tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360723142152869152024-03-13T08:40:33.280-07:00WiCis-SportsMonitor - Share - ProtectUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836072314215286915.post-27949379619970505132022-05-24T09:13:00.002-07:002022-05-25T12:39:06.015-07:00The Ethics of Everest Expeditions<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">The Ethics of Everest Expeditions</span></b><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Back in the early 90’s, Rob Hall
began offering commercial expeditions to climb Mt. Everest with his then
company Hall and Ball Adventure Consultants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was at the forefront of an industry that was to flourish into the multi-million
dollar one that exists today. Many expedition leaders today hardly have the passion
that Rob had then (climbing the 7 summits in 7 months, before his Everest
season), nor a similar love for mountains that Gaston Rébuffat made popular in
the late 70’s with his books and movies. In fact, most of them today are
businessmen (some even present themselves as such on their calling cards – ‘Expedition
Climber/Businessman’) – and they will use the same ethics that are common in
this world while they guide you into the Death Zone.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEin6EgnOK2fQy1zQU6TQeS76uM2Ya1mosbYEFQj0qzIiUM-gQTzKTjmEnPuUpzzpBMjJ5L75SyHXrAkG9apLBsgKs-LqjdUVZGKRBkPY4vd0aBvL4qGLUv5ru3VCVk1Utvt92fRZy8ooenjoGlQDWDOxQfhzXTKYOvXPSMERWnXQghgkGUwwUSj80Zz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="481" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEin6EgnOK2fQy1zQU6TQeS76uM2Ya1mosbYEFQj0qzIiUM-gQTzKTjmEnPuUpzzpBMjJ5L75SyHXrAkG9apLBsgKs-LqjdUVZGKRBkPY4vd0aBvL4qGLUv5ru3VCVk1Utvt92fRZy8ooenjoGlQDWDOxQfhzXTKYOvXPSMERWnXQghgkGUwwUSj80Zz" width="156" /></a></div>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gaston Rébuffat, who
was part of the French Annapurna team in 1950</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The offering today is also very
different. The biggest companies in the business are not from Western operators
anymore – they are in fact, Nepalese, and the demographics of the climbers have
also changed, with many now coming from India and other Asian countries. In
some ways the climbs are safer, but as we saw in 2019, deaths in large numbers
still occur.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Sadly, Rob lost his life on
Everest in 1996 during the incident made famous by Jon Krakauer in his book <i>Into
Thin Air</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The author gave us a close
look as to what went on at Everest when expeditions were competing for clients,
and sad to say, things have not gotten any better. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inexperienced climbers still continue to die
on the mountain and in 2019 alone, 11 people died while on Everest, many from
exposure and dehydration, as we all witnessed in the now famous picture taken
by Nimal Purja.<o:p></o:p></p>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzByYqjuBhnWrF32YrKmKLD0OLnRfGEF6mlrn2UTGeX-cv6eswkkeXKU3FkhtQJ6AZ1fmrPMzBxU0_sfbWbBZ5w_ntmy8Zs7shshAlWxVJbGeobt6GzPEr6yl6DKO_W9CHq29OgZyYd2S7ZEY-4GlqqqFybWFfyLHdEf5DJXOp6Yas69F0m3mNuoGa" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="975" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzByYqjuBhnWrF32YrKmKLD0OLnRfGEF6mlrn2UTGeX-cv6eswkkeXKU3FkhtQJ6AZ1fmrPMzBxU0_sfbWbBZ5w_ntmy8Zs7shshAlWxVJbGeobt6GzPEr6yl6DKO_W9CHq29OgZyYd2S7ZEY-4GlqqqFybWFfyLHdEf5DJXOp6Yas69F0m3mNuoGa" width="320" /></a></div>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Nimal Purja’s famous
Everest 2019 Picture</i><i style="text-align: justify;"> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>A Little More History<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In 1952, Sir John Hunt was
employed to lead the British Mount Everest Expedition which would allow the UK
to be the first team to reach the summit. Sir Hunt, who had a military
background, replaced Eric Shipton who had led an unsuccessful expedition to Cho
Oyu the year before. His book, <i>The Conquest of Everest</i> is a must-read
for anyone who has been or plans to go to Everest. In it he explains the three
challenges that he had as the expedition’s leader: </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The
Mountain itself (topography, ideal route, risks related to the mountain).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Meteorology<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Medical
issues</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi77pPZ-Oddvf6RYMZyaPOQK0SLJczgIXDCB_qZ_dUtp7xkNjT3L71BvcTi4HyA5Z-Pv1VgUqzGhkh0jWESgKrsvsqtp3rvxefKn5kHr1aJGg-kkaH9auG1D7jDTWJp-L1JJ8Hmg3wG2WUUavEQiT5aECNyLB3XCIOG2bg6spgqeHcmODEK6aH2qKAI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="408" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi77pPZ-Oddvf6RYMZyaPOQK0SLJczgIXDCB_qZ_dUtp7xkNjT3L71BvcTi4HyA5Z-Pv1VgUqzGhkh0jWESgKrsvsqtp3rvxefKn5kHr1aJGg-kkaH9auG1D7jDTWJp-L1JJ8Hmg3wG2WUUavEQiT5aECNyLB3XCIOG2bg6spgqeHcmODEK6aH2qKAI=w210-h282" width="210" /></a></div>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Conquest of
Everest, by Sir John Hunt. A must-read for any Everest wannabe<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Dealing with Everest’s topography
these days is a bread-and-butter task for most expeditions. They have a clearly
defined route, and as one expedition leader told me once – “I can place a rope
from any client’s tent to the summit. All the client has to do is walk up with
a Jumar (a device attached to the climber’s harness that once connected to the
rope, allows one to advance, but never fall) and we take care of the oxygen.”
It really is that simple.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">With regards to meteorology,
everybody seems to be using the same service these days, and it’s no surprise
that with good weather days, one sees the lines that are so common on Everest.
Forget the feeling of communion with the mountain. You feel more like standing
in line for your TSA check before your trip to Kathmandu (just riskier) unless the season has
many windows and your leader finds a less crowded day. Remember when Rob Hall
and Scott Fischer in the Everest 2015 movie argue with other expeditions about
who goes up first so as to keep crowding down to a minimum? This still goes on
even to this day.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Medical issues are of course a
pet peeve of mine, and on the mountain, you will be surrounded by “experts” on
the subject. Most of the knowledge going around is anecdotal, and most of the
talk will center around oxygen. But a big issue pretty much ignored is
respiratory infections which are very common since climbers in an expedition
usually spend much time very close to each other. One climber with a
respiratory infection can take down an entire team pretty quickly, yet
surprisingly, most measures that we take in hospitals to prevent these are
non-existent at base camp. Point in case, the COVID infections last year at
basecamp were mostly preventable with simple rules. Some expeditions managed these
properly and summitted all their clients. Others went home crying foul, even
though I saw pictures of expedition leaders doing covid tests in a manner in
which they were probably spreading the virus, not containing it. If in
hospitals, we have infection control staff that enforce guidelines to prevent
such issues, at Everest BC it’s a free-for-all, regardless of how much you pay.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As for the management of oxygen,
we have today systems that are as reliable and useful as those in hospitals. If
your expedition leader is knowledgeable about high altitude physiology, expect
no problems. If he is playing doctor, expect gimmicks to hide his lack of
knowledge.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqWJgIQTxQp8vHOpu8TAYWax7npJwB8t1QO1iRlUdP2dzVDZuB0ba8XrVdz5qNAYZ-QabTAN6t6rUrKDVBCmcd5H1F7qnm3zGLHLE3qxCGNV5GB5I8eMxqVX7eGIzWmCgd4z4i1yqg2djUHXaSb3PuiFgi4y1UnHTrZRRJIGnrvfbfvI6Y-HyhZHoC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="962" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqWJgIQTxQp8vHOpu8TAYWax7npJwB8t1QO1iRlUdP2dzVDZuB0ba8XrVdz5qNAYZ-QabTAN6t6rUrKDVBCmcd5H1F7qnm3zGLHLE3qxCGNV5GB5I8eMxqVX7eGIzWmCgd4z4i1yqg2djUHXaSb3PuiFgi4y1UnHTrZRRJIGnrvfbfvI6Y-HyhZHoC" width="320" /></a></div></div></div>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>An expedition leader
doing COVID tests without gloves or eye protection</i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Current Marketing Practices</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Since most people that sign-up
for Everest expeditions have moderate climbing experience, what these
individuals are really buying is a selfie at the summit. These customers are
not paying for T. S. Elliot’s “the journey, not the arrival”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the expedition leaders know this…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Long gone are the cultural treks
to basecamp, such as the one described by Maurice Herzog in his best- selling
book <i>Annapurna</i>. Nobody is really interested these days in Sherpa or
Tibetan culture, their language, or for that matter, their beliefs.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">And so, you are practically sold
a summit guarantee. No differently than when you buy a used-car, some
expedition leaders will do everything in their power to talk you into signing
up and buying their VIP packages. You will be offered fine food, French wines, European
chocolates, free wi-fi, hot showers, wide-screen TV with countless DVDs,
unlimited oxygen, and even massages while you wait at basecamp for the right
summit window. You will be told, even with a personal visit from the expedition
leader, that “you can make it – look at me in the eye – I am sure you can make
it,” even if you have never seen a pair of crampons in your life.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbFHNfEmBmoeBcUmvOYjYZma5gplb33IaWTRTxJkP6eVxxlHUe6C9VYxFROBd_hjoDw8TaYiLx69ZdEfk5r6Ib7WX6KpFGIjvIuIZ5r1MiNs34ZJhB1-zMoMMQpl-HQoFw79Y2vcYNkp79fMl1QQik8esTIu_hOKsBv4xHFb2bPm7A7UJ43wBbmBBt" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="352" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbFHNfEmBmoeBcUmvOYjYZma5gplb33IaWTRTxJkP6eVxxlHUe6C9VYxFROBd_hjoDw8TaYiLx69ZdEfk5r6Ib7WX6KpFGIjvIuIZ5r1MiNs34ZJhB1-zMoMMQpl-HQoFw79Y2vcYNkp79fMl1QQik8esTIu_hOKsBv4xHFb2bPm7A7UJ43wBbmBBt" width="240" /></a></div>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Everest 2022 VVIP
Offering</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The next phase of your decision
pathway will be to decide if you want the basic offering, or the VIP one, when
in fact there is little difference in these once you are on the mountain. Granted,
the VIP option will offer you unlimited oxygen (why would someone say no to
this?), two Sherpas on summit day (I guess Nimal’s picture was mostly Sherpas
and a few climbers?) and that you have priority over the low paying commoners
as to when you leave for the summit. Pay $80,000 less and the basic package
still buys you a trip to the summit with perhaps less oxygen and fewer Sherpas
to baby you. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">How will you also be enticed for
the upsell? High tech and much fluff. While I don’t know of a single
expedition leader who has a bio-engineering or physiology degree, some will
boast that their gadgets plus $160K will get you to the top. (Remember the
used-car salesman telling you that you can start the car he’s selling you from
a distance?)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Finally, some will remind you of
their past 100% success record, even when they were unable to summit any of
their customers last year since many fell ill due to COVID. (I don’t know of a
single expedition outfit, by the way, with a perfect record.) Some will argue
COVID doesn’t count. If you went to a hospital during the pandemic, and got a
COVID infection when you were there for an ingrown toe-nail, would you not
care? Respiratory infections management is a major part of any expedition, and
most handle these poorly! With regards to years prior to COVID, the same
expeditions are claiming 100% success when I know they have quietly sent
climbers home.<o:p></o:p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiR5q3Io7ZRJXTtJnIIC02DmM_vyd5vr1W_zcOx_59miKmjnpQG5dmKV4xfn8vacAe1YSjCn309dxPCFmXbqnj5GczORvB1X_Kkd4ZJY07QnxhYAVOk2_29YGSOz4RuJgw4eiOwC4JtgHiObdcFIOepmdGV9vKiDOW54zANu9GW6mjmbAHL-QFor9Ph" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="815" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiR5q3Io7ZRJXTtJnIIC02DmM_vyd5vr1W_zcOx_59miKmjnpQG5dmKV4xfn8vacAe1YSjCn309dxPCFmXbqnj5GczORvB1X_Kkd4ZJY07QnxhYAVOk2_29YGSOz4RuJgw4eiOwC4JtgHiObdcFIOepmdGV9vKiDOW54zANu9GW6mjmbAHL-QFor9Ph" width="320" /></a></div></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Screenshot taken on October
18, 2021 – Clickbait for Everest 2022…</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><o:p><i> </i><br /></o:p></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9ZdDD5jH6ZMDQYH6Q6NnqaacrFozprVajP7yTrNPWZ169ulde6yPdueEkZJW-psM-29-A9RMwP-aohVVoyIEkxR3gpppDcqqBHL4wXAxUMdDhPso19l7ZAP91R1YaexPNlB2brlYvDUo61jQ126kkxf4V-YtL5PyY6OXLHcjUo53os9EWKf7k_Sjo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="813" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9ZdDD5jH6ZMDQYH6Q6NnqaacrFozprVajP7yTrNPWZ169ulde6yPdueEkZJW-psM-29-A9RMwP-aohVVoyIEkxR3gpppDcqqBHL4wXAxUMdDhPso19l7ZAP91R1YaexPNlB2brlYvDUo61jQ126kkxf4V-YtL5PyY6OXLHcjUo53os9EWKf7k_Sjo" width="320" /></a></div>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Expedition’s retreat
from Everest, as documented by the NYT in June 2021<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Pricing<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">How did we get to such exorbitant
prices? Rob Hall charged $65,000 back in 1996 for one single reason: Because he
could. And that is the way it is today. Wealthy individuals are willing to pay
up to $160K (or more) for an Everest summit selfie these days. In fact, over
the last several years, expedition companies have been competing as to who can
charge the most, and the Nepalis have not lagged behind! There have been
efforts at price-fixing this upper number from certain expeditions, but as far
as I know, they have not succeeded since the price I had heard floated was some
$250K.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Again, I wish to stress that once
you are on the mountain, the differences in service that you will get are
minimal, at least from the Western expeditions. If you are not doing well, I
don’t think any expedition is going to deny you O2 up there.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Buyer Beware<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Medical Boards in the United
States do not allow doctors to advertise in the way that Everest expeditions
do. I would have a serious fine if I placed an ad where I advertise 100%
success for my anesthetics as a way to entice patients away from other doctors.
In fact, I’m not allowed to advertise my services. And yet, taking somebody up
a big mountain and having an anesthetic for a surgical procedure, are both
similar in nature. The patient is placing his or her life in my hands. In
medicine, medical boards seek multiple confirmations that doctors are
proficient in the services that they offer. They make the doctors take lengthy tests,
they corroborate their training, they enforce continuous education requirements
every 1-2 years, and one is checked for good behavior even in one’s driving
record! Of course, none of this exists in the world of climbing big mountains,
and therefore the number of deaths each year at Everest. Your expedition leader
may be honest and qualified, or disreputable or even a swindler, and you won’t
ever know the difference. If your leader has had bad outcomes, he may hide it.
