Entries By dave hahn
Hello, this is Dave Hahn calling from Everest Base Camp. We're resting and hiking and we're watching the progress of the weather conditions. It has been snowing a little bit every day and it seems, from what we have been told, that conditions have gotten a little bit better on the upper mountain. There was significant progress yesterday. A team of climbers, sherpas made it to the South Col. The route is fixed all the way to 8,000 meters now. Our sherpa team is going up tomorrow morning up to Camp 2 to check out conditions and see whether it makes sense for them to get on the wall to establish our Camp 3 and Camp 4. There is supposed to be, the next few days, supposed to be calm with continued light snow each day and we are seeing that is a good thing. Then the winds are supposed to come back, the jet stream is supposed to move into the mountains, but briefly, and then we are hoping for a break in conditions after the middle of the month. So it is going to be a little bit of a down time for the climbing team and we are keeping ourselves busy, like I say, with hiking and eating and resting and games. So far so good. Things seemed to have calmed down on Mt. Everest. Bye for now.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Dave Hahn from Everest Base Camp
On The Map
Snowy, cold and grey morning at Mt. Everest Basecamp. Which is not entirely a bad thing. In fact, we want it to keep snowing for a few days in order to change the dangerously icy conditions that exist up high on the mountain. Of course, snow down here at 17,500 ft. doesn't translate to snow up at 25,000 ft, but we can only hope. The consensus between guides and expedition leaders on the mountain is that we need some sort of change before we can responsibly send climbers and Sherpas onto the rock-strafed flanks of Lhotse again.
This situation makes for a slightly tougher than normal mental game for Everest climbers. Normally, in this first week of May we'd be putting the finishing touches on our conditioning and acclimatization in preparation for the summit. And although we did what we could toward those goals on our last rotation up the hill, it wasn't much without a day or two on the Lhotse Face. But that could not be helped. Unfortunately, we saw, heard of, and dealt with several instances of other climbers getting slammed by rock. Such poor odds of success were not for us. So now we are resting at basecamp and we are in limbo. If the snow actually sticks to the blue ice of the Lhotse Face the chance of a rock blowing off the summit of the 4th highest mountain in the world and hurtling unimpeded down toward our fixed ropes would be greatly reduced and we'd be back in business. If that happens sooner, then we might even have a chance to go back up for a more thorough acclimatization rotation before the summit bid. If time drags on a bit before that snow sticks… we may be left with just a shot at the summit. And if time drags on for several weeks without the change we need… a decent shot at the top is in doubt.
In our favor, the jet stream winds that were raking the mountain (and setting free thousands of precariously perched rocks up high) have eased. The word is that the jet is to the South of the mountain now and that relatively low winds are going to be with us… which normally allows for cloud formation and some daily snow. In our favor, there are still teams willing to risk the rockfall (and now snow sluffs) of the Lhotse Face and so we'll get daily reports as to conditions up high and perhaps the route will still get scratched in despite the hazards. We certainly wouldn't ask anyone to endure these conditions, but we aren't so proud and stubborn that we wouldn't take advantage of the good results of such labor when conditions turn favorable.
It is hang loose time. Cards, books, movies, naps, meals, get-togethers with other climbers, walks out to "Icy Cyber" (the position ten minutes out in the glacier that gets 3G service), conversations about the weather, the icefall, the fixed ropes and the helicopters… incidentally, there are none today and it is quiet like back in the old days, thanks to the snow.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Hi Dave,
Great post. Glad you guys are playing it safe. Been reading a lot of reports about all the rockfall and lack of snow this year.
Zachary Zaitzeff
Posted by: zachary zaitzeff on 5/5/2012 at 5:34 pm
Hello,
This is Dave Hahn calling from Advanced Base Camp on Mt. Everest. Beautiful day today, it was kind of windy last night and wind continued during the day. Roaring up above and just gusting down below where we were. We went for a hike, a roped up hike with crampons and ice axes, exploring the upper end of the Western Cwm. We went up to the start of a new climbing route, a new way of accessing the Lhotse face that a number of friends of ours were working hard to put in today. We wanted to check out their efforts and get a look at the terrain over there. So this a bit several hundred meters to one side of the existing route where it crosses the Bergschrund at the base of the face which is a little too active in rock fall in the conditions that we have right now. So this is an effort to try to find an alternative. It was a good outing for us. We were out for about 3 hours and enjoyed working against the altitude and working in the cold wind and seeing things from a little bit different angle. We came back and spent the afternoon in camp.
Consensus is that conditions are pretty dry and dangerous on the Lhotse face. So many teams were not having their members or Sherpa go up on the standard route, but others were. Our intention now, not being able to safely climb at the moment without some new snow or some change, is to head down to Base Camp in the morning. So that is what we are looking to do – up early and heading down.
That’s all for now.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
RMI Guide Dave Hahn reports from ABC.
On The Map
Good Luck Dave! Have fun and safe travels!
Posted by: Mike Iem on 5/5/2012 at 7:19 am
So very jealous!!! A dream come true to summit Everest!Stay safe and careful….we look forward to each and every update!
