Iranian Women and Men on Mount Everest
By Reza Zarei -At 4:00 pm on 16 March, our team consisting of 20 mountain climbers – seven women and thirteen men – boarded a Qatar Airways flight headed for Katmandu, Nepal. Our lungs were flooded with the humid, hot and polluted air of the Nepalese capital as we stepped out of the plane. We went through passport control and hurriedly made our way to the minibus provided by TAMESREKU, the company providing services for our team
The first days for the team members were spent purchasing mountain climbing equipment and supplies while our supervisor handled all financial issues – the most important of the leadership’s responsibilities. Tamesreku Company had already hired 10 competent Sherpas, including {Sanem Dendo}, who had climbed Everest 5 times, as sirdar, and {Lakpa Jlu}, a climber with 11 climbs to Everest, including a 10 hour 56 minute fast climb in 2003. We were also accompanied by a chef and his staff of four. On 22 March, our team finally left Katmandu for LUKLA with six tons of supplies and equipment (two of which had been sent from Tehran).
Lukla is a beautiful village located at 2,800 meters high along the slopes of SOLU KHUMBU, which is at the foot of the 6,400 meter high KWANGADEH Peak. Lukla is the starting point for the main camp of Everest. After spending one night at the village, on 24 March, we left for PAKDING, a village at 2,300 meters. The lower elevation of Pakding helped us with acclimation. The hike towards NAMCHEH BAZAR took place on the third day of the team’s climb, at which time we entered Sherpa territory
Namcheh Bazar is at the heart of the Solu Khumbu Valley and is known as the Sherpa Capital. For better acclimation, we stopped one day in Namcheh, during which we remained active and climbed to 4,000 meters to the villages of KUMJUNG and Kwangadeh. The following day we continued our climb to DUNBUCHEH. The second most important Buddhist religious center and a temple of the same name find themselves in this village. Dunbucheh is on the slopes of AMADABELAM and at the foot of high peaks such as the 6,685 meter KANGETEGA and the 6,608 meter TAMESREKU to its south and west respectively
We had our first bivouac in DUNBUNCHEH (prior to this we stayed at various inns). Our hike toward Paricheh was through scrubs. From this point on, the weather became colder and the winds more bitter, necessitating better skincare for team members. Because our team had left for the main Everest camp earlier than the season, few climbers could be seen along the way. Paricheh is at about 4,100 meters and for better acclimation we stayed there for one day and climbed the 4,900 meters PUKADELEH Mountain. On 30 March we headed for the village of LUBUCHEH at 4,950 meters.
Reaching the the moraines of the KHUMBU Glacier, we set foot on the snow covered slopes of Mount Everest. The tinkle of the bells of the yaks could be heard in the distance, informing us of that we were approaching the village. Upon arrival we found that the Sherpas had already set up camp on an earthly patch of land. With each gust of wind, our tents were filled with dust.
