Everest 2018: Final Preparations and More Rules.

As we approach mid-March, some families around the world are shifting their minds to Everest. Soon they will make that drive to the airport to send their loved-one away for two months knowing they are going on an adventure of their life. For the climbers, this is all about the dream. For the ones left behind, they only have one dream – to hug them once again.

By now, all the gear is bought, the training is complete and all that is left is to leave nothing left unsaid. For the climbers, once they sit down in that airplane seat, the journey begins. Hopefully all the work over the last year, all the climbs over the past decade have lead to this point. They are well prepared and empowered with positive support.

Icefall

The Icefall Doctors are almost to Everest Base Camp on the Nepal side per this article in the Himalayan. This is normal and there have been requests from the large commercial operators to get the route in by 1 April to allow the upper camps to be established and reduce the crowds on the route by spreading the climbers out.

I like that the article list the Sherpas names, who will make $3,000 each for the two month season. Climbers pay $600 each to use the route. This fee is usually part of their overall expedition price.

• Ang Kami Sherpa of Chaurikharka – 66 year-old Leader
• Ang Sarki Sherpa
• Ngim Dorjee Sherpa
• Mingma Chhiri Sherpa
• Yangda Sherpa
• Mingma Temba Sherpa
• Nima Wangchu Sherpa
• Dawa Jangbu,
• Ngawang Thangten Sherpa – kitchen staff
• Mingma Dorjee Sherpa – kitchen staff

Route Evolution

The route thru the Khumbu Icefall has changed over the decades based on ice conditions and objective dangers. Of course the ice serac release in 2014 that took 16 lives was the most recent, and deadly, Icefall tragedy. That year the route followed the 1952 Swiss attempt hugging the left shoulder. While the ice was more stable (glaciers move less at their edges) it was directly underneath tons of hanging ice seracs.

The next year it moved more towards the center and last year was even closer to Nuptse. Obviously there are hanging seracs off Nuptse so it becomes a judgement call as to where to put the route. Ang Kami Sherpa, the leader of the Icefall Doctors has been fixing the route for 20 years. A couple of years ago, long time Everest climbers and observers, Pete Athens and David Brasheres provided consulting to the Doctors on route placement based on high resolution aerial photographs.

This year, 2018, the Docs have a slight benefit in that Alex Txikon’s team put the route in for their ill-fated winter attempt. It’s not known which route they selected i.e. left, center, right but most certainly it was more to the right than left.

Khumbu Icefall routes

Interview with Mike Farris: Alone on Everest.

Author: Alan Arnette.
Courtesy of www.alanarnette.com © reproduction prohibited without authorization.

A constant debate within the climbing community is not what you climb, but how you climb. Style. It is all about style. Mike Farris found himself in the middle of this argument on the summit of Everest last spring.

He climbed with style but paid a price with the removal of portions of seven fingers, both big toes, and portions of six smaller toes.

Climbing pundits will rate Reinhold Messner as a superior climber to Ed Viesturs even though both climbed the fourteen highest mountains on earth without supplemental oxygen. Messner climbed new routes and Viesturs used standard routes. Messner had superior “style” according to the pundits.

Mike had over 30 years of climbing under his belt. He is an experienced rock and ice climber and a veteran of five 8000 meter expeditions including K2.

Mike has written a book entitled The Altitude Experience: Successful Trekking and Climbing Above 8,000 Feet, where he explains the details of high altitude climbing.

In other words, Mike was quite experienced when it came to altitude.

He did not go to Everest believing it was “easy”. He wrote prior to his climb about Everest:

Nobody who has climbed it has said that it’s easy. It is technically easier that K2 (second highest) and Kangchenjunga (third highest peak), both of which I’ve attempted, but there are still difficult sections high up on the mountain, and of course the extreme altitude has a major effect. So it’s a real mistake to underestimate the difficulty of any peak.