This is pretty much impossible in the practice of medicine in the United
States.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We are left with the buyer beware
or <i>caveat emptor </i>from Roman times. If you are looking into climbing
Everest, I suggest you carefully look into who you are doing this with. Look
for expedition leaders with years of experience. Beware of exaggerated climbs
or gimmicks. Don’t buy the VIP climbs since they’re just a way to milk you for
services you won’t receive. If you want more O2, just buy a few extra bottles,
bring them with you, and you’re set. You’ll still get the wine, chocolates and
massages – don’t worry. But remember, no fee will allow you to cut ahead of
others on the summit ridge at 28,000 feet.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Finally, remember the end of the
Squid Game? Some of these expeditions are following the explanation coming from
the old man in the last episode as to why he set it up. Certain unscrupulous leaders
have realized that some wealthy individuals are bored, and that some of these
will pay anything to get out of this condition. And like in the Squid Game,
they will also play with their lives…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>About the Author<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5BJ1vLECMrjAm_L9_nFuzrYm7ZqEizFs9Gj_nMPH1efCdUox73vsazhNN5L_cTlsqGXxSV6_VP0jweqXUUa9IMWmtGR6g-5rdtkv03kSH-ZsyaGnbpX7spbkytp8Q8bt6QFrgRvXiIcM5Jc_jlslkR3MjoyxwPbgWcWqZMtfRBSjdPAVwQar1Akhs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="434" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5BJ1vLECMrjAm_L9_nFuzrYm7ZqEizFs9Gj_nMPH1efCdUox73vsazhNN5L_cTlsqGXxSV6_VP0jweqXUUa9IMWmtGR6g-5rdtkv03kSH-ZsyaGnbpX7spbkytp8Q8bt6QFrgRvXiIcM5Jc_jlslkR3MjoyxwPbgWcWqZMtfRBSjdPAVwQar1Akhs" width="282" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Dr. Leo Montejo is a medical doctor.
He did his specialty training at Harvard Medical School in anesthesiology and
critical care medicine. He has been a Professor at Stanford University in this
specialty, and is an extreme sports enthusiast.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">He has participated in multiple Himalayan
expeditions, and is the creator of telemedical solutions for the outdoors.
Thuraya Communications awarded him the best app solution for the Himalayas in
2016.<o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836072314215286915.post-84084185688202262402021-05-18T10:50:00.020-07:002021-05-20T21:14:13.796-07:00Everest 2021 Outbreak - Greed, Stupidity or Both?<h2 style="text-align: center;"><b>Everest 2021 COVID Outbreak - Greed, Stupidity or Both?</b></h2><div>With the end of the season approaching, and the pullout of some teams, a hard look needs to be taken as to what didn't go well for the Everest 2021 season. </div><p style="text-align: left;">There also needs to be accountability, and not the glossing over of events that we are seeing in the paid press releases coming from some expeditions.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>I. Pursuing an Everest Expedition During a Pandemic Year</u></b></h3><p style="text-align: left;">Check out the COVID pandemic this year in India and Nepal. By March 1, the slope of the curve was on its way up, and by the middle of the month there was no question things were out of control. There are no major land barriers between the two countries, so the writing was on the wall that Nepal would be hit just as hard. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1qI1h0lIp9fM6wHRzd0H-3amd3Gl7hj4He0L5_vMpAGHhDnZ8CPDimHyFcrzh33ASlHuxNYHzeaLMj5F1LEBX7zzXFfRPdUdRsZA8MFifmNHsZBHwOoQKIO_jT4qvuOv2oWmKklqLxg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="470" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1qI1h0lIp9fM6wHRzd0H-3amd3Gl7hj4He0L5_vMpAGHhDnZ8CPDimHyFcrzh33ASlHuxNYHzeaLMj5F1LEBX7zzXFfRPdUdRsZA8MFifmNHsZBHwOoQKIO_jT4qvuOv2oWmKklqLxg/w381-h188/image.png" width="381" /></a></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">India Covid Statistics</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhvHQRlWUesuBnQwPhXK48vr_cXuEIpkA52_OZAD5uaquIFaRlKapEoXeH95N6U0zwAd-xpaj9xCWa0QhgZTCCD33HSTpD1sBwlBu2kzkfzRgZJBBfSevMi1mgOKamLdFQfQwce3ug7c/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="889" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhvHQRlWUesuBnQwPhXK48vr_cXuEIpkA52_OZAD5uaquIFaRlKapEoXeH95N6U0zwAd-xpaj9xCWa0QhgZTCCD33HSTpD1sBwlBu2kzkfzRgZJBBfSevMi1mgOKamLdFQfQwce3ug7c/w413-h249/image.png" width="413" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nepal Covid Statistics</div><div><br /></div>And yet some expedition companies (both Nepali and Western) happily booked everybody that wanted to climb the mountain and that could not do so with the more responsible climbing outfits that canceled their seasons. <div><br /></div><div>They hired more helicopters, placed stickers on these to make the world think they were theirs, advertised large heated tents full of yoga mats, and sold to the unwary the dream of an easy hike up the hill with an 8K picture at the top - all with unlimited O2!</div><div><br /></div><div>And they came! Everest had 408 permits this year - the biggest number ever. Flash climbs and their cost were justified as a humanitarian way of staying away from the COVID-infected masses at BC. </div><div><br /></div><div>What few knew is that the Nepali government had created a tiered system where there are three groups and for each group a max of 150 climbers is allowed, to avoid the lines seen in 2019. This of course probably led the local companies to game the system and get first dibs. In other words, if you were part of an expedition that got placed in the 3rd group, and weather was not great until the end of May, you could possibly have to sit things out for a month! <b>Flash climbs for over $100K became dull waits. </b></div><div><br /></div><div>Those yoga mats would be pretty worn out by then, and customers who paid big bucks without knowing about any of these shennanigans would be pretty pissed off. We will never know the real number of Covid positives at EBC - but we do know that many people must have been positively angry with the whole mess. </div><div><br /></div><div>So at the end, the old face-saving maneuver was applied. "We need to leave EBC for the safety of our customers."</div><div><br /></div><div>And so they left, with some perhaps carrying a virus in their noses and lungs and not an 8K selfie of themselves at the summit.<br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Assessment: Greed and Stupidity</b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>II. Parties and Little Social Distancing at Base Camp</u></b></h3><p style="text-align: left;">These are probably perfect examples of human stupidity.</p><p style="text-align: left;">With the pandemic out control in Nepal, and the helicopters flying out some 8-10 people per day to the hospitals in KTM - the parties just kept happening?</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2blW-FewfSB4ntyTu_5gWTLSBjwMrciIGn1wg2zYbRHDWmIE6BF3KK3JCJv4KFfDKpw8uuN8TacB2DGlqe5f5_JixofD7lq33NrjKK3QsMNM4ZAKTjfPU2S1t-n_9TzF1Qq6ThfzZi8/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="323" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2blW-FewfSB4ntyTu_5gWTLSBjwMrciIGn1wg2zYbRHDWmIE6BF3KK3JCJv4KFfDKpw8uuN8TacB2DGlqe5f5_JixofD7lq33NrjKK3QsMNM4ZAKTjfPU2S1t-n_9TzF1Qq6ThfzZi8/" width="152" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Party on, Wayne!</div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Parties on Everest sound like the band on the Titanic. The ship was sinking, and they continued to play while it went under. At EBC, they continued to dance until a good number of climbers and sherpas got COVID, and then certain expeditions were forced to retreat!</p><p style="text-align: left;">Could infections have been prevented despite the parties? Of course! This is routinely done in operating room suites where some have infected patients and some don't. I find it humorous that Everest parties were used as an excuse by some for a retreat. </p><p style="text-align: left;">All the expeditions that did not party needed to do was to create a sanitary shield that would block all contact between them and other camps. If food had to be brought it - leave it 20 yards from the kitchen. No interaction with any outside groups and prior testing of anybody entering the group should have been mandatory. </p><p style="text-align: left;">But I'm sure strict protocols were never implemented and therefore the results for those who had to leave. Did they even have written protocols like we do in medicine, and that are gone through with a fine tooth comb when a hospital gets a visit from JCAH in the US?</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Assessment: Stupidity</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>III. Playing Doctor When You Have NO Idea Of What You Are Doing</b></h3><p style="text-align: left;">John Hunt, the leader of the first succesful Everest expedition wrote that for a successful Everest attempt one has to deal with three elements 1) the mountain, 2) the weather and 3) medical issues. For each of these three, John Hunt put together a team of specialists.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Today it seems that some expedition outfits seem to believe that they know better than medical professionals how to handle high altitude physiology and their recently found new expertise in epidemiology and virology.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Armed with all sorts of medical gadgets promoted on their websites, they draw in mountaineering wannabes into a sense of false comfort. They claim to be experts on oxygen, HAPE, HACE, viruses, infection control, PCRs and the treatment of any complication that may arise while on a mountain. Or so they tell you...</p><p style="text-align: left;">The reality is they are clueless about most of the above. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Point in case, the recent photographs published on the Facebook site from a reputable expedition leader doing COVID tests at Everest without any infection control precautions (No gloves, no eye protection). What you see in the pictures is how the examiner may easily pass on to each one of the people examined the virus he just picked up from the last person tested! In other words, the techniqes employed are facilitating the transmission of the virus - not preventing its spread!</p><p style="text-align: left;">After the team reported 7 positive cases despite "precautions", they decided to retreat. That's a 35% infection rate assuming these were climbers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6wb5G-U00XSujp-ZQIsA8_BLa2vc0YRP9gTGLTj_3QK2rUSXwX7mXKIO2uGL0sJJyPlkZjzzvbXVV39-xxgX1i10-eMryVfeiM1nbQD7mXY6L6FvLIbgXlXEjU_YX6VV9zrddGSCXlw/s1290/Lukas+Covid+Testing+SM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="761" data-original-width="1290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6wb5G-U00XSujp-ZQIsA8_BLa2vc0YRP9gTGLTj_3QK2rUSXwX7mXKIO2uGL0sJJyPlkZjzzvbXVV39-xxgX1i10-eMryVfeiM1nbQD7mXY6L6FvLIbgXlXEjU_YX6VV9zrddGSCXlw/s320/Lukas+Covid+Testing+SM.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">No gloves, no eye protection, and a swab stick aimed at the Pituitary Gland!</div><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Assessment: Stupidity</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>----------</b></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>IV. Taking People Up The Mountain When You Have COVID In Your Group</b></h3><p style="text-align: left;">The two deaths at Everest seen early in the season make one wonder whether the Swiss and American climbers had COVID. Rumors have it that the team taking them up had sherpas that had tested positive for the virus within their group.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Z5u5kkLDOOVPN1BjJmfgays_U9iFKTKVIph9huwkhhxdZYC-rV8k_NkdohVeS__Xwzdt8kG2FIKYWIyCGo44wEicJQjuNRedGhNG4MgQXCBo7HOow8uzUhVjLnvpGlVMI6E5RB_IUJU/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Z5u5kkLDOOVPN1BjJmfgays_U9iFKTKVIph9huwkhhxdZYC-rV8k_NkdohVeS__Xwzdt8kG2FIKYWIyCGo44wEicJQjuNRedGhNG4MgQXCBo7HOow8uzUhVjLnvpGlVMI6E5RB_IUJU/w399-h266/image.png" width="399" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What goes Up, must come Down - especially in Mountaineering</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>If there were positive people within their group, the ethical thing should have been to isolate them right away, test the entire group for the virus, and then make a decision.<p></p><p style="text-align: left;">We will never know what happened here. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Assessment: Stupidity and Breach of Ethics</b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>V. Returning To KTM from Lukla with NO Tests For Everybody</b></h3><div>Not content with the poor infection control management of their groups at EBC, some expeditions pulled the plug in style by first telling the press, and sounding like evangelical preachers, that they were doing this for the safety of their customers (<b>when they had disregarded this in the first place</b>). They then had their customers, who were probably not tested shortly before the flight, taken to KTM in helicopters.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>It does not take a scientist to understand that if anyone was a carrier in these groups, the hotels they are staying at in KTM will become compromised.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is a bad decision from the Nepali government to allow this, a bad one from the expediiton leaders who should know better, and of course an irresponsible one from the customers who are placing others at risk in KTM when arriving from a highly contaminated area.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwCNwgP3pavdvvZF_hyFMIJvSVyZbiu2tsKRYfBBic91_GoVUi-ugRss2pqsIBJNcPW-JIow9MZ8g5IFxCd8HTxyiPqqo16UVxauPLmB4CRlMUS0DM4gV_TWU8jhJTRnrRXVRfiXAjlg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwCNwgP3pavdvvZF_hyFMIJvSVyZbiu2tsKRYfBBic91_GoVUi-ugRss2pqsIBJNcPW-JIow9MZ8g5IFxCd8HTxyiPqqo16UVxauPLmB4CRlMUS0DM4gV_TWU8jhJTRnrRXVRfiXAjlg/w382-h254/image.png" width="382" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Not the Hyatt at KTM: No Room Service, no Hot Showers</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>As for the sherpas and other staff, no, they did not take the helicopters down. The Nepali governent quickly set up quarantine shelters in Lukla and above thinking that the virus only spreads among the less wealthy.</div><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Assessment: Stupidity and Breach of Ethics</b></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b><b>VI. Conclusions</b></h3></div><div>The 2021 season at Everest will be remembered as a season of blunders. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Nepali government did their usual thing and mismanaged the whole situation by opening the mountain, creating a tier system that could be gamed, and changing the rules on an almost daily basis regarding quarantines and tests.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some expeditions tried to take advantage of the non-presence of those that sat out the season, and came to Everest in full force but no brains.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_gLYGYbQjoINr4XZUvNHQDApXIt0GzfE4_KSd3cUPv-hZkNpWOKn-Y0kESIlFRVpqZTyXdRZGm9WTCJYtnPRIWjx3VBvilsrMc5jS1x8XBFynA07jv6PosMn_lsgjbAwq4QYu3jKuSw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="344" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_gLYGYbQjoINr4XZUvNHQDApXIt0GzfE4_KSd3cUPv-hZkNpWOKn-Y0kESIlFRVpqZTyXdRZGm9WTCJYtnPRIWjx3VBvilsrMc5jS1x8XBFynA07jv6PosMn_lsgjbAwq4QYu3jKuSw/w229-h333/image.png" width="229" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Climber and Expedition Leader at Everest 2021</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Many climbers who went there were enticed by unlimited oxygen, the latest gadgets, yoga mats, and 8K summit pics - but did not heed to the news about the pandemic raging in Asia and trusted their expeditions for the expertise on how to handle it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Assessment: Greed, Stupidity</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836072314215286915.post-7513575094623172842021-05-15T12:17:00.001-07:002021-05-20T21:14:58.255-07:00Climbing Expedition Pullouts from Everest 2021<p style="text-align: center;"><b>Climbing Expedition Pullouts from Everest 2021 </b></p><p>The pullout of expeditions from Everest with the lame excuse that there were too many parties at EBC spreading COVID, raises some serious questions.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWx6vZRGSEDFUH-57Hmyg5oJNgt5KdMJXH-E7-ttNllEGiAIXjCUAofUJpksiqsJ-VJGVdgY8EtPsanjWmTzvyufZEmA8nZ1XkQkTQbY0Hy-mNhQ6c9iSAA3NAATUusrUDR85ihm6RgAk/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="778" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWx6vZRGSEDFUH-57Hmyg5oJNgt5KdMJXH-E7-ttNllEGiAIXjCUAofUJpksiqsJ-VJGVdgY8EtPsanjWmTzvyufZEmA8nZ1XkQkTQbY0Hy-mNhQ6c9iSAA3NAATUusrUDR85ihm6RgAk/w448-h252/image.png" width="448" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Everest North Base Camp Party in 2019</div><p></p><p>Let's review how COVID is dealt with in medicine, and compare this with how it's managed by professional climbing expeditions:</p><p>1. <b>You don't take healthy people into a possibly contaminated area</b>. As an example, it is common practice that for open joint cases such as a total knee replacement, these are never performed in operating rooms where bowel cases have been in recently. (You don't want intestinal bacteria in your new joint...) </p><p>The first mistake made would have been to even hold an Everest expedition in 2021. By April 1, in India, the curve had an unmistakably steep slope that peaked on April 24. It was obvious that Nepal would follow the same trend, and yet expeditions proceeded.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2qS_Vg_spaTdTi8ooG_Ihv3rl4k4l9PiGdot1OR_o0nbCWNuyyLv80aePiBd8jRcH7g1T8ROua45sD8inZqxowPAXiuovnzetof85rSVh7jL8ZpbvDlBRlpo9jEDPYBbX2GMOw8auQk/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="894" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2qS_Vg_spaTdTi8ooG_Ihv3rl4k4l9PiGdot1OR_o0nbCWNuyyLv80aePiBd8jRcH7g1T8ROua45sD8inZqxowPAXiuovnzetof85rSVh7jL8ZpbvDlBRlpo9jEDPYBbX2GMOw8auQk/w470-h232/image.png" width="470" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">India COVID trends</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhvHQRlWUesuBnQwPhXK48vr_cXuEIpkA52_OZAD5uaquIFaRlKapEoXeH95N6U0zwAd-xpaj9xCWa0QhgZTCCD33HSTpD1sBwlBu2kzkfzRgZJBBfSevMi1mgOKamLdFQfQwce3ug7c/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="889" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhvHQRlWUesuBnQwPhXK48vr_cXuEIpkA52_OZAD5uaquIFaRlKapEoXeH95N6U0zwAd-xpaj9xCWa0QhgZTCCD33HSTpD1sBwlBu2kzkfzRgZJBBfSevMi1mgOKamLdFQfQwce3ug7c/w413-h249/image.png" width="413" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nepal COVID trends</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Reputable trekking outfits such as Kamzang Treks (Kim Bannister) and climbing expeditions such as Alpenglow (Adrian Ballinger) decided to sit out the season. Taking customers to Nepal for the months of April and May was thus like a general moving his soldiers from a safe place into trench warfare with questionnable protection.