Photos

Hi All,
This is Walid Abuhaidar, Max's friend who attempted the same route on Everest in 2003. During Max's climb he does not have access to the internet to update the blog, so he emails me the content and I post it. He also does not have the ability to post his own photos, but we just agreed that I will post a few photos from my trip to give you an idea where he is and what his surroundings look like, and when he gets home he will remove my photos and post his own. Let's all keep our fingers crossed for his safety and success.
Walid

Kathmandu to Naylam

Naylam

Friendship Bridge

Zang Mu

The team entered Tibet yesterday afternoon and it was quite the experience. We took a 7 hour bus ride from Kathmandu which wasn't the most luxurious ride but I was riding shotgun and got to see everything out the front windshield. One of my favorite parts of the ride was when we would come up behind another bus and there would be people sitting on the roof and the little kids would smile and wave. I'm sitting in there feeling bad for what these people don't have and meanwhile these little kids are happier than a pig in mud. We blew a tire at one point but the spare went on pretty quick and it was only a short delay.

The border is heavily guarded and the Chinese are super paranoid about everything. We had to cross a bridge called the "Friendship Bridge" to get into Tibet and on the bridge there were undercover Chinese waiting to confiscate any cameras they saw because they don't want anybody taking any pictures or videos. The four other Americans and I were at the back of the line, probably because the Chinese wanted us there. Along with the team, about a hundred porters were ferrying our teams supplies across the bridge and I have to say it was quite a depressing scene. There were men and women who must have been pushing 80 years old carrying full propane tanks on their backs and girls no older than 6 carrying 55lb bags of supplies. They use a piece of cloth that they wrap around their foreheads and tie that to whatever is on their backs. It has to be incredibly uncomfortable and difficult especially with some of the loads they were carrying. It's a double edged sword though because although these people are doing such a difficult job just to make a very small amount of money, it does provide them with a way to make money when there really isn't any other.

Most of the food in Nepal was suspect at best but in Tibet it is a little better. Last night there was very basic Chinese food -noodles, rice, and some veggies but it tasted pretty good. We left Zhang Mu at 7am this morning to drive to Naylam. My roommate Brendan and I slept late and rushed out of the room to meet up with the rest of the group. We gained a significant amount of elevation and it is definitely noticeable. Carrying my bags up the stairs to my hotel room was exhausting and I was out of breath by the 4th floor. We are at about 12,000 ft right now but by tomorrow I'll be feeling pretty good after acclimatizing for a full day. The internet here is carefully monitored by the government so there is no Facebook or blog websites. There is always a sense that you are being watched but the Tibetans are much more open to us than the Chinese.

After spending more time with the people of the group I am finding out that there are a lot of them have some great stories. One guy named Jantoon from Holland is attempting to be the first person to cover 9000m. He dove to 152m before arriving in Kathmandu and was planning to ride his bike to Base Camp which is absolutely insane. Due to Visa problems he wasn't able to ride his bike there but he plans on riding it back which may be even more crazy considering he will have hopefully just summited Everest. Another fellow named Josh is a very famous rugby player who won the World Cup. It's great fun to have conversations with these people and get to know them better. I also enjoy the Irish, Scottish and British accents and I'm picking up the lingo pretty quickly. I can substitute "Cheers" for a number of different words and I'm getting a lot better at understanding what they are saying.

I'm glad to have gotten out of the pollution of Kathmandu and into the mountains and start the acclimatization process. We are going for a walk later today to help our bodies adjust and then I'll be taking it easy for the rest of the day. The scenery is already out of this world but unfortunately I can't upload photos on these computers. Hope to be updating again soon!

GPS

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0vyLhvVL4W3AhsL3PL6bXMBBWf6RVIm14
This is the link to my GPS tracking site. I'll be turning it on at certain times during the climb to let people know where I am before turning it on at the end for the summit attempt. After 7 days, previous locations are deleted from the map to avoid confusion.

Kathmandu

S0 yesterday I arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal and I can't wait until we leave here tomorrow. It's dirty and dusty and hard to breathe but on the bright side the hotel I'm at is actually pretty nice. There is a decent pool that's been great to cool off in because it's really hot during the day. When you leave the hotel there is a guy at the door who opens it for you and then salutes you- a little unnecessary but I won't complain. (Above is a picture of the Himalaya on my flight from Delhi, India to Kathmandu and below is a self-portrait of my time in the airport)

Yesterday I spent the day laying around by the pool and taking a bunch of naps to catch up on all the lost sleep. The bulk of the team showed up in the late afternoon and after we all met we went out for dinner. I barely made it through dinner and fell asleep more than a couple times and as soon as I got back to the hotel I passed out. Today I woke up at 6am and went walking around outside on the hotel property. There was a buffet breakfast that was OK but nothing spectacular. At 10am we all met up for a meeting and a demonstration on our oxygen system and how it works, how to prevent problems with it, etc.... I'm glad we went over everything and it was very informative. After that I went walking around to pick up some last minute things and get some money from the ATM because after tomorrow there won't be anymore.

