Daily Dispatches
Satellite phone updates from the 1998 American Everest Expedition
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Mencin

Climbers Turn Around
Monday, May 18, 1998 — 10pm PST
Tuesday, May 19, 1998 — 11:45am Nepal Time

	Hear Dave Mencin's call from Base Camp Click for [RealAudio] or [NetShow]
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Looking down on the South Col from the upper mountain
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(photo: Burleson/ Alpine Ascents)

Mountain Zone, this is Dave Mencin. Well, although it's still a perfect day here — not a cloud in the sky, not very much wind — the conditions have turned out to be very bad past the South Summit. There are several teams up there that have decided to turn around. They did not have enough equipment and the right equipment to fix the route. They ended up using a lot more equipment than they thought was needed up to that point, and they think they need a lot more to finish it.

The current plan is, since Wally's back, is that Wally will attempt to summit tomorrow with a smaller team, another American team, with the right equipment.

I will give some dispatches from the climbers. Right now, everyone is trying to get down safely. As soon as they're down safely at the South Col, I will get some dispatches from them and find out what the rest of the story is. Talk to you later.

— David Mencin, Expedition Scientist

DISPATCHES

COMPLETE INDEX OF DISPATCHES