Posted by: Keith Rayeski on 5/3/2012 at 2:35 pm
Posted by: Melissa Arnot, Mark Tucker, Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest
Elevation: 21,300'
Happy Anniversary to the first American Summit team on Mt. Everest!
That climb happened forty-nine years ago today. Thanks to all the teams of the past for the valuable insight on how to climb this mountain as safe and smart as possible.
Dave Hahn and the RMI team remained at Camp 2 (ABC) for another night. All is well up there as they adjust slowly to these extreme altitudes. Conditions on the upper mountain are rough with the jet stream still over top and limited tracks in the upper route for now. Dave is the master at making the best use of their time up high and when they return to Base Camp I'm sure they will be ready for some rest down here in the thick air of 17,575'.
We are now in the meat of the Mt. Everest climbing season. There are teams all over the mountain and everybody is at a little different stage in their schedule to get themselves ready for the summit. The cooperation between the teams this year has been fantastic and the resolve and commitment to work together is outstanding. It is a small community here and everybody pulling together is making for a very enjoyable season.
Lots of work ahead and many more amazing photos to be taken. Hold on - summit time is just around the corner because it's the month of MAY!
Happy May Day!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in from ABC (21,300 ft)
On The Map
This is Dave Hahn calling in from Advanced Base Camp again. Another windy day up here at the head of the Western Cwm. Apparently the jet stream winds are still on the mountain and it’s sure sounding like it. All day long big roaring noise as the air was hitting the south west face of Mt. Everest and the north face of Lhotse. And just ripping over the tops of the mountains. Didn’t make sense to do any hard climbing in those conditions, for us. That wouldn’t have worked for us anyway today we were into light exercise activities and trying to gain acclimatization. We all had a good night last night and we are try build on that.
We just went for a short, couple hour long hike to gain a little elevation but didn’t get on to any technical ground. We returned back to camp and took it easy the rest of the afternoon. We are looking forward to some change in the wind and still surprised at how icy and dry the upper mountains are. I wouldn’t mind that changing a little bit and getting a little snow cover on the hills. But, everybody is doing well and we will keep you up to date.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in after the team's first night at ABC.
On The Map
Thanks for sharing the adventure of a lifetime with all of us. I wish you all safe travels & good weather. Or at least the best weather that one can expect from the Mother of all Mountains. Looking forward to each & every update. Peace…
Posted by: Sherry Jennette on 5/3/2012 at 2:48 pm
Wish you great spirit and protection on the Mt. Following closely! God Speed…Judy ( Mt Rainier July 25-29 2011) Go Melissa!
Posted by: JUDY DAHL on 5/2/2012 at 8:56 pm
Hey, this is Dave Hahn calling in from Advanced Base Camp on Mt. Everest 21,300'.
The climbing team came up here in good style today, all the way from Base Camp, this morning. We started out about 4:15 in the morning, still dark, climbing by head light. The climbing route is ok but kind of spooky. We walked thru some very large debris fields from avalanches that have come down in the last couple of days from both the West Shoulder of Mt. Everest and from Nuptse. Both mountains have thrown down debris that is across the climbing route. We didn't have a bad day, we were pretty lucky with our conditions. It was kind of a breezy day and they say the jet stream is right over Mt. Everest right now. The weather we are experiencing certainly seems to bear that out. It was sunny, cold and gusty and windy most of the day but that saved us from being too hot coming up into camp, this big reflector oven of the Western Cwm. Thing are really dry up here. Our camp is great, our Sherpa team did a wonderful job building up our Advanced Base Camp ahead of our arrival.
We are going to spend our first night here tonight. We will see how we are doing in the morning. Tomorrow will probably be a rest day, but we might get in a hike or two. That's all for now.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in from Advanced Base Camp.
On The Map
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Posted by: qOmPYSjmZy on 2/17/2013 at 11:01 pm
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Melissa Arnot, Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest
Elevation: 17,575'
Hello,
It is a beautiful day at Everest Base Camp. The climbing team and I did a nice glacier walk out from Base Camp. Just enough to stretch the legs and stop at the internet cafe en-route. There has been lots of packing and loads distributed to the Sherpa team who will help carry gear up to Camp 2 tomorrow. The rest days here at Base Camp have been good for the climbing team members and it looks like tomorrow they will begin their next rotation up high. We had two members of our Sherpa Team, Lam Babu and Yubaraju, that spent last night at Camp 2. They reported that everything is ready for the climbing team to inhabit this upper camp.
So, our plan is a 3:30 am breakfast, with requests of eggs, rice porridge, cold cereal and some hot drinks. The team should then be walking out of camp at 4:00 am headed for Camp 2.
We are hoping for good weather and for everyone in the team to feel strong as they climb higher tomorrow.
We will keep you posted.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
RMI invested with a local solar outfitter a few years back, and as you can see by the picture we are charged up! At the start of this season we used a generator to jump start the batteries, but since then its been all sun. On cloudy days we have to be a bit careful on how much power we use from the bank of six good-sized car-type batteries but usually plenty of juice. Without it, tough to send out this dispatch and even the best generators are too loud.
