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ExplorersWeb Week in Review
07:58 a.m. EST Apr 4, 2004
This week has been an emotional one. The final chapter of the Dominick story has been written, and a young sherpas life was taken. There is however good news, high hopes, and perserverence.
North Pole Dominick search. Only over the weekend some 3000 euros (almost 5000 USD) streamed to the search support Sampo bank account. Though originally planned for Wednesday the search was moved to Thursday due to technical reasons.
As for the search area, ExWeb consulted with both Russian and American authorities. The estimates were confirmed by the Joint Rescue and Coordinations Center in Canada. They had a buoy placed at N82'85 East 125. According to its location tracking, there has been a clear Easterly drift from March 10-26. The satellite image didn't come out as the sun’s position in the sky was too low.
Final report and closure. In spite of the efforts, no evidence of Dominick was found in the searched area. A map with the routes and pictures of GPS data for the certain points within the area of searching will be available after April 9.
Although the main objective of the search was to make sure that Dom had not survived, we all secretly hoped, deep in our hearts, that we would find her alive. Yet this is one miracle that didn't happen. At the end of the day, when we have done all we could to find her and found no trace of her, there is a point when we too must give up.
Everest trekkers: Have you seen Gareth? Gareth David Koch, 24, has not been heard from since March 5th. He was last seen in Gorak Shep, Nepal. He was due back home in England on the 20th of March. Anyone with any information should contact Gareth’s parents at daviko@ntlworld.com.
Maoist clashes disrupt Everest. New Zealand has issued a travel advisory for Nepal. The foreign ministry has advised Kiwis to avoid any non-essential travel to the embattled nation. The reason: Maoist rebels targeting public places and tourist centers. Kevin Donovan also reported that the State Department issued a travel advisory for Nepal concerning the recent Maoist fighting.
Rum Doodle higher than Everest. Behind the bar at the popular climber’s hangout in Kathmandu are the prize signatures of most of the Everest summiteers since Hillary. It seems only fitting that the bar takes its name from the book, "The Ascent of Rum Doodle" by W.E. Bowman. It is the account of the first ascent of The Rum Doodle, at 40,000 1/2 feet, the highest (fictitious) mountain in the world.
North Pole - there are breaks and there are breaks. One of Wave's heavy sleds crashed into his foot the other day and might have broken his ankle. He pushes on in spite of his injury.
Announcing Expeditions. The Philippines has been called, “The Pearl of the Orient.” It’s got over 7000 islands, has some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, tons of marine life, and will hopefully have Everest summiteers in 2007
Hella Hellas Everest Greek team will be fielding two expeditions, one from the north and another from the south, led by Konstantinos Tsivelekas and Panagiotis Kotronaros. They will carry not only the Greek flag but also the Olympic flag, in honor of the Olympic Games held in Athens this summer.
Ooh Faa! Norwegian women head for Everest. Either Cecilie Skog or Randi Skaug will, if they succeed, be the first Norwegian woman on the summit. Both will make an attempt during May June 2004, in separate expeditions.
Everest is for lovers. The Indian Navy will be on Everest from 28th March onwards till 31st May. A hop, skip and a jump away on Island Peak an Indian all woman team will be making an ascent. Coincidence?
A post-modern climb on Nanga Parbat.Along with the Saxonian expedition, organized by the German based Alpin Club, will be a very curious accompaniment; The German Art expedition. This team will not only test their physical limits but their creative ones as well.
April fools! Breaking news arrived from 7summits.com on April 1st. Everest is no longer the tallest mountain in the world and therefore NOT a seven summits peak. It was reported that a NASA geo team, using GPS and satellite laser technology, has determined Everest to be only 8712 meters above sea level. K2 is now the tallest mountain.
Fly over Everest. On April 3 1933, the first flight over Everest was completed. Check out the first airial photograph of Everest's peak!
Everest wrap up: Almost all of the spring Everest expeditions have arrived, many are in BC already. Some minor problems have been encountered and one altitude related death reported. Otherwise, the teams are reporting good weather, good food, and lots and lots of yaks.
Lino and Achille's K2 summit. In connection to the K2 anniversary this year, ExplorersWeb has run interesting bits from the mountain's history. This is an account of the first successful climb on K2. In commemoration of the event a large Italian team will be ascending the mountain from both the north and south.
Kite sledding and sailing across Bering Sea. Dixie Dansercoer, 42, and Troy Henkels, 37, are scouting the ice conditions on the Bering Strait for an expedition across it next year. Though originally planning to ski across, the men will now rig kites to their buoyant sleds and sail across the water. Their ultimate goal is to make the trip in both directions.
Transat ocean sailors have tech. The Transat race begins May 31st 2004 and the competitors are all geared up and ready to go with some new boats, new hopes, and a few tricks up their sleeves. With unpredictable Atlantic weather systems, the opposing currents of the Gulf Stream and fog to contend with, it's no wonder The Transat is such a popular challenge amongst the sailing circuit. Choosing the right course will win or lose this race and now the all of teams have weather information on their sides.
Ocean rowing regatta – The naked truth. Mother and daughter team Sally and Sarah Kettle have been out rowing the Atlantic ocean naked for a little more than 2 months now. Sally's boyfriend had a seisure, and was replaced with mum: "When Sally first phoned me from the boat asking if I could take Marcus’s place I couldn’t believe my luck! I packed some baked beans and some rice cakes and caught the ferry from Tenerife to La Gomera the next morning."
For these stories and more, go to ExplorersWeb.com!
Image of a Mountain Ghost, ExplorersWeb files.
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