Media links - Balsiger Everest 2006
Everest videos. See videos from the Balsiger Everest Expedition.
Everest Slide Show: See photos from the expedition
Download Everest Podcast: Audio transmissions from the team.
Balsiger Everest Dispatch Page
Mountain Link is already forming our Spring 2007 Everest Team. If you are thinking of giving Everest a shot, contact Mountain Link at 800-408-8949 or email us at info@mountain-link.com. The 2007 Everest Team will be finalized November 1, 2006. Don't miss your opportunity.
Click here to read Robert Link's personal wrap up of the expedition.
Dispatches from the Balsiger Everest Expedtion 2006
May 24, 2006
The last part of the Team is in Kathmandu and leaving for home in the next few days. Not all of the gear has made it out. It sits in Lukla, with some of our team members (Dawa, Pemba and Dawa Tensing) as they hope for good weather. One by one, the team members are going their separate ways to arrive back in the states and to jump back into everyday life.
One of the strange phenomenon that happens after a long trip is the transition. For some, it seems to take a week. For others - longer. Interestingly, energy levels, diet, and a huge change in schedule will cause lots of havoc getting back into a normal routine.
We would like to extend our appreciation to all who sent prayers and well wishes while the team was on the mountain. Your support and interest have been wonderful.
May 22, 2006
Today was a real tough day. We again carried large loads (our Sherpas had even larger!). The idea was if we could clean the camp in one push - not a single member of the team would have to go back up thru the ice fall. The idea that we could reduce the risk to one or a number of members lives was worth carrying back-breaking loads. A number of Sherpas at basecamp came up to clean the camp also.
Crossing ladders today was un-nerving with our heavy loads. The last part of the team made it down and will leave for Pheriche to start the journey home.
May 21, 2006
This morning, we awoke terribly early (so it seemed). We are real beat up from yesterday's climb.
Yesterday, the climbing was steep the whole way. It surprised some that it just didn't let up all the way to the balcony. After the balcony, the exposure in places was incredible - often going straight down for almost 8000 feet. There were tough sections - like the Hillary Step; tough little climb when you are almost at 29000 feet, have crampons on and it is rimed up with ice. When we got to the summit ridge (between the S. summit and the top) there was some wind that picked up. It was bittersweet on the summit; here we had gotten to the top with help from our team, but not everyone was here to experience this summit bid. We were not a whole team and it didn't seem right to be on top without Chris, especially after our climbing history together.
On the descent, the wind died some, but the clouds came in and made for some tricky navigation.
Today, on the insistence of Lhakpa and Tap, we are going to heft as large a load as possible. The idea is to clean high camp in one push. Our wake up call was from Lhakpa, who knows we have to get out of here - go down! The descent down to camp 2 - goes well, but slowly. A couple of Sherpas at camp 2 (who are waiting there in support) come up and clean camp 3 today. By the time we are all at camp 2, the upper two camps have been cleaned. We like the idea that no one else has to go up to get anything else down.
May 20, 2006 10:55 pm PST
All members of the team are back at Camp 4. Tap called sounding tired (not surprised) and everyone is doing well. Tomorrow they will either head to camp 2 or all the way to base. They had a great day and are enjoying some rest. Everyone is healthy and looking forward to returning to base camp. We are feeling the support from everyone stateside. JJ Justman
May 20, 2006 6:00 pm PST
Tap and Mike Summit! Tap radioed down and as his voice crackled with emotion we all had tear in our eye. No one deserves this summit more than Tap. After his b-day celebration, Mike Lindaas has made the summit. - JJ Justman
May 20, 2006 5:30 pm PST
Heidi Richards and Garrett Madison are on top! Tap and Mike have just ascended the Hillary Step. It is 6:00AM Everest Time on Sunday. - JJ Justman
May 20
Chris, Lhawang, JJ and the Doc are on their way down to base camp. This will allow them to recover and make decisions on what to do next. They report to be in good spirits and are in contact with the summit team via radio. (Later they report in from Basecamp, it is always nice to hear about getting thru the icefall safely!)
