For almost three months, I have been following the team of my inspiration on the outdoor adventure Conrad Anker and Emily Harrington on their Mt. Everest expedition. Along the way, I find out there are other acquaintances on the net that attempted this season too, Mark Hornell and Pablo Betancourt whom I met and had an opportunity of chatting at the basecamp of Mt. Aconcagua during this year's climbing season at South America. It's great to know that people whom I look up to, those I have personally meet and talk has embark on a big expedition I have been dreaming of doing. Have done such climb on a smaller scale,  but despite my minor experience I can relate what they have been going through up there, and it's a great feeling after several months of praying for their safety, they finally made it safe and sound down the big mountain. 
This write-up sums up everything that they went through up there. I'd like to re-post my friend's post about Everest 2012 climbing season: 
A great write-up on this season:
"Experienced is required, but not demanded by some organizers. “I 
trained while acclimatizing.”; no; you train for years before com...ing
 to Everest. Putting on your crampons is in your muscle memory, changing
 gloves is a system, not a conscious thought. You arrive at Everest with
 the mental toughness to push hard but the discipline to turn around." 
 I would  like congratulate those whom I know who summitted this year's Everest climbing season: The team of Conrad Anker and Emily Anne Harrington, you are always my inspiration. The team of Mark Horrell,
 whom his write up about Aconcagua becomes my guide climbing that 
mountain during last year's climbing season in South America, the team 
of Pablo Betancourt
 from Argentina whom I met at the basecamp of Mt. Aconcagua. You all are
 amazing and you all continue to inspire people like me who dream of 
doing the big mountains. Thank you for all the inspiration. 
 If there was one phrase to sum up this season where over 500 people summited Everest, it might be: risk management.
There were signs from the beginning that the Everest 2012 season 
would be different when Sherpas establishing base camp at the foot of 
the Khumbu Icefall reported that the upper mountain looked “dry”.
Once climbers started moving up higher, urgent requests were made to 
the Icefall Doctors to move the route in the upper Icefall away from 
Everest’s West Shoulder  where a huge snow and ice serac sat waiting to 
drop, potentially killing climbers and Sherpas making their way to the 
Western Cwm. Thus the tone was set.
The risks were abundant, more so than in other recent years. As teams
 discovered them, they evaluated each according to their own limits, 
some choose to leave, others to change, some pushed on. Similarly 
individuals saw the risks up close and some choose to leave, other 
modified their approach and, sadly, some simply refused to acknowledge 
the obvious and paid a heavy price.
Everest attracts attention only when there is drama and there was 
plenty this season but what was not reported were the huge successes, 
the joys and satisfaction felt by hundreds who accomplished their dream 
or successfully worked another season to provide a better life for their
 families.
Setting the Stage
On the cusp of the season, two big public announcements were made by 
world-class companies.  They focused on the 1963 climb of the West Ridge
 of Everest that served as a milestone in mountaineering and remains a 
benchmark for ambition today. That 1963 expedition saw two teams aiming 
to meet on the summit with one climbing the dangerous West Ridge and the
 other climbing the Southeast Ridge. It was an epic of success and 
danger if there ever was one. Perhaps an omen for 2012.
The plan was to recreate the summit dual climb event. One team was 
sponsored by National Geographic and The North Face and another separate
 effort through Eddie Bauer, all with ties to the original effort. They 
made their announcement and invited people to follow along with special 
websites and applications. I joined the excitement of following 
world-class climbers striving to accomplish something special.
Even with this special event, 2012 looked to be a “normal” Everest 
season coming off a relatively quiet 2011 season with over 500 summits. 
Everyone settled in for the next two months.
The Early Signs
The season got underway as every season does with the Sherpas arriving in mid March to establish base camps, climbers finishing training at home, saying goodbye to families and left for the annual migration through the life-changing Khumbu. One by one, team after team arrived at the base camp on the South or by Land Rover at the Chinese Base Camp on the North. The new climbers simply stared in awe, in anticipation; the veterans smiled inside; their stomachs churned.
The teams on both side held their pujas with local Lama’s reading 
from 300 year-old Tibetan prayer books asking the mountain Gods for 
permission to climb Chomolungma. They asked for forgiveness for the 
damage to the sacred mountain from the climber’s sharp spikes and tools 
and finally for their safety that they might return home to their 
families; Sherpas, porters, cooks, climbers – everyone.
