William Brant Holland Gets Hit With The Ban Hammer!

Remember William Brant Holland? He was the American climber who got booted from Everest this year for carrying a "Free Tibet" t-shirt (or banner depending on the story) with him, despite the fact that the Nepali government made it clear that such actions would not be tolerated.

Well, it seems the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Civil Aviation has elected to hand out a two year ban on Holland climbing in Nepal, which is home to some of the highest peaks in the world, including 8 of the 14 8000m mountains. According to this article at ThePeninsulaQatar.com Nepal wanted to insure that Holland, nor anyone else for that matter, would use their country to launch anti-Chinese rhetoric in the wake of China closing off Tibet and shutting down Everest's North Side.

Holland wasn't the only one to get a ban however, as Slovakian climber Josef Kubica as well. Kubica was caught attempting to climb without a permit when he was making his way towards Everest. This marks the first time in history that any climbers have received such a ban.

Quite frankly, I was expecting the ban to be longer. It'll probably take Holland two years to save up the cash to return to Nepal anyway, and with the Maoists in charge, I suspected that his little demonstration may have put him into more trouble. Depending on the political climate in the region over the next few years however, he may not find it a very hospitable place should he choose to return.

Thanks to The Adventurist for this one.

More on the 2008 Everest season

The 2008 Everest season has been over for more than month at this point, but that doesn't mean there isn't still stuff to talk about. For instance, while I was away in Montana, Alan Arnette released the fourth part of his personal experiences on the mountain. In this final portion, Alan talks about his attempt at the summit, giving great first hand insights on the mountain, and what it takes to reach the summit. As always, Alan's amazing writing helps to bring the story home. You can read his entire account in this PDF document.

Alan has also posted some great videos of his journey to Everest this year as well. You can find them on this page. There are videos of Alan's travel to Nepal, the trek up the Khumbu Valley, the Icefall, as well as the Lhotse Face and the South Col.

And if you're ready to put the Everest 2008 season behind you, then it's never too early to start thinking about the 2009 season. Alan has opened discussion on the 2009 season in his climbing forums already, proving that it's never too early to start thinking about your next Everest expedition.

Great work all around Alan.

The Rest of Everest: Episode 86

Another great episode of The Rest of Everest this week with the release of Episode 86 which continues our exploration of Everest Base Camp on the North Side of the mountain.

This week, Jon and Scott are joined by Brian Oestrike of the LUNGevity team, whose recent summit of Lhotse I followed closely. Brian was on Everest last year when Jon and Scott were filming these episodes, and he brings a nice perspective this week that compliments our usual tour guides very well.

The episode begins with a charming horse carriage ride from the "barter town" to BC, that ends in Scott encountering a universal challenge for international travelers, the time honored tradition of natives suddenly not being able to understand English when you're trying to get change back from a business transaction. Happens on every continent it seems. ;)

The real highlight this week is the Puja ceremony that Jon and Scott were lucky enough to take part in. The traditional ceremony is performed in BC before climbers begin to climb the mountain. The Sherpas believe by taking part in the Puja you are showing respect for the mountain and asking for a safe climb. Until the ceremony is done, they will not step food on Everest, or any other mountain they intend to climb. This is the second Puja we've seen on the Rest of Everest, with the first coming during the 2003 expedition to climb the mountain.

Next week, more Everest porn with more scenes form BC and footage of the mountain. What we've all been coming back for! :)

Everest 2008: Alan Arnette Post Climb Debrief Part 3

Alan Arnette released Part 3 of his on going 2008 Everest recap over the weekend, once again shedding more light on what exactly happened on the mountain this past spring.

This part of the story is entitled "Sniper At Camp 3" and goes into more detail about how the climbers were treated by the Nepalese army while preparing to make their climb. We all knew that cameras, both still and video, as well as sat phones, were prohibited until after the May 10th deadline, and Alan tells the story of one man having his gear searched for a video camera while having a gun pointed at him. But Alan also points out that while these scenes were disturbing for Everest veterans, after awhile everyone got use to living under the cloud of constant surveillance.

Eventually the climbers stopped worrying about the conditions in BC however, and started worrying about their summit chances. The climbing schedule was completely thrown off thanks to the restrictions imposed by the Chinese. While teams should have been able to climb as high as Camp 3 and spend the night, as part of the typical acclimatization process, the ropes weren't even fixed that high yet. At best, teams were able to go to C2, and soon a well worn path made it's way up the mountain. That is, until May 1st arrived, and no one was allowed to go beyond base camp.