During our one-day stay at Lubucheh, we headed for GURAKESHP to climb to 5,620 meters on KALAPATAR Mountain; however, three members of our team came down with colds and the elevation was effecting them adversely. They stayed behind in Lubucheh. Kalapatar is not a mountain per se. It is only a rock situated on the southeastern ridge of PUMURI. Kalapatar is the best location to photograph Everest and NUPUTSEH. From here we could see the tents set up at the main Everest and Pumuri camps
On 2 April our team stepped onto the moraines of the Khumbu Glacier and reached the main Everest camp at 5,320 meters. This camp is situated exactly along Mount KHUMBUTSEH
In the spring of 2005, a total of 24 teams registered to climb Mount Everest and four teams for LHOTSE, which meant that over 400 climbers and Sherpas would climb up these two mountains. The two peaks share the same base camp and route up to 7,800 meters. The season for climbing these mountains begins at the beginning of April and continues to the end of May – the start of the monsoon season. All participating teams have about two months to acclimate and undertake their climb
The first climb to the top of Mount Everest took place in 1953 by {Edmund Hillary} of New Zealand and Sherpa {Tenzing Norgay}. They were members of a British team led by {John Hunt}. In 1975, {Tabei Junko} from Japan became the first woman to climb Everest. This year, there were 20 women at the main south face camp, of which seven were Iranians. The first Iranian to climb Everest did so in 1998
Gradually, other teams arrived at the base camp, which was transformed into an international village filled with climbers from different countries. Our team – one of the largest – prepared itself for its climb near an icefall. The icefall route was kept open and secure by ropes with the efforts of the Sherpas affiliated with the Sagarmata Pollution Control Committee
The icefall route is without a doubt the most important and dangerous part of climbing the southern face. This route contains numerous seracs and deep crevasses and every year crossing them has been accompanied by many injuries and deaths. Our team climbed the icefall by using previously fixed ropes. Finally after performing the Buddhist Buja Ceremony, on 14 April, we left for Camp 1. Sherpas believe that by performing this prayer ceremony on an auspicious day of the Buddhist calendar, the gods will grant safe passage across these holy mountains
Camp 1 was at an elevation of 6,060 meters and at the beginning of the Western CWM route. The icefall route was identified and opened in 1951 by an English committee headed by {Eric Shipton} who was accompanied by Edmund Hillary. One year later, using this knowledge, the Swiss were able to cross it and use it as a key to climbing Everest and two of their members, {Christian Lambert} and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, climbed to 8,595 meters. However the poor weather conditions prevented them from reaching the top. Since the first climb to the top of Mount Everest and with the passing of the years, the icefall continues to be considered as one of the key (as well as the most dangerous) points of the southern route. To facilitate the use of this route, since the beginning of the 90s, various teams have collected money for its maintenance and repair. As such, there are Sherpas who attend to the icefall regularly. They ascend in the mornings before anyone else and, while repairing the route, also aid climbers and other Sherpas in their climbs. Climbing the icefalls on the first few days takes about six to seven hours, which with improved acclimation is decreased to about 3½ hours. Sadly, in the first few days of climbing this route, we witnessed the fall and death of one of the American International Mountain Guide team members. He was not quick enough to put on his self-protective gear and fell into a crevasse
We had to cross this route five or six times during the expedition. To decrease the dangers of crossing the icefall route, the team was divided into two groups. The women’s team continued walking along with three men, including the team physician. On the icefall route, over eighteen vertical and horizontal ladders were placed, which decreased and increased in number daily depending on the conditions of the route. The longest part of the route is its upper part, where five vertical ladders had been secured and which helped climbers to reach the top, where the western plateau opened before them. By passing along the seracs and crossing over the crevasses with the aid of ladders, we reached Camp 1 in an hour. The Sherpas of our team had set up Camp 1 a little further from the western ridge of Everest, exactly under the NUPETSEH Ridge. Although our route from the main camp to Camp 1 was a little far from the rest of the teams but Sanem Dendo, our sirdar, believed that we would be safe from loose rocks falling from the western shoulder of Everest. His decision saved the lives of several members of the women’s team. On May 4, at 5:20 am, a heavy avalanche from the western ridge of Everest flowed towards the West Cam Flat and Camp 1. This avalanche destroyed over seventy tents by the time it passed. Several of the tents were pulled to the bottom of the crevasses and some resurfaced tens of meters away. Fortunately most of the teams were at the base camp or Camp 2. From among about twenty-five climbers in Camp 1, seven were seriously injured. Only two tents from the Iranian team’s camp suffered damage
