Italian expedition Everest/K2 2004 expedition

Bad weather and lunacy episodes at the Worlds Rooftop

CB Everest, April 26- 3.00 pm (11.00 Italian time )

Today, bad weather conditions, snow and fog, caused nearly all mountaineers to stay at the base camp where they could relax and have some good time. In the morning, Soro Dorotei, Michele Compagnoni, Alex Busca and Silvio Mondinelli went up directly to advanced base camp where they set up a photovoltaic system. Their staying up there will very much depend on weather conditions which should be awful in the next three days.

Taking advantage of last sunlight shafts, K2 2004 expedition team have improvised a beauty-parlour in the tent cantine which was unanimously appreciated. Everybody apart from "Big Mario Panzeri", for obvious reasons could finally have their hair washed.

Tarcisio Bellò "the phenomenon" was elected "character of the day". His last enterprise was to literally devour the best of food supplies, serving to his expedition mates  pasta with pesto sauce and, for dessert, a radicchio tart.

Glaciology researcher Gianni Mortara also did his best to attract everybody's attention wearing a pair of yak horns. He was, indeed, successful!.

April 27, 2004 - 1.00 o'clock base camp (09.00 Italian time): The voice of Soro Dorotei is loud and clear while we listen to him speaking on his satellite phone. He is at the advanced base camp (6400 m.):  "This morning, together with Gnaro (Silvio Mondinelli's nickname) and our Sherpas we climbed up to 7000 m where we set up camp I, right under the North Col. Then we went back to the advanced base camp and then to base camp. Suddenly weather turned nice and we were told it would have very probably stayed like that for 4 more days. Well, we thought, forget about going back: at THEM !"

"Yesterday in the evening the weather was still awful and there was a snow blizzard  - Soro said  -when we woke up at dawn  the weather was good and the sky incredibly clear!. Tomorrow morning I will climb up with Gnaro at camp I. We will stop there for the night. Our goal is reaching further high in the day after tomorrow, up to 7600 m to try and set up camp II. In the meantime, our friends at base camp will start heading for the advanced base camp, and then camp I. We'll see what will happen then!."  

4/28/2004: First images at Camp I

The first images of Camp I, which was set up yesterday at around at 7000 m., slightly underneath Everest North Col.

Everest camp I was set up yesterday at 7000 m, underneath the North Col. Today, as already announced, Soro Dorotei and Silvio Mondinelli will stop there, to try and set up camp II at around 7600 m.

The other K2 2004 mountaineers will leave base camp today (4/28/2004) to start their climb towards the upper camps.

Towards camp I
North Col
At Camp I

copyright Italian expedition Everest/K2 2004 expedition Expedition

 

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