The rest of the story includes Alan's thoughts upon finding out that the Chinese had finally reached the top (or did they?), and the climb beginning in earnest. The Nepalese army disappeared as quickly as they had arrived, with a simple "thank you for your cooperation" message, and in the blink of an eye, thinks returned to semi-normalcy.

The past few posts I've made on Alan's dispatches, I've remarked at how great his writing is, and how well he sets the scene. That is evident once again in this article, but I think I've been negligent in not mentioning Alan's wonderful photographs. Each part of his debrief has some wonderful shots of the mountain sprinkled throughout, and between the writing and the images, you really do get a nice snapshot of life on Everest during the spring 2008. A year unlike any other on the mountain I'm sure.

Next time, we'll get into Alan's summit bid and closing thoughts on the season.

The Walrus Interviews Lincoln Hall

The Walrus Blog, the official blog of The Walrus Magazine has conducted an interview with Lincoln Hall who suffered a severe case of altitude sickness on Everest back in 2006, and was left for dead, before he was found and rescued by several climbers, including Dan Mazur and Andrew Brash.

Hall recently released a book on his experiences entitled Dead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest which details the events that lead to him being left behind, then spending a night on the mountain without oxygen or shelter, before being found alive, half-dressed, and incoherent the following morning.

In the interview, Hall talks about gaining perspective on this near death experience, the deep impact of the hallucinations the experienced while hovering between life and death, and more. He touches on the commercialization of Everest, always a hot topic these days, as well as how "summit fever" grips climbers. He also notes, not surprisingly, that he has no interest in returning to Everest.

All in all, a very insightful interview. Definitely a good read. Thanks Outdoor Ed for this one.

Everest 2008: Alan Arnette Post Climb Debrief Part 2!

Alan Arnette continues his post-climb debrief on the 2008 Everest Season with the second part of the real story of what happened on the mountain this season.

Both part 1 and part 2 of this very well written report are contained in a single PDF document so you can get the entire story, thus far. In part 1 we learned about the fluid nature of the politics of Everest this year. Alan arrived in Nepal, amidst rumors of new rules, censorship, and the Chinese calling the shots. As we all know by now, those rumors turned out to be true, and of course the entire season was thrown into disarray.

Part 2 continues the story, with teams arriving in Base Camp and the rumors continuing to fly. Soon the Nepalese army shows up, and phones start getting confiscated. Communications start to get monitored, and the mood in BC is one of oppression, even if it's more on the subtle side. The Nepali soldiers come across as thugs just waiting for one of the climbers to step out of line, and when Alan makes a move to smuggle his own phone back to his tent, it reads a bit like a James Bond novel.

The writing in both parts is top notch and Alan does a great job of telling us the story of what really happened on the mountain. We knew from team reports that things were on edge in camp, but Alan confirms the situation. And when things actually started to improve and return to normal, William Brant Holland went and got himself tossed off the mountain.

By the time I finished reading this, I was already looking forward to the next part. The REAL story of Everest 2008 is still coming out, and thankfully Alan is willing to tell us the tale. Don't miss this one.

The Rest of Everest: Episode 84

After last week's excellent audio only interview with the Annapurna IV team we return to the business as usual this week for The Rest of Everest. It's the moment we've all been waiting for, as at long last Jon and Scott arrive at Everest Base Camp, in what Jon describes as A Kind of Homecoming.

Last week we were promised "Everest Porn" and this week the episode delivers. The mountain is clearly visible from the beginning of the episode on, and even though we start off still a decent distance from the mountain, it dominates the horizon. There is some excellent video of the "road", and I use the term loosely, that teams take when driving into Base Camp. It's as remote and rough as you would expect in these shots, although it has since been paved by the Chinese for this year's Olympic Torch climb.

Since Jon and Scott were visiting BC, but weren't climbing, they weren't allowed to drive all the way up to it. Instead, they take to the road and trek up on foot. That trek begins in one of the small tent villages that spring up near Base Camp to allow places to for trekkers and other visitors to stay and provide a number of amenities to the visitors of the region.

One of the scenes that I got a chuckle out of was when Jon checks out Lobsang's cell phone and sees that it has full reception that close to Everest. I've been to some fairly remote places, such as deep into the Sahara, on Kilimanjaro, and trekking on the Great Wall, and the locals always had great cell phone service, even in those remote regions. Yet I can drive to certain parts of town here in Austin and lose serve. There is something not right about that.