Yet with all his experience, this Professor of biology at Hamline University in Saint Paul, MN found himself alone on top of the world, late in the day and running low on oxygen. His goal was to climb as an independent climber. Before the climb, he explained what climbing in style meant to him:

• Using most of the available fixed rope is unavoidable. I have to be content with the knowledge that I could climb the route without them, if need be. This doesn’t include the icefall, which requires fixed ropes for safety’s sake for all climbers.
• Anything I want to use above Base Camp, including oxygen, is carried by me. I won’t have any Sherpas carrying tents, food, fuel, stoves, etc. Except:
• Most teams set up an Advanced Base Camp at about 6400m (21,000 ft) and have a kitchen staff to prepare meals. Since I’m paying for this service anyway, I will use this ABC facility.
• I will use the minimum amount of bottled oxygen needed for safety. I won’t know what that amount is until I assess my level of acclimatization and fitness.

He made it to the South Col per his plan and left at 10:00 PM – alone.

I have followed Mike for years and find him a confident individual who strives to do his best in the high altitude world. I was curious about his decisions on Everest, his thoughts on style and on the other climbers who probably saved his life.

Q: You wanted to climb Everest in ”style”. What did that mean to you exactly and why was that important?

I began as a rock and ice climber at a time when style was very important and changing rapidly. No pitons, no aid climbing, no step cutting–all very different from the 1960s. The emphasis was on skill rather than equipment. As the author of two rock climbing guidebooks I’ve had to think a lot about style for the benefit of the guidebook users. I think this has carried over into my high altitude mountaineering. Mark Jenkins’ book ” A Man’s Life” has a wonderful chapter on climbing style, and I recommend that to anybody contemplating climbing a high peak.

At many levels, style is a completely personal choice. If your goal is to collect summits, you may not care how you get up or down. If the journey is more important than the destination, then style does matter. I wanted to have a satisfying experience; the summit would be great but not essential. Given the reality of Mount Everest on the standard routes, I had to decide what was feasible for me to do. For me, climbing in good style meant using the least amount of outside help possible. I used the fixed rope and the kitchen at ABC; otherwise I carried my own gear and oxygen. I didn’t use supplemental oxygen below the South Col.

The truly committed stylist would have avoided the fixed ropes as well. Safety has also been central to my climbing ethic, so I wasn’t willing to go that far as an independent climber.

Q: On your summit bid, you were climbing alone – no teammates or Sherpas. You are an experienced mountaineer with five 8000m attempts at that point but why choose to go it alone?

There is a difference between being with people and being alone. Above 8000 m you’re really alone unless you’re traveling with a group large enough to evacuate an incapacitated climber. Of course a partner serves other purposes: psychological support and help with decision-making. Up to this point I’ve never had a problem traveling alone on 8000 m peaks. I suppose it was part of the test I gave myself–could I do it completely on my own? In this case, I couldn’t.

Q: Let’s look at your summit night. You climbed to the Balcony in 8 hours, which is on the slow side and then arrived at the South Summit around 10:45 AM, almost 12 hours after leaving the South COl. This was quite late. Did you consider turning back then given your pace?

Yes. I had a constant discussion with myself from about 3 AM onward. Once I reached the Balcony and changed oxygen bottles, I felt I was moving better. At about 9:30 AM I set a turnaround time of 11 AM if I hadn’t reached the South Summit. When I arrived there at 10:45 AM I felt okay. I had been moving faster and the weather was reasonable. Everything seemed under control–though slow– and I knew there were ropes all the way to the top.

Q: Your summit was at 1:39 PM and you were alone on the top of the world. Your thoughts on that moment?

Phil Crampton, leader of Altitude Junkies (my BC provider) radioed from Base Camp and said, “leave in five minutes!” and I agreed. So I shot a little video and went down. It was quite windy and the clouds were starting to boil up near the summit of Loki. I suppose I realized just how alone I was at that point.

