Burleson

Blume

Freddy Blume, the team scientist, is now in Base Camp and communicating with Todd Burleson and the climbing team over radio. He's patching those calls through over a satellite telephone.

Click to hear the radio call from Todd Burleson in Camp II to Freddy Blume in Base Camp.

Burleson: It's May 21st. We are in Camp II [21,500']. Everything is good here. The weather seems to be calm. We plan to move up to Camp III tomorrow. Everyone here seems to be in good health and good spirits. Four Sherpa went to the South Col today and dropped off the last of our loads, so we're basically set to summit. So all we're looking for is a good spell of weather and good health.

Blume: So how did you guys sleep last night?

Burleson: Slept ok. A little rough. I've got a bit of stomach problem that got me up and down a bit, but today we rested very well...

Blume: How are things looking sky-wise? Wind, clouds, and stuff.

Burleson: We did see winds up high and how high it is we do not know. We're waiting to hear back from the Icelanders to find out exactly what kind of winds they experienced today.

Blume: Can you see them right now on the way back down?

Burleson: Negative on that. The only part of the route that we can see really is the South Summit to the top of the Hillary Step, and from the knowledge we have, they are past the South Summit on their way down.

Blume: From my conversation with them at the summit, there was no wind. They spent an hour up there and sounded like they had just a great time.

Burleson: Fantastic. Fantastic! Ya, you know, sometimes you look up and see wind, you don't always know what's actually going on up there. Bunch of clouds lifting a little off the mountain... it looked windy when they were up on the Step.

Blume: Anything else interesting going on up there?

Burleson: There are a lot of people at Camp III. Looks like there will be probably 30 to 35 people going to the South Col tomorrow to attempt a summit day on the 23rd. That should be very interesting. We will be a day behind them. It looks like this time, there may only be only one or two more people summiting at the same time. It'll give us a lot of freedom to move quickly and do the GPS work. With a little bit of luck, the guys who've gone up the day before us will have set a trail.

Blume: The way the Icelanders described the route to us... it was a backcountry skier's nightmare -- they were punching post-holes knee-deep through a crust of some kind.

Burleson: Ya, that was up at the South Summit, is that correct?

Blume: No actually, from what I remember it was lower than that -- from the Balcony on up, but I'm not sure about that.

Burleson: Ya, the Balcony on up -- there's bound to be a lot of snow up there. Did they say anything about the Triangular Face?

Blume: Negative. Not that I know of.

Burleson: Ok, if you get a chance to talk to them tonight, and if they're all ok, maybe get some beta from them.

Blume: Ya, I'll get plenty. Who do you see summiting with you? Who might be left up there on the day that you guys go up?

Burleson: Well, today, Dorje Sherpa, who I've know for many years, just walked by and said he is summiting at the same time as us, and a Mexican climber from Mal Duff's team [named Andreas].

Blume: Ok. One of the summiters today was from the Nepali expedition -- a sherpa?

Burleson: Roger that. Three Icelanders, Nick [Kekus], [Ang] Babu [his seventh summit!], and one Nepali expedition Sherpa [Danuri].

Blume: And one other of Tinker's Sherpa [Ang Babu's brother, Dawa] -- seven all together.