All in all the team seems pretty good. There are 19 people on the summit team and about 5 others that will just be climbing to the North Col, so the group is pretty big by expedition standards. There is an interesting mix of people and some great personalities. Tomorrow we will be crossing the border into Tibet. We are planning to be at base camp on Sunday. That may be the next time I update my blog because it's a pretty safe bet there won't be any internet on the way. Well it's about dinner time here so I'm going to go try to find something safe to eat. I'm looking forward to getting this show on the road, thanks for checking in.

http://www.adventurepeaks.com/news/everestnews2010.html

This is a link to the blog that Adventure Peaks will be keeping. They will update a lot more than I'll be able to even if the information is more broad. When we get on the mountain they provide updates on locations of climbers and that sort of stuff. I'm sitting in the airport in Delhi, India as I type this. Got here at 9pm last night and I've been sitting around the past 11 hours waiting for my next flight that leaves at 7:30. I'm in the Executive Lounge where they have computers and TV's and leather couches but I didn't find out I was business class on this next flight until 30 minutes ago. so the past 10 hours I spent on a hard plastic chair...oh well.

Some Gear

Only five days now,

Just to give you an idea of what it takes to stay warm in some of the coldest temperatures on Earth, here are some pictures of some very important pieces of equipment I'll be using. My sleeping bag is absolutely enormous and is rated to -40 degrees. As long as I'm in there I won't need to worry about how cold it is. With such a warm bag comes the downside of its weight at around 5lbs but I'll gladly carry that 5lbs knowing that it means I'll be warm every night.

(All the pictures on this blog enlarge if you click on them)

One of my biggest supporters, my Uncle Tom and I. This suit is filled to the seams with down feathers and it's what I'll be wearing on my summit day. For the lower parts of the mountain it will be overkill and too warm, but above 8000 meters it is a necessity. My boots are super insulated and I can't imagine how cold it would have to be for my feet to get cold inside those boots. There is an inner boot that fits inside the outer boot and an integrated gaiter to keep snow and ice from getting inside the boot. My ice axe is my life line in the case of a fall. Using a technique called "self arrest", a climber who has fallen and is sliding down a snowy or icy slope can use the ice axe to stop or at least slow their fall.

Keeping Contact:

I will be able to update my blog while I am at basecamp. I will try to post at least 2 messages per week about my experiences and life on the mountain. I encourage anyone who has any questions to post them as comments under my latest blog posts. I personally will not be able to answer them due to the high cost of using the internet but my friend and Everest veteran Walid Abuhaidar will be checking the blog and answering any questions that are asked. He has climbed the same route I am attempting and has a ton of mountaineering experience. Ex. How cold is it at High Camp?, Where is the North Col?, What are some tricks used to stay warm? Whatever you can think of.

Please check out this link for the story of Walid's climb-

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19251398&BRD=1721&PAG=461&dept_id=72139&rfi=6

Here is Walid (right) and his climbing partner Conan Harrod at the North Col on Everest in 2003.

Hey everybody,

April 2nd is fast approaching and I'm pumped to be headed out soon. I'm excited, anxious and nervous but ready for the experience of a lifetime. My fitness level is peaking and I feel great physically and mentally. Still picking up some last second gear and all that good stuff. Check out these links for more information on my team and the route I'll be climbing-


http://www.adventurepeaks.com/news/everestnews2010.html These are the members of my climbing team. There are quite a few more people than I originally thought but that's a good thing considering we'll be together for 70 days and it will be really cool to get to know everybody. I think I'm the youngest on the team but there are a few other guys in the lower 20's so it will be nice having some people my age.

http://www.alanarnette.com/news/2010/03/09/comparing-the-routes-of-everest/#utm_source=arnette_everest&utm_medium=arnette_everest&utm_campaign=arnette_everest

This article is written by accomplished mountaineer Alan Arnette. It discusses the history as well as the differences and the pros and cons of the two most popular routes on Everest, the South Col and the Northeast Ridge. I'll be climbing the Northeast Ridge route.

For those who don't know me (and those that do) I'd like to tell you a little about myself and how I came to be where I am today. I'll be 20 years old on March 31st and I was born and raised in Red Hook, NY. I love my hometown and was lucky to be raised in such a great place.

Growing up I tried just about every sport possible but in high school I focused on my two favorites, football and wrestling. The time I spent playing high school sports is without a doubt the best times of my life. I was lucky enough to be on some of the best sports teams at Red Hook High School. This is where I forged friendships, developed my work ethic, and challenged myself to achieve my goals and ambitions. I am a very competitive and driven person so sports came naturally to me. I had plans to wrestle in college, but fractured vertebrae in my neck and lower back have left me unable to compete at the level I know I am capable of competing. I poured my heart and soul into my athletics and my family, coaches, and teammates can attest to that. I have no regrets about the way things turned out. In the near future I hope to be coaching at the high school level.