Q: As you descended, the trouble began. From your report it is not clear if you suffered from AMS but you became disoriented and after almost 17 hours after leaving the South COl you were sighted by various other climbers. Can you tell us any memories of how you felt? The cold, frostbite, being scared, hallucinations?

I was descending under control and wasn’t all that far from the Balcony when my oxygen ran out. My slow progress was due to a faulty regulator, and I was probably getting about half the oxygen flow that I should have been. I remember descending below the rocky buttress below the South Summit. Aside from a fleeting memory of shivering I have essentially no memories from 5:30pm until Bernice Noteboom and Walter Laserer found me after midnight, hypothermic and partially undressed near the Balcony. I experienced no hallucinations, no fear-nothing. I believe that I became hypothermic soon after my oxygen supply ran out. I quit making good decisions and forming memories, but I still was making radio contact with the South col and descending the ropes with proper technique.

Q: Members from several other teams gave aid to get you down to the South Col. Any thoughts on other teams giving you assistance?

I have the utmost gratitude for all of those who helped me. Until I spoke with Bernice and Walter in Kathmandu I had absolutely no idea what had happened!  It took several months to piece together the story as I know it now. Bernice and Walter spent valuable time on their ascent getting me restarted down the hill . Russell Brice, his ascending HimEx team, and his Sirdar Phurba Tashi provided crucial aid in my amazingly slow descent below the Balcony. I’ve tried to come up with a complete list of those who helped — it’s in the report on my website. I’d love to add the names of anyone else who contributed.

As I wrote in my book, part of the compact one enters into on these routes is an implicit agreement to help one another. I was heartened to see the willingness of many other groups to help somebody they didn’t even know. I’m very glad that nobody missed out on the summit as the result of my misadventures.

Q: You were using the best high altitude oxygen system available with Poisk and a Top-Out mask but still there seemed to be a failure. How can this be avoided?

It’s clear to me that I just got a bad regulator. I should have carried a spare. I had no problems with the Top-Out mask.

Q: What are your thoughts a year later on your experience. Specifically any advice for 8000m climbers wanting to go as independent as possible?

This was my first accident in 35 years of climbing. I’ve been lucky before, but this was too much! I came extremely close to a non-eventful climb an extremely close to death. Except for the Khumbu Icefall, Everest may be the safest big peak I’ve attempted. Certainly K2 and Kangchenjunga were far more dangerous.

Independent climbers should do their share: either provide, carry, and fixed rope or contribute financially. Get to know as many people as possible (which I found hard to do on Everest). Especially on Everest, travel with a respected BC provider. They know how things work behind the scenes and have worked with the majorplayers in the past. I know that made my situation easier.The independent climber can afford to take fewer chances. I forgot that rule on summit day.

Q: You had had surgery to remove portions of seven fingers, both big toes, and portions of six smaller toes. How are you today?

I’m healing quite well; it’s more of an inconvenience than a disability. I’m running, climbing indoors, and if I wasn’t so lazy I’d be outside ice climbing and cross country skiing more often. I frost nipped my fingers and toes many times over the years, which led to my injuries being more severe than we first thought. I could easily still be sitting up there, serving as a grim landmark for future climbers. In that light my injuries don’t seem bad at all.

Mike with Bernice Notenboom and Walter Leserer

Thanks Mike for your courage and candidness. We hope to see you back in the mountains soon!

Climb On!

Alan

* Source : – Alan Arnette : 2010 Everest expeditions.

* Related Links :

– Interview with Anne-Mari Hyryläinen: The First Finnish Woman on Everest?

– Everest 2010: South Side Update from IMG’s Eric Simonson.

– Everest 2010: North Side Update from an Expert – Jamie McGuinness.

– Everest 2010: South Side Update and Safety On The Mountain.

– Himalaya Spring 2010 expeditions.

– 2010 climbing season kick-off: Everest and Himalaya list of expeditions!

– Everest 2010 season – Expeditions with any British Teams or Britons.

