Musey has been an avid climber since 1991 and has scaled the highest peaks on six of the seven continents in the world. With his ascent of Mt. Everest this spring, he will complete the mountaineering challenge of the Seven Summits. Musey climbed Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2002 and has since climbed Mt. McKinley (AKA Denali) in Alaska, Mt. Elbrus in Russia, Aconagua in Argentina, Mt. Rainer in Washington, Mt. Vinson in Antarctica, and the Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia. As part of his training for the cold weather of Mt. Everest, he went on a ski expedition to the South Pole in 2007, encountering -30 to -35 degree Centigrade weather almost the entire journey. The Mt. Everest expedition is scheduled to depart from Katmandu, Nepal, on March 29th, with the return scheduled for June 1st. Musey and his group will ascend the south side of Mt. Everest, up what is known as the South Column Route. This is the same route used by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on their first ascent in 1953.
After a nearly two-week trek carrying supplies through the panoramic Khumbu region of Nepal, J. Armand Musey and eight fellow climbers have reached base camp at 17,500 feet to start final preparations for their ascent of Mt. Everest. Musey, a widely respected securities analyst in the telecommunications and satellite industries, is climbing Mt. Everest to achieve a personal goal as well as raising the funds for the American Red Cross. In reports via satellite telephone, Musey said about 20 different climbing groups are amassed at the base camp on the southern approach to Mt. Everest. This assemblage has created a small tent city of some 400 climbers and their Sherpa guides on the small, rock-strewn plateau.
“We’re busying ourselves setting up camp and practicing walking across long ladders that we’ll use to traverse the large crevasses en route to Camp 1 [the first stage of the ascent],” Musey said in a blog he dictated for posting online at www.museyeverest.com. “Tomorrow, we’ll help rebuild the heliport at base camp. It’s situated on a glacier that’s continually shifting, so there’s a lot of rock removal and clearing of the surface to enable emergency landings and takeoffs. On Thursday we will have our second Puja, a traditional Tibetan blessing. The first one last week was to bless our trip, while this one is specifically directed at blessing our climbing equipment.”
In his postings, Musey has talked about the logistics of the journey and the numerous stopping points, starting at 9,380 feet at the Lukla airport when they arrived by plane from Katmandu. His team consists of nine climbers, three guides and about 30 Sherpa staff to manage a small herd of yaks carrying much of their 1,700 pound of provisions, 70 tents, 2,000 liters of kerosene and other supplies.
"SES applauds Armand for taking on this arduous challenge to support such a worthy goal," said SES chairman Romain Bausch, "His expedition will raise awareness of the role of satellites in global disaster response, and as such, we are pleased to make a challenge grant of $15,000 in hopes that other companies in the satellite community will match or exceed our contribution to this laudable organization."
Sponsors and supporters can follow Musey's expedition and find information on how to make a donation to the Red Cross in support of his challenge at his climb website. All money donated will go directly to the American Red Cross' International Response Fund.