The scenery in this episode is as amazing as you would expect. The peaks surrounding Everest and lining the road up to the actual Base Camp look great as well, but the mountain we've all been waiting for makes it's appearance at long last, and it's worth the wait. Also, look for a cameo from Brian Oestrike, whose climb up Lhotse we followed this year. He successfully summitted a week or so back.

Obviously if you're interested in The Rest of Everest, one of the best podcasts you'll find anywhere on the web or in iTunes, you should start with the first episode. However, if you want to get a taste of what to expect, this is an excellent episode. Of course you can find the episodes on the website or subscribe to it directly in iTunes.

Apa Sherpa Makes Headlines

Apa Sherpa, who recently reached the top of Everest for a record 18th time, has been receiving some great publicity of late at least from the Salt Lake Tribune.

First the published this story on the legendary climber, in which he is quoted as saying that reaching the top of Everest is the easy part. Getting down is where it gets tricky. The article was published just a few days after his record 18th trip to the summit, and Apa, speaking to the paper via phone from Kathmandu talks about his latest climb, including logistics, timing, and weather. He says it was a bit cold at the summit this time out at -40 degrees Fahrenheit.

The second article was published after his return to the U.S., which he now calls home. This story talks about why he came to the States (better education for his children), what it's been like for him adjusting to living in Utah, and how he makes ends meet in the outdoor industry.

I was tipped off to the second article by Jason over at The Adventurist, and it sparked a bit of a conversation between several of us over there about the few opportunities for mountaineers of Apa's skill level to make a living climbing. From there we waxed philosophic on fame in the climbing game, over commercialization on Everest, more. Yeah, our conversations tend to wander. :) Have some thoughts on the subject? Come join the chat!

Everest 2008: Alan Arnette Post Climb Debrief!

The Everest season is pretty much over now for the Spring Season, and most of the climbers have departed Kathmandu for home. Throughout this very odd season I kept remarking in my Everest updates that we probably wouldn't know the whole story until weeks after the climbers had returned home. The silence from base camp this season made for a very strange year to cover the teams that went to the mountain, and the restrictions made it even more strange and interesting for them I have no doubt.

Well, seems like my prediction is starting to come true. Alan Arnette has released an extensive debrief on some of the events that occurred while he was at the South Side Base Camp. The document is available here as a PDF document.

Alan discusses the original plan for his climb, which was to have taken place on the North Side, and the events that lead to the Chinese electing to monopolize the North following protests in Tibet. Those protests seem like a lifetime ago now since the country is still closed off, and we're still not receiving much information about conditions there.

With the North shut down, Alan and his team from Mountain Professionals switched to the South, sending them scrambling for permits and adjusting their logistics as needed. On March 27th of this year, Alan was off to Nepal, where he quickly learned that this would be a very different trip to that country.

The rest of this debrief has to be read to get the true impact of it all. Alan was actually in Nepal when rumors began to break about the the "Rules of Everest" for 2008 that included no cameras or sat phones in BC. It was almost too odd to be believed, but it came to be true, and the worst fears of the teams were finally realized.

Alan promises that this is just the first of his dispatches that will tell us the story of Everest 2008 from his personal perspective. If you want to know what really happened, this will be sure to be an interesting and informative read.

Welcome home Alan and thanks for the update!

Everest 2008: Still Going!

Things aren't completely over on Everest, although nearly everyone has wrapped up their climb, and most are already back in Kathmandu or will be soon.

A few summit reports remain however, such as this one over at the Hardwear Sessions Blog where we get an excellent summit reprot from Team Marie Curie. The dispatch is written by team leader Kenton Cool, who gives a good account of their climb, and discusses how disappointed everyone was that Sir Randulph Fiennes was unable to continue up to the top. The team is back in Kathmandu already, but details of their experiences on the mountain are just now starting to creep out, although somethings remain cryptic. Kenton ends his dispatch with the following quote:

Emotions have run high for many reasons. Not least for a number of friends who have died this season. I'm happy that its all over now and I'm very much looking fwd to coming home and getting ready for the alpine season (which starts very soon!!).

ExWeb has posted a fresh update as well with news that the Brazilian Team has topped out, as has Mike Browder as part of the SummitClimb Team.

Finally, The Adventurist and Everest News are both reporting that while Browder may have reached the summit, there seems to have been some problems on his descent. Unconfirmed reports at this time have Mike suffering from snow blindness and having to be assisted down the mountain. He is reportedly back at the South Col not, but we're still waiting for a fresh update. I'll post more as we learn it.