– Everest 2010: An Interview with Phil Crampton of Altitude Junkies.

– ExplorersWeb Year 2009 in Review: Farewell to friends.

– Alan Arnette’s Everest 2010 Coverage Begins, Double Traverse Announced!

– Everest Spring 2010 preview: Kaltenbrunner & Dujmovits.

* Previous story :

– The Great Himalaya Trail Set To Open Next Year!

– Everest — Gear For The Expedition.

– Feburary and March Climbing Events by American Alpine Institute.

– Yet More On The Haines Everest Supersuit.

– AAC Book Club: Book Sale and Other February News.

– Lei Wang – Asian American woman to beat record in climbing Seven Summits.

– More Thoughts on Mallory, Irvine and the Camera.

– An Urgent Request from EverestER.

– Alan Arnette Explains The Champion Everest Supersuit.

* Polish Himalayas – Become a Fan

** zapraszam na relacje z wypraw polskich himalaistów.

Interview with Anne-Mari Hyryläinen: The First Finnish Woman on Everest?

Author: Alan Arnette.
Courtesy of www.alanarnette.com © reproduction prohibited without authorization.

Finland is usually associated with Nordic sports like ski jumping and cross country skiing. Now Anne-Mari Hyryläinen wants to make history by being the first Finnish woman to summit Everest.

An accomplished marathoner, she saw Mount Everest for the first time while bicycling from Lhasa to Kathmandu. She stopped at the north side base camp and the dream was born.

Her training has taken her to Europe and Asia including Mount Blanc (traverse, Goutier 3-summits route) and several 6/7000 meter high peaks in Nepal (incl. Tukuche Peak, Chulu West, Kang Guru).

She currently lives in Dubai with her husband so the cold and harsh weather of Everest may be a welcome change from the heat and sand of the desert! While training for marathons she experiences the hardships of the coldest of conditions which is excellent preparation for Everest.

Anne-Mari explains:

Marathon is a very challenging sport requiring high level of performance over an extended period of time. It is the very character and the challenges of this sport that make it so interesting. Good performance requires hard and persistent training and well-planned preparations; Plenty of fluids, right kind of nutrition etc.

When the time comes for Everest I’ll be in top shape physically. Hard training and the competition season guarantees strong basic stamina. During February and March I will concentrate fully on Everest. Sure there will be minor competitions to attend to till departure but the Dubai Marathon was the main event for this season. Soon speed training will be replaced by running stairs in order to build endurance. We live on the 32nd floor which will guarantee breaking a sweat whenever coming from or going to home.

She will not be alone on Everest with  her goal. Her fellow countrywoman, Carina Räihä, is also trying to be the first Finnish woman to summit Everest. Only eight Fins have summited Everest, all were men. And of course the most famous is Veikka Gustafsson who went on to summit all the 14 mountains over 8000 meters without supplemental oxygen.

Anne-Marie took a moment from her training to talk about her goal.

Q: Please tell us why Everest is an important goal for you?

Because I would like to be the first Finnish woman to summit Everest.  It would be a honor to make some Finnish climbing history. For the very first time when I saw Everest with my own eyes was on a honeymoon bicycling trip from Lhasa to Kathmandu. Along the way we visited Everest Base Camp, North side. Seeing Everest and many other 8000ers gave me a sparkle of motivation to actually one day climb these giants. It was clear that Everest would have to be among the first ones. I also believe that it is easier to get sponsors if you are climbing Everest instead of some order 8000ers peaks. But I was wrong.

Q: Have you consulted with your famous country climber, Veikka Gustafsson?

Unfortunately not. Veikka is very much my idol and it would be very nice to meet him some day.  Maybe some time when I am visiting in Finland  I like Veikkas “style” how he is doing things.

Q: Your fellow countrywoman, Carina Räihä, is also trying to be the first Finnish woman to summit Everest. Is this a race between you?

