ADVENTURE SPORTS BY WINA STURGEON 5/07
NEWS LEAKS OUT: IT'S BAD AT BASE CAMP
Maybe it was the world's outrage, but Nepal has defied China by allowing part of Mt. Everest to stay open to climbers. China had asked Nepal to close the entire mountain to climbers during the May 1-10 attempt to carry the Olympic Torch to the summit of earth's highest mountain. China has closed Everest to climbers on the north side, in Tibet. But the Nepal Ministry of Tourism will allow climbers on the south side, in Nepal, up to Camp 2.
According to MountEverest.net, the most thorough site for news of China's actions on the mountain, over 20 teams have been granted permits to climb, and 10 more applications are being processed.
But to get these precious permits, climbers must agree to a ban on any protest against China, and must also turn over all communication devices, including cell phones, laptops and cameras, to be "checked" until after May 10. Instead of the normal cheerful atmosphere at Base Camp, where climbers prepare for the vertical trek up the mountain, military aircraft now fly over Everest, and Nepalese troops carry rifles and man outposts along all routes. Police and soldiers constantly search each climbing team's tents and baggage. Communication with the outside world is forbidden; all news from any expedition must be sent to the Nepalese Ministry of Tourism, who will decide whether to forward it on to the recipient. Even CNN reporters, waiting to film the summit of the Olympic Torch, are being confined to media barracks at the base area and are being given no information; nor are they allowed to communicate with any of the climbing teams.
The world may never get the full story of what happened at Base Camp during the first ten days of May. The agreement that climbers must sign, a copy of which appears on MountEverest.net, includes a clause that the following items are disposable in the Khumbu, or Base Camp region: "toilet paper, cardboard boxes and paper waste, bamboo baskets and mats, cotton and jute bags, spoiled goods, dead bodies."
THE BUTT-KICKING WOMEN OF BMX GET DOWN
Shaneze Reade of Britain says she likes kicking guy's butts. Laetitia Le Corguille of France just wants to kick everyone's butt at the Olympics. It's getting downright harsh among the ladies of BMX Supercross as the Games get closer.
That's part of the big buzz about BMX. There's nothing ladylike about this sport.
The next-to-last race that will decide who makes each country's Olympic team is the World Cup in Copenhagen, Denmark, May 9-10. The final decider will be the BMX World Championships May 31, in Taiyuan, China. The U. S. women's squad going to both races will be Arielle Martin, Kill Kintner and Amanda Geving. Only Martin has secured her place on the team; America has two slots for the women.
Sadly, Tara Llanes name is still on the ranking list, though with no points. Llanes, an Olympic contender, was paralyzed below the waist after a BMX crash last September 1.
MAMMOTH MAKES CHAZ GUILDEMOND $15,000 RICHER
It was a pretty good two days of work for snowboarder Chaz Guildemond at Mammoth Mountain, California. On May 2-3, Guildemond took first place in both the pipe and jib contests at the Fiesta de la Pipa and West Coast Invitational Rail Jam.
The pipe was Mammoth spectacular, but the jib setup was just nuts: three and a half stories high, with a variety of rails and a sliding ledge. Luke Mitrani won best trick with seconds to go on his run. Jaime Anderson took it for the women.
The mountain will stay open until the end of May.