As usual, the North was quiet as the standard communications 
difficulties prevented frequent updates but we followed their 
progression to Advanced Base Camp and on to the North Col. The winds 
kicked in early and never let up. It was cold. It was the North side of 
Everest. Nothing unusual
However, something was different on the South. It was windy, very 
windy, but also there were rocks falling down the Lhotse Face and the 
upper Icefall was a jumbled mass of house sized ice blocks, organized so
 that if one fell, they all might fall. The Sherpas, always the first to
 see the real Everest, began to talk. They didn’t like what they saw. 
Their decades of experience spoke to them in the night. The dangers were
 real, their tones were hushed.
But the progress continued. Camps were established in the Western 
Cwm. Thousands of pounds of tents, stoves, fuel, and food were carried 
on the backs of the Sherpas. Stepping back, this demonstration of human 
strength stands as an annual proof that anything can be done in this 
modern age without technology.
Rockfall
And then it began, the rockfall hit the Sherpas first. Reports 
emerged of broken arms, concussions, near misses. The expedition 
organizers grew increasingly concerned as the realization sunk in that 
Everest was not normal. Long time Everest climbers and observers let out
 the call that climate changes had finally taken place, melting the 
massive mountain, receding the glaciers; others simply said it was a low
 snow winter preventing the normal snow amounts that keep the loose 
rocks in their place. Objective observers noted that low snow winters 
are not uncommon, most recently occurring in 2008 when rock fall was 
also common above the South Col.
Regardless of the explanations, the high winds combined with little 
snow allowed rocks, small and large, to become deadly missiles on the 
Lhotse Face. Leaders stayed up at night wondering what the upper 
mountain must be like and the dangers for their teams – if they made it 
that far.
Sherpa Deaths
But something else was happening, Sherpas were dying. First was long 
time Sherpa, Karsang Namgyal Sherpa who died at base camp. Then Namgyal 
Tshering Sherpa fell from a ladder crossing a crevasse near Camp 1 into 
the abyss. As many Sherpas do, for many reasons, he choose not to clip 
into the safety lines and it cost him his life. And the third Sherpa 
death over several days occurred when Dawa Tenzing suffered a stroke in 
the Icefall. He was rushed to Katmandu but later died. The Sherpa 
community felt something was amiss on Sagarmatha.
A New Route
As the anxiety increased, the Sherpas continued carrying loads higher
 but now the leaders began to make choices. It was obvious the direct 
route up the Lhotse Face used for over a decade could be suicide. The 
South side experts directed their teams to investigate a safer 
alternative to the right of the Face, onto the Shoulder of Nuptse where 
they would be safer from the rockfall. The thought was that until the 
normal snowfall started, as they always have in May, use the natural 
cover of the snow and ice ridges on the Lhotse Face to protect the route
 from the rockfall. This was how it was done in the late 1990′s and maps
 even showed this was the route back in 1953.
The new route was put in and Sherpas began to use it for their 
carries to Camp 3 high on the Lhotse Face. Rocks continued to fall and a
 few misses occurred but the safety factor was dramatically improved. 
However, the route was longer, taking more time, using more energy. The 
Sherpas had mixed emotions as this fixed one problem but not the hanging
 serac teetering above the upper Icefall or those fragile ice blocks 
silently waiting to pounce. And they didn’t know what secrets the upper 
mountain held.
Avalanche
In spite of the winds not letting let up, teams pushed their way 
higher into the Western Cwm. But a bad surprise was in store. Camp 1 
located at the end of the Western Cwn near the top of the Icefall had 
been the subject of avalanches in the past but usually from the West 
Shoulder of Everest. In response, the Camp was moved closer to the high,
 sloping wall of Nuptse.
On April 28, the avalanche occurred. It came from Nuptse and hit many
 of the tents at Camp 1. Tents were lost and one Sherpa was swept into a
 crevasse. Only the fast action of guides, climbers and fellow Sherpas 
saved his life. He was evacuated by helicopter to Kathmandu where he 
recovered from broken ribs. The site of the Fishtail Air high altitude 
helicopter was becoming quite common this year.
Russell Brice declared something was terribly wrong and pulled his 
team back to base camp declaring a “hold” on further climbing. IMG and 
Peak Freaks had their teams reevaluate plans to spend a night at Camp 3.
The Weather
The winter and spring of 2012 had been eventful around the world with
 record snows in dry areas, drought in rainy ones, early tornados across
 the US and spring firestorms elsewhere. The Himalayas was no different.
