Saturday was the team's last chance to make the climb, as winds were expected to pick up over the weekend and make climbing impossible. It was decided to consolidate the team into one climbing group on the less windy South Col route.
The entire film crew sent to document the climb for the National Geographic Channel was forced to abandon the ascent. Sound recordist Dave Ruddick lost a tooth and returned to base camp with an infected jaw and sinus. Cameraman Michael Graber and assistant Jimmy Surrette are still weak from an earlier climbing attempt and a gastrointestinal infection.
Athans and Kami Sherpa took charge of the filming, with Liesl Clark (head of the National Geographic film unit on the mountain) helping them from Camp III.
|
SOURCES AND RELATED WEB SITES
|