Team members Tap, Heidi, Mike and Garrett are between camp 3 and 4 . Once they hit Camp 4 (about 4 hrs from now, it will be 12 noon-ish Sat early afternoon, Everest Mountain time) they will rest for a few hours then go for the summit in the evening if the weather holds. Today has been good and the weather forcasters are looking foolish. Interestingly, most of the upper mountain has cleared of people because of the forcasts and the high winds yesterday morning . The weather window is open, climbers are strong and feeling all the support from those cheering them on.
Hi everyone, it's JJ Justman. Tap just called from Camp 4. He along with Heidi, Mike, Garrett and our five Sherpas have just left the south col for the summit of Mount Everest! It is 10 pm here at Everest. Tap is going to call down again at 3:00AM. The weather as reported by Tap is beautiful! For those of you who do not know Tap, this is his fourth attempt on the big E. His attempt in 2001 was put to a halt just one hour from the summit. Why? Tap helped save the lives of two climber's from certain death. So say a prayer, do a chant, throw back a shot of tequila, whatever to send positive vibes to Tap, Heidi, Mike, Garrett, Lhakpa Nuru, Dawa Tensing, Pemba, Ang Choo, and Ang Siring. - JJ Justman
May 19, 2006
We awoke at Camp 3 (24,000') the weather has deteriorated and the forecast is less than favorable for the coming days. There are high winds at the south col.
At this point some decisions have to be made. We have talked with our weather forcaster by sat-phone and the forcast isn't good. Safety is always our number one priority; we strongly emphasize this when assessing each individuals capabilities and the overall strength of the team. Coupled with an overall evaluation of the current conditions of the mountain and our best guess work at predicting the weather, it is these processes that set the foundation for managing risk and establishing a plan that gives the expedition the best possible chance at success. These determinations are often times a balancing act and although we strive to make decisive decisions, the mountains are an extremely dynamic environment where we must base those decisions on the current conditions.
With all of this in mind, we concluded that our best option was to have Chris descend with JJ and keep members up high in the remote chance that the weather might improve and get some of our team to the top. Later that afternoon, the weather improved. Weather can change dramatically and swiftly; this happens, and it will happen again in the mountains. Due to Chris' generous nature we were given the chance to summit even if he didn't, this is not the norm but, neither is Chris. One of Chris' most admirable qualities is his ability to recognize the team as a whole and not just his own personal achievement. This selflessness is highly regarded in an environment were there are no guarantees and conventional wisdom no longer applies, thus reminding us that perhaps this is part of the allure of mountain climbing.
May 18, 2006
We made it to Camp 3. The plan will be to head to high camp, at the south col, tomorrow. The day was a difficult one. JJ and Mike climbed ahead of the rest of the team, to help setup camp. The climbing on the Lhotse face is steep and steeper. Once starting up - it doesn't let up. The day played hard on some of the members - once in camp all worked hard on doing the things that are in our control. Drink water, eat, and try to rest. The weather picked up in the evening - they have consistently been calling for our weather window to be getting shorter and shorter. They now are calling for higher winds and precip - tomorrow and thru the weekend. There even was a call for the monsoon rains to come around May 25th?
Prespective from Chris: We achieved Camp 3 - got in around 2 pm. It was a tough, tough day for me - real hard - one of the toughest days I've ever had. And, the team, all six Western climbers are here and in good spirits. And soon as we arrived we went into our tents to relax. We're on oxygen and that helps us rest and keeps us warm. It's a beautiful day. Some of our friends summitted today, and weather looks clear for tomorrow and through the 20th. Tomorrow is going to be a tough, tough day as well, but I think I can do that. I tell you what though, I don't know how I can go and get 6 or 7 hours rest and then go out and do a 16 hour day - they say the oxygen will help me, but we'll just do the best we can. The team is just great - in good spirits. The Sherpa team will come up tomorrow on the SouthCol.
Just an additional note, people may be interested in Camp 3.
We're right at 24,000 feet. We have three, two-man tents. We
have lines all around the tent and we don't even go outside the
tent without being clipped in. There are holes all around. Camp
itself, of course, is on solid rock so it's more spread out.