 On peaks close to Everest, heavy snows created avalanches, stopped 
climbs and created havoc. In western Nepal a glacial dam broke killing 
hundreds.
On Everest proper, climbers began to wonder when the reliable summit 
window would emerge. The jet stream seemed to have taken a chair on the 
summit of Everest and was quite comfortable, thank you very much. 
Climbers posted reports of hearing a freight train roar above Camp 2.
Now halfway through a typical season, climbers were getting nervous. 
Many had not spent a night at Camp 3, usually viewed as required for 
their summit bid and proper acclimatization. The ropes had not been 
fixed on the Lhotse Face and the weather forecast was down right 
depressing.
Talks of the latest summit on record of May 21 in 2005 made for 
interesting dinner talk. Others added that Tenzing and Hillary summited 
on May 29 and some sniffed that the earliest was April 4 back in 1984. 
Some just ate dinner staring at their food.
But the unspoken concern was that if the weather shortened the season
 and compressed the summit days from a more or less 5 to 7 down to 4, 
the crowds would become a problem with hundreds of climbers with a wide 
range of skills all competing for the same real estate.
Climbers on the North spoke of feeling “trapped” not wanting to give 
up their hard earned high camp spots but wearing down quickly with 
sleepless nights in cold, tortuous winds.
The famous West Ridge teams became very quiet. No news was posted on 
their progress because there was not much progress. Not only were they 
dealing with winds but also very dangerous icy conditions.
Climbing with Hope
As the winds began to let up and the snow started to fall, teams 
began to move again. IMG sent up almost 20,000 feet of rope to Camp 2 in
 preparation for fixing the line to the summit once the weather allowed.
On May 4, over 50 climbers used the new route on the Lhotse Face to 
reach Camp 3. Some slept there but most were pleased to tag it and 
return to the safety of Camp 2.
A Big Decision
Rumors leaked over the weekend of May 5 that the best known Everest 
guide, Russell Brice, was pulling his entire team off the mountain. 
Rising to fame through the television series “Everest: Beyond the 
Limits” Brice’s public image was of a hard nosed man who demanded, and 
got, his way.
His critics loved to blame him for all the problems of Everest, his 
supporters were loyal to a fault. He had put climbers on the summit from
 both the North and South for over a decade never losing a client but 
had lost two Sherpas. This season, one of the early Sherpa deaths was 
one of his own.
With the rockfall and avalanches increasing, Brice consulted with his
 Sherpa Sirdar, Phurba Tasi, a man of immense experience and respect on 
Everest. The Sherpa told Brice “this is just too dangerous for me and my
 Sherpas.” Brice was forced with a decision. He poured over the weather 
maps trying to glean if the May snows would really come. He talked to 
other expedition leaders to understand if the new route was materially 
more safe; if a new route could be constructed in the Icefall.
He looked into the eyes of his clients who had spent $55,000, and 
years of their lives to climb Everest with this legend. The clients had 
trusted their lives to this man’s judgement.  A team of British wounded 
soldiers had trained with Brice on Manaslu the prior year were now the 
focus of the UK as they prepared to climbed the highest. All eyes were 
on the “Big Boss”.
He took his time, lost sleep and then made one of the most 
significant decisions in the history of commercially guided Everest 
expeditions; cancel all the climbs – Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse; over 
100 people from climbers to Sherpas to cooks and porters would leave the
 mountain ASAP.
He told the world on May 7 “I am no longer prepared to take that 
risk. Of course, there is the possibility that many other teams will 
reach the summit this season but we at Himalayan Experience are very 
concerned that a major accident could happen if we carry on moving 
through the icefall.”
The clients reacted predictably, some with outrage, others with 
understanding, all with extreme disappointment. There would be no 
refunds, the majority of the funds for an Everest expedition are long 
gone by the time climbers reach base camp. But Brice suggested if they 
wanted to return, they would receive a discount. He confirmed his intent
 to continue running Himalayan expeditions.
And they left.
The whispers began that Russ was too quick on his decision. The second guessing began.
The Ropes
As the Everest community digested Himex’s decision, the leaders 
continued with the business of climbing.  Ropes needed to be fixed to 
the summit and the clock was ticking. First it was the rockfall, now it 
was high winds and heavy snow that stopped the Sherpas from getting the 
safety line in; the backlog was growing.
Normally a team as large as Himex provides much of the manpower to 
get the ropes set. Without them the teams went back to the model they 
used before Brice came to the South side in 2009 from his years on the 
North. On May 9, the leaders met and recommitted themselves to a safe 
season.