The summits have slowed to a trickle and now the mountaineering world will turn to Denali and the Karakorum in the weeks ahead. Perhaps we'll have some brave souls attempt Fall/Winter summits on Everest, but likely we've seen the mountain shut down for the year, as teams will already begin planning for 2009.

Celebrity Chef To Climb Everest?

Both The Sun and The Mirror are reporting that Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay is planning on climbing Everest next year.

Best known in the U.S. as the host of Fox's Hell's Kitchen, back in his native U.K., Ramsay is an even bigger celebrity. He owns several restaurants there and appears on television even more frequently. However, Ramsay is also a bit of a fitness nut who enjoys running marathons and he hopes to compete in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii later this year as well.

The Chef has admitted that climbing Everest has been an ambition of his for some time, and if his business obligations and family allow him to pursue it, he plans on giving it a go. Ramsay joins other celebrity climbers such as Bono and David Beckham who are rumored to be climbing Kilimanjaro later this year for UNICEF.

One thing is for sure, should Ramsay elect to go for the climb in 2009, you can bet that his team will be the best fed on the mountain.

Everest 2008: Dark Clouds Over Everest?

Now that the mass rush for the summit is about over, and teams are turning their sites on home, we've begun to hear some stories about what it's been like on Everest this year, and what teams encountered on their climbs.

For instance, the Peak Freaks, who have been very diligent in updating their dispatches continue to do so even now, despite the fact that the team has left the mountain and is moving down the Khumbu Valley. The most recent update, posted two days ago by Scott Mortensen gives some insights into what it was like on Scott's summit day, including an encounter with a delirious Korean climber whose bottled oxygen had run out. Scott promises another update soon, but remarks that "There is so much to say about this year on Everest. There will be a whole new batch of controversy, blame, and negativity." He also notes that there were " also shining stars in the darkness". So, it seems, the stories of what has been going on up there have yet to really be told.

Similarly, James Balfour has updates his site with news of his successful summit on the 23rd of May. James was the third person to top out that day behind his guide and one of the Sherpas on his team. However, he ominously notes that "when I was back in Camp 4 (also known as the South Col) that we heard that two Koreans had died on the way up, and three others had perished on the day before." As of this writing, I'm only aware of one confirmed death on the mountain, so we'll have to wait to hear more on this as well.

On a good note however, the IMG Team reports that Dave Hahn has reached the summit for a record 10th time. This is the most summits by a non-Sherpa ever on Everest. Congrats Dave! His team is already back safely back in C2 after topping it out yesterday, and today is the final climbing day for IMG. You can read Dave's dispatches exclusively over at GreatOutdoors.com.

Finally, after turning back on Everest for the second time, Sir Ranulph Fiennes has vowed "No More Mountain". Sir Ran, who was climbing as part of the Everest Challenge Team to raise funds for the Marie Curie Cancer Care organization, turned back at 8400 meters due to exhaustion. He said that when he turned from Polar exploration to mountains he had two climbs in mind. Everest and the North Face of the Eiger. He conquered the Eiger last year, but his Everest aspirations have eluded him. No worries for Ran however, as he has another expedition planned in 2009. One that has absolutely nothing to do with mountains!

I've mentioned numerous times this year that I thought there would be plenty of stories to hear once communications were reestablished on the mountain, and even more so once the climbers got home. It looks like that prediction will prove to be true, as there seems to have been a lot more going on up there than what we've heard so far. The season may be drawing to a close quite rapidly at this point, but it may be weeks before we've closed the book on Everest 2008.

Everest 2008: 75 and 76 Year Olds Summit!

Regular reader Carl send me a link to this story from CNN that has details on Min Bahadur Sherchan, the 76 year old Sherpa who reached the summit of Everest yesterday, setting a new record in the process for the oldest person to ever do so. He is said to be in good health and had already descended when the article was published. Also of note, is that Sherchan was one of about a dozen summitteers yesterday following a very busy week on Everest.

MountEverest.net is also reporting on the 76 year old's summit, and also mentions that Yuichiro Miura, a Japanese climber, also reached the summit. Miura is 75 years and now claims the title as the oldest non-Sherpa to reach the top of the world. The photo attached to this article shows both men. Muira is on the right and Shercahn the left.