The other photo is of one of our star players here at Base Camp, Raju, who is at the watering hole of choice for now. The staff makes lots of trips to this spot daily with five-gallon plastic jugs to keep us full of that most important beverage. As the glacier moves throughout the season, so will we and the watering hole. With all of the human impact over the years we will boil all of the drinking water. Not yet there with the solar so we do use kerosene for cooking here at Base Camp. We have a most wonderful on-demand gas-powered shower tent that we try and not overuse, which you can imagine on a warm day is so fantastic it is hard to convey. A bit different nowadays since my first trip to Everest in 1990. It was 72 days between showers. Hey, we did what we could, but that first shower was a good one!
Dave Hahn is at Camp 1 and a link to his audio dispatch is below.
That's all for today from RMI's Everest Expedition.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Dave Hahn checks in from Camp 1
Be following this blog Dave. Me Knee’s doing better than the other one now. My heart a bit better as well, at a big conference with lots of loving friends. And with you on your hill. Be safe & warm Bro. See you when you get home.
Posted by: Carl Gilmore on 4/26/2012 at 2:52 am
We are kicking off our Everest climb for Spring 2012.
We've already been overseas for a little more than three weeks now and at 17,500 ft Everest Base Camp for about a week. We've benefited immensely from the work put into the building of this comfortable and efficient camp by RMI's Jeff Martin, basecamp manager Mark Tucker and the entire Sherpa staff. The climbing team feels confident that they've now shaken off the "trekker germs" collected during our 11 day push up the Khumbu Valley. Everyone seems well acclimated and we've successfully stretched our legs and lungs on the hills around camp and the approaches to the Khumbu Icefall. On April 16th, we held a Puja ceremony, seeking the blessing of the gods before putting ourselves in danger on the mountain. The Puja was deemed a great success and our Sherpa team has consequently completed two missions through the Icefall, going as far as the site which will become our Advanced Base Camp (or Camp II) at a little over 21,000 ft. Reaching that camp will be one of the goals of our climbing team in these next few days, but we don't intend to sleep that high just yet. First things first… if all goes well, we want to get an early start tomorrow morning, say around 5 AM, and then to climb through the Icefall to spend three nights at Camp I (just under 20,000 ft in the Western Cwm). Our Sherpa team tells us they are satisfied with the present state of the ever-changing Icefall Route. As usual, we'll need to climb steep glacial ice, cross ladder bridges over deep crevasses, pass efficiently under avalanche threats and generally keep moving well when the going gets tough. We figure that this first push should take us around 4 to 4.5 hours. The climbers have spent most of today sorting gear, packing food and getting packs neat and orderly. We even showered and put on semi-fresh clothing. Now we'll launch our first "rotation" on the mountain toward an eventual summit push. Each rotation should take us higher on the hill, encountering different challenges and hazards… but also progressively bigger and more spectacular views of the world. Descending back down to basecamp for smart rest and recuperation between rotations will take on added importance as we get farther along with the game.
It is a big season on Mount Everest with perhaps 40 other teams encamped around us at the base of the mountain. We've each been happy to bump into friends and fellow climbing guides around camp and plans are being laid for communal meals and gaming sessions to fill the downtime. The weather has been "normal" enough with each day starting cold and sparkling clear, but then clouding up by noon and dropping a little snow by late afternoon or early evening. Our views of Everest's summit pyramid have revealed a dry and increasingly rocky profile to the upper mountain. Either the winter didn't produce significant volumes of snow up high, or -as is more likely- the jet stream winds have been working overtime to scour the peak.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
I am a union structural ironworker from Detroit MI and admire you all as a team going for the Summit and living life on the edge. Good Luck and be Safe!
Posted by: Art Kazyak on 4/28/2012 at 5:50 pm
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Melissa Arnot
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest
RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Melissa Arnot reached Everest Base Camp a few days ago and the expedition is underway! Keep an eye on the RMI Blog over the coming weeks for updates on their climb. In the meantime, check out this video from Outside Magazine where Dave describes his preparation for climbing Mt. Everest.
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Hello Dave and Melissa: I just got on your blog a week or so ago and have enjoyed your posts! Wishing the best in climbing for you and certainly hope the conditions start to improve so you can get to your goal: a summitt attempt! Things are good in Seattle and I hope to get on Mt. Rainier a couple times this summer. Then the best part: the Mountain Festival! Hope you’ll both be in attendance again since it’s so good to visit and hear your climbing experiences. My radio station is supposed to be getting in touch with RMI to set things up for another weekend of coverage. Sending good climbing vibes your way, so good luck! Mike Brown
Posted by: Mike Brown on 5/9/2012 at 11:00 pm
Good climbing, David .
hoped to meet your father and Lisa in Boston at the end of this month but Memorial w/e is not propitious for Ron to drive. I read about your intrepid hike with Ron in Yosemite. Remarkable, and so well written.
Regards and Berg Heil from Your distant relative
Hugo
Posted by: Hugo Langshur on 5/9/2012 at 5:56 am
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