Advance Basecamp, Mt. Everest (via satellite phone)
Elevation: 6350m/20,828ft
Partly Cloudy
9:35 AM

[AM Dispatch] Eric Brown Reports On Team Movement To The Higher Camps

This is Eric Brown for Patagonia Mountain Agency with a quick update. Today is May 17th, Monday morning, about 9:35 and I'm calling from Advanced Base Camp. Outside temperature is about 26 degrees Fahrenheit. We have partly cloudy skies with little snow showers swinging through. If I sound a little bit funny I'm nursing a bloody nose due to the dry altitude. So if i sound nasally, just laugh [laughter].

Just a quick update. The weather right now is nice -- calm winds up high which is what we want. Team One -- which is Jacek, Ryszard, Tadek -- is moving up to Camp III. Camp III is at 8,300 meters. Team Two -- Omar and Ian -- are moving up as we speak to Camp II at 7,600 meters. Last night Jacek and Ryszard had to put up a new tent at Camp II because the wind had destroyed the one tent that was there. Jacek commented many tents at Camp II had been ripped up by the winds. Team One [This is Team Three, actually] is leaving as I speak for North Col, and that's Barbara and Masaru. Right now the Americans [Expedition] are at the Second Step, which is above 8,600 meters, and still have 2 to 3 hours to go if they choose to continue to the summit. As I said, tonight Team One is at Camp III and will be waking between 2 and 4AM tomorrow morning to start their summit bid. So I will be updating you soon. This is Eric Brown.