Camp 2 was set up on April 18. The team was getting acclimated. The route between Camps 1 and 2 passed through the West Cum Flat and the SILENCE Valley. Part of the route had deep crevasses but after climbing higher, a low white plateau extended to the difficult southwestern wall of Everest. This wall was climbed for the first time in 1975 by an English team headed by {Chris Banington}. In 1982, the Russians opened a new route which was very difficult but continued in a straight line to the peak. Among other efforts to climb this wall were the Czech team, which tried it alpine style and suffered fatalities, and the unsuccessful efforts of the Japanese and Canadian teams
Camp 2 of our team was set up at 6,420 meters and a little lower than that of the other teams because of the strong winds which were blowing over the plateau above the second camp. After setting up, our team stayed at this camp for eleven days because of poor weather conditions, although some other teams did not give up and moved to Camp 3. Unfortunately, meteorological forecasts were not accurate and they changed every day, which made planning difficult. Some attributed the erratic weather patterns to the tsunami disaster of the year before. To maintain the team’s readiness at the base camp, we hiked the surrounding mountains
With the weather’s improvement on May 3, our team began its efforts to set up the third camp and acclimate at higher elevations. During this time, the men’s team was successful in reaching Camp 3. The women’s team, however, in addition to the avalanche at Camp 1, was hit by an avalanche on the slope of LHOTSE FIS on May 5. This avalanche was caused by the Sherpas trying to clear the snow which had fallen the night before on the ropes. Fortunately nobody was hurt
Upon our sirdar’s instruction, everyone returned to the Camp 2. On the following days only the women’s team managed to get to 6,900 meters. Due to heavy winds and blizzard the supervisor decided to turn back. Our team spent twelve nights at Camp 2 waiting for good weather. Only one climb to the peak was accomplished during this time and that was with help from a helicopter (called the EUROCOPTER), which broke the early morning silence. The copter approached the southern pass until it finally landed on the peak on May 5 and its pilot came out to take pictures. We later heard that the Nepalese government had taken away its permit and sent it back to France
There were other efforts to reach the peak from the northern face, of which some climbers were able to reach the top. Unfortunately 5 lost their lives. On the southern face, in addition to the American climber who was killed on the icefall, a Scottish climber lost his life at 8,500 meters due to mountain sickness and edema, bringing the total lives claimed by Everest this year to seven
With the end of May approaching, several teams such as the Czech, Spanish, Korean and Japanese teams did not continue the climb. The Japanese team had intended to get a seventy-five year-old climber to the top. This Japanese man had regularly used oxygen beyond 4,000 meters at Paricheh. He could only reach 8,000 meters. Bad weather kept him from going all the way to the top
On June 2, the Icefall maintenance team closed the route and the teams had to leave the area. This resulted in some teams uniting and climbing late at night, when the weather was more stable. Our team consisting of thirteen climbers, set off for the top on 26 May. From these, two were to stay as backup at Camp 2 and the rest climbed up. Four women and 7 men made up the team. We spent 27 May resting at Camp 2 and the next day we headed for Camp 3 for bivouacking. Other climbers were also going up despite the bad weather. Weather forecast had predicted that the weather would only be clear from dusk to dawn on the next day. Camp 3 was at 7,138 meters. Our four tents were pitched lower than that of the other teams. This was very beneficial for climbers who used oxygen at Camp 3, like the Iranian women’s team, but for those who climbed to Camp 4 without oxygen, it made the climb very difficult
The next day one of the women had to climb back down to Camp 2 because of mountain sickness. On 29 May, six Sherpas and ten climbers along with three women went back down to Camp 4. Camp 3 to 4 route passed through Lhotse face and was shared up to 7,800 meters, Lhotse Fis shared the same route with Lhotse Route up to 7,800 meters (a little higher than the Yellow Line). After that, climbers went towards GENEVESE Ridge and the southern pass and entered the 8,000 meter zone. After about 8½ hours on the southern pass, we reached Camp 4. Calm weather descended on the pass. The Sherpas and supervisors set the climbing time for 10:00 pm. Before the climbers, a group of Sherpas were going up to secure the BALCONY Route up to the peak. Other than our team’s sirdar, other team members were going up to the top. We did not get a good night's rest because of the excitement
