22.05.2005: We resign!

All attempts to summit were in vain yesterday. The Everest summit was not reached from South this year yet. Yesterday at 10 a.m., we decided to give off at about 7400 m altitude. The reason was the steadily increasing wind, another one the information that all the other teams cancelled their summit pushs as well. About 40, in part exhausted climbers are on the way downhill. I (Olaf) felt that it could be a problem to meet them in the Lhotse face. The third reason for resigning was the frustrating weather forecasts that we received from the basecamp at 8 o'clock that indicated even more wind and precipitations. Thomas as well as Lakpa had not to be convinced either, both they agreed with this decision.


The wind and the icy cold in the Lhotse face attacked our noses and fingers.

Most frustrating is the fact that we have not had any chance. I could not find out to which altitude I would be able to climb. I was higher at other mountains before. Perhaps a supernatural climber could summit under these weather conditions, but it seems that there is none among the expeditions this year. Thomas and me, both we are sure that it is not realistic to summit without additional oxygen if no one had passed the southeast ridge before.


Thomas at our point of return at the Lhotse face.

Down at the BC, there is a lot of confusion. There were some succesful summits from North. The leaders of the big commercial teams are under pressure now. No client can made it to the summit if the fix ropes are not installed. And nobody can do this job when the weather is that bad. There is about one week remaining until the route will be closed. By this time, all material has to be down and this takes about four to five days.

The problem of the big commercial expeditions is that most of the potential clients may change the side if the probability of getting to the summit is higher via the North route than from South. I was onlooker of a big meeting of the leaders of the commercial expeditions. They decided to apply for an extension of the permits at the Nepalese gouvernment. Money does not count! The sherpas shall be "persuaded" by money to climb the Khumbu icefall again that becomes more and more dangerous every day. It is a fact that the weather will not improve until the official end of the season. And there are still about 122 paying clients at EBC...


All people of distinction met each other, but the famous Shirdars like Apa Sherpa (14 times on the summit) or Pemba Dorje were not invited.

I wondered about this discussion, in particular because no Shirdar (the chief of a sherpa team) was there. But they talked about things that affect mostly the sherpas! And no one accepted the fact that the Everest cannot be pushed from South this year. This is not a human failure but it is difficult to accept any failure nowadays.

Thomas and me, both we do not see a chance for succes anymore. We will not count on an extension of the season either. On 24th of May we will leave the Everest BC - exhausted and frustated but healthy.