원정 개요

BC at Everest site
C1 at top of Icefall
C2 at Cwm.

From C2 normal Everest campsite, Benegas brothers went down the Cwm towards C2 to 6150m at base of rib and placed depot there on 15 April on the way to C2. 10th May went up to C3 of Everest/Lhotse to acclimatize after 2-1/2 weeks waiting for snow and wind to stop and for snow conditions to become safe; slept in C2 on 10 May.

1st attempt 15 May from C2 via depot up 10 pitches of ice and rock mixed on a triangular face below where rib starts and spent night bringing harnesses; stove broke at 2:00 am, so rapelled down and returned to C2. 18th May up again. Snowed every afternoon (wet sleeping bags after 2nd night). Got above real avalanche danger but hit by spindrift. 1st biv at 6500m on 18 May; 2nd biv again on face at 6700m; 3rd on 20th at 6950m still on face. Could climb only 3-1/2 to 4 hours per day because of spindrift. Took only 3-1/2 days food supply. We climbed light (light weight). 4th biv on 21st on rib at first rock band of rib at 7100m. 5th biv on 22nd at 7400m at 2nd rock band. 23rd to top at 1:00 pm. 22nd worst day: snowed and 3 avalanches day and night of 22nd every 15 minutes had to clean off snow, Damian stayed awake all night while Willie fell asleep. 23rd ready to give up but at top of rib at 7600m saw climb not difficult and weather cleared, got so hot that they took off their down jackets. Willie on top 12:40 and Damian joined him at 1:00 pm and then climbed down to 7600m, where had left backpacks, and rapelled down Doug Scott route and direct to C2 and arrived C2 at 10:00 pm where other teams gave them food and dry sleeping bags. 24th both had to help evacuate [Guller] team's Sherpa Karma and spent all day but that evening Karma died. Return BC 11:00 pm. Willie left BC 29th.


Face of Nuptse (Willie Benegas):

Later, when we arrived to our Nuptse camp, we found our poor tent looking like a snow crystal in the immensity of the Khumbu Glacier. At first glimpse, Damian thought she [the tent] had either gained a lot of weight, or she was constipated. All of the Sherpas and climbers passed her on their way to C2 of Everest and Lhotse, and it seems someone had paid her a visit and taken shelter in her sometime during the last week of storms. And that someone left the zipper on the door open a couple of inches, which was enough to let all of the snow of the Khumbu blow inside to keep her company. Damian and I stood on opposite ends of the tent, and opened the doors, expecting to see each other through the tent, Well surprise surprise - the entire tent was completely packed with snow! It took quite some time to empty her out and clean out our gear.

After all of that, we decided to do a little side hike over to C2 and pay a visit to my Sherpa friends. After 3 summits of Everest with the same group of Sherpas, we have become really good friends, and I know that if I didn't stop in at C2 to visit, I would be in really big trouble. We stayed for dinner, and I so much enjoyed all of the comradery. To be part of this wonderful team is so amazing to me. But, I did one huge mistake. Tashi, the cook, was eyeing my MP3 player, so I let him check it out. From that moment on, the music came on and the rest of the world disappeared for him. The next thing I know, I asked him for some mango pickle to mix with my rice, and he handed me green chilly pickle. I realized his mistake when my mouth was instantly on fire and my face turned the same color as my TNF down jacket. Of course for ego reasons, I could never turn down anything passed to me from the boys.

And that was our day. Tomorrow, Damian and I will head back over to the base of Nuptse, and began fixing the first few pitches of our route.