Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is still dreaming of Mount Everest. The 42 years old Austrian has not yet given up her plan to climb through the north face to the summit on 8850 meters via the so-called „supercoloir“-route, although she failed twice. In 2005 and 2010 the conditions on the wall hadn’t allowed to climb this route. „In my eyes Mount Everest is still a beautiful mountain, especially from the North, when you stand directly at the foot of the north face”, Gerlinde said (you can read and hear her statements on both Everest-60-pinboards on the right side of the blog). „Nevertheless I won’t return to Everest in the near future.” 

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Ralf Dujmovits is up to every Himalayan trick. For the last 25 years Germany’s most successful high altitude climber has been on the way on the highest mountains of the world. For him Mount Everest (the first ascent of the mountain 60 years ago will be celebrated in May) is an old acquaintance. In 1992 Ralf stood on the summit, 8850 meters high, in bad weather conditions. Above the South Col he used supplementary oxygen. It was the only one of the fourteen 8000-meter-peaks Ralf climbed with an oxygen-mask. The mountaineer from Bühl in the south of Germany feels this fact as a flaw that he wants to eliminate. In 2005, 2010 and 2012 Ralf tried to climb Everest without supplementary oxygen, three times he failed. But still he is flirting with another attempt. So it’s not surprising that Ralf talked about climbing „by fair means” – when I asked him for his statements for my Everest-60-pinboards (you can read and hear his words on the right side of the blog). 

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Mount Everest is celebrating a 60-years-jubilee. Not concerning his real age. Chomolungma counts millions of years, not decades. 60 years ago on the 29th May Edmund Hillary from New Zealand and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay were the first to set their feet on the the highest point of the earth. Since 1953 Mount Everest has been climbed more than 6000 times, about 4500 times in the last ten years.  

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Auf dieser Pinnwand sammle ich anlässlich des 60-Jahr-Jubiläums der Everest-Erstbesteigung Äußerungen von Bergfreunden: Was wünschen sie dem höchsten Berg der Erde für die Zukunft wünschen? (On this pinboard on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the first climbing of Everest I collect statements of mountain lovers: What do they wish the highest mountain on earth for the future?)

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Auf dieser Pinnwand sammle ich anlässlich des 60-Jahr-Jubiläums der Everest-Erstbesteigung Äußerungen von Bergfreunden: Wie sehen sie den höchsten Berg der Erde heute? (On this pinboard on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the first climbing of Everest I collect statements of mountain lovers: How do they think now about the highest mountain on earth? )

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In spring 2012 Russell Brice put the brakes on. The probably most experienced operator of commercial expeditions to Mount Everest cancelled his expedition, because he considered the conditions in the Khumbu icefall and on the Lhotse face as too hazardous. „The danger is certainly past my parameters“, Brice said. Russell has been leading expeditions to the Himalayas since 1974. For this spring his agency Himalayan Experience offers Everest South Side again. I asked the 60 years old New Zealander per email: 

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