Cover | Contents | Archive | Contact

May 22, 2006
Everyone is excited to hear that the last man left standing on Team No Limits, Doug Tumminello, reached the summit at approximately 6:00 AM. today!Doug and Passang Nuru Sherpa took in the beauty and awe of their success and then began their descent for Camp IV. Cheers for Doug are far reaching. In Base Camp, particularly Roger Coffey, is elated to hear the news - so are Doug's family, friends and team members that are now back at home. While Matt Tredway and Larry Rigsby are now miles away from their friend and team member, they have remained with him in spirit! Doug Tumminello, now a one man show for the team has taken the dream of Team No Limits to the top. We are absolutely thrilled and so thankful!

The weather is reported to be beautiful day - perfect for a summit!

Team No Limits affiliated climber, Will Cross, also reached the summit at 5:20 AM. Will was accompanied by his dynamic duo, Arita and Lhakpa Nuru Sherpas. We are still waiting for word on affiliated climber, Juli. As soon as we are informed of her location we will report back.

What a great day. What a day to be thankful - and what a day to be inspired.

"Every man will die but not every man will truly live"

May 21, 2006 After a very difficult two months for Team No Limits, the adventure now nears its end. The only remaining member of the team, Doug Tumminello, of Denver, Colorado - will make his final push for the summit this week. Doug is now in Camp III and will make a push for the summit on the 23rd (weather permitting).

Doug has demonstrated an unwavering determination throughout this entire journey. In spite of many set backs and the loss of his two teammates, Doug remains optimistic and continues to persevere in the midst of adversity. Our thoughts and prayers are with Doug as he continues his mission to reach the roof of the world. I hope to be reporting good news to you in the next day or so.

May 7, 2006 Team No Limits is now down to one original member. After both Dr. Rigsby and Matt Tredway fell ill, Doug Tumminello of Littleton Colorado is the only member of Team No Limits left on Everest. Doug is still accompied by the team base camp manager, Roger Coffey, and the Sherpa team - headed by climbing sirdar, Apa Sherpa. After Rigsby and Tredway both fell victim to apparent heart problems, both climbers left the Everest base camp. Tredway, of Steamboat Springs, was evacuated from the mountain via helicopter and is seeking treatment in Katmandu.

After being stabilized, Dr. Rigsby, a determined and stubborn ole' chap, trekked to the Village of Thame to visit the families of the Sherpas who were killed in the icefall tragedy. So, for now, all eyes are Doug and our thought and prayers are with Tredway and Rigsby. Rigsby and Tredway will reunite within the next few days for their departure from Katmandu.

Team No Limits has erected a Memorial Foundation to care for the Sherpa families of their loved ones. This project is being spearheaded by Doug Tumminello's law partner, Lanny Anderson - of Rothgerber, Johnson & Lyons.

Doug and his fellow climbers are headed for Camp III and expecting to make a summit bid between May 11 -15. Our thoughts and prayers are with Tumminello as he makes his final push for the top of the world!

To make a contribution to the Sherpa Families, contact:

The Lhakpa Tseri Sherpa and Dawa Temba Sherpa Memorial Foundation
Attention: Lanny Anderson
Suite 3000
1200 Seventeenth Street
Denver, Colorado 802-5855

April 24, 2006 Spirits in base camp are on the mend after the tragic loss Team No Limits experienced on April 21. For two days the team and other climbers at base camp mourned the loss of their friends and tended to the injured. Following the mourning period, the team's Sherpas entered the Icefall to recover gear and supplies abandoned during the accident. They took the gear to Camp I (at the top of the Icefall) and then headed to Camp II with additional supplies.

After extensive soul searching, thought, and discussion between team members and their Sherpas, the team has decided to continue with the expedition. "We continue our venture in memory of our friends and with great hope and determination," one team member said. On April 24, the team commenced its initial acclimatization plan by climbing thru the Icefall (19,500 ft.). They will spend two nights at Camp I and during that time, make an acclimatization climb to Camp II (21,500 ft.). They may spend a night or two at Camp II, depending on the condition of the team members and the Camp II logistics. The team will then descend to base camp for rest and recovery.

Although plans were delayed by a three day storm and the accident, the team feels confident that sufficient time remains for proper acclimatization and a summit bid. "Patience and fortitude are key and our strategy is to make haste, slowly."

...More to come as this story continues to unfold!

April 21, 2006 - It is with tremendous sadness that we make the
following dispatch:
At approximately 7 AM today, two ice seracs high in the Khumbu Icefall on Mount Everest collapsed, burying three Sherpa climbers. Two of the Sherpas buried in the Serac fall were employed by Asian Trekking Expeditions and were support staff for Team No Limits as well as other Asian Trekking climbers. The third Sherpa was a member of another expedition. The names of all three Sherpas are being withheld from this dispatch, pending on the notification of their families.

All members of Team No Limits were in base camp when the accident occurred. Witnesses to the accident reported that ten Sherpas were in the immediate area and moving toward camp1 when the seracs collapsed. A number of climbing teams and Sherpas near the accident site quickly accessed the scene and began a search for the missing. The search was called off at about 10:30 AM when it was determined that the climbers could not be rescued or recovered because of the amount of ice covering the site. An independent inspection of the site by Apa Sherpa, our climbing Sirdar, confirmed the futility of any hope of recovering the missing. Other Sherpas were injured but all were ambulatory, and they received treatment at the Everest Base Camp Clinic.

Our team's thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to the families of the missing. The climbers were beloved in their villages and were respected members of the Sherpa climbing community. Their loss is keenly felt.

Our team's climbing operations are currently suspended as we come to terms with this tragedy and further access the situation.

April 2006 - Early this month my father, Larry Rigsby, a 54-year-old physician from Signal Mountain, Tennessee, left for the Himalayas with his climbing team to take on the world's tallest peak. Named, Team No Limits, the group is composed of four members and a Sherpa team. Other team members are: Doug Tumminello, of Littleton, Colorado and Matt Tredway of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, plus the base camp manager, Roger Coffey, of Knoxville, Tennessee.

The team is headed by the world renowned, Apa Sherpa, who holds the world record for the number of summits on Mount Everest. If the team makes it to the summit, this will be number 16 for Apa Sherpa!

The team arrived at the 17, 600ft. base camp in Nepal on April 10. Summit attempts will begin on May 8 and will continue until May 31. The schedule will allow the team to remain flexible to adjust for weather and other delays. Weather will be the ultimate determining factor with regard to the team's summit schedule.