Good luck to him. If he does make it, then it is a genuine achievement, not a silly Guinness Book of World Records stunt.

All the luck to the brother….. Those are cool and dangerous waters

Haven't heard any more about the Dominican attempt on Mt Everest. Did they make it to the top and back?

I was in Punta Arenas two years ago and attest to the chaotic weather conditions. One day alone during a 8 hour period, there was rain, drop of 30 degrees F, snow, calm, winds over 50 mph, and sun. Diaz will just have to wait it out looking for the best conditions, but don't wait to long. The weather history of the zone is not conducive to ideal conditions, the writings of sailors of old can confirm that.

Let's hope he becomes a Dominican hero, not a Dominican martyr. Regardless, worth 100 baseball gods.

International Mountain Guides reports that Karim Mella and Ivan Gomez (Ivan EG) made it to the top. Karim Mella became the first Dominican to climb Mount Everest. Third man on the Dominican expedition, Federico Jovine, who had suffered from bronchitis did not make it the last stretch.

IMG:

The following members of the 2011 IMG Everest Expedition I & II have reached the summit between 4:30 to 8:11am on May 21, 2011 (Nepal Time):

Mr. Karim Marino Mella (USA/Dominican Republic)
Mr. Alan Duane Arnette (USA)
Ms. Mirjam Beaudoin (Germany)
Mr. Ivan EG Carrasco (Dominican Republic)
Mr. Heiko Weiner (Germany)
Mr. Richard Luke Millard (USA)
Mr. Panuru Sherpa (Phortse) — this is his 9th Everest Summit
Mr. Ang Chhiring Sherpa (Pangboche) — this is his 12th Everest Summit
Mr. Mingma Tenzing Sherpa I (Phortse) — this is his 6th Everest Summit
Mr. Mingma Dorje Sherpa (Phortse) — this is his 8th Everest Summit
Mr. Karma Rita Sherpa (Phortse) — this is his 6th Everest Summit
Mr. Pas

Mr. Pasang Rinji Sherpa (Phortse) — this is his 6th Everest Summit
Mr. Pasang Yila Sherpa (Pangboche) — this is his 6th Everest Summit
Mr. Mingma Tenzing II (Phortse) — this is his 1st Everest summit
The climbers are now all on their way down from the summit.

—Ang Jangbu, Expedition Leader

http://dr1.com/forums/dominicans-....mb-mount-everest-himalayas-3.html

Thanks for the good news, Atabey.
Was there anything on Dominican Today about it?
If not, there should have been.
More important than a stupid Guinness Book of World Records reading stunt.
"USA/Dominican Republic" - what does that mean?

Roy,

Of the 26 people trying to climb Everest, only 7 made it, 2 of three Dominicans, one dead, i believe Japanese, the 19 overall couldn't reach the summit.

Report sent back by Karim Mella, Ivan Gomez and Federico Jovine:


On 20 May 9pm, Dominicans Karim Mella, Ivan Gomez and Federico Jovine began the ascent to the height of Mount Everest. They would stop at the Balcony at 8,400 meters high where they would change their supplementary oxygen tanks for new ones of 3,000 lbs that would given them an additional 10 hours to reach the top and descend to Camp 4 from where they had departed four hours before.

Due to the wind and the extreme cold, the new oxygen tanks of Ivan and Karim had problems in the regulators creating an emergency situation where the oxygen was liquefying and the sherpas needed to resolve before the tanks would empty. Meanwhile Ivan and Karim entered into a state of hypoxia because they were not breathing the oxygen necessary for that height that is known as the death zone because the human being is incapable of surviving alone at such low levels of oxygen and extreme temperatures.

After 10 mins they were able to solve the problem in Karim’s tank who began to climb again to heat up his body that began to be affected by hypothermia. After about 35 minutes, the new oxygen tanks of Ivan could not be repaired when Federico Jovine arrived and found him in advanced hypoxia until his tank and regulator were replaced. Ivan Gomez recovered and continued the height some 45 minutes after Karim Mella. At that same place known as the balcony, the oxygen equipment of Federico Jovine also presented failures that were resolved, but these problems led Jovine to suffer from hypoxia and hypothermia endangering his life, which obliged him to begin the descent to Camp 4, aborting the climb to the summit.

Once he reached the top at 5am, Karim Mella tried to wait for Ivan Gomez to together raise the Dominican flag at the height, but the wind and extreme cold ruined the plans. Some 40 minutes later, Ivan Gomez made it and raised the flag, as well as that of the Army,

as well as that of the Army, of which he is a member.

After the difficult and complicated descent, aggravated by their exhaustion and physical weakness of a climb of more than 13 hours, the expeditionary grouped at Camp 4 at 7,900 meters height to after an hour of rest and dehydrating continue to descent to Camp 2 at 6,500 meters.

They ate at this stop and spent the night to continue the descent in early hours of the next day crossing the very dangerous Khumbu Ice Fall to reach base camp where the danger was over and the feat accomplished.

From there they took a helicopter ride to Lukla to board a plane to Katmandu, where they are resting from the extreme physical exertion. This week they travel to the DR.

Karim Mella, Ivan Gomez and Federico Jovine shared with the Listin Diario details of the recent climb of Mount Everest in an interview yesterday as they recovered prior from flying back to the DR. Ivan Gomez explained that the last day of the climb they spent 22 hours hiking. He said he was concerned because his oxygen was running out, but that it was a gorgeous day, with a bright sun out. He said one of the most difficult moments was to find the corpse of a Japanese hiker who did not make it.

"Even though deaths are less, it is common for people to die, he explained. He said knowing one of the persons affects one. He recalled seeing the helicopter bringing back the cadaver of a fellow hiker. That is one when asks oneself, what did I get myself into? We were 26, one died and 19 did not make it to the top," he said summing up his group.

Karim Mella was the first to get to the top. He said now they understand the magnitude of what they accomplished.

Of the three, he is the only one who lives abroad. He said that many of the foreigners were surprised Dominicans had climbed the mountain.

"I am very proud now, because abroad they thought we Dominicans were only about merengue or playing baseball, that more interesting stuff is left up to developed countries or Latin American countries with a mountain climbing culture," he said. Jovine said the prowess should serve to stimulate the development of mountain climbing in the country.

Atabey. perhaps this perception comes from the fact the Dominican Republic's highest mountain, Pico Duarte, was first climbed by and Englishman, and no Dominican climbed it until over 100 year later, and its elevation was not even measured properly until 2003.