Finally, at 10:00 pm we got out of the tents and at 10:40 pm we left Camp 4. A column of head torches could be seen moving up ahead of us. The beginning of the route was a little rocky but then we stepped on the ice. We used our picks until we reached the fixed ropes, at which time we used Jumar clamps. The weather was cold and accompanied by wind. In the distance the majestic Mount MAKALU of the Himalayas could be seen lit by lightning behind it. Before the Balcony, one of the women suffering from pain in her eyes decided to return. One of the Sherpas accompanied her to Camp 4. At 8,500 meters we reached the southeastern ridge. Gradually it grew light and wind picked up. Many climbers were climbing ahead of us. With the sunlight, our bodies grew warmer and we were moving ahead in two groups of four and five
At about 8:00 am the first group reached the southern peak. Many individuals had queued to cross over the HILLARY Steps. They changed their oxygen tanks on the southern peak. Except for {Azim Qeichisaz}, who did not use an oxygen tank from the South Summit onwards, everyone else headed for the peak with full tanks. By crossing the Hillary Steps we finally set foot on the peak and were met with the returning teams. Many climbers were on the main peak and Lakpa, our team Sherpa who had reached the peak before everyone else, waved to us. This was his twelfth climb to the top of Everest
At 10:20, the first group from the Iranian team consisting of two women and two men, yelling “Long live Iran” and saluting the daughter of Prophet Mohammad set foot on top of the world. Despite the deteriorating weather and the howling winds, the sound of the team members rejoicing from Camp 2 and the base camp could be heard through the radio. Waiting for the rest of the team to reach the top, we shot some film and took pictures. Many climbers were on the peak. The Sherpas, of course, were in the majority. Some had reached the peak from the northern route. It was 11:30 am. As the first group from our team had begun its descent, five others along with four Sherpas were reaching the top and our team with fourteen climbers (nine Iranians and 5 Sherpas) set a good record of ascent to Everest in the spring of 2005. The climb was also a record for the first Muslim woman on Mount Everest
Male Team Members
Sadeq Aqajani (supervisor), Eqbal Aflaki (assistant to the supervisor), Khalil Abd Nikooie (cameraman), Mahmoud Gudarzi (team physician), Mahmoud Shoaie, Jalal Cheshmeh Qassabani, Mehdi Sharifi, Azim Qeichisaz, Reza Bahadorani, Javad Giyahshenas, Farhad Azizi Moqaddam, Seyyed Shahab ed-Din Raissi and Reza Zarei
Female Team Members
Farkhondeh Sadeq, Rezvan Salmasi, Laleh Keshavarz, Roya Sadat Ghazanffari, Leila Bahrami, Nasrin Nematti and Parvin Rezaie
The first days for the team members were spent purchasing mountain climbing equipment and supplies while our supervisor handled all financial issues – the most important of the leadership’s responsibilities. Tamesreku Company had already hired 10 competent Sherpas, including {Sanem Dendo}, who had climbed Everest 5 times, as sirdar, and {Lakpa Jlu}, a climber with 11 climbs to Everest, including a 10 hour 56 minute fast climb in 2003. We were also accompanied by a chef and his staff of four. On 22 March, our team finally left Katmandu for LUKLA with six tons of supplies and equipment (two of which had been sent from Tehran).
Lukla is a beautiful village located at 2,800 meters high along the slopes of SOLU KHUMBU, which is at the foot of the 6,400 meter high KWANGADEH Peak. Lukla is the starting point for the main camp of Everest. After spending one night at the village, on 24 March, we left for PAKDING, a village at 2,300 meters. The lower elevation of Pakding helped us with acclimation. The hike towards NAMCHEH BAZAR took place on the third day of the team’s climb, at which time we entered Sherpa territory
Namcheh Bazar is at the heart of the Solu Khumbu Valley and is known as the Sherpa Capital. For better acclimation, we stopped one day in Namcheh, during which we remained active and climbed to 4,000 meters to the villages of KUMJUNG and Kwangadeh. The following day we continued our climb to DUNBUCHEH. The second most important Buddhist religious center and a temple of the same name find themselves in this village. Dunbucheh is on the slopes of AMADABELAM and at the foot of high peaks such as the 6,685 meter KANGETEGA and the 6,608 meter TAMESREKU to its south and west respectively
We had our first bivouac in DUNBUNCHEH (prior to this we stayed at various inns). Our hike toward Paricheh was through scrubs. From this point on, the weather became colder and the winds more bitter, necessitating better skincare for team members. Because our team had left for the main Everest camp earlier than the season, few climbers could be seen along the way. Paricheh is at about 4,100 meters and for better acclimation we stayed there for one day and climbed the 4,900 meters PUKADELEH Mountain. On 30 March we headed for the village of LUBUCHEH at 4,950 meters.
