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Team to Move to Camp I
Base Camp - Sunday, April 30, 2000

DISPATCHES

Prittie

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Good morning Mountain Zone, it is about 4am in the morning our time, Sunday morning, at Everest Base Camp, pre-dawn. We are having a good, hearty breakfast and moving out this morning for our second acclimation foray up the mountain. Yesterday was another hang-day in Base Camp, I prepared gear and just kept it pretty low key in preparation for moving on up this morning.

It was a very windy day on Mount Everest yesterday, we had forecast 85-to-95-knot, jet stream winds that were hitting the mountain, and you could see it was blowing snow everyplace. As of yesterday, the route was not yet to the South Col, the fixed lines extended beyond the Yellow Band above Camp III on the Lhotse Face. A little above that is the famous Yellow Band which crosses the face, and slightly above and, as you're looking at the Lhotse Face, to the right of that is a rock rib called the Geneva Spur. And all parties, both Sherpas and Western climbers to date have been turned back between the top of the Yellow Band and the Geneva Spur due to very windy, cold conditions.

So the decision was made that, with consultation of our Sherpa Lhakpa Rita, that the Sherpa...our Sherpas would not be moving up to Camp II for a couple of more days until the winds show some sign of abating. However this really isn't going to affect our acclimation schedule at all. So we are heading out this morning, and our plan is one night at Camp I, two nights at Camp II, and one night at Camp III followed by another night at Camp II before we head back down to Base Camp for another acclimation rest down here.

So things are going well, everybody is sleeping better here at Base Camp, everybody is feeling better here at Base Camp, and definitely we are all excited to be moving on up for our second acclimation round on the mountain. That's all from Everest Base Camp this morning and we'll be doing daily cybercasts and let you know how things go on the peak.

— Willi Prittie, Alpine Ascents Guide and MountainZone.com Correspondent

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