Everest/First Ascents: 27,600 Feet And Climbing
Whittaker and Viesturs near the summit
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This spring, superstar mountaineers Ed Viesturs, Dave Hahn, and Peter Whittaker will tackle Everest as the First Ascent team. Joined by some of climbing’s best and brightest young talent, this Eddie Bauer-sponsored group of all-stars will chronicle their trek to the top of the world right here on BACKPACKER.com with daily blog updates, videos, photos, and more.
Half the First Ascents team is in the midst of making their summit bid. Peter Whittaker reports from 27,600 feet, in an area on Everest known as the Balcony.
Transcript:
Linden Mallory, Base Camp Manager (LM): Go ahead Peter this is base.
Peter Whittaker, Expedition Leader (PW): Hey Linden. We are, according to our altimeter, at about 27,600 feet, a few hundred feet below the balcony. Over.
(LM): Copy that Peter. Nice work up there. You guys are making great time. Over.
(PW): Copy that. Beautiful night. We got a quarter moon over Tibet, very light wind and it’s a beautiful, beautiful night. Over.
(LM): Copy Peter. Nice job up there. Keep up the good work. Over.
(PW): 10-4. We’ll keep moving and check-in here in a bit.
(LM): Copy Peter. Base camp standing by.
The content of this blog has been provided by Born Out There, the First Ascents blog. For more on the expedition, go to http://blog.firstascent.com. And for more climber footage, watch our video interview with Viesturs, Hahn, Whittaker, and more.