We remain in a holding pattern. It is apparent that most other teams are pulling out. This in itself is a delicate operation. The ideal sequence is to fly in by helicopter to Kathmandu airport and get onto to an international flight the same day thereby avoiding the potential health risks associated with a stay in Kathmandu. This of course requires that the helicopter has good enough weather to fly and that the departing flight can run to schedule when priority is being given to aid flights etc.
It has also been announced from the north/Tibetan side of the mountain that the Chinese are closing down all expeditions. If we continue we will be the only team on either side to stay on the mountains possibly not a desirable position to be in.
Yuanjee returned for one night to collect the remainder of her equipment. She is aware that we are hoping for more sherpas to return from her village of Kumjung and intimated that on the basis of a visit this was unlikely to happen. Her own house is demolished and her 95 year old grandmother is sleeping in a tent.
Whilst there is a desire in principle amongst the climbers to continue with the expedition there seems to be a disconnect when it gets to what that actually means. As always when the plan go wrong there is a danger of the group fragmenting. Within the team we have two semi professional Polish climbers who have been asked to join an effort to climbed six 8000 metre peaks in 2015. This effort is sponsored by a US clothing manufacturer, Under Armour and in aid of a charity which seeks to stop human trafficking. The team is led by Under Armour¹s design director , Nick, who has long experience of climbing with Polish teams they also have two climbing cameramen. (Nick¹s team is equipped in climbing gear he has commissioned for this effort.) Their experience and aspirations perhaps makes them better able to judge how they wish to go forward. To continue as planned requires climbing the icefall which some, at least, are unwilling to do because of the heightened risks from aftershocks etc. There are intimations that several of the sherpas and guides have similar reservations.
As ever, Sherpa support is essential and a request has been made to the Ministry of Tourism to fly much of the ropes etc to Camp 1 thereby reducing the number of traverses the sherpas would need to make in the icefall. Even if this was granted it would require a secondary petition to allow climbers and hopefully sherpas to fly to Camp 1. Quite apart from the likelihood this would be agreed the prospect of coming up with a fistful of dollars to requisition a helicopter to indulge an obsession, in a mountainous third world country facing a humanitarian crisis is more that I, at least, am prepared to stomach. Regrettably there is less that unanimous agreement with this view. The counter view seems to be I¹ve paid all that money so it is your job to get me to the top (whatever the risks/costs)¹
We were told after dinner on 30th April that the expedition had been cancelled. The two main reasons were the danger of going through the icefall and the lack of sherpas support for any further activity we have about 6 from the full complement of 20. The challenge for all the sherpas is to rebuild and get out of tents by end May when the monsoon commences. A reluctance to spend time away from home supporting a very risky venture is understandable.
This came as a disappointment to those who has still had aspirations to climb. For myself having concluded that the two options on the table were not tenable for different reasons cancellation seemed the natural conclusion.
Everest Expedition 2015 