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2.<b> If the operating room next to ours has a case with a clear infection, that does not mean that infection will make it into ours.</b> In medicine we have strict protocols to prevent such issues - and they work.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3lyWjXewY4vaki4n2_8uHntKLz2YaCvPrx7twH8st-SvABbTIYVQXAztuHz-YHaO1bTk9r4q8tBFOhuo33H0RvCXDwtAqWYJ1GsDsp9Q2IEIjiYL8HhwrBcZmtraaR8HvTi07F7VkvA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="1020" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3lyWjXewY4vaki4n2_8uHntKLz2YaCvPrx7twH8st-SvABbTIYVQXAztuHz-YHaO1bTk9r4q8tBFOhuo33H0RvCXDwtAqWYJ1GsDsp9Q2IEIjiYL8HhwrBcZmtraaR8HvTi07F7VkvA/w375-h204/image.png" width="375" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Typical Hospital Manual with Detailed Protocols</div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If one shows up at Everest with a dozen customers or more, one would at least expect that such measures would be implemented. A rope with a sign hanging from it saying "don't come in" doesn't cut it - sorry. Certain expeditions even had access to US nurse specialists in the prevention of surgical infections, and they turned them down for "lack of funds".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We still believe that if such measures were implemented properly, one can steer clear from COVID, even at Everest Base Camp. After all, we do it every day in the hospital environment. This is not rocket science - just a set of protocols that are to be followed, day in day out, to maintain strict sterility. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To drill this point on how infections can be controlled, insurance companies in the US will NOT reimburse a hospital for any expenses incurred after a post-op infection. Hospitals have reacted by, guess what, having very strict protocols - and they work! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 3. <b>A PCR test is performed on everybody</b> <b>that is to have surgery these days,</b> Everybody who is part of the staff that the patient comes into contact with is not only vaccinated but is also tested periodically. This creates a tight shield to prevent viral infections from entering the surgical wards.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not sure how Everest expeditions handled this one. Were ALL their sherpas, porters, cooks, customers, and guides tested? How often? Were ALL vaccinated? Was there a sort of martial law in place were NO ONE was to come into contact with outsiders from the group? Who was enforcing this? All this will need to be clearly documented if lawyers get involved due to trip cancellations.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><p>4. <b>Who pays for this mess?</b> As mentioned above, Medicare, followed by all other insurance companies in the US will NOT reimburse hospitals for expenses incurred after an infection. But note the low penalty percentages (1-1.9%)because hospitals have implemented proper procedures.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-7mF3Prc0CCRXRDZ8CBlDQ-Ouur7zyXrKbxpDHQU8uWGaEw2TOrUgQhJvFJ8HkWwLHacNVh-H9Bw4ugf9kYkQqqGHUa4LEJyAs-tkLreWcA2v31-U2DkWxDoMBjUsLgoSiYN9eljBaI/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-7mF3Prc0CCRXRDZ8CBlDQ-Ouur7zyXrKbxpDHQU8uWGaEw2TOrUgQhJvFJ8HkWwLHacNVh-H9Bw4ugf9kYkQqqGHUa4LEJyAs-tkLreWcA2v31-U2DkWxDoMBjUsLgoSiYN9eljBaI/w421-h316/image.png" width="421" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When Hospitals pay for Complications - These go Way Down!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wonder if the insurance companies for this season's climbers will follow the above guidelines. After all, why reimburse a climber or company for going into a high risk infection zone? Did the expedition outfit have a right to collect a large fee knowing that there was a high risk of not being able to deliver?</div><br />I suspect before pulling out, that these expedition outfits weighed this option, and are under the belief that their customers will be reimbursed by their trip insurance, while they take their money home.<p></p><p>5. <b>If a patient at a US hospital contracts an infection, who is liable? </b>This is a thorny question that has been the source of many lawsuits. The usual people to blame are the attending physician or surgeon, the nursing staff, and of course, the hospital. In the US, it all comes down to who pays for the complication. Neither the patient himself, nor the hospital next door ever get the blame, by the way. </p><p>In mountaineering, legal issues are still a rarity, but COVID may allow lawyers to cross the line into this arena.</p><p>Recently, the French government decided to pursue lawsuits against Air France and Airbus for the accident in Brazil in 2009. Arguments will be that the pilots flew the Airbus into a thunderstorm, and that once complications ensued from a faulty plane, they could not handle it and crashed. This sounds eerily similar to how certain companies have behaved at Everest.</p><p>And what about long-term COVID complications? If a climber has long term COVID complications from such an expedition, who will pay for these?</p><p>Did the expedition outfit create a shield company to prevent lawsuits such as these? Are customers even aware that these things go on?</p><p>Lastly, what about the Sherpas and porters who have been infected. Who is covering for their expenses or for losses in their families? </p><p>5. <b>Returning home. </b>In medicine, we also have strict protocols in place as to how a patient is returned home after a procedure, whether the patient will require home supervision, and who pays for all this.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtKlb_t9diLwOtjXxhHDe1Sn4yoEVBovcNhmBq7150yeY7Bv5WXDgeY2YM0NOELLsPnr-0eDxzVl9-DuDa7moWTk-i6UrZG0_NwLguwlghSJtPaBCbrOMJAe7ieP8goRZem3y2s9qKmo/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtKlb_t9diLwOtjXxhHDe1Sn4yoEVBovcNhmBq7150yeY7Bv5WXDgeY2YM0NOELLsPnr-0eDxzVl9-DuDa7moWTk-i6UrZG0_NwLguwlghSJtPaBCbrOMJAe7ieP8goRZem3y2s9qKmo/w406-h228/image.png" width="406" /></a></div><p></p><p>According to the US Embassy in Nepal <a href="https://np.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information-2/">website</a> all flights are closed out of Nepal until May 31. Who is going to pay for the lodging of the expedition customers after they return to KTM? If a customer contracts COVID in KTM, who is responsible? Is it the expedition? The hotel? The client? All this seems to be a minefield from the legal viewpoint!</p><p>6. <b>Will we ever know the truth? </b>In medicine, every time there is a bad outcome, it is thoroughly investigated with thousands of pages of reviews from the hospitals themselves, lawyers, and expert witnesses. The system is far from perfect, but at least there is an attempt to find out what caused the accident. This is similar in aviation. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt367Gb4TZYr_ixISUHBIiQBEB2y1E5fzCmAcjiY5SMeZ5WJlUEeTt0Q1VN_nBw7tvdlietNOzUW99E6quWuIvRpuvCWkP5NCR-Gz5qtits8FNh2ZDob05Q-EW6J3jugQ33xaBfxExLsU/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt367Gb4TZYr_ixISUHBIiQBEB2y1E5fzCmAcjiY5SMeZ5WJlUEeTt0Q1VN_nBw7tvdlietNOzUW99E6quWuIvRpuvCWkP5NCR-Gz5qtits8FNh2ZDob05Q-EW6J3jugQ33xaBfxExLsU/w396-h297/image.png" width="396" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">In the case of mountaineering, Nepal has been very successful in clamping down on all information coming from base camp. They do not allow pictures of lines on the summit ridge, let alone of crowding at the summit. They do not publish a daily count of infections from EBC. We have a news blackout!</span></div></div><p></p><p>The expedition outfits are playing along too! And so we are in the realm of disinformation and fake news. We will not know why they are really pulling out. </p><p>But one thing is for certain: Blaming parties at base camp (which I'm sure are thrown by the Russians and that everybody usually goes to) is a pretty lame excuse! </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836072314215286915.post-57987167775036917542020-09-09T10:47:00.005-07:002020-10-20T06:56:55.824-07:0021 Steps to Follow when Choosing an Expedition Company for Everest or other 8000m Peaks <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">21 Steps to Follow when Choosing an Expedition Company for Everest or other 8000m Peaks </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-a06fa8e0-7fff-a811-99c8-23947e079a85"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Fall season is upon us and it is the time when many plan their next big climb in the Himalayas. As I write this article, few major expeditions will be going to Nepal this year and it is still uncertain as to what next year will be like. But if you are optimistic about a turn-around with the pandemic, what follows are 21 key features that you should be looking at, in order to choose which expedition you will join next Spring for Everest North or Everest South. They are not in order of importance. </span></p><br /><ol style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Success rate:</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Be wary of ANY company that claims 100% success rate. I have no knowledge of a single company that has this. Success means you arrive at BC, you participate in the expedition, you summit, and you return to BC. Don’t shop for phony success rates and instead look for a credible safety record. Safety also means no frostbite, no permanent organ damage, no time in a KTM ICU, no cardiac stents, no fractures, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask or to hold your company accountable for answers on this most important subject.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Flash (Rapid ascents) vs Normal ascents:</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The price differences are big but your chances for success are no better with either. There is very little difference once you are on the mountain between the two groups in how you are treated. You can rent your own hypoxic tent from Hypoxico, use it one month before flying into KTM, and you will be as ready as those who are paying 50-75K more than you are. Once you are on the mountain, you will all eat the same food, have similar tents, and have similar support. If you rent a Hypoxico tent, and track your O2 saturations daily, you will already have baseline saturations for different altitudes before you arrive at BC. Share these with your expedition doctor. Finally, Flash ascents can turn into Normal ascents if the weather does not cooperate. Last year on Everest North most flash groups spent almost one month on the mountain before they could summit.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unlimited O2 vs “We’ll let you know how much O2 we’ll give you”:</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Both are red flags if you are offered these. You should have as much O2 available as your body will need. (You don’t have surgery where the anesthesiologist gives you too little or too much - you get the right amount depending on the circumstances!) Do the math.(Tank capacity/O2 flow in l/m = num hours/tank) Nobody has unlimited O2 at Everest. Beware of any drugs (Epo) or inert gases offered by any company to increase your hematocrit. These have many side effects which you may later regret. If an inert gas can, trigger the release of a hormone in your kidney, think of the many other things it can possibly do. A good ballpark figure to keep you perfectly safe on a climb is some 6-10 bottles (1200ml) of O2/climber for an entire expedition. If you are in terrific shape, you may only need 4. The trick is to dial your O2 flow at all times to keep your saturations at BC levels (80% +-2%) at all times during your climb, and you will most likely avoid HAPE or HACE and even frostbite. I recommend never going below 75% in order to avoid triggering pulmonary hypertension, HAPE, and/or HACE.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Free unlimited WiFi offer:</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> On the North Side (China), if you buy a phone card with >50 GB of data in Lhasa, you will have all the wifi you want for some $50. With 5g now at BC and further up, expect even a better deal. This has nothing to do with your expedition. Bring your unlocked phone to either side, and buy Nepali and/or Chinese SIM cards locally. On the South side (Nepal) things are not as simple and although WiFi and 3g are available, they are unreliable above Namche. Ask the Sherpas for the best spots. A Thuraya sat-phone and/or Thuraya IP+ is the ideal way to go. The IP+ may be provided by your expedition. A sat-phone is never a bad idea anyway, just in case things go sour and you need to call for help from anywhere on the mountain. Last year communications with Thuraya on the Chinese side were intermittent. Thuraya did not rule out interference. </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Electrical outlets at BC: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the North Side (China) there is electricity at BC so expect your expedition, regardless of what you paid, to bring to your tent a multiple socket outlet. Power comes and goes and is not perfectly reliable, especially when there are high winds or a storm. Above BC, expect power from solar powered batteries. On the South side at BC (Nepal) you may not have the luxury of power inside your tent, but if you go to the dining tent/lounge, you will have power from batteries charged by solar panels or from generators. Above BC, it’s no different than on the North side.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bed with Mattress vs Therma-Rest: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At BC some expedition companies offer a bed inside a stand-up tent with its own mattress and even a desk and night table. I have found no difference in the quality of sleep I get whether I’m on one of these beds or my therma-rest. In fact, I tore my sleeping bag with one of these metal beds last year. (Bring patches for your sleeping bag or down suit.) Beds and other amenities are only available at BC and again, not a reason to choose one expedition company over another.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lounge with Panoramic views of Everest: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some Western expedition companies, and even Nepali ones (to play catch-up?), offer a picture on their websites of “this could be you” on a cushy sofa with an Everest view, a glass of champagne in your hand, all while watching a Netflix movie. Not sure this is why you are going to Everest, and frankly, I rarely saw anybody in these lounges while at BC for any length of time. They’re usually cold!</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All-you-can-eat Goodies: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Depending on the expedition you are with, you will have access at all times to exotic candy-bars, cookies, potato-chips (pringles), soda, ham, and even wine. Access to these is for everybody. Be careful about catching any sort of virus from somebody else if these have been touched by unsanitized hands. Personally, my appetite is quite diminished at altitude, and it’s not this type of food that I want to eat there anyway. Eat what the Sherpas eat at all times, and you will be more than fine. The Sherpa breakfast is my favorite - a high calorie meal with lots of potatoes, tsampa, vegetables and black tea. </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kitchen at BC and above: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are run mostly by Nepalis on both sides of the mountain. Expect pretty much the same food on both sides. I have been treated to some outstanding meals on the day of arrival at BC, but don’t expect to be eating better because you paid a hefty expedition fee. Everybody sits down at the same table, and all will eat plenty of rice, lentils and chapatis. If your expedition outfit offers espresso machines as a perk, these are only at BC, and they will most likely freeze at night and won’t work until mid-day. Your kitchen crew should follow practices that prevent contamination from viruses, and this will become a major challenge for future seasons. Ask about how dishes are washed, how utensils are cleansed and dried. I would bring my own fork and spoon (or SPORK) to avoid pitfalls with these. Smorgasbord type service in the dining tent should not be practiced anymore. Visit the kitchen tent at BC on day one to see what new practices are in place.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Respiratory Infections and Social Distancing:</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> No company up until now has taken this seriously and entire groups end up with a bad flu often coming from a single climber with a virus that he/she brought from home or their plane ride. Expect claims from every expedition now as to how they will control this. This alone may make or break your summit dreams. Look for a well thought out plan, and perhaps an infection control expert as part of the expedition. Ask about isolation of anybody with a cough or fever until a COVID test is available. Common isolation practices for respiratory infections used in hospitals are not part of expeditions yet.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pulse Oximetry:</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> A pulse oximeter is a medical device which can be used no differently than how your mom used a thermometer at home when you were a kid, or it can be used intelligently by a medical specialist. Beware of cheap pulse oximeters - most display false data when the saturation is below 80%. Use only FDA approved devices. Pulse oximetry can predict HAPE or HACE long before it happens, and can be used to help manage it. Steroids for HACE have very little support in the medical literature, and in fact, they are no longer used in Neuro ICUs for cerebral edema. Don’t rely on these if you get into trouble. (Mannitol is what is used today to treat cerebral edema - but you need a central line.) The best way to prevent HACE or HAPE is to avoid its main trigger which is of course hypoxia, most insidious at night when you are sleeping flat on your back. </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gear: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These days, the gear you need to take is pretty standard. Follow standard recommendations since these vary little from one company to another. One interesting suggestion from one company is heated socks for summit day. Not a bad idea and it’s cheap insurance for your toes. Ask about which brand of oxygen equipment your expedition company uses. I would recommend the Summit Oxygen Elite System from the UK. Make sure you can dial your ideal oxygen flow from your chest. Bring the lightest crampons and the lightest and warmest boots. Keep your climbing gear light and leave your gadgets at BC.