I don’t see Carina as my competitor. Mountain climbing is no joking matter. I don’t like to think that mountains are a running track or a play field. If I am unsuccessful in some running races there are always some new races coming. If I am unsuccessful in mountain climbing it is possible to risk my life. In the mountain I am focusing only on my climbing.  But of course my goal is to be the first. My mind is very competitive and I hate loosing.  If we both have same day summit push of course then I try to be first on the top.

Q: How was your training climbs in Nepal this past Fall. What were your key lessons from the climbs that you will apply on Everest?

I have been climbing in Nepal now three times: Chulu West, Kang Guru and Tukuche Peak. In every expedition I have been learning many new things, especially in Kang Guru Expedition 2008.  It is more safer and easier if you are a strong climber. I have learned that for Everest one has to be in top shape physically, mentally strong and also a fast climber. Never lose your focus. It is important to understand your own body and to know how it works under stress.

Q: Can you talk about how you mentally train for marathons and how you will use that on Everest?

I put myself a certain target and then focus on that. I have a strong discipline and I always tell myself that “ never give up”. Competitions are great mental training also for Everest. When I am running competitions I have to forget all the pains in the body and focus on grossing the finish line. However, I need to respect the marathon distance (42.195 km) and to know my own limits. But I cannot be afraid! It is the same with Everest.  I am absolutely passionate about sports and enjoy testing my own physical and mental boundaries and pushing them further and further whenever possible.

Q: Any fears about the climb?

I do not have any fears about the climb. I love it! But having said that, I have a great respect for the mountains. I really to hope that Chomolangma gives me an opportunity to summit this year!

Q: You are filming a documentary about your climb. Can you tell us a bit about it?

The Sky Climbers team: Jussi Juutinen (climber, cameraman), Anne-Mari Hyryläinen (climber), Lhakpa Sherpa (climber, cameraman, group sherpa), Jani Einolander (editor in B.C.) and Tuukka Kouri is the director of the documentary is filming the entire Everest expedition into a documentary film “Sky Climbers – The Journey to Everest”.

The film will follow Sky Climbers team from the early preparations to the slopes of Everest covering training seasons, the challenges of mountaineering and the local Sherpa culture. The film will inspect the mental and physical aspects of mountaineering and ponder on the questions “why climb mountains?” and “what makes people travel voluntarily into dangerous and extreme environments?”

Q: Any other thoughts for your followers this year?

I am hoping in the future that I can climb more mountains and to be able to develop on that. Definitely I am back in running and training after Everest, maybe some ultra run in the future.

We wish Ann-Mari, her team and Carina all the best on their expeditions. She will be climbing with Phil Crampton’s Altitude Junkies. You can follow her at her site.

Climb On!
Alan

* Source : – Alan Arnette : 2010 Everest expeditions.

* Related Links :

– Everest 2010: South Side Update from IMG’s Eric Simonson.

– Everest 2010: North Side Update from an Expert – Jamie McGuinness.

– Everest 2010: South Side Update and Safety On The Mountain.

– Himalaya Spring 2010 expeditions.

– 2010 climbing season kick-off: Everest and Himalaya list of expeditions!

– Everest 2010 season – Expeditions with any British Teams or Britons.

– Everest 2010: An Interview with Phil Crampton of Altitude Junkies.

– ExplorersWeb Year 2009 in Review: Farewell to friends.

– Alan Arnette’s Everest 2010 Coverage Begins, Double Traverse Announced!

– Everest Spring 2010 preview: Kaltenbrunner & Dujmovits.

* Previous story :

– The Great Himalaya Trail Set To Open Next Year!

– Everest — Gear For The Expedition.

– Feburary and March Climbing Events by American Alpine Institute.

– Yet More On The Haines Everest Supersuit.

– AAC Book Club: Book Sale and Other February News.

– Lei Wang – Asian American woman to beat record in climbing Seven Summits.

