BAI team on the Summit of Ama Dablam!

This is Wally Berg calling. It’s November 12 and I could not be happier to report that the entire Berg Adventures team has reached the summit of Ama Dablam at about 12:30 p.m.

This is an indescribable feat, very beautiful and very emotional. I’m often very emotional on summit tops but I have to say this tops it. Behind my Vuarnet glasses there are a lot of tears and I know I’m not alone as I look around at my fellow team members.

There have been many photographs taken from this incredibly beautiful summit of each of us, special photographs for people back home and team members brought out photos of someone special back home. And even Nima Tashi, the one Sherpa who summitted with us, had a photograph for himself with his son.

Now I’m looking at these great peaks – Everest, Cho Oyu, Makalu, Lhotse and I’m watching the team begin getting on ropes to rappel back down again to Camp Three.

The entire route from Camp One when I last spoke to you to Camp Three has been exceptionally gratifying for a mountaineer – challenging, virtually drilling in at every step and very rewarding as we stepped on to this beautiful summit today.

A few moments ago, Brent walked off to the side and had a very private moment that he had shared with me and now I know that he won’t mind me sharing this with the viewers at Berg Adventures.com and EverestNews.com. Through all of the hours of this climb, I know how much Barry Bishop and Wally Ramanes, Michael Ward and Mike Gill, and their exploits back in ’61 meant to us. As Brent opened a little film canister and let his father Barry Bishop’s ashes fly into the wind to the north, with the magnificent view of Everest and Lhotse and these other great peaks behind, I have to say it was probably the most touching moment for me in my mountaineering life.

As I said we’re getting on the rappel lines to start down now and I will report to you as we go back to the high camp, Camp Three, and off the mountain.

This is a great team to have climbed with. Our success today, I will say at least on my side, is well-deserved for every climbing member on this team. But also have to comment, up here in the wind on Ama Dablam today, that once again the mountain gods looked on us with their favor and they were part of our success story today.

We’re heading down now and we’ll report to you when we get back down to the lower camps.

Later :

This is Wally Berg. I’m calling at 3:30 p.m. from Camp Three. We all made it safe down here. We will spend the night here and tomorrow start heading down the mountain.