They started working like they rarely do with ten teams contributing 
Sherpas to carry the heavy ropes and anchors as high as the South Col. 
They got the line to the South Col before the winds and snow returned on
 May 10.
The Crowds
The extra time built into an Everest expedition was being eaten away 
day by day. Knowing the season would stop at the end of May when the 
Icefall began to melt and the ladders removed; the talk shifted from 
Himex, rockfall and weather to crowds.
The largest concern for most climbers and operators are the 
bottlenecks on both sides of Everest at the well known spots – the 2nd 
Step on the North, the Hillary Step on the South, the entire Southeast 
Ridge. If the weather only allowed for a few summit days, cooperation be
 damned, it was everyone for themselves.
But this was a well known situation, nothing new to Everest guides. 
With total respect to the Reinhold Messner who in 1980 climbed Everest 
solo from the North, it takes a lot of people today to climb the highest
 mountain in the world. Even in 1963 when the coveted West Ridge was 
climbed, they used 900 porters, 37 Sherpas.
|  | |||
| 2012 Climbers at the Lhotse Face - | 
But one picture became the icon for Everest 2012. A line of climbers 
standing in single file seemingly stuck between Camp 3 and the Yellow 
Band. This picture went viral along with the outcries of over crowding, 
lack of adventure, sport gone wild and misguided thrill seekers. The 
press ate it up. They were deaf to the suggestion that this happens 
almost every year and crowds rarely were the cause of death on Everest. 
As long as there are sufficient summit days, the mountain is big enough 
to handle the load. 
Demands were made that the Nepal government should limit the number 
of climbers like they did before 1993 when it was one team per route. 
But the reality is that Everest is a money maker. In 2011, Everest 
brought in $9M to the Nepalese economy; a country with a per capita 
income of $473.
But with the press came the misconstrued warning that crowds would bring death, just like 1996. The stage was set.
The Window Opens
The magicians who forecast the weather put forth a prediction: There 
would be two windows: May 18 and May 25. Teams began to make their 
decisions. The early window was short, and windy but closer; the other 
was longer, and stable but further away. With the uncertainty and drama 
of the season thus far, many took the bird in the hand versus the two in
 the bush; as the saying goes.
With May 18, 19 and maybe the 20 being days of low winds, perhaps a 
bit high, but close to most leaders’ limit of 30 mph on the summit; 
teams got ready. Base Camps on both side took on new energy and 
excitement. Their time had come.
Teams returned from their R&R down valley back to the individual 
tents at base camp. They climbed the Khumbu Icefall once again, hoping 
it would be their last trip up. They arrived at Camp 2 and took a rest 
day and then climbed to Camp 3 sleeping on oxygen for the first time.
On their climb to the Camp 3, a small ice avalanche hit Camp 3 
destroying several tents and injuring a Sherpa. He was evacuated to 
Kathmandu.
The whispers began that Russ might have been right. The second guessing continued.
The warning cries of crowds grew louder. The climb from Camp 3 to the
 South Col took an extra two hours as some climbers struggled from the 
Yellow Band to the top of the Geneva Spur. The anxiety grew as this 
window had a short life, maybe 48 hours. Teams planed to get up on the 
night of the 18, summit the 19; repeat 19/20 and back down. Oh and one 
more thing, the fixed lines still had to be set to the summit for the 
safety of all but the most skilled and experienced.
On the North a similar scenario was emerging with a large Chinese 
team dominating the slopes creating a similar concern of bottlenecks.
First Summits
A team of Sherpas set out the evening of May 17 to set the route to 
the summit. This team of skilled Sherpas came from IMG, AAI, Peak 
Freaks, Chilean, 7 Summits.
On their heels was a Chilean team, 20 strong, lead by Chilean legend 
Rodrigo Jordan. They along with the rope fixers plus Ulei Steck who 
tagged along, umm, without supplemental O’s I might add, all summited 
the morning of May 18 – the first of the season.
The next night, May 18, more than 200 climbers left the South Col 
knowing the windows was short and the winds would be picking back up. It
 was a successful night with the most experienced Sherpas getting their 
climbers out early, climbing fast and getting down to avoid the crowds. 
Reports of lines at the bottlenecks emerged. Also reports of 
unexpectedly high winds. But something else happened high on the ridges 
of Everest.
