On August 30, a 10-member Himalayan expedition took off from the airport in Ljubljana, Slovenia, headed for Kathmandu. The expedition is attempting to climb and ski Everest in the autumn, when the snow cover is at its highest due to heavy summer monsoon snowfall. Expedition leader, Slovenian Davo Karnicar, will attempt to ski from the summit to Base Camp, more than three-and-a-half kilometers below.

Almost half a century has elapsed since the first ascent of Everest. Routes which traverse its ridges and faces are many. It has also become the highest-lying scene for various challenges: a hot-air balloon has flown over Everest, a paraglider has taken off from its summit, and several skiers have attempted its slopes. The most successful among them were Pierre Tardivel from France, who in the autumn of 1992 skied off the south summit (some 100m below the main summit), and Hans Kammerlander of Italy, who in the spring of 1996 skied from the top, yet the lack of snow on the north side, where he was descending, soon forced him to take off the skis and downclimb a considerable section of the route back to the base camp.

In the same year, Karnicar attempted Everest from the same side as Kammerlander, yet he got frostbite while ascending in a terrific storm, which put an end to his expedition. A full top to bottom ski descent from Everest remains one of the last great challenges on our planet.

Karnicar's expedition will attempt Everest from the Nepalese south side. Most of the ski route is familiar, but the 100 meters just below the summit, fended off by the Hillary Step, is unknown. This is a rocky section that Karnicar judges to be skiable in autumn when it is covered by snow.

The Team
The team includes leader Davo Karnicar, physician Jurij Gorjanc, climber Franc Oderlap, climber Grega Lacen, photographer Urban Golob, climber Matej Flis, journalist Maja Ros, Andrej Kmet, and cinematographers Tadej Golob and Janez Stucin.

— Reports provided by www.everest.simobil.si