Russkies On Everest Update–Almost to 8000 Meters: The ballsy Russian attempt to climb straight up the icy rock of Everest’s North Face is getting into thin air. Climber Viktor Volodin just checked in from the relative comfort of 6200 meters:

“Ermachek’s group worked above for three days and fixed the rope approximately up to 7500-7600 meters. We had only a little pitch left to [the] beginning [of the] flattening under the rocky bastion above, but we ran out of bolts. The character of the surface is rock plates covered with a snow and ice. We basically use anchor hooks to belay. The bad weather–a strong wind, snow and bad visibility of, a maximum, 50 -100 meters–complicates our ascent. Earlier Kuznetsov’s group made three pitches above 7300m and settled a tent. Our group is descending to the base camp: now we are at 6200, then will descend to 5600m and then to 5000m, and have a rest there. Koshelenko’s group will change with us, but not with its full complement: Bukinich feels not well and remains at the base camp, Zhilin feels unwell too. The sherpas work only up to 7000 meters and do not go further. The heaviest thing is to ascend to change the working group: we have to jog up about 30 pitches. Every day we move ahead and ahead. We work in any weather….”

“We work in any weather….” That’s the Russians, who are as tough as they come. And things are not going to get easier. According to Explorer’s Web, the Russians are past a big snowfield–with its avalanche dangers–and starting at 7900 meters face steep, unforgiving rock–which constantly rains chunks of stone down the mountain. A single hit could kill a climber or knock him off the face. Add the fact that the Russians are now at an altitude at which normal Everest wimps start sucking oxygen, and the fact that they are pinned to the wall for hours at a time, in frigid temperatures, placing one anchor after another, and you get a pretty intense picture. But don’t worry too much. Volodin later called back to say that Kosholenko’s groups had worked up to 7700 meters while he and climber Yura Ermachek were relaxing in their tent, reading Playboy….



Down Time, Russian Climber-Style: “Say, Yura, after I finish reading this, let’s write one of those “I never thought this would happen to me” letters to Penthouse. And pass the vodka. This prune juice like sh*t…”