Reaching the the moraines of the KHUMBU Glacier, we set foot on the snow covered slopes of Mount Everest. The tinkle of the bells of the yaks could be heard in the distance, informing us of that we were approaching the village. Upon arrival we found that the Sherpas had already set up camp on an earthly patch of land. With each gust of wind, our tents were filled with dust.
During our one-day stay at Lubucheh, we headed for GURAKESHP to climb to 5,620 meters on KALAPATAR Mountain; however, three members of our team came down with colds and the elevation was effecting them adversely. They stayed behind in Lubucheh. Kalapatar is not a mountain per se. It is only a rock situated on the southeastern ridge of PUMURI. Kalapatar is the best location to photograph Everest and NUPUTSEH. From here we could see the tents set up at the main Everest and Pumuri camps
On 2 April our team stepped onto the moraines of the Khumbu Glacier and reached the main Everest camp at 5,320 meters. This camp is situated exactly along Mount KHUMBUTSEH
In the spring of 2005, a total of 24 teams registered to climb Mount Everest and four teams for LHOTSE, which meant that over 400 climbers and Sherpas would climb up these two mountains. The two peaks share the same base camp and route up to 7,800 meters. The season for climbing these mountains begins at the beginning of April and continues to the end of May – the start of the monsoon season. All participating teams have about two months to acclimate and undertake their climb
The first climb to the top of Mount Everest took place in 1953 by {Edmund Hillary} of New Zealand and Sherpa {Tenzing Norgay}. They were members of a British team led by {John Hunt}. In 1975, {Tabei Junko} from Japan became the first woman to climb Everest. This year, there were 20 women at the main south face camp, of which seven were Iranians. The first Iranian to climb Everest did so in 1998
Gradually, other teams arrived at the base camp, which was transformed into an international village filled with climbers from different countries. Our team – one of the largest – prepared itself for its climb near an icefall. The icefall route was kept open and secure by ropes with the efforts of the Sherpas affiliated with the Sagarmata Pollution Control Committee
The icefall route is without a doubt the most important and dangerous part of climbing the southern face. This route contains numerous seracs and deep crevasses and every year crossing them has been accompanied by many injuries and deaths. Our team climbed the icefall by using previously fixed ropes. Finally after performing the Buddhist Buja Ceremony, on 14 April, we left for Camp 1. Sherpas believe that by performing this prayer ceremony on an auspicious day of the Buddhist calendar, the gods will grant safe passage across these holy mountains
Camp 1 was at an elevation of 6,060 meters and at the beginning of the Western CWM route. The icefall route was identified and opened in 1951 by an English committee headed by {Eric Shipton} who was accompanied by Edmund Hillary. One year later, using this knowledge, the Swiss were able to cross it and use it as a key to climbing Everest and two of their members, {Christian Lambert} and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, climbed to 8,595 meters. However the poor weather conditions prevented them from reaching the top. Since the first climb to the top of Mount Everest and with the passing of the years, the icefall continues to be considered as one of the key (as well as the most dangerous) points of the southern route. To facilitate the use of this route, since the beginning of the 90s, various teams have collected money for its maintenance and repair. As such, there are Sherpas who attend to the icefall regularly. They ascend in the mornings before anyone else and, while repairing the route, also aid climbers and other Sherpas in their climbs. Climbing the icefalls on the first few days takes about six to seven hours, which with improved acclimation is decreased to about 3½ hours. Sadly, in the first few days of climbing this route, we witnessed the fall and death of one of the American International Mountain Guide team members. He was not quick enough to put on his self-protective gear and fell into a crevasse
