News from Tibet

Monsoon impedes progress. Cho Oyu most crowded, eleven expeditions on Shisha Pangma, just one mountaineer on Everest

September 2000


	The Himalayas are still feeling the brunt of this year's monsoon. This means constant downpours, landslides, roads in terrible conditions, but above all plenty of snow on the mountains. This is what has been happening so far: Â Â Cho Oyu is the most crowded 8000m peak with 23 expeditions from England, Spain, the Czech Republic, Korea, USA, New Zealand, France and Italy. On 16 September two Koreans reached the summit with six Sherpa. Deep snow, high winds and storms have slowed progress for the other teams, currently making their way up the normal route. These iclude, amongst others, Russel Brice and Dan Mazur with clients, an expedition led by Mountain Madness, Edmond Joyeusaz (Focus), and Giorgio Passino and Olivier Besson (Focus) on the route first climbed by Erhard Loretan. Â Â Conditions on Shisha Pangma are much the same as on Cho Oyu, but with "only" eleven expeditions at Base Camp, the mountain must seem a little less crowded. Â Â Just one expedition has ventured to Everest this Autumn. Although this still needs to be confirmed, it seems as if the expedition is composed of one mountaineer and 2-3 Sherpa. If this isn't "mountain madness", then what is…?
			Cho Oyu (8201m) the sixth highest mountain on earth (photo F. Tremolada) The North Face of Everest (8850m) photo F. Tremolada Â Â Information Focus expeditions www.focusworldexpeditions.com