– More Thoughts on Mallory, Irvine and the Camera.

– An Urgent Request from EverestER.

– Alan Arnette Explains The Champion Everest Supersuit.

* Polish Himalayas – Become a Fan

** zapraszam na relacje z wypraw polskich himalaistów.

zapraszam do subskrypcji mego bloga

ExWeb special: Women in Himalaya – Amazons fighting the Dark Ages.

Himalayan climbers risk everything: time, money, career, comfort, health, even their lives. In the case of women, the toll seemingly also includes motherhood.

According to records, avid female mountaineers tend to delay childbirth and give up the passion altogether once they become mothers. The men instead, keep climbing.

It seems to come down to a difference in circumstances. Alison’s husband was somewhat willing to care for their kids while she was away but her situation has proved unique. There are virtually no mothers climbing in Himalaya, and ExWeb’s Angela Benavides caught up with some of today’s women mountaineers to check what they think about it.

Kinga: no chance for a “normal” family life

“It is very difficult for women to climb in the Himalayas and have a ‘normal’ family life at the same time,” Polish 6x8000ers summiteer Kinga Baranowska, 33, told ExplorersWeb, “most of all when the kids are small.”

“Very few women in Poland had kids while they were active climbers – usually they quit climbing the moment they decided to raise a family. Take Anna Okopinska for instance: she was the first female GII summiteer in 1975, and a very good climber.”

Badia: “I guess the men have a wife to take care of their children”

Mexican Badia Bonilla – married to fellow climber Mauricio Lopez – strongly believes in giving up kids while climbing as an act of responsibility.

“In my opinion, we women climbers shouldn’t have children since the risk of having an accident is too high,” Badia told ExWeb. “Such event would affect the kids most than anyone – they would be left orphans or in care by strangers. In my case, at 43 years I can only consider adoption as an option – and would definitely not make such a decision until I’m done with dangerous mountains. Mauricio, my husband, agrees on this.”

“As for male climbers with children at home, they tend to be less strict – their parental feelings are not that strong and therefore they take greater risks,” Bonilla said. “I guess they have a wife to take care of the children should anything happen. However, I have known men giving up close summits alleging they love their kids too much.”

Oh Eun-Sun: “It’s difficult to find a man who understands”

Also 43 years old, South Korean female top climber (13 8000ers) Oh Eun Sun pretty much agrees.

“Himalayan mountains are merciless,” she said. “Therefore, since I started my project I have been fully focused on climbing and never considered to start a family.”

“When climbing in the Himalayas, there is a very thin line separating life and death – critical moments are too common. In addition, expeditions involve long stays abroad, making it extremely difficult to take care of a family at home.”

Moreover, Miss Oh keeps little hope to find a supportive partner while climbing full time. “It’s difficult to find a man sensitive enough to understand the life I lead,” she reflected. “I wish I was lucky to find someone like that: I would definitely marry him right away :-)”

“As for children – I believe I would be unable to focus on the climb while missing them too much,” Eun Sun added. “My parents suffer while I am away – there is nothing I can do about it. But I can at least be serious enough not to get a husband and children involved in my complicated life-style.”

“I would like to have a family after I complete the 14x8000ers project though – as long as I find the right person, that is,” she ended.

Edurne: “It is simply not fair”

Miss Oh’s closest rival in the 14x8000ers race Edurne Pasaban agrees that the right partner is what’s most important.

“It’s not impossible to have a family and a climbing career at the same time,” the 36 years old Basque climber put down. “As long as you find a ‘special someone’ – that meaning, someone special enough to understand you and support you.”

“Society is rather unfair to female climbers and mothers. Apparently there is nothing wrong with male climbers risking their lives in the mountains while leaving a family at home – but the public often jumps mothers who want to climb. In my opinion, both parents are equally important for a child, and so I see no difference whether it’s the father or the mother who climbs!”

