Russian Big Wall Update–Now, The Hard Part: The Russian teams trying to summit Jannu and Everest via their rocky north faces are finally at the critical stage. On Everest, they are staring up at the rocky bastion that soars from 7900 meters to 8500 meters. If they can get up this seemingly impossible pitch, they will probably knock the bastard off (as Hillary put it when he got to the top of Everest). They’ve got a third tent set at 7800 meters, and will now throw small climbing teams made up of their best technical climbers at the frigid rock. Each team will climb and fix rope until they are exhausted by the work and altitude and then descend to rest while the second team rotates in. The expedition has lost one young climber to altitude sickness, but the weather forecast for the next few days is good, so the Russians are going for it…

On Jannu, the climbers are now fixing rope above 7,000 meters (the summit is at 7710), and working in two-man teams to scramble past cornices and claw their way up dizzying rock. They’ve got a portaledge hauled up there for rest on the Face, and are rotating teams between base camp and the Face to try and keep everyone fresh. The weather is fine, which is making the preternaturally pessimistic Russians very nervous that they are about to get slammed…



Base Camp Recuperation, Russian-Style: “Mother of Stalin, this whiskey bong is awesome. I feel like I could climb anything….”