Lhotse (27,880') viewed from Everest [Click for bigger image]

The Russian Expedition of Sport Club "Gran" ("The Edge") from the city of Novokuznetsk in the Kemerovo region, had hoped to put up a new route this season doing a traverse from Lhotse (8511m) to Lhotse Middle (8414m) then Lhotse Shar (8358m) — a bold, dangerous route that would have made mountaineering history. (Click here for an earlier dispatch on the planned traverse.) Like everyone else on the south side this year though, they got trapped by bad weather and ran out of time for the traverse. Still wanting to climb Lhotse and hoping to attempt Lhotse Middle, they ascended to the South Col but caught bad weather and had to spend two nights waiting for a break. Yesterday, on their third day above 8,000 meters, two of their climbers summitted Lhotse and began fixing ropes to Lhotse Middle. Another six came up later followed by Boukreev and Italian climber Simon Moro summiting between 4 and 5pm. All climbed without oxygen.

Boukreev and Moro joined the team but were on an independent attempt to do a speed traverse from the summit of Lhotse, down to the South Col, and summit Everest (what would have been Boukreev's second summit this season) and possibly descend on the north side of Everest. Evidently though, Boukreev was not feeling well on the descent from Lhotse, and he, Moro, and all the Russian climbers are now returning to Base Camp reports Savkov.

Climbers who made the oxygen-less summit climb on Lhotse were Bashkirov, Karateev, Foigt, Timofeev, Babanov, Pershin, Sokolov, Uteshev, Boukreev, and Moro.

According to the Russian custom, a memorial service will be held for Bashkirov nine days after the death. Team members and friends will gather on June 4th in Kathmandu to celebrate his life and part with the climber.

-- Anya Zolotusky, The Mountain Zone