It’s Everest Time Again!
Loading ...
Upper Everest Route
Over the next few weeks people from all over the world will converge on Kathmandu, Nepal to join in one of the world’s classic human-powered challenges. For some the goal will be the summit, for others it will be Base Camp. Each year at Mt. Everest there is a different mix of teams and countries represented, but we all share personal goals, a love of the mountains, and an adventurous spirit.
IMG’s 2010 Everest Expedition is just a few days from officially beginning, but behind the scenes we have been working for many months on this trip. What makes it fun for me is that every year is different, and the outcome is unknown until the very end. We hope that everything goes well, but we plan for the contingencies. This will be the 18th Everest expedition I have organized and I am very proud of our IMG program. Over the years we have seen 209 summits of Everest with our IMG teams. With all that experience, I know that at the end of the day it comes down to the basics: preparation, a good team, solid leadership, the right gear, and some good luck!
We have a fine looking team heading over to Everest this year, broken into several groups. The overall expedition leader is Justin Merle, a 3-time Everest summiter and veteran IMG Senior guide. Heading up our Sherpa guided climbers is IMG’s Greg Vernovage. Leading our “hybrid” team are Mike Hamill and Eben Reckord. Joining the team for the trip to BC and the month of April will be IMG partner and Everest legend Phil Ershler. I’ll be heading over to Kathmandu to meet and greet the team members, and assist as they start the trip to base camp, in three different waves, a few days apart. I will also be helping our IMG Cho Oyu expedition as they head for Tibet a few days after the Everest climbers depart.
Deputy leader Ang Jangbu and our longtime Sherpa sirdar Ang Pasang already have some of their Sherpa team up at Base Camp working on constructing the tent platforms from the rocky surface of the Khumbu Glacier. All total we will have 42 climbing Sherpas and 10 Sherpa cook staff working for us. That is some serious manpower! We have already sent several big MI 17 helicopter loads to Shyangboche with over 7500 kilos of food, fuel, rope, oxygen, and equipment. This gear, along with another heli charter of gear flying in next week, will be transported to the Base Camp on yaks and porters from Shyangboche. A number of our top Sherpas, veterans of many Everest expeditions and formally trained at the Alex Lowe Khumbu Climbing School, will be working as Sherpa guides for our team. Our Sherpa really are the best in the business!
This year I have been working with all the main Everest commercial groups in hopes that we can do a better job of fixing the ropes on the climbing route. To this goal, on behalf of the teams I have bought over 20,000 feet of high quality PMI static fixed rope, which is now on the way to Base Camp.
On Everest you do your best to control the variables that you can, and you try to plan for the things you cannot. I am confident that we have done our homework. Now it is up to the climbers, the guides, the mountain, and the gods. Let the games begin!
la
la
la
laFollow IMG’s 2010 Everest Expeditions on their blog.
Want an extra “escape”to Everest? Check out Chad Kellogg’s expedition currently under way to set a speed record on Everest.