We had to cross this route five or six times during the expedition. To decrease the dangers of crossing the icefall route, the team was divided into two groups. The women’s team continued walking along with three men, including the team physician. On the icefall route, over eighteen vertical and horizontal ladders were placed, which decreased and increased in number daily depending on the conditions of the route. The longest part of the route is its upper part, where five vertical ladders had been secured and which helped climbers to reach the top, where the western plateau opened before them. By passing along the seracs and crossing over the crevasses with the aid of ladders, we reached Camp 1 in an hour. The Sherpas of our team had set up Camp 1 a little further from the western ridge of Everest, exactly under the NUPETSEH Ridge. Although our route from the main camp to Camp 1 was a little far from the rest of the teams but Sanem Dendo, our sirdar, believed that we would be safe from loose rocks falling from the western shoulder of Everest. His decision saved the lives of several members of the women’s team. On May 4, at 5:20 am, a heavy avalanche from the western ridge of Everest flowed towards the West Cam Flat and Camp 1. This avalanche destroyed over seventy tents by the time it passed. Several of the tents were pulled to the bottom of the crevasses and some resurfaced tens of meters away. Fortunately most of the teams were at the base camp or Camp 2. From among about twenty-five climbers in Camp 1, seven were seriously injured. Only two tents from the Iranian team’s camp suffered damage
Camp 2 was set up on April 18. The team was getting acclimated. The route between Camps 1 and 2 passed through the West Cum Flat and the SILENCE Valley. Part of the route had deep crevasses but after climbing higher, a low white plateau extended to the difficult southwestern wall of Everest. This wall was climbed for the first time in 1975 by an English team headed by {Chris Banington}. In 1982, the Russians opened a new route which was very difficult but continued in a straight line to the peak. Among other efforts to climb this wall were the Czech team, which tried it alpine style and suffered fatalities, and the unsuccessful efforts of the Japanese and Canadian teams
Camp 2 of our team was set up at 6,420 meters and a little lower than that of the other teams because of the strong winds which were blowing over the plateau above the second camp. After setting up, our team stayed at this camp for eleven days because of poor weather conditions, although some other teams did not give up and moved to Camp 3. Unfortunately, meteorological forecasts were not accurate and they changed every day, which made planning difficult. Some attributed the erratic weather patterns to the tsunami disaster of the year before. To maintain the team’s readiness at the base camp, we hiked the surrounding mountains
With the weather’s improvement on May 3, our team began its efforts to set up the third camp and acclimate at higher elevations. During this time, the men’s team was successful in reaching Camp 3. The women’s team, however, in addition to the avalanche at Camp 1, was hit by an avalanche on the slope of LHOTSE FIS on May 5. This avalanche was caused by the Sherpas trying to clear the snow which had fallen the night before on the ropes. Fortunately nobody was hurt
Upon our sirdar’s instruction, everyone returned to the Camp 2. On the following days only the women’s team managed to get to 6,900 meters. Due to heavy winds and blizzard the supervisor decided to turn back. Our team spent twelve nights at Camp 2 waiting for good weather. Only one climb to the peak was accomplished during this time and that was with help from a helicopter (called the EUROCOPTER), which broke the early morning silence. The copter approached the southern pass until it finally landed on the peak on May 5 and its pilot came out to take pictures. We later heard that the Nepalese government had taken away its permit and sent it back to France
There were other efforts to reach the peak from the northern face, of which some climbers were able to reach the top. Unfortunately 5 lost their lives. On the southern face, in addition to the American climber who was killed on the icefall, a Scottish climber lost his life at 8,500 meters due to mountain sickness and edema, bringing the total lives claimed by Everest this year to seven
With the end of May approaching, several teams such as the Czech, Spanish, Korean and Japanese teams did not continue the climb. The Japanese team had intended to get a seventy-five year-old climber to the top. This Japanese man had regularly used oxygen beyond 4,000 meters at Paricheh. He could only reach 8,000 meters. Bad weather kept him from going all the way to the top
