Babu spends 21 hours on Top of the World

Babu Chiri "Another Record"

KATHMANDU, May 7 - From novices to expert climbers, they all spend just a few minutes on the top of Mount Everest, gasping for breath while they rejoice their victory atop the mountain.
Not Babu Chhiri Sherpa. The 33-year-old Sherpa guide just set a new record today spending an unprecedented 21 hours on the 8,848 meters high summit of Mt. Everest, the world’s tallest mountain.
"Today at 7:30 a.m. he left the summit for South Col after setting a record at the summit," said Shailendra Raj Sharma, chief of the mountaineering division at the ministry of tourism. ..........

No records have been kept for the most time spent atop Everest as of yet. But climbers spend from a few minutes to a maximum of half an hour on the summit where hurricane force winds and blizzard like storm drive climbers to retreat to lower altitude.

Babu and two of his Nepali friends began their journey from the South Col at 8,000 meters on Wednesday night and reached the summit about 10:30 a.m. the next day.

A specially built tent was pitched and Babu was left on the summit alone to wait out to accomplish his record to be the first one to spend the most time on the summit.

Alone on top of the world, Babu sang the Nepali national anthem and hoisted the national flag in the afternoon. "He wants to present the flag and recording of the national anthem to His Majesty the King," said Ang Babu Sherpa of Nomad Expedition who equipped Babu’s expedition to Everest. Babu had called on the radio that was dispatched to the capital through a satellite phone.

This morning he finally called it quits and descended towards lower camps where his cheering friends were waiting. The last message said he was on his way to Camp Two.

But the sweet success did not come out without some bitter experiences. The two accompanying Babu to the summit were stuck on the way down who were caught in by hurricane like wind and could not find the way back to camp.

The two sat out in the cold for two hours after already climbing in for 22 hours at a stretch. "They needed someone to bring them help - only everyone were exhausted after the summit push ... finally they came down very cold but very happy," said expedition members in the expedition’s Internet website.
During the same time the two were fighting bad weather, radio contact with Babu had broken off with the base camp. He had already been on the summit for seven hours by then. "The expedition was upset while black clouds came over us from the valley and the wind roared mercilessly over our heads," said the message. Fortunately, the base camp crew were able to establish radio contact with Babu. The two sides were operating their walkie talkies on different frequencies. Messages from the mountain quoted Babu as saying he was feeling wonderful after the success.

The Everest region has always been a familiar ground for Babu. Besides growing up in the Solukhumbu area, he had already scaled the mountain seven times prior to the latest success and had been to close to the summit two other times. As an expert mountaineer, he has maintained an excellent climbing resume something for his rival to envy. Not only has he set a record for the longest time spent on Everest summit but has become the first to set up campsite at that altitude. Talk about an ultimate campsite.