Contents [Ski Everest Home] Front page for the Skiing Everest Cybercast [UPDATES] Climbers call from Everest on a sat-phone [The North Side] Climbing guide Eric Simonson describes the Northeast Ridge Route [Meet the Team] The 1997 Everest Ski Expedition members [EVEREST '97] Rich multimedia cybercast from Everest [Sponsors] Companies that supported this effort The Everest Bookstore Click on a book for details and ordering info from The Mountain Zone Bookstore. "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer An epic, first-hand account of the 1996 tragedy. "Everest" by Walt Unsworth Thorough compilation of historic climbs, triumph and tragedy. "Everest Map" by Brad Washburn National Geographic centennial map, Washburn's Everest map and more. "Everest: The West Ridge" by Tom Hornbein The pioneering ascent by Unsoeld and Hornbein. [The Mountain Zone] More stories from The Mountain Zone			Updates From Everest Click here to get the FREE Real Audio Player to hear sat-phone calls. Calonica Critical Decision Friday, October 3, 1997 (Everest North Face base camp, Tibet) [Click to hear the sat-phone call.] Transcript: Hello, it is Craig Calonica, and it is Friday the 3rd, around 10:30 pm, Everest base camp. At this point, the weather continues to be really bad. High winds remain; snow is coming in. The prospects of getting very high up on this mountain don't look very good. I'm still in kind of a dilemma with my right eye. I've had three doctors look at it here at base camp. They've found fluid and three holes, or dark spots, and do not recommend that I continue to go high until I have a thorough examination in Kathmandu. That will cost me a good ten days. If I am to leave and lose ten days, this thing's over. I'm still searching out more information from some specialists — optometrists — to make the best decision here that I can. It's kind of a shock because I just came down to rest and picked up a magazine, and whole right side of the magazine was a big blur and I thought it was bad print. Before coming down I just read a whole book, so it was just an out-of-the-blue thing. When I closed one eye and saw with one eye that everything was fine, and then saw with the other eye that everything was a blur, you can imagine my shock. It wasn't a very comfortable shock. I don't mind losing fingers, toes, breaking bones, and all that, but the thought of losing my vision in one of my eyes is not a very comfortable thought. Especially when you're looking at bad weather and if I go up I can possibly loose that vision. So it's like pulling teeth to get me to move and leave and go get an examination, and at the same time there comes a point where you really have no choice over what is going on here, and this is one of those situations and times. Everest will be here next year for me to ski it, but it won't be that much fun with one eye. I'm still searching out some specialists — optometrists — trying to reach Peter Hackett as well to see if he has any kind of advice tomorrow, before I make a critical decision and get out of here from the advice of five doctors. I don't want to leave and it's really, really bothersome to me to even think about it. But it's also bothersome not to be able to see out of my right eye very well. Anyway, all's not over yet, but I can honestly say the gods are telling me a little more of what's going on than what I am, and calling the shots in a way that it's making it difficult for me to disagree with. But trying to get me to move away from the spot where I want to be is like pulling teeth and if there's any way or any suggestion that no further damage will occur, I'm going up. If they say — the next group of guys say — the same thing as the rest of them, I'm afraid that my eyes come first, Everest comes second. I'll keep you updated and let you know as things occur. Take it easy, and hello from myself and the rest of the gang at Everest base camp, at ABC, and camp I — we're kind of spread out right now. And I will let you know about the rest of the stuff — this eye thing — which is what you'd call an eyesore, and how that's turning out. Bye-bye. — Craig Calonica, Expedition Leader PREVIOUS UPDATE | UPDATES HOME | NEXT UPDATE

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