Here are the blog posts from my Everest trip. I haven’t edited them except to remove a couple that lacked any information. I did manage to list them chronologically but you’ll still have to do a bunch of clicking to read through things.
Everest 2009
Please follow my 2009 Mt. Everest attempt on this blog. I will be leaving March 24 and returning June 7 at the latest. Unless you have received express written consent in 2009 to use words, graphics, or photos from this blog and web site on your own web site, you must abide by US copyright law. All materials ©Mike Farris
Technical difficulty vs. extreme altitude
The American climbing community has always placed technical success far above success at extreme altitude. The similarities and differences of these two aspects of climbing deserves some comment. By technical success, I mean the ability to climb steeper and more difficult sections of rock, snow, or ice. You can walk up the stairs (technically easy) or try to walk up …
Technical difficulty vs. extreme altitude part 2
In my last post, I talked about how elite performance on technical terrain is similar to elite performance at altitude. But as we look at the development of these two games over the past 50 years, we see two quite different patterns. I’ll use technical rock climbing as an example. In the 1950s the walls of Yosemite were originally climbed …
In Kathmandu
I’m in Kathmandu, all my luggage arrived, and I’m getting organized over the next few days to fly into Lukla on March 31. By the way, look below for part 2 of my discussion of technical climbing vs. extreme altitude. The tourist season is off to a slow start (that darn economy again). Most teams headed for the Tibet side …
Leaving Kathmandu
Hi, I’m doing a final test of my technology, making sure I can post text and photos via email. It’s Monday morning here, and I leave tomorrow to start the trek. Yesterday was a busy day. I was able to meet up with Pemba Gyalje Sherpa, a central figure in last year’s K2 drama. He arranged for me to meet …
On the trail
I’m sitting in a cyber cafe in Namche Bazar, capital of the Solu Khumbu region of Nepal and the center of Sherpa culture. The culture that I can see, however, is lodges, shops, internet cafes, bakeries, and all the other trappings of western society. These people are very, very smart. We flew to Lukla on Tuesday, March 31. The airstrip …
Base Camp tomorrow
Just a quick post to let you know that we’re arriving in BC tomorrow (4/8). Our baggage is a couple of days behind us due to bad flying weather, so I won’t be able to send anything else for a few days. We’ve had snow and thunder and lightning the past two afternoons. I had chicken corden bleu for dinner …
Finally on the hill
Yesterday I did a carry to Camp 1 through the famous Khumbu Icefall. But since I haven’t been able to post many updates, let’s back up a bit. The trek in was the easiest trek I’ve done in Nepal. This is because we fly in to 3400m, and thus avoid the steep gorges of the middle hills. The days were …
Another carry and a move to Camp 1 on Sunday
Greetings! This will have to be short; almost every electronic device bigger than an iPod is experiencing power issues and for some reason that includes my computer. Hopefully it will heal itself while I’m up on the mountain. I carried a big load (19kg or 42 pounds) up the icefall on 4/16. I left earlier (3:50) and was faster overall. …