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~ above Tibet and his tails hung 2,000 feet over Nepal. "It was the greatest exposure in my life, but I was prepared to do it," said Karnicar. The biggest cha llenges were yet to come. On Everest's upper reaches, where fierce winds and subzero tem- peratures form a chitinous layer of snow and ice, the same snowfalls that covered the Step also created ideal conditions for massive avalanches. As Karnicar skied the steep Southeast Ridge and the 4,000-foot Lhotse face, the constant threat of the mountain sliding from under him was ever present. Below the Lhotse face, the last major challenge fac- ing Karnicar was the Khumbu Icefall. While not as technically demanding as the upper reaches of Everest, the hundreds of hidden crevasses and massive, precariously perched seracs that have claimed the lives of many climbers make crossing the Icefall treacherous. But Karnicar made it through the Icefall without incident and a few crisp turns brought him, exhausted but triumphant, to base camp. Since Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay first bagged the 29,028-foot peak in 1953, only a handful of people have attempted to ski Everest. Karnicar attributes the limited number of attempts to technical reasons, observing that, until recently, ski and binding technology was insufficient for Everest's extreme conditions. In 1970, Japanese climber and speed skier Yuichiro Miura became the first person to ski on Everest but he began his run at 26,000 feet and crashed halfway down the mountain, sliding to a stop just short of a precipice. In 1992, Frenchman Pierre Tardivel skied from about 300 feet below the summit but skipped the Hillary Step. In 1996, Italian Hans Kammerlander began a promising run from the summit but a paucity of snow forced him to down-climb a considerable portion of the route. Some people may be surprised to find a Siovenian at the pinnacle of the mountaineering world. "The disadvantage of being from Slovenia," said Karnicar, "is financing the expedi- tions like this. You don't get any support from the government and raising money is not easy. The expedition cost us over US$300,000. I had luck to find Prestige [the Sloven ian public relations firm], which was ready to invest in the project. But the costs of the expedition are still far from being settled." Slovenia is home to the ski company Elan (who pro- vided Karnicar with custom-made skis for his descent) and 25 percent of Siovenians ski. The climbing world has long recog- nized Slovenia as a source for talented alpinists. Now that Karnicar has joined the ranks of Everest legends, the rest of the world will too.- Lou Mezzante For more information visit www.everest.simobil.si The New Challenges According to Stephen Koch, currently attempting to become the firs t person to snowboard tho highest mountain on each continent. "Dovo's descent is pretty incredible ... but it's out thern to improve on. When someone summits WithOllt oxygen and makes a complete descent down tho Hornboin route In fl,OOO-vertical-foot couloir on Evorost's north facel. that is thn ultimate descont." The snowhoarning first descent-is also up for grahs. The Many Names of Everest Nepalese: Sagarll1atha (goddess of the sky) Tibetan: Chomolllngma (mother goddess of the universe) English: Mount Evorest (OftHl' Gcorge Everest, tho British surveyor gon- oral of Innia in 19(5) Everest Timeline 1848; Everest. then called "B" peak. firsl sllrveycd by the British and esti- mated at 8,885 melers. 1865; Everest determiued to bo the highest mountain in the world and renamed Mount Everest. 1922; First expodition climbs Ev"r"st and reaches 8.320 mctors. Everest also takes its first victims wben seven Sherpa, aro buried in an avalanche. 1924; George Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappear ncal' the summit. leuving questions as to whnther they evnr re.ached the top. 1950; Nepal op(ms its borders, allowing expeditions to e]imb tJ)(J sUlltl! side of Everest. 1953, May 29; First' ascnnt : Edmund Hillary, New Zealand, and Tenzillg Norgay, Nepal. via lhe SOlltll Col Routn. 1963, May 22; First ascent hy au Amorican: Jamns Whittaker via the South Col route. 1970, April 25; First Ski dc~ceJlt: Yuichiro Mill fil, Japan (from 26,000 fect). 1975, May 16; First As(;ent hy a Woman: Junko 1hhei, Japan, via the South Col roule. 1978, May 8 ; Fir~l· as(;nnt wilhout oxygon: Rei nhold Messner, Italy, and Peter Hau,,]or, Au8triu. vin tho SOlltlwast Ridge. 1980, August 20; First Solo f1S(;l)nt; Reinholn Messnm, Italy. via the Northeast Ridge to NOI'lh FocH. 2000, October 7 ; First Cont'inuous Ski Des(;(mt from Sumnlit: Oavo KiJmiCfll'. Slovtlllia. »» Other Everest Stats > Most Ascents: Eleven, by Appa Sherpa, Nepal > Year with Most Ascents: 1998 (73) > Latest Year without Ascent: 1974 > Country with most deaths on mountain; Nepal (46) > Deaths; 161 (156 men, 5 women) > Last Year without Death: 1977 > Year with Most Deaths: 1996 (15) > Estimated Number of Corpses on Everest: 120 > Estimated Amount of Trash on Everest: 50 tons 22 (!) w "\ u a'i ~ ui (!) "\ u ~ '" 0. "" z '" ::0 o :I: U :I: (!) "" iii iii >" ~ I;: 5 W ..J Vl :I: 0. '" o w ~ Z z m '" 0.