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hydration above BC: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although all expeditions will remind you to drink and stay properly hydrated, nobody really tracks whether your intake is enough. Be prepared to do your own math at all times since this is extremely important. I like the NCAA guidelines: 2-3 hours before a climb, 16oz (1 bottle). 15 minutes before, 8 oz. During the climb, 2-3 large gulps every 15 minutes. After exertion 1-1.5 bottles for every pound lost. Add electrolytes to your water bottle (powders available on Amazon). Good hydration means a good cardiac output, which means good blood flow to the brain. Dehydration also makes you prone to blood clots in your already thickened blood from a high hematocrit. A stroke can ruin your day above 7000m. I personally take one Advil per day at altitude to keep me slightly anti-coagulated. Ditto for the long plane rides. Keep your urine light yellow. Don’t let the water freeze while inside your backpack.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Food above ABC: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most expeditions do not make a big deal of this and just offer you noodle soup above 7000m. You will have less appetite, you may have nausea, but on summit day you will need a high caloric intake way beyond what is provided by these soups. Don’t skimp on this detail. I carry smoothies that I buy on Amazon and that are 280 calories per pouch. You can carry these in the inner pockets of your down suit. These will also help counter low blood sugar which I am sure is an issue for many on long summit days. They will also provide a little hydration. Carry four pouches on summit day. While at BC, spend time with the Sherpas and try to eat as much as they do.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Guides - Western vs Nepali:</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Again be wary of any racial or nationality distinctions of superiority. Twenty years ago there were few trained Nepali guides, but that is not the case anymore. In fact, Nepali guides go through a rigorous certification process these days, and in my opinion they have a quality that you will rarely find among Western ones - compassion. This said, Nepali run companies tend to have a lower guide to customer ratio and therefore the many more accidents we have seen recently with these outfits. But don’t blame the guides. Blame the logistics of some of these companies. At any rate, even in the most expensive outfits, your closest guides will be the Sherpas, with one Western guide for a group of 6-10. Paying $50-75K extra is rarely going to get you a private Western guide, and that guide may not be any better than a top Nepali one. What may differ with expensive companies is that on summit day, you will have two Sherpas assigned to you, carrying all that oxygen that will be wasted into the atmosphere when not used properly.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Country of Origin of your Expedition Company: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No major differences here, except that the Nepali ones have had many more fatalities. They also have the most customers and practice the least amount of triaging - if you have a check, they’ll take you! You will be more at ease in an expedition run by a company from your own country or culture. I have often noticed, and this is most evident at the dining tents, that people sit in groups by nationalities. This sometimes becomes awkward, since communications must occur in several languages, with some lost in translation side effects.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Medical Personnel: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the 2019 I was the only MD on the North Side. I brought a full monitor with EKG capabilities, blood pressure, temperature, and SpO2. I also brought an ultrasound, and of course all the medications, lines, and airway equipment needed to manage HAPE, HACE or other less life-threatening emergencies. The South Side is better equipped and has a small ER. The ideal specialties for expeditions are either emergency room doctors or anesthesiologists. Look for board certification in their specialty. They need to be experts in reading EKG’s, the use of an ultrasound, starting central lines, especially on the North side where there are no hospitals nearby and no helicopters available for evacuations.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accomodations in KTM and trek to BC:</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> In KTM there are three hotels that I like and that will keep even the most demanding customers perfectly comfortable: a) The KTM Guest House b) Yak and Yeti and c) The Marriott Kathmandu. All have great food, beautiful bedrooms, and most importantly great showers (for your return). If you are going to the North side, you will have nice hotels also in Lhasa and Shigatse. On the South side, you will be staying in teahouses for your trek to BC. These have few perks. The rooms are small with thin plywood walls between them and two narrow beds 3 feet apart. Toilets (squat type) are shared by probably 10 rooms. You can shower for an added $5, and you can upgrade (if available) to a room for yourself for another $5. Food is the same for everybody, no matter what you paid to your expedition company. I would expect that for next Spring the teahouses will implement something different for the dining areas regarding distancing, otherwise these will become Covid hotspots. Normally they are crowded, loud, and a cool place to meet many people from different parts of the world in a friendly atmosphere. But the world has changed... </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hot Showers at BC: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another perk that is not all that it’s made up to be. Showering at BC can sometimes be an expedition in itself. I’ve had the situation where I was all soaped up beneath the shower head, the warm water was dripping slowly, only to have the pipes freeze and then get stuck with soap and shampoo all over my body and head in freezing temperatures! I’m not not sure this is a reason why I’d choose one expedition company over another - which most offer anyway. Not to be outdone, the Russian expeditions also offer massages at BC on the North Side, with professional masseuses! (Thanks Helena!)</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Toilet Facilities at BC and above: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t expect the Ritz. Whether you pay $30K or $120K for your Everest attempt, all these boil down to a wobbly plastic chair on a blue barrel with freezing temperatures - or simply a hole in the ground with a small tent around you. Be extra careful about hand contamination in toilet tents, especially with the zippers. (Bring your hand sanitizer along.) If you are high up on the mountain, always carry toilet paper in your backpack. Be careful when you release yourself from your jumar. (Sh*t happens!) To date, I have not seen anybody using poop-bags on Everest on either side.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">COVID-19 Plan: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No mention of an expedition these days can go without touching upon this most delicate subject. How will your expedition company differentiate between the simple respiratory viruses that go around BC and a coronavirus infection? How will expeditions be preventing cross-contamination from other groups? Are the Russian parties a thing of the past (Or is Vodka better than Purell?) How will one diagnose a COVID infection? Can you be airlifted quickly to a good hospital in case you get one? (The Chinese side is still a few days away from any serious medical facility). Are there COVID tests available at BC with rapid results? (This last one I believe must be offered by both the Nepali and Chinese governments if they want to prevent some major mishaps.)</span></p></li></ol><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although the list may be incomplete, I’ve tried to cover what I believe are the most important things one should look for when deciding which expedition to join. This alone is perhaps the single most important decision you will make if you want to climb Everest, and your life will depend on it. Shop carefully, be savvy, be safe.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 306px; overflow: hidden; width: 306px;"><img height="306" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/tAjVthX4BQuxx5HatOCJL2ugEdHKWaHpwiwQicLkjH_bPINn5_zFae1nk9HIfYXmMuHzeskVzZpghykIDBUC9aRMJhJvSeATRR_wCW9zjevrFsRABBzOGesQ2LxrrvJ4M9juNG_5" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="306" /></span></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fdfdfd; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 14pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Leo Montejo did his residency at Harvard in anesthesiology and critical care medicine and is a former professor at Stanford in this specialty. He is an extreme sports enthusiast and has participated in six Himalayan expeditions.</span></p><div><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Lake Tahoe, United States39.0968493 -120.032350710.786615463821157 -155.1886007 67.407083136178841 -84.8761007tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836072314215286915.post-91959411488877891182017-10-23T16:46:00.002-07:002017-10-24T18:42:12.644-07:00Alive in the Andes - Following the Steps of the Survivors 45 years later!<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Vital signs, geo-location and more – every second!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">We are pleased to announce that WiCis-Sports (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://wicis.com/&source=gmail&ust=1508950646902000&usg=AFQjCNGii_tdZnoGzBpSFfCHRfRxjZrKbg" href="http://wicis.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://wicis.com</a>) and Iridium (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://iridium.com/&source=gmail&ust=1508950646902000&usg=AFQjCNHWamaF2_NxtZF-Pvh9BHiChiJnSA" href="http://iridium.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://iridium.com</a>) are partnering with Benegas Brothers Expeditions (<a href="http://benegasbrothers.com/">http://benegasbrothers.com</a>), to retrace the </span><span style="color: #500050; font-size: 10pt;">footsteps of the survivors of the Andes accident almost five decades ago when rugby team's plane crashed in the Cordillera between Argentina and Chile in 1972. "Alive" movie, 1993: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106246/" target="_blank">(IMDB)</a> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Forty-five years after the accident in which their plane crashed in the Andes and with only 16 of the 45 passengers having survived, At least one of the survivors, will embark on this new adventure to retrace the steps of the group, starting this </span><span class="m_5418093752216232127gmail-m_-87736069267510206gmail-m_-3429834957066282945gmail-m_-7350951017619486381gmail-aBn" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span class="m_5418093752216232127gmail-m_-87736069267510206gmail-m_-3429834957066282945gmail-m_-7350951017619486381gmail-aQJ"><span class="m_5418093752216232127gmail-m_-87736069267510206gmail-m_-3429834957066282945gmail-aBn"><span class="m_5418093752216232127gmail-m_-87736069267510206gmail-m_-3429834957066282945gmail-aQJ"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1121381011" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">October 27</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.2667px;">While the survivors of the crash spent over 72 days without communications, this time the expedition will be using the I-Streme solution from WiCis. The solution monitors personal vital signs, exact geo-location data, SOS, pictures, and text messages in real-time. This data will be shared every second over the Iridium satellite network using an Iridium GO! device to be viewed from any browser around the world, connecting the expedition to the rest of the world live.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.2667px;">The I-Streme solution has previously been used in expeditions in the Himalayas and K2, and has been tested by the military in various parts of the world. I-Streme is the ideal solution today to monitor the condition and safety of climbers, patients and soldiers in real-time, from anywhere.</span></div>
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<b style="font-size: 12.8px;">Itinerary: </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Day 1: Oct 27 Meet
in Malargue</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Day 2: Oct 28 Malargue</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Day 3: Oct 29-
Transfer to Sosneado</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Day 4: Oct 30-31:
Hotel Abandonado del Sosneado or Refugio Sole</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Day 5-6: Nov
1-2: Trek to Base at 2,600 River Atuel - Arroyo
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Day 7-8: Nov 3-4: Valle de las Lagrimas 3,650/High Camp Plane - 2 days here.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="ES" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Day 9: Nov 5: Glaciar Lagrimas</span><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="ES" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Day 10 Nov 6: Paso Las Lagrimas</span><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Day 11 Nov 7: Barroso Creek</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Day 12 Nov 8: Malargue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Day 13 Nov 9: Flight Out</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Live link to Willie Benegas'</span><span style="font-size: 9pt;"> data: </span><a href="http://public.wicis.com/#15d88">http://public.wicis.com:80/#15d88</a></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836072314215286915.post-79203146027281953882017-06-21T09:11:00.000-07:002017-07-06T10:22:20.367-07:00What really happened on the day that Ueli Steck fell from Nuptse?<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>What really happened on the day that Ueli Steck fell from Nuptse? </b></div>
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<b>The person who found him shares some interesting clues...</b></div>
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Vinayak Jaya Malla is a Nepalese In-Training Mountain Guide and the person who found Ueli Steck while climbing up to C2 on Everest with a group on April 30, 2017. The author (Dr. Leo Montejo) met Vinay in 2016 while climbing the Sky Caves of Mustang in Nepal, and was impressed by his skill and manner while on the mountain. He saw him again this year at Everest Base Camp shortly before Vinay summitted with a group from the Indian Navy. His story of what may have happened is filled with great respect and admiration for Ueli, and it is also a first glimpse and analysis as to what probably occurred that morning on the slopes of Nuptse.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUN3je0dZU9r2CoGCmiZ3145ECAfmSKuGJ9gKQObU71CJh-2vKLvU1XMcA8c8sgizb2BYGVkI57OFVihWsNyTR9cshMyr0VMmz2DqVMlOkvQTPBV5kFCCHKCUNR9x5GQcMqB7ZiWppYA/s1600/VinayEverestBC.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="935" data-original-width="1245" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUN3je0dZU9r2CoGCmiZ3145ECAfmSKuGJ9gKQObU71CJh-2vKLvU1XMcA8c8sgizb2BYGVkI57OFVihWsNyTR9cshMyr0VMmz2DqVMlOkvQTPBV5kFCCHKCUNR9x5GQcMqB7ZiWppYA/s400/VinayEverestBC.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: center;"><b>Vinay, at Everest Base Camp about 10 days before Ueli's accident on Nuptse</b></span></div>
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<b># I understand you were with Mingma Sherpa when you found Ueli on April 30. What were the two of you doing in the area of the accident?</b><br />
<br />
We were not together that morning of April 30. In fact, I had slept at Camp 1 and Mingma was descending from Camp 3. He was headed down the mountain towards base camp with clients, and I was going up with my group. We met along the way, about 300m from where we found Ueli, somewhere between camp 1 and camp 2.<br />
<br />
I had left Camp 1 at 7am and we met up with MIngma and his group at around 09:10 AM. We found Ueli at exactly 09:34 AM.<br />
<br />
<b># What was the weather like that day? Do you remember if it was any colder or warmer than usual?</b><br />
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The weather was excellent - not a cloud in the sky, no wind - a sunny day! If anything, I remember walking on the Western Cwm and feeling very hot that morning because of the sun and its reflection on the snow.<br />
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<b># What about winds up higher ? Any winds the night before? If one looked up at Everest, did it have a plume? (cloud indicating high winds)</b><br />
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Again, there was no wind, the top of Everest had no plume, so it was probably calm up higher.<br />
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<b># What were you doing when you found a climber with no life, and how far away was he from from your path?</b><br />
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Earlier I had seen somebody climbing up towards Nuptse, and at one point I heard a sound of something falling. I looked up again, and did not see this person anymore, so I suspected this climber may have fallen. When I met with Mingma, I told him of this, and we both walked in the direction of the place where I had heard the sound, and as I got closer, I recognized who it was immediately. I knew his face and his jacket with his sponsor's name in green.<br />
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I immediately contacted base camp by radio. He could not have survived the fall. I gave all the details including time, place, condition of climber, etc. I took a picture, which is why I know the exact time, and had my radio contact notify Tengi (Ueli's climbing partner) immediately. This was some 300m from where Mingma and I had met earlier.<br />
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<b># How long do you think Ueli had been there?</b><br />