From here, the route is really clear and it's always fun to see
the mountain chip away. Of course if you know something of
Everest, you know we're only 5,000 feet away - less than a
mile. But when you're sucking air and taking 30 seconds for
each step, you might as well be 100 miles away. I thought
everyone might get a kick out of the camp and those who know
oxygen, I'll sleep tonight on 2-liter and then climb tomorrow
on 3-liter and in the tough sections, I'll crank it to 4. Goes
without saying, all of us have support, but we've got to be
realistic here. I told a real famous climber, good friend Dave
Hahn, who is an American going for the record, sets the summit
for western climbers, and just a real gentleman - that of the
last of the surviving climbers, I am by far the oldest - makes
you feel good to know that you're a fish out of water. Hahn is
a good friend with all of our team and he'll try to summit with
us. Chris Balsiger
May 17, 2006
Words from Chris Balsiger - The weather is holding. A lot of teams of course are moving up, but the target date we have selected is the 20th. We have enough spare oxygen and spare food that in case we don't get to go on the 20th, we can go on the 21st. We have pretty much committed that that's our window. We're heading for a summit then on the 20th or the 21st. If it goes beyond that, we're done and we'll back out. Plan is to leave at about 6:00 tomorrow and head up to Camp 3. We're looking at about an 8 hour day and we will not be on oxygen. As soon as we arrive at Camp 3, I will go on oxygen and the whole team will as well, to rest and rejuvenate. Next day, we'll get up early and move out about 6:00 or so and move up to Camp 4. We expect about a 10 hour day and then we assume that within the window, we'll be there. From the weather report, it looks like the jet stream is gone. There's precipitation coming in around the 19th but it appears it's going to come in way below us at about 20,000 feet or even below that. Appreciate the support and everything. We couldn't be healthier, and we're very pleased now, in hindsight, in our decision to go to Kathmandu. Everyone is very healthy, very strong, and we'll be fit to go. If it's good enough, it's good enough, if not, it's not, but we'll take it one day at a time. We have now committed and we'll either summit on the 20th or the 21st.
May 17, 2006
The Mountain Link climbing team arrived at camp 2 yesterday, and is resting today. Tomorrow the team plans to climb to camp 3 and spend the night there, then moving to the South Col. There are over 100 climbers anticipating a summit attempt during the next 4 days, so we should have a well established route by the time we go for the top!
May 16, 2006
It's Tuesday afternoon here and we're all safe in Camp 2. A lot of excitement here - a lot of teams are heading up and I think the first attempt for the summit from the south side will be made tomorrow. Our plans - we're going to rest tomorrow and then we're going to head up on Thursday morning. Weather is clear. Our summit day will be the 20th. A few teams will be going tomorrow on the 17th, but the bulk of the teams agree that the window is on the 18th - 20th. Breath is good, acclimatization is good - so we'll rest tomorrow and then we'll go for it. Chris Balsiger
May 15, 2006
The Team has moved up the mountain. Part of the group is at camp 1 and some of the team went to camp 2. More info to come...
May 14, 2006
This morning we awoke to high winds and blowing snow. We talked with some folks up at camp two and they received a good amount of snow overnight so we have decided to stay put here in base camp and we will go up to camp two tomorrow, monday may 15th, if the weather cooperates. in a perfect scenario that pushes our summit day to Saturday may 20th. Click here to see and hear from the team as they prepare to leave. jj
May 11, 2006
We are back at base camp after spending 5 days in Kathmandu. The team is well rested and we should be heading up the icefall day after tomorrow for our summit bid. If all goes well, we should be summitting by May 19th.
May 10, 2006
The team has left Kathmandu and flew into Lobuche. From there they will be heading back to base camp. Once the route is confirmed to be in and the weather window stays open, the team will begin there push for the summit.
May 8, 2006
Here is an update on the location of the team and the reasoning behind it.
After a long climbing rotation establishing Camps 2 & 3 the team returned to basecamp May 3rd. At this point in the expedition rest and recuperation are critical to make a strong summit bid. Some expeditions will stay at base camp, which is more old school, but most choose to descend to a lower elevation to let the extra oxygen intake help their bodies recover from the stress of living and climbing at high altitude.
