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2003 Everest South Side Expedition
Directed by Eric Simonson • Led by Dave Hahn
Everest South Side Dispatches
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IMG team doctor Diedre Galbraith phoned in from Everest Nepal Base Camp this morning. She is holding down the Base Camp fort right now and noted the relative quiet there these days, with so many of the climbers up in the Western Cwm. The internet cafe is only a few yards away, however, and is providing a community gathering place for those in Base Camp wanting some social contact.
The entire IMG climbing team spent the last two nights sleeping at Camp 1. They will move up to Camp 2 today for another couple of nights there, with a possible foray up to Camp 3. Sherpas from the IMG team and other teams successfully reached the South Col yesterday, reaching another important milestone in building up the logistics platform. With the route to the Col now in, climbers can begin carrying necessary supplies of O2 and gear in preparation for summit bids when the teams are ready and the weather gods say "Go!"
—Erin Simonson, IMG
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I talked to Dave Hahn via sat phone on Saturday night. It was Sunday morning (their time) in Nepal, and Dave reported the first real storm of the season since their arrival. The route has been placed up to Camp 3 with some teams already carrying to that camp, but the storm forced many to turn around on Saturday and descend without reaching their destination.
Dave expects the entire team to move up to Camp 1 today for two nights, then up to ABC for 3 nights, with a "day hike" up to Camp 3 at some point to continue their acclimatization. We'll hope to hear from them either when they get back to BC, or when our IMG Everest Tibet team calls in from the North Side, since both teams are talking to each other on the radios now, so our Tibet Base Camp will get news from the Nepal team sooner than we will.
Tap Richards reported in via email with this fun news: "We estimate about two-three hundred climbers here. The overwhelming presence of hundreds of sherpas running up and down the route everyday is a humbling reminder of how these guys are truly the backbone of today's expeditions. I've been doing serious battle with the computer and sat phone connection$$! Meanwhile, a tent moved in right next door (turns out it's the Nepal locals and their "cybercafe"). These guys are freakin' computer geniuses and they are the nicest people in the world. So, now I can hook up with their sat phone for one dollar/minute."
—Erin Simonson, IMG
Friday, April 18, 2003
Dave Hahn phoned in with another update from our team in Nepal. Dave, Ben, Tap, Gary and Charlie just returned to Base Camp yesterday after a rotation up the hill, where the group slept for 2 nights at Camp 1 and took a day hike up to ABC. They will rest at BC for a few days before taking another rotation uphill to include sleepovers at ABC and possibly a climb up to tag Camp 3. PJ has remained at Base Camp trying to fight off a cold, and the team hopes he'll be ready to move up with them on the next cycle. That's it on that side of the mountain...
—Erin Simonson, IMG
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Dave Hahn phoned in with a quick update. The entire team has made a few forays into the Icefall now, conducting what Dave calls "dress rehersals" for a formal move up to Camp 1 on either Monday or Tuesday, depending on the status of some chest colds in the group. They've also enjoyed some day hikes around the BC area. The Sherpas have Camp 2 (ABC) ready to rock, and these last few days at BC have moved the team's acclimatization right along. Many thanks go out to support from friends and family back home, including Mark W. for the XP Pro system disk now en route to BC via Kathmandu!
—Erin Simonson, IMG
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A phone update from Dave Hahn and email update from Tap Richards both tell of amazingly hard and good work by the Sherpas, who have already moved up to Camp 2 during the last two days to establish Advance Base Camp. "They're kicking tail" was the summary.
Guides Hahn, Richards and Ben Marshall took a foray up through the Icefall yesterday to recon the route and will head back up today with climbers Gary Johnson, David "PJ" Pierce Jones, and Charlie Hyde to do some acclimatization and "skills honing" in the Icefall. Meanwhile, Dave surveyed the landscape of some 30 teams at BC and hopes for good weather allowing people to think about summit bids in early May. With so many people on the mountain this year, if all summit bids get condensed into a short climbing window in late May, things are going to get very crowded up high.
One member of the team, Dave's laptop computer, has suffered HATE (high altitude technology epidemic) and Dave's recovery disks are somewhere in Taos NM, so he's wishing Office Depot had an outlet at BC. Other than that, all are well and strong and climbing.
—Erin Simonson, IMG
April 7, 2003
Nepal 2003 expedition leader Dave Hahn reported in today via sat phone with news of the team's great Puja ceremony and thus, the green light to formally begin the climb above Base Camp. Friends and family who joined the team's trek to Base Camp have now started their return home, and the climbing team is ready to make their first foray into the Khumbu Icefall tomorrow or the next day to check out the set-up at Camp 1 and Advance Base Camp. All are well and eager to get to work!
—Eric Simonson, IMG Director
April 4, 2003
Dave Hahn and team are in Lobuche today, heading for Gorak Shep tomorrow then on to Base Camp on Sunday. All are doing well with acclimatization. It has been snowing every afternoon, but mornings have been sunny and pleasant. They got the big blessing from Lama Geishi in Pangboche and also have received the great news that Kami Sherpa (who had already been working at basecamp on their behalf for over twenty days) went all the way up to ABC to claim a good site for Advanced Base Camp. The team talked to Kami today as he was running down to Pangboche for the night... the rest of the Sherpa climbing team is in basecamp now, as is all of our gear... the route is in through the Khumbu and up to ABC... Everest, here we come.
—Erin Simonson, IMG
April 2, 2003
This morning the IMG team met the big MI 17
helicopter in Dingboche at about 14,000 feet. The charter left Kathmandu with 3100kg of gear to Shyangboche (about 12,000 feet), where 1500kg was off loaded onto yaks. The remaining 1600kg was sent on to Dingboche (the helicopter must be lightened to go to the higher elevation). Ang Passang came down with his yaks to Shyangboche to meet the charter and went up on the flight to Dingboche. Ang Karsang is accompanying with the Shyangboche yak loads to BC and Ang Passang is with the Dingboche yak loads. All team members are doing fine and the trek to Base Camp is proceeding on schedule.
—Erin Simonson, IMG
March 31, 2003
Dave Hahn reports that all is well, and that the team is now on the way to Pangboche and Dingboche. Yesterday they spent the night at Thangboche and visited the famous monastary. Everyone is doing well and the trek to Base Camp is going smoothly.
—Erin Simonson, IMG
March 25, 2003
Expedition leader Dave Hahn called on the
satellite phone from Phakding and said all was going well. Today his team awoke early in the morning in Kathmandu, transferred to the airport, and flew by Twin Otter charter flight to Lukla. Then, they hiked for half a day up to Phakding, the first night's camp. Phakding is a beautiful village down by the river. After all the
headaches and hassles involved in getting an expedition out the door, there is nothing better than a good day of hiking, a good meal, and falling to sleep to the sound of the river! Tomorrow the team will climb up to Namche Bazaar, where they will take an acclimatization day.
—Erin Simonson, IMG
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