During the Spring and Summer when there wasn't a practice to be at, I filled my time casting a line anywhere I could. Fishing has always been my favorite past time and I could spend hours a day, 7 days a week fishing. I would probably go fishing even if I knew I wouldn't catch anything. It's relaxing and exciting at the same time- you never know what you're gonna get. In the past few years I have come to love fishing for striped bass in the Hudson River. They run up the Hudson at the end of Spring and last May I landed my first one. Unfortunately I'll be missing out on most of the season due to my trip but hopefully there will be some stragglers hanging behind.

In the Winter of my senior year I decided I wanted to take a trip up to Alaska. A week after graduating I packed my bags and headed for the Kenai Peninsula. There I spent a month hiking, camping, fishing and exploring. Up until now, it is still my favorite trip I have been on. When I returned back home I went to the dentist and after talking to Dr. Kristofik about my adventure, he grabbed a couple of pictures of his son-in-law, Walid Abuhaidar, climbing Mt. Everest. I immediately thought that was the coolest thing in the world and got Walid's contact info. One email later I had a full page response loaded with information on what climbing Everest involves. Totally hooked on the idea, Walid drew up a prospective plan for me to reach my new, lofty goal.

Having zero experience in mountaineering, my first step was to take a 3 day skills course on Mt. Washington in New Hampshire in December. I spent the prior 3 months preparing my legs for the physical stress they would be under and getting a good base fitness level for mountaineering. In New Hampshire I learned the basics- walking on ice/glaciers, winter camping, self-arresting and I got to take a trip to the top of Mt. Washington on the 3rd day. Just 3 days after returning home I boarded a plane for Mexico to attempt the 3rd highest mountain in North America-Pico de Orizaba. Mexico was a rough first international experience but I made the summit climbing solo.

I had to wait until Summer break for my next mountains which were in Ecuador. I climbed two peaks in Ecuador, one at 19,300 ft- Cotopaxi and the other at 20,500 ft- Chimborazo. Again I did both climbs solo and gained invaluable experience along the way. This past January I went to Argentina to climb Aconcagua, the highest peak in the world outside of Asia. I reached the summit with Kyle Beaird of Denver, Colorado. The summit sits at 22,841 ft, roughly 6000 vertical feet lower than the summit of Everest.

Climbing mountains allows me to stay active and satisfies my need for challenging myself. In an odd way I have come to love the suffering that it often involves. Planning to climb Everest two years ago was a lofty goal but I have worked extremely hard to gain the experience and physical and mental strength that will be required for my success.

I've created an account on Flickr.com to share pictures from my trips. Unfortunately they limit the amount of pictures I can upload so I had to pick and choose. If you're on Facebook you can add me and see a whole lot more. I also have video of my latest climb up on Facebook but I haven't figured out where else I can upload them yet. http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxomeara/

Hey Folks!

First off I'd like to thank you for visiting my blog and following my latest adventure. An attempt to climb Mt. Everest far exceeds the mental and physical challenges of all my prior trips and climbs combined but I am excited to ship off on April 2nd. I am thrilled that there are people out there who want to follow along and share in this experience.

I'd like to give a little background on the trip itself and what it entails. On April 2nd I will fly to Kathmandu, Nepal and arrive on the 4th. Here I will meet up with the team I'll be climbing with for the next 68 days. I am on the Adventure Peaks Ltd. North Ridge Expedition team which means my team and I will be attempting Everest from Tibet. I chose this company because a friend who got me started in mountaineering, Walid Abuhaidar, had used them for the same expedition in 2003 and highly recommended them. The North side of Everest is less popular than the South side and sees far fewer commercial expedition teams. Having less climbers on the route will help to lessen the chance for accidents occurring. The trade off is that the North Ridge route is generally accepted as being more technically difficult due to technical climbing above 8000 meters where the saturation of oxygen in the air is 1/3 of that at sea level. No matter the route, getting to the top of this mountain is no joke which is proven time and time again with countless deaths and accidents. Another attraction to the expedition I am on is that the climbers are far more responsible for their own safety and success than on fully guided climbs. There will be Sherpa support and comfortable Base Camp facilities provided, but because it is a non-guided expedition, up on the mountain the team must work together. If all goes as planned I will be flying back to the states the 10th of June.

For a climb to this altitude, it is necessary to spend many weeks acclimatizing to the low oxygen and air pressure levels. Traditionally there is a week long window of decent weather towards the end of May that is stable enough for climbers to try for the summit. The 6-7 weeks prior are spent moving to higher camps on the mountain and then returning to Advanced Base Camp and Base Camp to rest and recover at the lower altitudes (comparatively speaking). At 26,000 ft, acclimatization becomes impossible. This elevation is rightfully known as the death zone because the human body essentially starts to die. On the push to the summit, climbers usually arrive in the death zone in the late afternoon, try to rest until midnight and then at midnight make the final push to the summit and return before becoming incapacitated. Climbers who spend more than 24 hours in the death zone are at a high risk for developing Cerebral and Pulmonary Edema or succumbing to exhaustion. http://www.high-altitude-medicine.com/AMS-medical.html This website is a good source of information on the dangers of extreme altitudes.

The last of my gear is slowly showing up at my doorstep and I am getting more and more anxious. Keep checking back, I'll be posting pictures from my other climbs and keeping you updated before I ship off. Climb On!