Everest, summer and autumn attempts with ski and snowboard. In stark contrast to the spring season, when 69 teams swarmed on the north and south sides of Everest, there was only one expedition on the entire mountain in the summer and just one other in the autumn, both of them American, and both with plans for ski and snowboard descents. Unfavorable snow conditions thwarted their attempts. The summer team consisting of Jimmy Chin and Stephen Koch were on the north side of the mountain and their activities are reported in the Tibet section of this Journal. In the autumn five Americans and six Sherpas, led by Wally Berg, nearly made history when they narrowly failed to make the first November ascent of Everest. Team members left the South Col on November 1 for their final summit attempt and by 8 a.m. had reached the South Summit. Here, they were “blasted by very abrupt strong winds” and forced to descend. Back at the Col they found all three tents had been torn apart.

Elizabeth Hawley, Nepal