KATHMANDU, Nepal (Everest News),
April 7, 2008:
Yuichiro Miura and Team Miura have decided to change its route for Qomolangma (Everest) ascent to Nepal from its original plan of taking its course from China.
Yuichiro Miura has been preparing the ascent of Qomolangma from the Chinese side with his record breaking age of 75 this spring with his second son Gota (age 38). However, due to the civil unrest in Tibetan plateau erupting in mid March, the Tibetan area had been restricted of its entrance, and the team was unable to proceed to Qomolangma Base Camp area on April 5th in accordance to the original plan.
It is still unknown for all foreign expeditions to Mt. Qomolangma including Team Miura as to when the area will be cleared for entrance.
In ascending the world’s highest peak Mt. Everest (8848m), having ample time is crucial for acclimatization and transferring of goods to higher camps. Weather condition also restricts the window of opportunity for ascent to a certain period in May in this season, as wind jet streams of more than 40m/s lingers in extremely high altitude above 8000m at this time of the year and monsoon season soon arrives after late May.
Thus, setting of base camp by late April at the latest is necessary, and Team Miura had been considering the option of changing the route to the Nepalese side in case the entrance to Tibetan area leading to Qomolangma base camp did not clear in time. As the time ran out, Team Miura had officially applied for the climbing permit to Nepal yesterday, April 6.
After the 2003 Everest ascent as the oldest summiter at age 70 years and 7 months at the time, Yuichiro Miura had been suffering serious case of arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and arterial fibrillation (irregular shaking of atrium) and had undergone two arrhythmia operations (Catheter Ablation). Yet to fulfill his dream of standing on the highest peak of the world once again, he had been training and gone to four training expeditions in the past 4 years, targeting his personal peak both physically and mentally to the ascent in spring 2008.
After departing Japan on March 20, his first acclimatization trekking in Nepal to 5000m point in altitude was a great success as his condition was at its best in the past 4 years.
The ascent from Nepalese side will not be easy this year, as the climbing activities will be restricted until the Chinese Olympic Torch expedition succeeds in its summit, and the area is expected to be heavily congested as many expeditions that originally planned the Chinese route are changing its course to Nepal just like Team Miura.
Yet, with Yuichiro’s strong will and motivation of “We are here to climb, so we will” spirit prevails within the team, and will not give up its long desired dream to summit the highest peak on earth.
Team Miura will depart Kathmandu for Lukra(2800m) on April 8, before the Nepalese constituent assembly election, and will arrive at the Everest Base Camp (5300m) on April 21, after 13 days of 60km caravan. Since climbing activities are currently restricted on Everest up to Camp 2 (6400m) until May 10, acclimatization will be conducted to C2, and will attempt for the summit according to the weather after May 10.
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