Russians look for safer route to Everest
Five Russian climbers left Kathmandu, Nepal Monday with the goal of finding a less treacherous approach to Mount Everest.
"This is our second attempt to find a new approach to the classic route of scaling the highest peak of the Earth -- Everest -- from the southern direction, from Nepal," Valentin Bozhukov told Itar-Tass.
That classic route includes the Khumbu Icefall, a dangerous mass of ice permanently served by sherpas who throw crevice ladders with rope handles to get climbers across.
Russian climbers Alexander Foigt and Anatoly Shlekht proposed finding a better route in 1995, Bozhukov said.
"Regrettably, Anatoly died on Makalu in 1996 and Alexander disappeared on Peak K-2 last year. But we want to realize their idea and find this way of bypassing the dangerous icefall," Bozhukov told Itar-Tass.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
