NOVA Online | Alive on Everest | Japanese Expedition Pulls Out (April 22, 1997)

Japanese Expedition Pulls Out
April 22, 1997
By Liesl Clark

The Japanese Noevir Everest Expedition has canceled their climb on Everest and are packing up to leave Base Camp. Noevir is a cosmetic company from Japan whose executives had set their sights on climbing Mt. Everest this year. Many helicopter loads of employees wearing oxygen masks have been heli-lifted briefly into Base Camp to have their pictures taken with a Noevir company banner. The helicopter landing pad, which was built of stone from the Khumbu Glacier by both the Japanese and Canadian Expeditions, will be used for any future helicopter rescues from Base Camp.

According to unconfirmed reports, the climb was canceled because the expedition leader became ill. In addition to the helicopter visits to Base Camp, the Noevir Expedition had chartered daily turbo twin engine Beechcraft flights capable of flying at high altitudes. The purpose of these flights was to gauge weather conditions aloft from three different elevations around Everest. A member of another expedition reported that the Beechcraft registered -47 degree Fahrenheit temperatures at the same elevation as the summit of Everest and that this was also a contributing factor to the cancellation of the Noevir Expedition.

Tired Climber sleeping beside tent

To date, members of all other expeditions on Everest's traditional South Col route are proceeding up the mountain, sleeping at the various high camps as part of the critical acclimatization process. David Breashears, Pete Athans and Jangbu Sherpa of the NOVA team left Base Camp on Sunday. Over the next six days they will be making their way toward Camp III, and will then return to Base Camp to prepare for their bid for the summit.

June 10, 1997: Back Home (27)
May 25, 1997: Climbers Return to Base Camp (26)
May 24, 1997: Descending Toward Base Camp (25)
May 23 PM, 1997: NOVA Climbers Safely Off the Summit (24)
May 23 AM, 1997: NOVA Climbers Reach the Summit! (23)
    Hear the archived live audio broadcast from the summit
    Read the transcript of the broadcast from the summit
May 22, 1997: Bid for the Summit (22)
May 21, 1997: Helicopter Crashes at Everest Base Camp (21)
May 20, 1997: Moving On Up (20)
May 19, 1997: Poised at Camp II (19)
May 18, 1997: Departing for Camp II (18)
May 17, 1997: Dead Sherpa Found on Khumbu Glacier (17)
May 16, 1997: Jet Stream Winds Blast Camp II (16)
May 13, 1997: Receiving News from the North Side (15)
    May 13, 1997: RealAudio Interview with David Breashears
May 11, 1997: Five Climbers Presumed Dead on the North Side (14)
May 10, 1997: The Waiting Game (13)
May 9, 1997: Pulmonary Edema Evacuation from Base Camp (12)
May 8, 1997: A Hasty Retreat to Base Camp (11)
May 7, 1997: Sherpa Falls To His Death On The Lhotse Face (10)
May 6, 1997: Spin: A Passenger to the Summit (9)
May 5, 1997: Delayed at Advance Base Camp (8)
May 4, 1997: NOVA Climbers Leave Base Camp for Their Summit Attempt (7)
May 1, 1997: NOVA Team Prepares for Summit Attempt (6)
April 26, 1997: Indonesian Expedition First to Summit in 1997 (5)
April 23, 1997: Expedition Leader Dies at Everest Base Camp (4)
April 22, 1997: Japanese Expedition Pulls Out (3)
April 16, 1997: Traffic Reports on Everest (2)
April 14, 1997: Rescue Season Begins (1)

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