On June 2, the Icefall maintenance team closed the route and the teams had to leave the area. This resulted in some teams uniting and climbing late at night, when the weather was more stable. Our team consisting of thirteen climbers, set off for the top on 26 May. From these, two were to stay as backup at Camp 2 and the rest climbed up. Four women and 7 men made up the team. We spent 27 May resting at Camp 2 and the next day we headed for Camp 3 for bivouacking. Other climbers were also going up despite the bad weather. Weather forecast had predicted that the weather would only be clear from dusk to dawn on the next day. Camp 3 was at 7,138 meters. Our four tents were pitched lower than that of the other teams. This was very beneficial for climbers who used oxygen at Camp 3, like the Iranian women’s team, but for those who climbed to Camp 4 without oxygen, it made the climb very difficult
The next day one of the women had to climb back down to Camp 2 because of mountain sickness. On 29 May, six Sherpas and ten climbers along with three women went back down to Camp 4. Camp 3 to 4 route passed through Lhotse face and was shared up to 7,800 meters, Lhotse Fis shared the same route with Lhotse Route up to 7,800 meters (a little higher than the Yellow Line). After that, climbers went towards GENEVESE Ridge and the southern pass and entered the 8,000 meter zone. After about 8½ hours on the southern pass, we reached Camp 4. Calm weather descended on the pass. The Sherpas and supervisors set the climbing time for 10:00 pm. Before the climbers, a group of Sherpas were going up to secure the BALCONY Route up to the peak. Other than our team’s sirdar, other team members were going up to the top. We did not get a good night's rest because of the excitement
Finally, at 10:00 pm we got out of the tents and at 10:40 pm we left Camp 4. A column of head torches could be seen moving up ahead of us. The beginning of the route was a little rocky but then we stepped on the ice. We used our picks until we reached the fixed ropes, at which time we used Jumar clamps. The weather was cold and accompanied by wind. In the distance the majestic Mount MAKALU of the Himalayas could be seen lit by lightning behind it. Before the Balcony, one of the women suffering from pain in her eyes decided to return. One of the Sherpas accompanied her to Camp 4. At 8,500 meters we reached the southeastern ridge. Gradually it grew light and wind picked up. Many climbers were climbing ahead of us. With the sunlight, our bodies grew warmer and we were moving ahead in two groups of four and five
At about 8:00 am the first group reached the southern peak. Many individuals had queued to cross over the HILLARY Steps. They changed their oxygen tanks on the southern peak. Except for {Azim Qeichisaz}, who did not use an oxygen tank from the South Summit onwards, everyone else headed for the peak with full tanks. By crossing the Hillary Steps we finally set foot on the peak and were met with the returning teams. Many climbers were on the main peak and Lakpa, our team Sherpa who had reached the peak before everyone else, waved to us. This was his twelfth climb to the top of Everest
At 10:20, the first group from the Iranian team consisting of two women and two men, yelling “Long live Iran” and saluting the daughter of Prophet Mohammad set foot on top of the world. Despite the deteriorating weather and the howling winds, the sound of the team members rejoicing from Camp 2 and the base camp could be heard through the radio. Waiting for the rest of the team to reach the top, we shot some film and took pictures. Many climbers were on the peak. The Sherpas, of course, were in the majority. Some had reached the peak from the northern route. It was 11:30 am. As the first group from our team had begun its descent, five others along with four Sherpas were reaching the top and our team with fourteen climbers (nine Iranians and 5 Sherpas) set a good record of ascent to Everest in the spring of 2005. The climb was also a record for the first Muslim woman on Mount Everest
Male Team Members
Sadeq Aqajani (supervisor), Eqbal Aflaki (assistant to the supervisor), Khalil Abd Nikooie (cameraman), Mahmoud Gudarzi (team physician), Mahmoud Shoaie, Jalal Cheshmeh Qassabani, Mehdi Sharifi, Azim Qeichisaz, Reza Bahadorani, Javad Giyahshenas, Farhad Azizi Moqaddam, Seyyed Shahab ed-Din Raissi and Reza Zarei
Female Team Members
Farkhondeh Sadeq, Rezvan Salmasi, Laleh Keshavarz, Roya Sadat Ghazanffari, Leila Bahrami, Nasrin Nematti and Parvin Rezaie
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