Lhotse ascent for Kuntner and Joss, Everest for Nardi. And K2 time is fast approaching.

On 15/05 Kristian Kuntner (ITA) and Norbert Joos (SUI) reached the summit of Lhotse without the use of supplementary oxygen. This is the 13th annd 1th 800m peak respectively. On 19/05 Daniele Nardi reached the summit of Everest from the north. The Scoiattoli di Cortina Expedition is preparing for its K2 2004 expedition.

Planetmountain.com

May 2004

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While all expeditions within the Everest zone are locked in their tents due to heavy snowfall, news has reached us about further Italian Himalayan ascents carried out last week. Other than the successful Lhotse ascent of Nives Meroi, Romano Benet and Luca Vuerich, reported earlier, Christian Kuntner from the South Tyrol and Norbert Joos from Switzerland reached the summit of Lhotse via the normal route. The two ascended on 15 May, one day earlier than the trio mentioned above. This is Kuntner's thirteenth 8000m peak (Annapurna is missing to complete the list), while Joos has climbed twelve (with Everest and Kanchenjunga missing). With curriculum of this sort is seems almost superfluous to mention that they are extremely experienced Himalayan climbers, but it must be underlined that, as is always the case for the strongest and most prepared, the two reached the summit without supplementary oxygen! News from Everest states that Daniele Nardi reached the summit via the normal route up the North Face. As he reports in his online diary, on 19 May he climbed from Camp 3 to the summit and back to Camp 3 in 11.15 hours, with the help of supplementary oxygen. Departing at midnight, at 18.00 he was already back in ABC. Nardi had reached the summit together with Marisa Huguet and Silvia Ferrandis from the Spanish Dones Everest 2004 expedition. Rendezvous K2. While the weather on Everest and the Nepalese 8000m peaks has been particularly poor, the countdown for K2 has now begun in earnest. Worthy of a special mention is the Scoiattoli di Cortina Expedition, which will be followed from Base Camp by the first ascentionist Lino Lacedelli. No other mountain is linked so tightly to the history of the mountaineering group from Cortina, and on 4 June there will be celebration at Cortina. More about K2 and the Scoiattoli later. Curriculum Christian Kuntner, from Prato allo Stelvio, South Tyrol, has climbed 13 8000m peaks. He has added a horizontal plane to this vertical dimension, always in search of adventure: he has followed the Silk Trail and travelled from Alaska to the Terra del Fuoco by mountain bike. Christian Kuntner's 8000m peaks: 1991: Cho Oyu, 8.201m 1992: Manaslu, 8.156m 1993: Broad Peak, 8.047m 1994: Daulagiri, 8.156m 1995: Everest, 8.850m 1996: K2 Dalla Cresta Nord, 8.611m 1998: Shisha Pangma, 8.013m 1999: Gasherbrum I, 8.068m, Gasherbrum Ii, 8.035 m 2000: Makalu, 8.475m 2001: Nanga Parbat, 8.125m 2003: Kanchenjunga, 8.603m, new route 2004: Lhotse, 8516m All ascents were carried out without the use of supplementary oxygen. Photo: Nuptse and, in the center, Everest. Photo by Luca Vuerich