There are pros and cons to leaving base camp. We debated them more than a few times before making our decision. If we leave we could miss a potential weather window to make a summit attempt. This is a possibility that still haunts me, I admit I am still old school but my crystal ball broke a long time ago. It doesn't matter what the weather is doing if the team isn't physically and mentally prepared to give it their best attempt. Turning around in good weather is not an option we want to explore.
Hence the decision was made to descend and recover. The interesting part is how far to descend and for what amount of time. Well in this day and age there are large Russian made helicopters that can fly to just below base camp and then fly your whole team to Kathmandu in about an hour. Imagine waking up in a little stone tea house early in the morning high in the Himalaya, then swimming in the pool at the Hyatt before noon after a month of climbing. I not sure about most people but it has been working really well for us. The coughs and any nagging low grade infections have vanished in the last few days. By staying just a few days we don't feel it will compromise anyone's acclimatization. In fact Lhawang has been having such good luck at the roulette table in the hotel casino he has almost won enough to buy the helicopter flight back to the mountain.
The team plans to leave early morning from Kathmandu on May 9th and be in base camp on the May 10th. They will begin their summit push on May 11th. We will be working hard on keeping the dispatches flowing once the team is on the move back up the mountain.
Robo
May 7, 2006
Hi Everyone, I am going to keep this short. Check out the podcast and videos for more info. It really does tell the tale. However, our team is in Kathmandu. I know, I know...What!! Kathmandu!! As Napoleon Dynamite would say, "heck yes"! We are all doing great. That is why we are down. We are resting and recuperating and in a day we are going back to basecamp and will get ready for our summit attempt.
May 2, 2006
The team has returned to base camp after spending time at camp II acclimatizing. All team members are healthy and feeling strong. They are resting and eating great food prepared by Jennifer Barton, owner of Carrot Top Catering. Check out what they do to pass the time...Khumbu Klassic Golf Tournament
April 28, 2006: Dispatch from Base Camp (Robert)
I am happy to report that the expedition is still on track and running smoothly. The team members and sherpa crew are climbing strong and making excellent progress up the mountain. Most of the team rendevouzed at Camp 2 today while our lead crew of sherpa made their first trip to establish Camp 3. The team will take a rest day today at ABC (Advanced Base Camp) or Camp 2, ( 21,500 ft.). Tomorrow they take an acclimatization climb towards Camp 3 at 24,500 ft.. The goal is not to inhabit the camp but to do some climbing on the Lhotse Face to better prepare for their upcoming summit bid. The climbers report to be in good health and high spirits to take on the challenges of the upper mountain.
I would like to take a moment to remember and honor the three sherpa that were lost in the Khumbu Icefall accident. One of whom was a good friend of Tap and Heidi as well as myself. Phinjo Sherpa and I reached the summit Cho Oyu together in 1998. He and Tap had been on five himalayan expeditions and Tap's father Rick was helping Phinjo's family to build a tea house here in the Khumbu region. He also reached the summit of Cho Oyu with both Tap and Heidi. We will always remember him fondly and our condolences go out to his family and friends as well as to the other two sherpa and their loved ones.
At this point in time with any luck things can progress pretty quickly. We still need to get more loads into position; oxygen,fuel, food and more tents for Camp 3 and Camp 4. Everyone is working hard towards that goal carrying loads and moving supplies up the mountain. We will do our best to keep everyone updated as the events happen.
Robo
April 27, 2006 Robert reporting in.
Chris, Tap, Heidi, Lhawang, Garrett, and the physican are at Camp 2 starting their first go around of acclimatization. JJ and Lindaas are moving from Camp 1 - Camp 2 tomorrow. The Sherpas are busy putting in a route to camp 3. All's good and everybody is healthy.
April 23, 2006 Everest base camp
Tap, Mike, JJ, and Garrett made a carry to Camp 1. There is a lot more snow (about 1 meter) at Camp 1 from the storm. Today is a rest day, and tomorrow the group will move to Camp 1, then Camp 2 the following day. We plan to spend 4 or 5 days between Camp 1 and Camp 2, and if the weather is good possibly make an attempt at the summit. GM- click here for slide show