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I would guess some 45 minutes. As I said earlier, I had seen somebody climbing Nuptse, and then the sound of the fall. When I met with Mingma, we agreed to go together to see what may have happened.<br />
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<b>#How did the recovery take place?</b><br />
<br />
The accident area was not safe and rocks could fall at any time. We therefore returned to where Mingma and I had met earlier and he continued down with his clients. Shortly after, I met up with Pema Cheri Dai who had a stretcher. His two clients also came to help us, and among them one was an IFMGA guide from Peru (Victor) and another climber from Iran. We returned to the accident scene, collected his stuff, placed Ueli on the stretcher, and brought him back to where we had met earlier. Without team work we could not have done this. From base camp, Lakpa Norbu Sherpa (HRA) helped us in communicating with helicopter pilot Maurizio Folini of Fishtail Air who flew Ueli back to Kathmandu.<br />
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<b># It is guessed that he fell some 1000m. Do you have any ideas on this? How far do you think he was from the summit?</b><br />
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I think he fell some 800-900m. When I last saw him, he was on a ridge that is 7100-7200m. Any higher and I would not have been able to see him. Nuptse is 7861m high and Camp 2 is at 6400m. If we assume he was at 7100-7200m and subtract 6300m (below camp 2) we are left with 800-900m.<br />
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<b># What equipment was he using when he fell? Helmet? Crampons? Gloves? Radio? What type of ice axes and how many did you find?</b><br />
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We all knew his climbing style: Light and fast. He was wearing Scarpa Phantom 6000 boots, Petzl Irvis Hybrid crampons, a good jacket and pants, and he was carrying a small bag of water, a candybar, a GPS and a camera.<br />
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I did not see a helmet, nor was he wearing gloves. He was also not wearing a harness. I did not find an ice axe, nor did I see his poles. These may have ended up on the mountain. I cannot speculate.<br />
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<b># Tell me more about what he was wearing. Do you think he was wearing appropriate clothing for the conditions higher up on Nuptse?</b><br />
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In my opinion we has dressed appropriately for a sunny day in the Himalayas. But I did not see gloves on his hands.<br />
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<b># It is believed that he had left his tent at 04:30 AM. Do you think this is probably right?</b><br />
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I think this sounds right. He was a well known speed climber and was used to Alpine starts early in the morning. The day before, on April 29 he had been there with Yanick up to 6800m and they had left some gear up there. That morning he climbed solo and made it up to the ridge.<br />
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<b>#Was anybody else on Nuptse that day?</b><br />
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To my knowledge, no - Ueli was alone.<br />
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<b># Did you realize right away that this was Ueli Steck when you found him?</b><br />
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I had seen him at base camp several times. He was wearing the same jacket with his sponsor's logo. Of course, I also recognized his face.<br />
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<b># Did you also help collect his belongings on camp 2?</b><br />
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At camp 2, in the evening of the day of the accident, a French climber and his guide Pemba and myself went to see his tent. It was only 2 minutes away from mine. I helped pack his belongings.<br />
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In the tent we packed his sleeping bag, food, and another pair of boots with crampons.<br />
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But a couple of things suprised me...<br />
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We found a 5mm 50m rope, as well as his ice axes. I have always believed that a climber should carry a rope, even if he does not intend to use it. What if bad weather gets in the way or if you need a safe rest? A rope is very useful. Even more when you are solo. But I guess he left his rope behind.<br />
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Second, his ice axes. Personally, I cannot imagine climbing without them. Either he took his poles up the mountain, or another pair of ice axes were lost during the fall. We never found either. My guess is that he went up Nuptse with trekking poles.<br />
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<b># You summitted Everest some 20 days after this, and you are also an accomplished climber. What would you have taken on the climb to Nuptse that Ueli did not take that day?</b><br />
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First, let me make very clear that I respected him very much. But I am not a solo climber, and of course I would not have gone up there by myself. More than anything else, a climbing partner is perhaps what would have been most valuable.<br />
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<b>#Have you climbed Nuptse? Nuptse is in fact seven peaks. Was he climbing Nuptse 1? Is this considered a difficult climb?</b><br />
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No, I have not climbed Nuptse. Ueli was climbing Nuptse 1 and did not use the standard route. From camp 2 he went up the glacier on a block of ice, and then continued on a 70-75 degree mixed wall of ice and snow. The wall then traverses to the ridge which is also a mix of rock, ice, and snow.<br />
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<b>#Finally, Vinay, what do you think happened that day? </b><br />
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I heartily respected Ueli and his climbing style. He grew up in the Swiss Alps and he had won twice the Piolet d'Or, the highest climbing honor.<br />
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I think several things could have happened. Again, I stress that I very much respected his climbing style.<br />
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I saw a rock the size of a football stained with some blood nearby. I think that this rock may have fallen and hit him on the head. Or maybe he hit it on the way down. He was not wearing a helmet and I also saw that the back part of his head had been hit, probably by this rock.<br />
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When I found Ueli, I noticed that one of his crampons was missing from his boots. A loose crampon could definitely contribute to a fall. This can happen with any type of crampon, and it has even happened to me several times while climbing the icefall. Crampon performance depends a lot on the boots you are wearing and how carefully you have attached them. But they could have fallen off during the fall - who knows...<br />
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Ueli was not wearing a harness when we found him. Solo climbers usually do. When they need a rest, when they are tired, when it's hard to continue, they can use a safety line and they then attach it to their harness. It is possible that he was tired when he came up to a difficult section, and then he fell. As I said earlier, he did not have a rope either.I have always believed that a climber should always carry a rope; even if he does not intend to use it. What if hard sections come when back climbing? A rope (5 mm, 50m) is very useful.<br />
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I think he used his trekking poles for the climb. That was his climbing style for a mountain with an easy slope. I didn’t see an ice axe at the scene of the accident. But I did see a pair of ice axes in his tent. Maybe he underestimated Nuptse……<br />
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After Tengi (Ueli's climbing partner who was to accompany him) got frostbite in his hands, the doctor told him that he would not be able to climb this season anymore. All the Sherpas knew he had a great project. And he knew that world was following him. I talked with many different people who were close to him. They said “ he was upset after the Doctor's decision to keep his partner from climbing with him, and that he was not behaving as before".<br />
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On the 29th, a French climber by the name of Yannick Grazaiani went briefly up the Nuptse face to look for a climbing route and then came back to camp. The plan was perhaps to climb Nuptse with Ueli but Graziani's climbing company stopped him from doing so because he did not have a climbing permit for Nuptse. So Ueli went at it alone...<br />
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<b>#Anything else you'd like to add?</b><br />
<br />
If you have been to the Himalayas, you will often see Bharal, blue sheep, very high on the mountains. They are very agile and fast so as to protect themselves from snow leopards. But sometimes, blue sheep fall off from cliffs. Each time they do, there is a different reason. Sometimes they fall due to rock fall, other times, they have perhaps run too fast, etc.<br />
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Perhaps we must think of Ueli as such - as a Bharal, as one of our blue sheep of the Himalayas who one day fell for an unexpected reason but was otherwise a master.<br />
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<b>#Thanks for this beautiful interpretation</b><br />
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<i><b>Addendum June 27</b></i><br />
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<i>A few people have been asking me about what's new here. In fact, what is interesting about Vinayak's account is not what he saw, but more importantly what he did NOT see. Check out the picture below of Ueli at Island Peak a while back, but in which we can see his gear and his climbing habits:</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJ8h9bIppPG-1FcSQyjK0w5V5iB7uGKGwQyPNvqfyTWW93KN_0EeIYFPMtGSNcti3PvUpCJuEvjJitrRDXyB5ddWGYX6szU6_b-YsrlnXb5o5rLW_q3O01ORTxZEBEEADXr3sQBv7reY/s1600/ueli-islandpeak_1030507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJ8h9bIppPG-1FcSQyjK0w5V5iB7uGKGwQyPNvqfyTWW93KN_0EeIYFPMtGSNcti3PvUpCJuEvjJitrRDXyB5ddWGYX6szU6_b-YsrlnXb5o5rLW_q3O01ORTxZEBEEADXr3sQBv7reY/s400/ueli-islandpeak_1030507.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Ueli Steck at Island Peak</i></div>
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<i>Helmet: As seen from the above picture, he rarely wore one. He did wear one at Annapurna and it saved his life after being hit by a rock and bashing it. He apparently briefly lost consciousness, slid down the mountain, but was able to recover.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Harness: The Sherpa did not find one on Ueli - for whatever reason. In his Island Peak picture, he is wearing a Petzl Alpine harness, but no locking carabiner on his center loop, no slings, no ascender (Jumar), no safety carabiner to attach himself to a rope on his center loop. </i><br />
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<i>Gloves: Vinayak did not find any on his hands, but if he was wearing mittens such as those in the above picture, these could fall easily. But usually also one wears light liners underneath...</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Ice Axe: No ice axe in this picture and the last 300m at Island Peak are pretty vertical. You can see he used a trekking pole. Most use trekking poles up to the glacier, and then switch to an ice axe at the steep part, while leaving the poles there to be picked up on the way down.</i><br />
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<i>Crampons: He is wearing hybrids, as described by Vinayak. </i><br />
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<i>Oxygen: Curiously he has an oxygen mask in this picture - Island Peak is about 900m lower than the place from which Ueli seems to have fallen, but this may have been during his earlier climbing career or other reason. ( In fact I've been corrected - this is NOT an O2 mask but rather a mask to keep the face warm and rebreathe warmer air... )</i><br />
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<i>In short, the article is more about what was NOT found than what WAS found. I believe that if we want more clues we need Yannick Graziaini to tell us what stash they left they day before at some 6800m and for what reason. What were their plans before he was prevented from accompanying Ueli? What was the route they took like? Did he use an ice axe the day before? Did he mention any issues with his crampons? Was there much loose rock? (Vinayak says there was much where they found him.)</i><br />
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<i>In short, the purpose here was not try in any way to judge Ueli our outsmart the educated reader. It was an opening into what may have happened and what did not happen, and for those who are into detective work, there are many questions that remained unanswered here. </i><br />
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<i>I am sure the mountain still holds some clues up there too.</i><br />
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<i><b>Addendum July 6:</b></i><br />
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<i>Vinayak has contacted me and told me that he received a message from Yannick Grazaiani: </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"Hello Vinayak - I have read the article about your testimony of Ueli Steck. You made one mistake. Of course Ueli had ice axes. When I went to the bottom of Nuptse we left our tools there. He didn't want to climb Nuptse with ski-poles only. Maybe you can correct that. Hope everything is fine with you. All the best Yannick."</i><br />
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About the author:<br />
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Dr. Leo Montejo has been to the Himalayas four times both on expeditions and climbs. He is an anesthesiologist and also the founder of WiCis, a company specializing in real time vital signs for telemedicine. The systems he has designed have monitored climbers vital signs live, while climbing K2 and Everest and other high mountains of the world.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2BSSX11qJpeCZ2aEtHJSF6otie4hY7pFhlCv23XiiMfchlymC51BgvgF2butsakwTcbpUqCbLFmbtHGod9eXj02z6ODGYBOSsJe0RX0aS-56KJr5_M8sUUWjPT_8-Lh0F_wyjVndcnM/s1600/leogenoa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="408" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2BSSX11qJpeCZ2aEtHJSF6otie4hY7pFhlCv23XiiMfchlymC51BgvgF2butsakwTcbpUqCbLFmbtHGod9eXj02z6ODGYBOSsJe0RX0aS-56KJr5_M8sUUWjPT_8-Lh0F_wyjVndcnM/s400/leogenoa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Dr. Leo Montejo, in the Sierra Nevada next to Lake Tahoe</b></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836072314215286915.post-33749041011778289512017-04-23T09:21:00.002-07:002017-10-24T10:38:37.759-07:00Communications Guide for the Khumbu Everest Region of Nepal<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="text-align: justify;">If you are traveling to Nepal, and headed towards Everest BC or higher, the first question you will ask yourself is how to best stay in touch.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvLrH9_r8DopBeZzVdl9Y_PNGsksvA2-26q3_asgel2tVlSYUSTpPFmj_8E0spOkb5oxnqRFS95EXdfjeVH9qA2LN_J5eRdpOKdYuUWUtK-Rnipl52ldqrvyi8eU9x_BbrmEb6NYx6WY/s1600/thuraya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvLrH9_r8DopBeZzVdl9Y_PNGsksvA2-26q3_asgel2tVlSYUSTpPFmj_8E0spOkb5oxnqRFS95EXdfjeVH9qA2LN_J5eRdpOKdYuUWUtK-Rnipl52ldqrvyi8eU9x_BbrmEb6NYx6WY/s200/thuraya.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsoPoQPkmMGRH817jepRxilmlsfRN7Coa661wlC8xtMiHm8ONL37xRywOArm394S_sd14cfj6LEOto3o18VEJvxmAKZJUno7DYFEkRDNavkMNxY_taq_RYUDMJO-TzqCwQJNJaazF_yM/s1600/ncell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsoPoQPkmMGRH817jepRxilmlsfRN7Coa661wlC8xtMiHm8ONL37xRywOArm394S_sd14cfj6LEOto3o18VEJvxmAKZJUno7DYFEkRDNavkMNxY_taq_RYUDMJO-TzqCwQJNJaazF_yM/s1600/ncell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsoPoQPkmMGRH817jepRxilmlsfRN7Coa661wlC8xtMiHm8ONL37xRywOArm394S_sd14cfj6LEOto3o18VEJvxmAKZJUno7DYFEkRDNavkMNxY_taq_RYUDMJO-TzqCwQJNJaazF_yM/s1600/ncell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsoPoQPkmMGRH817jepRxilmlsfRN7Coa661wlC8xtMiHm8ONL37xRywOArm394S_sd14cfj6LEOto3o18VEJvxmAKZJUno7DYFEkRDNavkMNxY_taq_RYUDMJO-TzqCwQJNJaazF_yM/s200/ncell.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozPgag6Xn_xtHPl8uOXH-tjpQ2VAoGKR0bjAfcmBjVYDqXevdoMomULYbIz6itN0MNS8TL-rRwHH8PXbk_buxDDzfgVanpZeLQycBBkWr6mKiYDWM4fjz4Bs21kfzKoX4qmZ7gVSNF-w/s1600/evelink.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozPgag6Xn_xtHPl8uOXH-tjpQ2VAoGKR0bjAfcmBjVYDqXevdoMomULYbIz6itN0MNS8TL-rRwHH8PXbk_buxDDzfgVanpZeLQycBBkWr6mKiYDWM4fjz4Bs21kfzKoX4qmZ7gVSNF-w/s200/evelink.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">For 2017, we did our homework, and these are our recommendations...</span></div>
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<b>What to Pack </b></div>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Unlocked Android Phone</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Sleeve to protect your Android phone - we damaged ours during our last trip!</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=wicis.android.wicisandroid_dev" target="_blank">I-Streme App</a> installed on your unlocked phone</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MQSMEEE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">Portable Charger External Battery Pack</a> to maintain your smartphone and Thuraya charged at all times. (Note this pack has TWO outputs!)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.voltaicsystems.com/fuse10w" target="_blank">Solar Panel</a> (we use this one)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://shop.wicis-sports.com/collections/all" target="_blank">Wearables</a> (HR, Pulse Oximetry) to keep track of your health that are I-Streme compatible</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://shop.wicis-sports.com/products/thuraya-satsleeve" target="_blank">Thuraya Satsleeve</a> + with a GmPRS SIM card for a data plan</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kr.co.apsi.hotspot" target="_blank">Thuraya Satsleeve App</a> installed on your smartphone (for voice)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/561269/pn/010-01735-10?gclid=CO6mnPqcu9MCFYqFfgodZjgHwg" target="_blank">DeLorme inReach</a> if you are a minimalist and do not wish to have comprehensive weather updates, send pics, unlimited text, tweet, stream wearables/biometrics as often as you want...</li>