“Right now I am not planning on having children – but that’s just because I’m not in the right circumstances,” Edurne told ExWeb. “I’m constantly on the move, I don’t have a partner, and so I wouldn’t be considering kids even if I did something else for a living.”

“As for the future – of course I don’t discard it; I’d actually like to have children someday, why not?”

“Supermom” Monika Kalozdi: the exception

Younger or older, married or single – avid women mountaineers are apparently bound to choose between climbing and motherhood; they may experience both but not at the same time. Even recreational female climbers with small children are extremely rare, but not non-existent.

“Supermom” Monika Kalozdi of New Orleans somehow managed to run a company, take care of her family, train hard – and climb Cho Oyu and Everest. She checked her kids’ homework over satellite phone and finally dedicated her Everest summit to her three children.

Husband Jeno was key of course. “We have been married 23 years,” Monika said. “From the very beginning Jeno has been my best friend, my business partner, and now my biggest supporter and fan. He is the spirit on my expeditions. He works out all the logistics, finds me all the books and videos I need to study for a climb, and supports and encourages my training schedules. Without him I could not do this.”

“I believe that mom and dad are equally important in raising the family,” Monika added. “Just like we share work, we share the kids. Examples need to be set by both parents, both in parenting as well as in your daily life.”

“As a woman, I believe I have been able to show my daughter that she can do anything she sets her mind to,” Monika said. “And to my boys I believe I have taught them to see women as equals.”

ExWeb co-founder Tina, “we are still in the Dark Ages”

ExWeb’s co-founder Tina Sjogren is an all-round explorer, with a summit of Everest, ski-expeditions to both poles and ocean crossings. Next, she hopes to travel to Mars with her husband Tom. “To me it was an early choice,” she said. “I knew since childhood I wanted a different life.”

“But it’s not easy for any woman to go against society in such a deep-rooted matter as motherhood; I’ve fought both pitty and judgement. We are still primitive animals, and it is part of our nature to reject, attack even, anything that differs from ‘the pack’.”

“We’re selfish they say – which is funny in light of our population problem. We’ll regret it, they threaten, but few speak about those who caved in spending the rest of their lives wondering what might have been. ”

“The guilt trips are stunning, especially those imposed on us by most religions. It’s about power by numbers but believe me, my God has nothing to do with that, that’s a human thing. Our species is not as important in the Universe as we like to think and our purpose goes beyond feeding and breeding (ask any dinosaur). Beside our gene pool, we should consider our legacy.”

“It’s clear from the above interviews that we remain in the Dark Ages when it comes to this issue. Women explorers are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. The message to us is frankly: stay home!”

“As for explorers (of both sexes) putting their kids at risk of becoming orphants: in my experience the memory of an extraordinary parent can be far more empowering than being raised by a bitter or indifferent individual. You can be there (or not) in so many ways.”

“There are so many musts and shouldn’ts, we attack mothers who are too young, too old, have too many kids, or none at all. We are much less worried about justice, freedom and progress. Women can only shine if they live by a strong, free will. And so while I’m different, to those who want many kids I say go for it, heck, have 2 more on me!”

“Whether we choose to have children at age 15, 65 or not at all; I hope that our independent decisions will empower both sexes to live by their hearts rather than society’s norms. Such lives are no doubt the most rewarding and in my mind, the most useful in the big picture of it all.”

* Related Links :
ExWeb interview with Monika Kalozdi
Edurne Pasaban’s website
Badia Bonilla’s website
Oh Eun Sun/Black Yak’s website
Kinga Baranowska’s website
ExWeb’s women series, part 1: Himalaya – no place for mothers?
ExWeb’s women series, part 2: Himalaya – perfect place for a date?

* Polish Himalayas – Become a Fan

Exweb Week-In-Review is sponsored by HumanEdgeTech the world’s premier supplier of expedition technology. Our team helps you find ultra light expedition tech that works globally.

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* Read these stories – and more! – at ExplorersWeb.com

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