At this point, most of the climbers who have wanted to go up have gone up. There are a few teams still waiting for their opportunity, but now that the crowds have subsided, I expect we'll only see a few more summit reports, and the Everest 2008 season will be complete.

Everest 2008: Sir Ran Turns Back

Just a quick update this morning from the Everest Challenge Team. They were making their summit bid earlier, but passed on word that Sir Ranulph Fiennes turned back due to exhaustion. No word as to which point on the mountain he turned back at, but the 64 year old British legend had climbed to Camp 4 where yesterday the reports said he was strong and feeling good. But, as many climbers before him have come to know, the upper portions of the mountain are where the true measure of exhaustion and lack of oxygen can come back to haunt you.

Sir Ran was climbing to raise funds and awareness for the Marie Curie Cancer Care Organization, a group that he has worked closely with for some time. I'm sure at this point he is feeling a bit disappointed, as this was his second attempt on the mountain, but his efforts were remarkable and showed once again his grit and determination in what ever adventure he undertakes.

I'm sure we'll hear more on the story over the next day or two. The latest reports have him back at the South Col, resting and in good health. He'll probably be back in Base Camp tomorrow where we'll probably hear from him directly.

Evereest 2008: More Summits and Death on the Mountain

Annapurna isn't the only mountain registering a death today. Word has come down that Swiss climber Uwe Gianni Goltz died on Everest two days ago of physical exhaustion. He had climbed high, but hadn't quite reached Camp 4 when he passed away. He was attempting to summit without supplemental oxygen. His death has been confirmed by his team as well. Once again, my sincere condolences to his friends and family.

Despite the sad news from the Himalaya today, the summits continue on the highest mountain on Earth. Everest News is reporting that the Indian Army expedition has put 20 climbers on top and the IMG Team reports that their third team has summitted and that Team 4 is now in place to do the same.

The Everest Challenge Team has posted a new update indicating that they are in the final hours before their final push to the summit. They're all in Camp 4 now, including Sir Ranulph Fiennes who is reportedly eating and drinking "loads" at C4 and is strong and ready to go up to the top. This is, of course, the team that is climbing to raise funds for the Marie Curie Fund which aids in cancer research and providing support for those afflicted by the disease.

Word from the mountain has been that their have been large crowds on the upper portions of Everest, near the Hillary Step and the South Summit. This has made for delays and has caused some to turn back. But the weather is holding out, and the window looks to remain open for the next few days, so I suspect that everyone will get a crack at the summit who is healthy and strong enough to go up.

Despite the death of the Swiss climber, it's been a relatively calm year on Everest. Lets hope it stays that way.

Everest 2008: Apa Sherpa Claims 18th Everest Summit!

It's been widely reported on ExWeb, The Adventurist, and even the AP, that climbing legend Apa Sherpa has reached the summit of Everest once again, making it the 18th time he has stood on top of the world's highest peak. Apa reached the summit at 5:45 AM local time this morning.

Apa continues to amaze. He seems to be one of the few constants on Everest, and topping out on the mountain 18 times is indeed an impressive accomplishment. ExWeb has speculated that he'll go for an even 20, but we'll have to wait and see. He had no plans to go up this year until he was asked to join the Eco Everest Team. We'll just have to wait to see if he gets a similar motivation in the years ahead.

Congratulations Apa!

The Rest of Everest: Episode 83

Our virtual tour of Tibet continues this week with a new episode of The Rest of Everest, which opens this week with some images of Everest and Kathmandu sent in my a avid fan of the show who was in Nepal recently, sporting a Rest of Everest T-Shirt.

This is Episode 83 and is entitled "In The Company of Giants". We're not 12 days into Jon and Scott's Himalayan Adventure, and at long last we lay our eyes on Everest, and what a sight it is to behold. The shots, even from a distance, are amazing.

Some of the other highlights this week are seeing the entrance to pass that leads to Everest where guards check passports before allowing anyone forward and a series of long and winding switchbacks that lead up to the higher mountain regions from the Tibetan Plateau.

But really it's Everest that is the star of the show, after all it's name is right there in the title of the show. And you can tell that Jon and Scott are happy to see the mountain at long last. The panning shots of Everest and the other Himalayan peaks, including Cho Oyu, are a feast for the eyes.

With Everest now in sight, you know that the episodes over the next few weeks will really pay off. Base Camp is not so far away now, and we should get some more great shots of the mountain and BC itself.

Everest 2008: Summit Day!