</ol>
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<b>3G, Wi-Fi or Satellite</b></div>
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No different than anywhere else, these are your three main options - and yet this is Nepal so don't expect any fluid transition between these.</div>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>3G:</b> <a href="https://www.ncell.axiata.com/" target="_blank">Ncell</a> will be your local and inexpensive 3G provider</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Wi-Fi:</b> <a href="http://everestlink.com.np/" target="_blank">Everest-Link</a> will be your main Wi-Fi provider further up the mountain</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Satellite:</b> Thuraya if you want voice or serious data capabilities (mail, I-Streme, pics, etc. or Iridium (inReach) if you are a minimalist...</li>
</ol>
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<b>On Arrival - Kathmandu (1400m)</b></div>
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<img alt="Image result for kathmandu yak and yeti" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMzUbjbY-GWb5l7YaTKOfrW2m42OHgS_I-nvcAo8wBLvuRZvb0OAE7IIQu4xN46fdlfSviG0r5WLqP5LWfgaCOzjRIt5SM7tgztPhr1rEvU_en04l2sTPauxpmdnisUz3RqZAraWBAl4/s400/Durbar+001.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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As soon as you reach your hotel in Kathmandu, ask the front desk where the nearest Ncell store is located. There are many all over the city, so don't expect more than a 10 minute walk to the store. Do not pay any extra fees for internet access at your hotel - these will be expensive and useless after your trip to Ncell.</div>
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At the Ncell store, request a SIM card for your unlocked phone which they will quickly install. You will be asked how much airtime (voice) and data you wish to purchase. For a month in Nepal, we bought 5 gigabytes of data and some 240 minutes of voice time, all for some $20.</div>
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As you walk out of the store, you are connected to the internet! You will notice a new icon that appears on your android screen for Ncell. Swipe down and select it to review your data, as well as to see that a switch for "Data" is ON. (More on this later...) Now call home: 00 + country code + home phone, say hello to your family. At the end of your 2 minute call you will receive a text message showing you how much you spent... (2 minutes will cost you 5 rupies meaning some 5 US cents - yes we are not kidding...) Check your email, start up your I-Streme app, and allow it to stream to your followers your location and even post a tweet with it.</div>
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Back at the hotel, if you brought a Thuraya Satsleeve, this is a good time to test it. Find a clear spot, perhaps in your hotel lawn or pool area. Pull out its antenna <b>FULLY</b>, and turn the device ON. Face South. On your smartphone, go to Wi-Fi, and find your Thuraya. Select it since it will become your hotspot. For your first time use, enter the password for the Thuraya: 12345678 Once your smarthphone is connected to the Thuraya Satsleeve, you will see "Connected - No Internet". (This means that your smartphone is now connected to the satsleeve, but that the satsleeve still has not connected to the Thuraya satellite.) For your Thuraya to work with the smartphone, it must not compete with Ncell, so at this point, find the Ncell icon on the top of your screen, swipe it down, and turn data OFF for Ncell. You can now use your Thuraya with one of two apps - the Thuraya App for making phone calls, or the I-Streme app to send live data to your dashboard. (More on this later...)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXjLPylC1IMJj_8MF9GIV-R6MnKF8Zwm4HO6cOs6wehSw-bGHqPVPS3rCX_JkutDTJUK0xR_Tb6WbOuBmbCVU48mQtSMgJI07TlDjjfBE9PsuM1Cq4f9N_utBTEZ1b03D_bN2f6M5uPQ/s1600/celloff.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="600" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXjLPylC1IMJj_8MF9GIV-R6MnKF8Zwm4HO6cOs6wehSw-bGHqPVPS3rCX_JkutDTJUK0xR_Tb6WbOuBmbCVU48mQtSMgJI07TlDjjfBE9PsuM1Cq4f9N_utBTEZ1b03D_bN2f6M5uPQ/s320/celloff.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Turn Cellular data OFF (as above) on Ncell if you want to use your Thuraya</div>
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Enjoy the rest of your day in Tamel or visiting local sites while being as connected or better than any local!</div>
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<b>Airport Tips for Flight from KTM to Lukla</b></div>
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Your duffel(s) and backpack will be weighed in KTM and most airlines have set a limit of 20 kgs per person. You will also be weighed.</div>
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<ul>
<li>Pack lightly and weigh everything before you leave home.</li>
<li>To avoid surcharges, place batteries and any other materials in your pockets. (These will be weighed too, but not counted as baggage</li>
<li>If you are part of an Expedition, all items from your group will be pooled together.</li>
<li>Your bags may leave ahead of you or behind you. Don't worry - you'll find them in Lukla. </li>
<li>Mark your duffel bags well, have locks on them</li>
<li>If you are part of a group, ask the leader for the common ribbon identifier that will be placed on your duffel(s) so that porters will be easily able to identify them as part of your group's gear.</li>
<li>Remember that your duffel(s) will be either traveling on porter's backs or yaks, and will be knocked around quite a bit on the way to basecamp.</li>
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<b>Your Backpack and other Self-Care Tips</b></div>
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There are many teahouses and stops from Lukla to Basecamp so you will never have a need to carry more than 2 liters of water. In fact, if you are wary about taking too much weight, you can safely come down to 1 liter since there are many places for you to stop.</div>
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We always bought bottled water and then placed it into our Camelbak, and found the water perfectly safe. If you buy boiled water (remember at altitude, water will boil at lower temperatures and therefore will be "less sterile") we recommend that you use a Steripen to further sterlize your water. </div>
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Always keep in your backpack some rain-gear. -(outer shell jacket and pants) that will keep you dry in case of rain.</div>
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We always carry an extra pair of dry socks.</div>
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Always keep an extra layer that you can put on or shed depending on the temperature outside. (A light down jacket weighs little and is ideal.)</div>
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For gloves, up until above 5000m, medium-thickness liners are mostly adequate, especially once you get moving.</div>
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Use plenty of sunscreen and lip balm. </div>
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Use a light hat that will cover your ears.</div>
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Carry a couple of Snickers' bars on your backpack at all times in case you get hungry or your blood sugar needs a boost.</div>
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Trim your toenails and keep a good eye on the well being of your feet on a daily basis. (DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THIS!)</div>
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Trekking pole(s) are extremely useful.<br />
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<b>Lukla (2860m)</b></div>
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<img alt="Image result for lukla airport" height="253" src="https://www.pagalparrot.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Lukla-Airport-Of-Nepal-Dangerous-Because-Of-Its-Unique-Features.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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All roads to Everest go through Lukla and no doubt you will be flying there either one or two days after arrival into Kathmandu.</div>
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The flight to Lukla will be unforgettable, and quick, but once you land there, prepare for your first possible communications gap...</div>
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Of all the places you will visit on your way to Everest BC or above, Lukla is perhaps the place where you will have the most problems staying in touch:</div>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Ncell</b>: The trusty connectivity you had in Kathmandu will not work well here. If you really want to use it, ask locals for spots that they recommend for cell reception. (Ncell energy vortexes...)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Wi-Fi: </b>This is at best sketchy and rarely reliable in Lukla. Everest-Link will not work here either.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Thuraya Satsleeve: </b>If you are serious about communications, you brought one of these along, and it will work. Make sure you point its omni-directional antenna to the South. </li>
</ol>
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CAVEAT: FOR THE THURAYA TO WORK YOU MUST SWIPE THE NCELL ICON DOWN, AND TURN OFF NCELL DATA. FOR SOME REASON, NCELL SEEMS TO HIJACK ALL DATA COMMUNICATIONS IF DATA IS ON, EVEN THOUGH IT CANNOT CONNECT.</div>
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<b>Phakding (2610m)</b></div>
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<b><img alt="Related image" height="300" src="https://www.adventuresglobal.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Phakding.jpg" width="400" /></b></div>
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This will probably be your first stop after Lukla, and Ncell should work better again. VERIFY THAT NCELL DATA IS ON AGAIN - YOU WILL GET USED TO CHECKING THIS OFTEN DEPENDING ON WHETHER YOU ARE USING THURAYA OR NCELL. Use I-Streme to stream your location, tweet, text, send pictures.</div>
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Thuraya will also work well here - again, point the antenna South.</div>
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<b>Namche Bazaar (3440m)</b></div>
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<img alt="Image result" height="300" src="https://www.worldwanderingkiwi.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/P4072079.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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Namche will make you feel as if you were back in Kathmandu with regards to communications! Ncell will work well, and there are great mountaineering shops in case you now realize you are missing something for your goals further up: Black Diamond ice axes, La Sportiva boots, carabiners, Gore-Tex Arcteryx jackets, you name it - all are available here, and with similar prices as to those found in Europe or the United States. Use your credit card too!</div>
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Shop, eat well, hydrate, rest, and stream with I-Streme your location as well as your vital signs. You will begin to fell the altitude now.</div>
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Some expeditions will stop here for a rest day and do an acclimatization hike to the Everest View Hotel Lodge. Ncell should work well there too!</div>
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<b>Tengboche (3870m)</b></div>
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<img alt="Tengboche monastery-Nmnogueira.jpg" height="300" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Tengboche_monastery-Nmnogueira.jpg/1280px-Tengboche_monastery-Nmnogueira.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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At Tengboche, you will begin to leave Ncell territory and enter the world of Everest-Link. Ncell may work at times, if you ask the locals where to best have a signal. (Look for the Ncell energy vortex...)</div>
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Your group may decide to stay here, or head on to to Debuche, which is nearby.</div>
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<b>Pengboche (3985m)</b><br />
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<img height="400" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C84jLWnVwAAK9bc.jpg" width="300" /></div>
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Ama Dablam view from Pengboche</div>
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You are now in Everest-Link and Thuraya territory. Although Ncell may work very spottily in some places (the locals will tell you of specific magic spots or vortexes, where you can find a signal) the former are they way to go.</div>
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Time to introduce you to <b><a href="http://everestlink.com.np/" target="_blank">Everest-Link</a></b>: This company started its business out of Namche, and its goal is to provide connectivity to the villages above Namche on your way to Everest, as well as Everest basecamp. Their current system for connectivity is at best awkward, and works most of the time. At any lodge, ask the front desk person for an Everest Link card. You can buy something like 250 mb of data for $5. Scratch the card, and you will have a username and password, to use. Find Everest Link on your phone's Wi-Fi, and if you are lucky you will get a decent connection. In reality, we found the connectivity spotty. That is, one minute, you can have great bandwidth, and even video capabilities, and the next you are down to zero. All this is probably dependent on how many people want to connect to Everest-Link at the same time.</div>
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Thuraya will work well here. Again, don't forget to turn OFF Ncell data if you want to use your satsleeve...</div>
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<b>Dingboche (4410m)</b></div>
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<img alt="Image result for dingboche" height="266" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRKvcUhyp8xLivRwlrxNyyg08d_yhyNdpE4RmvDTD79Av7YtWqf" width="400" /></div>
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Solidly into Everest-Link territory, you can use your scratch cards to stay in touch inexpensively. Stream your location, vitals, send pics, text, all with I-Streme. Thuraya of course, works well too.</div>
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There are a couple of bakeries at Dingboche, and you can enjoy a capuccino with a croissant, while you watch a movie. Relax, hydrate, rest and stay in touch with I-Streme.</div>
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If the altitude is getting to you by now, this is normal. Mild headaches and nausea are common. Watch for signs of AMS!</div>
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<b>Lobuche (4940m)</b></div>
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<img alt="Image result" height="266" src="https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/EBC-Trek-Lobuche.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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At near 5000m, you are now not far from Everest Base Camp! Thuraya and Everest-Link are still your best friends. </div>
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Buy more scratch tickets at the lodge for Everest-Link or use Thuraya for intermittent streaming of data with I-Streme. </div>
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<b>Gorak Shep (5164m)</b></div>
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<img alt="Image result" height="266" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Gorak_Shep_and_Nuptse.jpg/1200px-Gorak_Shep_and_Nuptse.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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At the world's highest lodge, Everest-Link will work. If you are climbing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kala_Patthar" target="_blank">Kala-Patthar</a>, use Thuraya and I-Streme to document it! This will take you up well above Everest BC altitude: 5,644 m or 18,519 ft. </div>
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After you return, and before you leave for basecamp, consider buying Everest Link cards that are basecamp-specific. Your lodge card codes will not work at basecamp! (Save them for the way down...)</div>
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<b>Everest Base Camp (5335m)</b></div>
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This is solid Everest-Link and Thuraya territory. And as mentioned earlier, Everest-Link has a twist here... If you have scratch tickets with extra data available from the lodges below, these will NOT work here. You will need Everest-Link scratch tickets that are specific for basecamp!</div>
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Thuraya works well here. If you have a Thuraya IP+, you are gold for even video-conferencing from basecamp. Again, point your device South, and verify that you have Ncell data turned OFF on your smartphone.</div>
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Some Sherpas have found magic spots for Ncell at basecamp - ask around. There is a tent at basecamp, usually near the Russell Bryce camp where you can buy Everest-Link tickets.</div>
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<b>Above Everest BC (> 5335m) or on-the-trail in-between Villages</b><br />
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<b>I-STREME</b></div>
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I-Streme plus your Thuraya Satsleeve will be your best options to stay in touch. </div>
