Russian expedition "Panasonic-JANNU North Face": bad weather

The latest news (translation by www.mountain.ru):

23.04.2004
Hello friends!
Today is April, 23. Yesterday Bolotov's group hanged up the portaledge at 7000. The guys had no time to set it correctly up to the bad weather beginning. It was strong snow-falling and a strong wind. The portaledge hangs far from satisfactory. All the night the guys struggled against the avalanches falling from the wall.

They did not manage even to boil some water successfully. We were hoping the weather to get better since the morning, but it is snowing again. You can see the base camp under the snowfall in the photos. Can you imagine how everything looks in 2500 meters above?

It is more reasonable to them to wait in the base camp till the bad weather is over, but it is a big problem to descend now because of avalanche collapses. We have continuous communication with Bolotov's group. And Mikhailov's group is staying in the camp at 5600 to help the guys if it is necessary. They, probably, will begin descent in one and a half of hour. We are going to wait for a good weather.
Wish us good luck.

22.04.2004
There is only 700 meters of a vertical ahead!
The day before (on April, 21 at 18:00) we hung out a red standard of proletariat, and on April, 22 "in commemoration of Lenin's Birthday (* Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, 1870-1924, Russian revolutionary, the founder of Bolshevism and the major force behind the Revolution of Oct., 1917) the three-men group led by Bolotov settled the camp at 7000m - a portaledge in the basis of the last stronghold of Jannu - the 700 meter plumb wall.

Whether in the award or in punishment (we will find it out soon) the Lord sent a snowstorm to us. The guys struggle with a snow above. And we are trying to banish the bad weather with indignation and flags and trampling down 20 cm snow in the base camp. The snow hurricane accompanied with peals of thunder and continued for 6 hours. At 18:45, thank God, we had a radio communication with Mikhailov's group (their portable radio set all the day was out of order). Finally the snowfall stopped. The guys had a subbotnik (* In former USSA, voluntary unpaid work on days off, originally especially on Saturdays) at 5600 - they amicably and by turns were working on the route with the words "freedom of speech: friendly, in a fit of temper, recollect "ILYICH". And then having crossed they whispered (* When Lenin took over he forbid religion, destroyed all the churches, and murdered all the priests): "God bless all! This day will pass, well, and let it pass..."

The guys sustained the weather onslaught. The technical equipment "Panasonic" too - in a continuous snow-falling videocameras worked as in pavilion of a film studio.
On April, 7 we began to work on the route and in two weeks we reached 7000 m. For the time being everything goes under the plan. We are in a brave mood. The weather reminds that it can be different, but it did not frightened us.

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23.04.2004