As you no doubt know by now, today was a busy day on Everest with a number of teams reaching the summit. Unfortunately, my "real" job took me out of town on arguably the biggest day of the year on the mountain, but a late update is better than no update at all, right?

Lets start with the Peak Freaks who posted a late dispatch of their own to let us know that six of their climbers reached the summit today, and most were back in C4 without incident. However, on the descent one of the climbers collapsed below the South Summit and was being roped down the mountain by several of the guides and Sherpas. At the time of the posting, they were confident that he would be fine and that everything would be alright. I'm sure we'll hear more on this story later.

ExWeb has posted one of their typically detailed updates with news on summits on Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu. They report that members of the Project Himalaya Team, as did members of the Cordoba Team, amongst others.

IMG has updated their dispatches with news that four of their team members summitted and have now returned to C4, while their second summit team is currently just below the South Summit, at 28,500 feet and will be moving up soon.

Finally, an update on Alan Arnette who it has been my privilege to follow this past year as he trained and prepared for his Road Back to Everest. Last night I received word from Alan's wife Cathy that he had turned back at the Balcony, overcome by exhaustion. I have no doubt that Alan gave his best effort on this climb, and that it was with great reluctance that he turned back. But Everest is no place to take chance, as he well knows, and it's more important to come back in one piece than to continue up to the summit. We're all glad that he is safe and will be returning home soon, and I couldn't be more proud of his efforts.

Everest 2008: First Teams In Camp 3!

The weekend saw some updates from Everest, and reports have begun to trickle in this morning as well, with the news that teams on the mountain are beginning to move into position to make their final push for the summit. The weather appears to be holding steady, and the project first summits are set for tomorrow, the 20th of May.

Our friend Alan Arnette checked in this morning with an audio dispatch from Camp 3. Alan reports that everyone on his team is healthy and in good spirits. They are looking to top out on the 21st. They'll spend the rest of the day resting in C3 before heading up to C4 early tomorrow. They'll rest a few hours there, and begin their summit bid in the late hours of the 20th with a plan to reach the top early in the morning on the 21st. Good luck Alan!

Peak Freaks have also updated their Everest blog with the news that they reached C3 yesterday. By the time you read this, they are probably already in C4, resting, and preparing for their summit bid starting tonight. (Local time of course.) If everything goes according to plan, we should have news of their summit later tonight or first thing in the morning. They are expecting to share the summit with a couple of other teams including the Indian Army Team, The Nepalese Women, and the Project Himalaya Team.

The latest dispatches from International Mountain Guides tells much the same story. Their team is broken into two, with the stronger climbers moving into C3 already, and the bulk of the team in C2. They look to put their first climbers on top starting on the 21st, with the rest of the team following suit on the 22nd.

Finally, the Everest Challenge Team, who are climbing to raise fund and awareness for the Marie Curie Foundation, have begun their summit bid today. They should be moving up to C2 with an eye on summitting near the end of the week. Their latest dispatch has a great video from their acclimatization climb to C3 last week, and the reports are that Sir Ran is doing great, is climbing strong, and seems poised to claim his first Everest summit.

Hang on tight folks. Looks like it's going to be a very busy week on Everest!

Everest 2008: Alan Arnette Begins Summit Bid!

Alan Arnette has posted his latest dispatch today, with the news that he hopes to begin his summit bid tomorrow, May 17th.

The schedule for Alan, and there rest of the Mountain Professionals Team, looks like this. Tomorrow they'll climb to C2, and on Sunday they''ll spend the day resting there. On Monday, the 19th, the team will move to C3 and on Tuesday they'll go up to C4 at the South Col. Once there, they'll start on supplemental oxygen, and spend the majority of the day resting, eating, and re-hydrating, as the prepare for the final push to the top. About 9 PM that night, they'll begin the ascent.

For Alan, this brings into a focus a full year of climbing. It was about this time last year that he first announced that he would be returning to Everest in an attempt to summit for a cause. And he's spent much of the past year raising funds, and awareness for the Cure Alzheimer's Fund. At the time when he announced his return, Alan shared his plan with a few of us, and I was privileged to be included in that group. Since then, I've followed him as he went to Denali, Shisha Pangma, Aconcagua, and Orizaba in preparation for Everest. It's been my pleasure to get to know Alan better and share in his journey on the Road Back to Everest, and I can't wait to see him stand on top at long last. I know how hard he has worked, and I know how much this means to him on many different levels.

Climb safe Alan, and don't forget to look up from time to time, and take in the view on the way up.