constitute justification to us. According to the weather forecast the good weather is expected after the 22nd of May. The strong wind is ruining our plans. We have tickets to Moscow on the 2nd of June. In order to have time to return we should go down with yaks from the ABC to the BC on the 26th of May. It seems to us this will be unreal. Most members of our expedition are ready to postpone the date of the departure. Alecsandr Sergeev was not able to ascend from 7000m to 7500m because of the strong wind and he had to return to the BC. The leaders of all expeditions will gather at 17.00. The expedition of China offers to combine efforts to trace the ropes of railings above 8300m. Some expeditions provide 16 sherps.
It is snowing now and the weather has become warmer.
It is the end of the message,Bye.

12 May.
We are informed about weather forecast every day and they come true. The wind was strong on the North Col 20m/sec. We did not manage to ascend at 7500m. We were able only to climb 100m up and down with frozen noses. Of course we did not climb for naught our expedition was photographed with the banner "Adventure Team of Alpindustria" and with the banners of our sponsors "BASK" and "KANT" against a background of Everest. We fixed the tents and went to the ABC it took us one hour and a half to get to the camp. Our process of acclimatization has finished. We are waiting for better weather. Through hearsay the expedition from China is planning the ascension at the 17th of May. According to the weather forecast the strong wind will be from 12 to 19 May, but many other expeditions are going to climb too. It has been an agreement to take an attempt of the ascension at the 17th or 18th May. Elagin, Gudjabidse, Sergeev, Kaimachnikov have gone to the Col to have night there. The strong wind is blowing in ABC and we are afraid that our tents will be blown away.
It is the end of the message, Bye.

11, May.
Moskalev, Latinskiy, Soipher went to the camp at 7500 to have night there, but strong wind did not let them to reach the camp 2. Abramov, Larin, Pashkov gone to the top, it took them three hours and a half to get to the North Col. People from Chine were making film about the expeditions ascending to the summit of Everest. When we came to the North Col sherps informed us about our sleeping bag in the crack. The crack was at about 15m deep. We took the rope, Larin insured and I abseiled down. I hardly pulled out the sleeping bag. The second sleeping bag was found not far from the first, the third was given us by the Estonian expedition. Soon the fourth sleeping bag was found by sherp. So things are sorting themselves.
It is the end of the message, Bye.

10, May.
Have you ever assessed damages after fire, flood or tsunami and gathered rest things important for life. We have been busy with this for two days. Our expedition has been trying to install the camp at 7900m from the 26th of April. None of the expeditions install the camp above 7500m. According to the weather forecast the wind is strong today at the top and it is not dropping till Wednesday.
We hope everything will be OK. Now nine members of our expedition are in the ABC and three on the North Col.
It is the end of the message, Bye.

9 May.
At the height of 6000m the temperature is at about -15C, -16C, the wind is blowing. We have some problems in the BC of organization the yaks with the equipment to the top camps. I am staying in contact with sherps, they have not found out the tents. We have now four tents, five sleeping bags and it is impossible to understand how many burners and pans we have.
Larin, Pashkov and Abromov are going to the top tomorrow.
It is the end of the message, Bye.

15.05.2003