May 19, Saturday night, the last of this first wave of climbers left 
again. Same race, same track, different horses. But this time the winds 
and snow were brutal. Shortly after leaving the South Col, some turned 
back. Some team didn’t even try deferring to the judgment of long time 
guides who felt the night was too risky between the crowds and the 
winds.
It was a stressful night for those back home but those climbing – it 
was beyond imagination. Pictures of climbers on the summit that night 
showed jackets impelled by snow, faces covered with ice, the strain came
 through in their posture. Their views obscured by cloud and fog.
As reports came in from the weekend, the line at the Hillary Step was
 reported between 1 and 2 and half hours – unacceptable by any dream. 
Slow climbers slowed down the rest. Leaders refused to turn back. The 
slow got slower, their oxygen ran low, their energy supplies depleting 
fast. Yet they refused to be turned back or to turn back themselves. 
Personal responsibility took a back seat to summit fever.
The successful teams got to the summit and back, climbing as a tight 
knit group; moving deliberately, checking in often with one another. 
They climbed as one, summited as one and descend as one. They validated 
the model of commercial guiding on Everest in difficult conditions. They
 confirmed that with proper experience, training and support, Everest 
could be manageable in trying conditions. And they felt they had dodged 
the worst.
As climbers went higher, they saw bodies from the previous night. As 
they descended they saw more from their night. Some were cut from the 
lines to allow the living to past. Horror stories once again emerged 
from Everest and it was not just on the South. The North was 
experiencing its own horror show. This is not how it is supposed to 
happen.
Beyond the Rational Limits
Anyone can climb Everest, there are no rules, no requirements. If you
 can get a permit from an organizer, you can climb. The warnings are all
 there in the fine print but the lure, the magic, the seduction is 
compelling. A test against nature, to prove yourself, to make a 
statement. The motivations take people beyond the rational.
Experienced is required, but not demanded by some organizers. “I 
trained while acclimatizing.”; no; you train for years before coming to 
Everest. Putting on your crampons is in your muscle memory, changing 
gloves is a system, not a conscious thought. You arrive at Everest with 
the mental toughness to push hard but the discipline to turn around.
As the climbers clipped into the fixed ropes, slowed down by the 
crowds, so did their chances of survival. Some turned back, other pushed
 on. Desperate warnings to turn back were ignored. Their oxygen supplies
 went fast as summits occurred late in the day. The lessons of late 
summits in 1996 were ignored.
Others simply pushed beyond their personal limits, often without 
knowing. They didn’t do anything wrong, it just happened. The obscure 
warning signs of fluid build up or altitude sickness hidden in the slow,
 methodical walk of down covered anonymous humans in a place where 
humans cannot live. Everyone assuming everyone is fine, no one asking, 
no one telling, everyone pushing – the walking dead – until it is too 
late.
On the North a climber refused to retreat in spite of dire warning, 
even begging from Sherpas and random climbers. He had a history on that 
side, everyone knew it. Yet he remained, stubborn, determined or worse. 
Eventually a rescue squad retrieved him at much risk to them. He 
immediately said he wanted to go back up.
Climbers do not ignore climbers as is so often told after these 
events. 2012 will yield the same stories of selfishness, of inhuman 
behavior, of immoral acts above the death zone.
What will not be told as effectively are the stories of lack of high 
altitude drugs carried by the person in need, the knowledge of those 
with them to effectively use those tools, emergency injections failing 
due to broken hair-thin needles against frozen skin, of no radios 
carried by teammates, of no contingency planning by the low cost 
organizer, of …
Could these deaths have been prevented? Not for me to say, I was not 
there. I have seen deaths in the high mountains, buried teammates, 
feeling helpless knowing there was nothing that could be done. Death in 
the mountains is not trivial, it is not fodder for the evening news. It 
is real, it is devastating for families. The search for blame, for 
understanding, for answers will drive the calm into the frenzied.
Climbers back in base camp watched and listen as the events of the 
weekend unfolded. Rumors spread of the deaths, the body count unknown. 
Those on the North heard the rumors, those on the South of the North. A 
big mountain but a small community.
Television stations scrambled to talk to someone live on Everest, get
 video of the long lines. The headlines read of another death march in 
the second window. “Why don’t they stop?” Himex was held up as an 
example of leadership – if everyone had acted so responsible, then no 
one would have died.
But the deaths had nothing to do with why Brice left. The dead died 
from their own ambitions, not from rocks or ice or falls. They died 
because they took a risk of being where humans are not designed to be; 
and they lost. Harsh but the truth.