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Connecting I-Streme to the Thuraya Satsleeve for the first time is simple if you follow these steps:</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">On your smartphone, close I-Streme if you have been using it before</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Turn ON your Thuraya Satsleeve by holding its button for a few seconds.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Once ON, go to your smartphone and look for the Satsleeve on your Wi-Fi Settings and select it. (First password is 12345678).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Start I-Streme. You will notice that I-Streme will immediately detect that your Thuraya satsleeve is ON and present. Select "Enable" when asked if you want to connect to Thuraya.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Your smartphone and I-Streme are now ready to send data to your personal web dashboard!</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXCs4Xp0qWWWKrFkww8u72diSCJ7msApHHHQlISBGGrLhuB9tQon2WioaHfzYQgMgr-6A9aiaBHZ0OlgAZtOIRlDin3exy9H-2V3GMnBLhXtVpSCQUOX6PwH1XRolypfAoQ7jRHJAE8U8/s1600/EverestDB.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXCs4Xp0qWWWKrFkww8u72diSCJ7msApHHHQlISBGGrLhuB9tQon2WioaHfzYQgMgr-6A9aiaBHZ0OlgAZtOIRlDin3exy9H-2V3GMnBLhXtVpSCQUOX6PwH1XRolypfAoQ7jRHJAE8U8/s400/EverestDB.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Personal dashboard with actual data from Island Peak Base Camp</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">While I-Streme is capable of streaming data every second for those who are following you, we do not recommend that you do this while using Thuraya unless you have an unlimited budget and have an easy way to keep your phone and your satsleeve's battery charged in the most inhospitable of places!</span></div>
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Instead, use the Satellite Messenger Mode option of I-Streme. Typically what we use is 1 data packet every 5 minutes. Go to Settings in your I-Streme app, find Satellite Messenger Mode, and select 5 minutes as your data interval. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazcwZm4F49eOC_mk-iwu39tiUOjWdyEgxOWR9-Ku2xEbGC1YSnifGZR-MsQzXZgDdSl3jvsxarpCF52sf1cKYOgOOkGubRb-kA_eiIMkhwxsxcWPzpDu1og6F-RCr2FmRpialm_7sbMw/s1600/ISSatMode.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazcwZm4F49eOC_mk-iwu39tiUOjWdyEgxOWR9-Ku2xEbGC1YSnifGZR-MsQzXZgDdSl3jvsxarpCF52sf1cKYOgOOkGubRb-kA_eiIMkhwxsxcWPzpDu1og6F-RCr2FmRpialm_7sbMw/s400/ISSatMode.png" width="225" /></a></div>
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Note Transmission Interval set at 5 minutes</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The app will control the Thuraya satsleeve and every 5 minutes, briefly open a satellite connection, stream your location and vital signs information to your dashboard, and then turn the connection off, thus saving you a major bill at the end of your climb. You can decide how often you send data. We chose 5 minutes since this is only 12K per hour of data while you are climbing.</span></div>
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The I-Streme app, with the Thuraya Satsleeve, will also allow you to text, send pictures, tweet, chat, and even read weather and forecasts for your exact GPS location. Think safety!</div>
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<b>Keeping your batteries charged</b></div>
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While in the Khumbu region this is not a real challenge, but here are some recommendations:</div>
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<li>If you did NOT bring a solar panel with you, make sure that at every stop, you charge your RAV battery pack at the teahouse lodge you are staying at. They will charge you for this, and the price will go up the higher you go. A full charge above 5000m may cost you up to $5. Down below, maybe $2. </li>
<li>If you DO have a Voltaic Solar system, we suggest you pay your porter an extra tip per day and he will carry it for you on his backpack while charging its battery. (This of course if you are not a veteran of high altitude in the Himalayas - and can handle its extra weight of 3.6 lbs). </li>
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Thuraya Satsleeve on Backpack - Ama Dablam in Background<br />
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Questions??? Click on "Contact" on the wicis-sports website, and send us your concern.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836072314215286915.post-11632976924780219852016-11-20T07:06:00.003-08:002016-11-20T10:51:10.672-08:00WiCis-Sports wins Thuraya Innovation Award 2016 for Best App<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; text-align: center;">
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I-Streme Award for Best App</div>
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On November 15, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, The Palm Dubai, Adams Hub coworking member company WiCis received the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://thuraya.mailpv.net/a/s/103149526-7f5f2ecddfa03baa36e82e853fe69c28/1358133&source=gmail&ust=1479614215503000&usg=AFQjCNG3gXWnzCu6sgoNyP1R6lHfmdNXxw" href="http://thuraya.mailpv.net/a/s/103149526-7f5f2ecddfa03baa36e82e853fe69c28/1358133" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.3s ease;" target="_blank">Thuraya 2016 Innovation Award for Best App</a>. The Tahoe-based company received the international honor for its newly-launched WiCis Sports I-Streme App, a disruptive technology for the outdoors which promises to render satellite messengers and sports watches obsolete. I-Streme works anywhere on the planet with WIFI, 3G, 4G or satellite. Its purpose is to "monitor, share and protect" by transmitting data about the user's geolocation, altitude and speed, as well as their biometrics.<u></u><u></u></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.thuraya.com&source=gmail&ust=1479614215503000&usg=AFQjCNESLT4xJb6ZBTujlS9oYAtvUNgvdg" href="http://www.thuraya.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.3s ease;" target="_blank">Thuraya</a>, a leading mobile satellite communications company, serves global customers that include industry leaders from sectors such as energy, media, marine, government, and NGOs. Thuraya's technology has been embraced by adventure travel and extreme sports enthusiasts.<u></u><u></u></div>
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"The awards are a great catalyst for the creation of new ideas, products and applications, because they draw upon the creative skills of our development partners," said Bilal Hamoui, Thuraya'sChief Commercial Officer.<u></u><u></u></div>
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The I-Streme© app connects and protects users while running, boating, hiking and climbing. I-Streme-enabled wearables also produce medical-quality biometrics, including oxygen, heart rate and body temperature, and can transmit them as frequently as the user desires, enabling athletes and adventurers to be closely and continuously monitored during demanding adventures and climbs.<u></u><u></u></div>
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Data produced by I-Streme can be viewed on any platform, including iOS, Android, Windows, and Blackberry. WiCis I-Streme is built for social sharing, making it easy for followers to track their favorite adventurer regardless of where they are in the world. The app enables users to send texts to their public dashboards and get SpotCast weather information live wherever they are. Data is also stored so the user can review it any time.<u></u><u></u></div>
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WiCis I-Streme© integrates with an array of proven wearables and technology, which the company's development team members have personally field-tested in the Sierra and Himalaya. A recent expedition to Everest by WiCis, in conjunction with Thuraya, was live-streamed on its public dashboard, using the I-Streme app.<u></u><u></u></div>
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About WiCis-Sports: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.prweb.net/Redirect.aspx?id%3DaHR0cDovL3dpY2lzLXNwb3J0cy5jb20%3D&source=gmail&ust=1479614215503000&usg=AFQjCNHLtsr83-9dbtXRMiKwf73VQfwRTw" href="http://www.prweb.net/Redirect.aspx?id=aHR0cDovL3dpY2lzLXNwb3J0cy5jb20=" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.3s ease;" target="_blank">http://wicis-sports.com</a><br />
Founded in 2011 by Harvard and Stanford anesthesiologist Dr. Leo Montejo (also founder of Picis), and in the Lake Tahoe area, the company’s goal is to promote the use of mHealth and tracking devices to make adventure sports safer and engage their followers with real time data that is either private or also available to social media platforms.<u></u><u></u></div>
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Dr Leo Montejo did his residency at Harvard in anesthesiology and critical care medicine, has been a Professor at Stanford in this specialty, and is an extreme sports enthusiast. Dr. Montejo has participated in three Himalayan expeditions.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836072314215286915.post-66716852492172156022016-06-12T09:59:00.002-07:002016-06-12T09:59:42.867-07:00<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thuraya-WiCis Partnership Could Jumpstart Satellite-Enabled Wearables - Via Satellite - <a href="https://t.co/kUqvcjycnc">https://t.co/kUqvcjycnc</a></p>— WiCis-Sports (@WiCisSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/WiCisSports/status/741380501697531908">June 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836072314215286915.post-31416112849837555762016-06-12T09:57:00.002-07:002016-06-12T09:57:51.669-07:00<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Could lives be saved, on Everest if we could monitor climbers vitals remotely in real time?<a href="https://t.co/eCsGPhSK7d">https://t.co/eCsGPhSK7d</a> <a href="https://t.co/3PQI7tyKqn">pic.twitter.com/3PQI7tyKqn</a></p>— WiCis-Sports (@WiCisSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/WiCisSports/status/738386026763194369">June 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836072314215286915.post-51776463524169171362016-04-23T18:47:00.002-07:002016-04-25T14:42:23.445-07:00Carlota - our Marketing Guru tests our solution...<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">I hiked up to Mount Diablo today with our WiCis-Sports gear and app, and I loved it. It was so simple to connect my device with the app. In just 3 steps everything was working!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Ease of Use</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">Step 1 - Click: I attached the heart rate monitor to my shirt.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">Step 2 - Load: I started the Wicis App on my Samsung and loaded the heart monitor driver (the app can load drivers for very different devices).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">Step 3- Stream: Nothing do to - the app just started streaming data GPS and wearable data to the web (my personal public dashboard) in real time.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">I posted a <a href="https://twitter.com/WiCisSports/status/723952699037741057">video on twitter</a> showing how easy this was.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Comfort</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The shirt with the wearable was my base layer, and it was very comfortable - I didn't even notice that I was wearing it! The hike was beautiful, we climbed up to 3,500 feet, and there were two spots that were a big challenging for me: The first one, when I started, and the other when I almost reached the summit. What's interesting is that when I returned home I opened my WiCis-Sports dashboard and clicked on the hart rate widget's history and saw the data reflecting this - two spikes in the graph...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">What I really liked also is that when I lost my 4G in several spots, the app stopped sending data but let me know about tit. As soon as my phone recovered its 4G, the WiCis-Sports app started streaming data again automatically. I didn't have to do anything!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Conclusions</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The hike was great and when you reach the top, you can breathe and relax your mind with the 360 degree views of the Bay Area. The app allowed me to also take a picture from the top and send it to my public dashboard on the web.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Setup of the app (Click, Load and Stream) took me about a minute. Once I was streaming, I even forgot that I was wearing a heart monitor. During the climb, whenever I chose to, I checked my heart rate, altitude, and speed in real time. I knew I was streaming this data because the app at all times shows me if its connected to the WiCis server.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I returned, I checked my heart rate history, altitude history, speed and my email. I even had friends in Europe that had watched me!</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836072314215286915.post-87046006587640699182016-03-12T09:16:00.000-08:002016-04-23T18:45:56.942-07:00WiCis-Sports in the HimalayasWhile we have tested extensively our system in the Sierra Nevada (Western United States), we have yet to take it to the Himalayas.<br />
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We will begin streaming from Jomsom, Nepal on March 19th. Jomsom is at 9,000 feet, and is the entry point to many climbs in the Himalayas. From Jomsom, one can see the Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri peaks.<br />
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You will be able to follow the participants' heart rate, ECG, respiratory rate and waveform, temperature, and intermittent pulse oximetry, along with geo-location, speed, altitude, and bearing, all live! That is, that from anywhere in the world with an internet connected device, you will lag only about 1 second behind real time.<br />
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There are three links to follow.<br />
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<a href="http://wicis-sports.com/index.php/expeditions-live/everest-south-col-starting-april-5">Adventurer 1</a><br />
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<a href="http://wicis-sports.com/index.php/expeditions-live/lo-monthang-eshirt-2">Adventurer 2</a><br />
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<a href="http://wicis-sports.com/index.php/expeditions-live/lo-monthang-nepal">Adventurer 3</a><br />
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We will be tweeting as to whenever these are live. We plan to send live data some 4-6 hours per day, some while climbing, some at camp.<br />
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Expect much new data for high altitude physiology enthusiasts! There is little data on live ECG at altitude for instance.<br />
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Thanks for following!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836072314215286915.post-39556697152528733662016-02-05T09:11:00.001-08:002016-02-05T09:11:28.180-08:00Is measuring Blood Pressure important at 24,000 feet?I have often thought that much of what we end up measuring in the operating room is because we stumbled at one point in medicine on learning how to keep track of certain variables. In the past, EKG was king - that is until SpO2 came along. If I have to choose today between the two, I will go for oxygen saturation. But in fact, if I could really chose, I would much rather know the value for SvO2 (mixed venous saturation) which is a really good indicator of how much oxygen is being used in our cells, and therefore a great indicator of a healthy perfusion and cell metabolism. (Today we estimate a good perfusion practically by just taking somebody's blood pressure (BP).<br />
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But we don't have the luxury of measuring this easily and certainly not routinely, so I follow what we know how to measure as long as it's practical.<br />
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The same goes for BP at altitude. Can we measure it? Sure. (See the picture below). Is it practical? Probably not, since placing and or wearing a blood pressure cuff in your arm while you are freezing in a tent or while climbing is simply not practical. Wrist monitors are rather inaccurate, so let's forget about using these when we know they generate data that one cannot trust.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/911QnatcqZL._SL1500_.jpg" height="382" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Withings Bluetooth Blood Pressure Monitor</td></tr>
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But let's assume that we had a simple way of measuring blood pressure - as easy as the measurement of heart rate. What would I do with the number?<br />
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I think up above 20,000 feet, your blood pressure becomes almost a binary problem. Either you have one, and you are moving along and are conscious, or you are passed out, with a weak pulse, and it's really low. If I see you climbing, that probably means your blood pressure is fine and it will stay so without telling us that other problems are at hand. (Dehydration for instance, will eventually lower your BP, but a much better indicator would be an abnormally high heart rate, a dry tongue, loss of skin turgor, and a recent bout of diarrhea.)<br />
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Your BP could be even high due to your exertion, and it won't require any intervention. Of course it could be really high, so high that you spring a leak in one of your cerebral vessels. And if this happens, how can I help you up there by simply measuring your blood pressure?<br />
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If your BP is low and you have passed out, knowing the exact number won't really help me up there - unless I am carrying in my backpack the drugs I usually have in the operating room. These will then allow me to pick one from my arsenal of medications in order to help revive you.<br />
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In short, just by feeling your pulse, I will know if it's weak (low blood pressure), its rate, and that is probably enough for me to make an accurate assessment as to the causes of your collapse.<br />
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In CPR, you learn 3 basic steps to resuscitate somebody: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation. Blood pressure comes in last, and up in the mountain, you should ensure that the climber has a patent airway. You can then administer oxygen knowing that it will reach the climber's lungs. You then need to assess if he/she is breathing in order to get the O2 in and the CO2 out. And finally, you should check the climber's pulse to assess his circulatory status (is the heart pumping blood, and if so, is it able to generate a blood pressure which will move the blood to the O2 starved organs.<br />
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In short, just because we can measure something, it does not mean that its useful, and if one is at 24,000 feet, I'm not sure blood pressures are telling me much I can't see clinically.<br />
