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View Full Version : Hard New Route on the Big E to be attempted by Korean Team.


shanja
03-30-2009, 09:38 PM
Finally after years of people trudging (or being hauled) up fixed lines past piles of rubbish and fallen climbers, a Korean team is getting back to a truer spirit of Everest (or Chomolungma/ Sagarmartha) climbing. A new hard line away from the commercial crowds on the daunting South West Face!
Lead by Park Yeong-seok (박영석) who already has the "Grand Slam" (all 14 8000m peaks plus both poles) to his credit and a lot more besides (you see cartoons of him and his team on all those Korean North Face T-shirts). The Korean team are looking to tackle a massive route that lies west of both the Russian Route and the seminal Bonnington route. These are the only two routes to date on this face and both were hailed as possibly the hardest routes in the Hims in their day. So we can expect that the Koreans are up against a very committing and tricky challenge indeed! SBS Tv will be sending a crew to record the trials and experience of the Korean team, so it should be easy enough to get updates on progress from time to time.
It's just so wonderful t see someone returning Everest to exploration and unknown outcome type mountaineering. The very best of luck and safety to all the members.

TLayne
04-01-2009, 08:48 PM
Hell yeah. That is wild! Not only climbing the worlds highest peak, but doing it on a first ascent. That takes balls. true mountaineering. Reinhold Messner would approve.

shanja
05-20-2009, 12:14 PM
Here is an update, apparently the lads will make the summit push sometime today, a day delayed because "Sherpas were unable to bring enough gear up in time for the original summit date", indicating that the route is indeed a fearsomely tough one.
http://www.outdoornewswire.com/v/current/htdocs/etc/sa.php/63617465676f72794c6162656c3d436c696d62696e67266c6f 636174696f6e3d323030372f30332f31313734353036343732 2672737349643d34373438
http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=15796

yandy
05-20-2009, 12:34 PM
"past piles of rubbish" "away from the commercial crowds" Seems kind of ironic that it's Koreans avoiding these things.

Good luck to them.

shanja
05-20-2009, 10:53 PM
Ironic, yeah kinda I guess...but then again, sad to say the piles of rubbish were put there by a great many nationals...hence KMPL and KOTR are doing the inaugural Clean Up Himalaya Expedition this July-August.

BUT the big news from the Big E is that the Korean team under Park Yeong-seok have in fact SUCCEDDED!!!!:whoo: :peace: :thumb: :clap2: :rockon:
They topped out today in nigh perfect weather up what some are calling the hardest RW face route ever done. Seeing it on the news tonight, it was a pretty wild technical route and though they used Oxygen...I'll forgive them that this time, as they also have said they didn't leave a single empty cannister on the hill, nor will they at their camps.

Hopefully this will inspire people away from repeating endlessly Yak Routes and "fake climbs" up routes someone else has pre-rigged for them with every concievable assistance in place. Jumaring a fixed line all the way, is just not climbing no matter how you spin it.

Mega congratulations to the Koreans, proving that they can be as daring, innovative and skilled as any in the Hims. Top-bloody-effort and very well done indeed! Very damned proud of you all!

yandy
05-21-2009, 12:31 AM
I was thinking more of the rubbish and crowds in Korean National Parks. I'm sure Korean professional mountaineers are pretty responsible on an international scene, probably more so than most.

Here's the news clip:

http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LS2D&mid=sec&sid1=103&sid2=245&oid=055&aid=0000159606

Looks pretty amazing. Congratulations!