The Second Window
The weather window for May 25 was as good as it gets on Everest – low
 winds, no snow. Again the climbers got in position. Tweaked by the past
 weekend, the organizers stationed extra Sherpas at the South Col with 
emergency oxygen, manpower ready to help their climbers.
But this wave appeared more experienced, the smaller outfits had gone
 first, and some paid the price. This round some looked out their tent 
on May 24 and went back to bed. The luxury of a long and stable weather 
window.
In the midst of all this South Side drama, both West Ridge efforts 
were called off. The conditions up the already dangerous ridge were 
deemed icy and too dangerous to attempt.
As the evening of May 24 unfolded, climbers climbed fast, almost too 
fast arriving on the summit before the sun rose in the East. There were 
no lines. The conditions excellent. It is how Everest was supposed to be
 these days.
May 25 was similar but even better. Climbers said there were no waits
 going up or down. The sensational headlines proved to be wrong, update 
on page 47 …
The Descent
Fearing the Icefall, and warnings of warming conditions creating 
unacceptable contains late in the season, teams returned to the Western 
Cwm preparing for the final journey to base camp. The upper Icefall was 
different from the first sorte’ in April. The ice blocks had moved, the 
seracs has released, ladders had to be repositioned. But the return was 
uneventful for most. They are safe. They are home.
Inspiration
Climbing Everest provides an opportunity to stand out and a few did 
this year. 73 year old Japanese Tamae Watanabe who broke her own record 
for the oldest female summit. She climbed from the North. She said she 
felt “old” on the summit.
Ngim Chhamji Sherpa, born 11/14/95, now 16 became the youngest female
 to summit Everest this season around noon on May 19. Miss Ming Kipa 
Sherpa at 15 remains the youngest female ever, summiting from the north 
in 2003. There were many to be the first from their country, climbed 
without supplemental oxygen, and other distinctions but I shy away from 
mentioning one and not all so congratulations to each and everyone.
There were many summits of Lhotse this year, I don’t track Lhotse, 
the fourth highest at 27,940′, but probably over 50.  This was a 
challenging year climbing the rocky summit gully, taking courage and 
determination.
Also under the radar was a climb of Nuptse, 25,971′, which forms the 
South side of the Western Cwm. On May 17 Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and 
David Göttler reached the summit climbing the long and difficult North 
Ridge Scott route. Kaltenbrunner is the first woman to summit all 14 
8000m mountains without using supplemental oxygen.
The final Everest summit list will not be available for many months. 
It takes a long time to certify each summit, to unravel the Sherpa names
 to ensure the correct “Dawa” receives the credit due. The Nepal 
Ministry of Tourism and the China Tibet Mountaineering Association 
maintain the list but private efforts from Ms. Elizabeth Hawley’s 
Himalayan Database is the gold standard. Also Eberhard Jurgalski’s 
8000ers.com is an outstanding resource for 8000 meter summits.
My very rough, unconfirmed estimates: Total climbers at both base 
camps: 446 westerners plus 500 Sherpas totaling 946.  548 combined 
summits from both sides 57.93% summit to attempt rate. 10 deaths 1.82% 
summit to death ratio.
With that, let’s not lose the fact that over 500 people reached the 
summit safely. 
My sincere congratulations to each and every climber 
regardless of the result..
Lessons from Everest
Mountains are for Everyone. I say this often and believe it deeply. 
Mountains are not a place for more regulation, more oxygen, more lines 
or more guides. They are a place of sanctuary; the highest ones for 
climbers who have earned the right through learning the skills, having 
the knowledge, committing themselves to saving them for future 
generations, an opportunity to demonstrate personal responsibility.
Let’s learn from Everest 2012, not as an industry, but as individuals and commit to helping one another be better climbers.Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
A Personal Note
As I wrap up this season coverage I want to thank everyone who 
followed through my website. Your comments were generous, kind and 
engaging – thank you. My mountain climbing, blogging and coverage since 
2007 has been on behalf of Alzheimer’s. My Everest summit was in honor 
of my mom, two aunts and all the mom’s with Alzheimer’s around the 
world. Please join me in helping to educate, raise awareness and funds 
to rid the world of this horrific disease. Please visit this page for more information on why I do what I do .. and again, thank you all.
I will continue to keep you updated on mountaineering news around the
 world. If you have subscribed you will continue to receive notification
 of new posts and from my own adventures – next up for me is the 19,511′
 Alpamayo in Peru.

 
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