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If you insist on measuring your blood pressure while climbing, WiCis-Sports can do it. But I'd rather know your heart rate, temperature, and SpO2 to make a quick diagnosis.<br />
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EKG streaming in the very near future may reveal that many climbers are having arrhythmias and this is why they don't respond to oxygen as quickly as we would want them to. So again, that is more important in my mind than blood pressure.<br />
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In short, let's be practical about what we measure for climbers. Just because we can measure something, it does not mean that it is useful. And as most expedition leaders know - just by lookng at a climber, and talking to him, you already have much information as to how his body is tolerating altitude.<br />
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Climb safe, be smart, and measure numbers that are really useful.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836072314215286915.post-25866977430103980762016-02-04T15:35:00.000-08:002016-02-04T20:34:59.315-08:00What to monitor in a mountain climber at 24,000 feet and then stream his data to any device on the planet with a one second delayA climber at 24,000 feet faces many challenges and for most of these he/she is completely unaware of their risks or of their possible outcome.<br />
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In order to decrease these risks, one can monitor certain vital signs that will help us make better decisions up there. We have to decide what vital signs are useful to us, we have to be able to read them, and in real time, send them down to base camp or elsewhere in the world where somebody who is trained and is not hypoxic, can help us with the right decisions.<br />
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Aviation has faced a similar dilemma, and the cockpit on the plane that flew you to Kathmandu or Lhasa has many instruments that have evolved over time to make aviation safer. Before your pilot takes off, he also has a weather briefing that is updated while in flight, to keep him informed of the big picture.<br />
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The situation on the mountain is no different. Until recently, we were climbing with poor weather forecasts, and even today, a climber has few instruments to tell him of his real health status while making a final summit push.<br />
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<a href="http://wicis-sports.com/">WiCis-Sports</a> is offering a solution which allows the climber to be monitored, no differently than they way one monitors an airplane. Data today can be streamed to base camp or anywhere in the planet where it can be analyzed intelligently.<br />
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What can we easily measure today AND stream? Temperature, heart rate, and hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SpO2). The WiCis-Sports App has will also send your exact geo-location (in case you are lost in a blizzard), your altitude, your bearing, and your speed. In other words, you can be in what in aviation is called IMC (instrument meteorological conditions) and still have a chance of being guided down.<br />
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Your <b>body temperature</b> is a crucial number to know, but perhaps for reasons that you don't know. Although your body's metabolism slows down with a decreasing temperature, something more important occurs in what is called your oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve. The colder you get, the less your hemoglobin likes to release oxygen (left shift) and your cells will become more oxygen starved. You also don't want to get into a situation in which you shiver (that greatly increases your oxygen consumption) further aggravating the problem. So where do you want to be on the mountain? I would say very slightly hypothermic (1 degree below normal?) since this will not give you a major shift to the left on your O2-Hgb dissociation curve, you will decrease your O2 consumption, and you will not shiver. This is simply a conjecture, but it's one that makes sense.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://wicis-sports.com/images/iChoiceThermo.png" height="200" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="196" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bluetooth Temp Monitor - 4 cm diameter</td></tr>
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<b>Heart rate </b>is another number to follow, and again for perhaps reasons that you have not thought of. For an anesthesiologist, increased heart rate means two things: 1) decreased coronary perfusion (your heart's vessels have less time to fill since they fill in diastole, the time between each contraction) and 2) increased O2 consumption. So if you are up at 24,000 feet, and your heart rate is speeding at 160, and you either feel a slight pain in your chest or you are totally short of breath, you now understand what is going on - your heart, like your sore thigh muscles, is getting tired with not enough oxygen, and you could end up getting a heart attack or going into an awkward rhythm. All this translates into you slowing down or stopping until your heart rate is slower, its perfusing better, and your O2 consumption is down.<br />
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<img src="http://wicis-sports.com/images/gowhrdevice.jpg" height="171" width="200" /></div>
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Chest Heart rate Monitor</div>
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<b>Oxygen saturation</b> would seem to be very important. And it is! But here is the catch. At 24,000 feet, your saturation will probably be below 75%. Most pulse oximeters become wildly inaccurate below 70%. Also, at 70%, you are in the steep part of the O2-Hgb dissociation curve, so the slightest change in your pO2 in your blood will drastically change your saturation. What I am getting at is that if you see a number below 70% - it's probably not accurate, but it does mean that things are not looking good. If you see 70% at base camp (18K), you are probably suffering from HAPE. In short, monitor this number, but if it's low, look at it with a grain of salt...<br />
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What else would I like to look at? I think streaming <b>EKG</b> (electrocardiogram) signals may be very useful. We can stream EKG from base camp. But why, you may ask, do I want it from somebody at 24K? I am thinking of babies and SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). For years we believed babies were passing away because they just stopped breathing. We now know that a certain percentage of them in fact have an arrhythmia that leads to a cardiac arrest, and of course then they stop breathing. For all I know, climbers who get into trouble in the so called "death zone" are in fact developing abnormal cardiac rhythms which then translate into HAPE. In the operating room, a common side-effect of hypoxia is arrhythmias, so I would expect to see the same at altitude. We may be able to have EKG streaming for the 2016 season - and this will provide us with a whole new way of looking at problems at altitude.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://wicis-sports.com/images/BasecampWS.png" height="190" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WiCis-Sports Base Camp solution streaming EKG (bottom center)</td></tr>
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In conclusion, because we have not had continuous monitoring at altitude for the above parameters, we are simply guessing as to how one's body is about to tolerate a final summit push. Turning up the oxygen may be a solution, but with the proper monitors, turning AROUND may be another one, since if you develop an abnormal heart rhythm, this may require very different management.<br />
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Climb safely - but most importantly - make it down.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836072314215286915.post-45973633136548161072016-02-03T14:00:00.001-08:002016-02-04T17:39:25.143-08:00How to monitor somebody at Base Camp from afar by an AnesthesiologistAnesthesiologists (anaesthetists in the UK) are doctors that spend much of their day looking at monitors whether in the operating room (theater) or intensive care unit, in order to make decisions about their patients.<br />
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Doctors such as these are trained to monitor, interpret, and then make a decision for their patients very quickly.<br />
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So it should be no surprise that the WiCis-Sports system was developed in conjunction with doctors from this specialty. What do the WiCis-Sports solutions share in common with what goes on in an opertaing room while you are having surgery? The answer is, <b>just about everything</b>!<br />
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Data that your doctor sees in the operating room is being read by sensors placed on the patient and displayed in real time for him to interpret it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-ldjsHAwgLrSr2VCsTl66YlMBVgbzwUVqhovExefKiGf5nSyJ21XN6Lgu1AndKUusuwhLGzPBTp8qw-IudbDS9yTRofLibma3XDPE8fIl3JNRK8ckBCOaxWxm5NAVzmsWAuMh9IEsDQ/s1600/20160203_132342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-ldjsHAwgLrSr2VCsTl66YlMBVgbzwUVqhovExefKiGf5nSyJ21XN6Lgu1AndKUusuwhLGzPBTp8qw-IudbDS9yTRofLibma3XDPE8fIl3JNRK8ckBCOaxWxm5NAVzmsWAuMh9IEsDQ/s400/20160203_132342.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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What does an anesthesiologist do with this information? He keeps you alive - that is what these doctors really do. How do they do it? By measuring certain vital signs.</div>
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Take a look at a closeup of the monitor on the top left.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeezBNSmn1OPBeKm4Atyq9jIlLVnbBuVfxYopcmSB_I2kz7Gx5Nrcl-gbDRLYo0mJ4cSweouUWiwZotrzM1faCedhBKlaiIoYZkOvkrQGxjTv2mScYDXQSX-rKomMUp9ZHlagn1sdARsQ/s1600/20160203_132354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeezBNSmn1OPBeKm4Atyq9jIlLVnbBuVfxYopcmSB_I2kz7Gx5Nrcl-gbDRLYo0mJ4cSweouUWiwZotrzM1faCedhBKlaiIoYZkOvkrQGxjTv2mScYDXQSX-rKomMUp9ZHlagn1sdARsQ/s400/20160203_132354.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Let's review what is being followed in this monitor during a real surgical procedure:</div>
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1. Electrocardiogram waveform (patient is in sinus rhythm - normal)</div>
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2. Heart Rate (55 - the lower your heart rate, the lower your oxygen consumption)</div>
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3. End Tidal CO2 (36 - the EtCO2 is a measurement of how much CO2 the patient is breathing out.)</div>
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4. Pulse Oximeter waveform (normal, rhythmic)</div>
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5. Pulse Oximeter O2 saturation (97, meaning your hemoglobin is 97% saturated with O2)</div>
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6. Pulse Oximeter pulse rate (55 - matches your EKG rate)</div>
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7. Blood Pressure (107/64 with a mean of 81)</div>
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8. Other values such as FiO2 (in this case 47% meaning he is getting more than twice as much as room air which is 21%)</div>
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So it is with this kind of data that an anesthesiologist keeps you alive for, in the above, case, a plating of a distal radial fracture.</div>
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How would an anesthesiologist follow you if you are at 18,000 feet, at Base Camp, when you have fallen ill? No differently if he could! Because with this data he can give you the best chance you could ever have of surviving. And with the WiCis-Sports Base Camp solution, your local doctor will also be able to consult with any other doctor in the world about your health status - in real time!</div>
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Take a look at this now: (A dashboard from the WiCis-Sports Base Camp solution)</div>
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Look familiar?</div>
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Note what the demo feed from our <a href="http://www.wicis-sports.com/index.php/features/basecamp-solution">WiCis-Sports Base Camp Solution</a> can follow at your BC.</div>
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1. EKG</div>
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2. EKG rate</div>
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3. Pulse oximetry wave</div>
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4. Pulse oximeter rate</div>
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5. Pulse oximeter saturation</div>
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6. 2 Temperatures</div>
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7. Blood pressure</div>
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For all of the above, one can set alarm limits.</div>
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But more importantly, and here is the big difference with a medical monitor - all data is being streamed to the internet, all data is being saved, and all data can be replayed at any time!</div>
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In short - with the <a href="http://www.wicis-sports.com/index.php/features/basecamp-solution">WiCis-Sports Basecamp Solution</a>, you can be cared for no differently than if you are in a modern operating room in Silicon Valley in the United States in 2016.</div>
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Check our our WiFi monitor that streams all of its data to our server:</div>
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<a href="http://www.wicis-sports.com/images/wicisCloudMon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.wicis-sports.com/images/wicisCloudMon.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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It streams, it's wifi, it's compact, it runs on batteries, and we've tested it extensively. And it does EKG, 2 temps, SpO2, and blood pressure. It has it's own screen, but all the data is also streamed once it connects to a satellite hotspot, to our server, and then to you.</div>
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Why cut corners when you don't need to anymore? Want to see a live demo? <a href="http://monitor.wicis.com/">Click here</a> user: demo password: demo Select Thuraya Base Camp - to the right of the mWidget button, to select the basecamp dashboard... (By the way, the demo data stream you are watching, is coming from the UK - if you have a fast internet connection, you should be seeing a delay of less than one second.)</div>
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In our next article we'll discuss how to track somebody who is on the mountain.</div>
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<span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: "times new roman"; text-decoration: underline;">WiCis-Sports</span> - share your body's vitals and return safely.</div>
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<img alt="Displaying 20160203_132342.jpg" src="blob:https%3A//mail.google.com/63fe62de-921c-480a-9ca2-1ad48639e7e7" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836072314215286915.post-38243708718183189102016-02-02T18:08:00.002-08:002016-02-04T17:39:38.272-08:00Adventure is about to get SAFER<div style="text-align: center;">
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I have been around mountains for most of life, sometimes climbing them, sometimes trekking them, mostly flying off them, and I have always held them in deep respect.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 10 year old on his way to Job's peak near Lake Tahoe for his first 10,000 footer</td></tr>
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But as a medical doctor, I have always felt amazed as to how fragile our body is when we confront the elements. I am reminded of Nietzche's line that God must have felt so sorry when he had finished creating man, that he gave him a mind to make up for his scrawny appearance.</div>
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So it is with our mind that we have been able to climb the highest summits. And it is with this mind that we have created solutions at WiCis-Sports that allow us to better know how our body is behaving at altitude and then sharing that data with those who can interpret it.</div>
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Today, while you climb, we can monitor your body temperature, your heart rate, your oxygen saturation, and stream these numbers every second to a server where only one second later, one can view this data plus your altitude, geo-location, body position, bearing and speed - anywhere in the planet.</div>
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But our concern at WiCis-Sports has been that this data must be valid - data that specialized caregivers can use to monitor your climb and aid in your decision making. We offer REAL DATA in REAL TIME.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUecrQX6YsoKBABt-nN432Cgy76Xk1omys9E1A7wel6BdC_a4Fx-Hi2qC_gCoUfWcRRN4sigLxX7vJVj6WrLPA3JpiIGpaZ20s-zRBsRWBHMDy8uvjgPOZqdBHeFH1LI8Qj_bAfRox3A/s1600/20150724_112036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUecrQX6YsoKBABt-nN432Cgy76Xk1omys9E1A7wel6BdC_a4Fx-Hi2qC_gCoUfWcRRN4sigLxX7vJVj6WrLPA3JpiIGpaZ20s-zRBsRWBHMDy8uvjgPOZqdBHeFH1LI8Qj_bAfRox3A/s400/20150724_112036.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Job's Peak summit with Tahoe in the distance - 10,600 ft.</td></tr>
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No climber today attempts an important summit without a weather forecast. But did you know that by following certain vital signs, we can also predict your chances for success?</div>
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So before a climb, get a weather forecast. And before and during a climb, follow and stream your body's vitals. And improve your chances of coming back.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://wicis-sports.com/images/wicisFB.png" height="223" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Streaming to Facebook with the wicis-sports App</td></tr>
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<a href="http://wicis-sports.com/">WiCis-Sports</a> - share your body's vitals and whereabouts, and then return safely.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Lake Tahoe, United States39.0968493 -120.032350738.7024873 -120.6777977 39.4912113 -119.38690369999999