Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
On top of the world
When I was ready to leave the tent the conditions were absolutely perfect (still less than 20 below zero but very little wind and you can't really expect much more up here).
I was climbing with Dawa Sherpa who was very strong and had summitted with one of my friends, Pete Sunnucks, last year so felt I was in good hands and set out at 2230, 30 minutes later than scheduled but over an hour earlier than last year so no big deal. The turn around time was 12 hours so my plan was to race up to the North East ridge and reach the second step in the dark and change my oxygen above the second step, this would hopefully take the turn around deadline out of the equation and hopefully allow me to coast a bit more higher up.
Carrying three full oxygen cylinders plus other kits is no mean feat at this altitude, last year when I first stood up the weight was a bit of a shock to the system and took a few minutes to adjust but this time I was relieved that my pack didn't feel quite as heavy!! Sticking to the turn around time is very important, most of the fatalities on Everest occur on the way down when people are late to the summit and either run out of oxygen or get trapped on the mountain. I got up onto the North East ridge in less than two hours, passing a few of my team mates and was feeling very strong still and well on course. I caught up with Mark and Ben who were in good rhythm so settled in behind them.
There had been a lot more snow fall this year and there was a light covering of snow on the route which made some sections much easier in crampons, this was evident as we passed Green Boots (our first radio check in point) and the body was much less visible than last year.
The first test on the route was the first step, a 30ft rock wall, where I had been unable to continue beyond here last year due to strained knee ligaments, however on two good legs I flew up there and continued on. There were trickier sections still to come and as time wore on I realised I would have had further difficulties along the route (especially as I had also lost one of my climbing mitts) and was now completely comfortable that I had made the correct decision to turn around in 2010.
The infamous second step loomed ahead and I could see the head torches of those that had left before me on the step. It was a 100ft rock wall made up of a series of ledges and ladders. The main ladder was placed there by the Chinese in the 1970s and, I believe, until Conrad Anker and Leo Houlding proved it could be done for the film "The Wildest Dream" it had never been free climbed, unless of course Mallory and Irvine managed it in 1924...
As planned I reached the second step in the dark about five hours after leaving high camp and, as the technical crux of the climb, I was expecting a considerable challenge here and increased my oxygen flow from 2 litre/ minute to 3 litres/minute. It wasn't quite as I had expected but still absolutely exhausting but I made it up safely, albeit very out of breath. I think that climbing up in the dark helped because, as I saw more clearly on the descent, the step was very exposed.
I stopped to change onto my second oxygen cylinder and take a rest and drink just above the step. We were now about 3 hours from the top (and importantly still over 7 hours until my turnaround time), were making very good time so could afford to take a break and ease off a bit from here on.
As the sun began to rise it became even colder and I noticed a section of my left eye was beginning to blur. I was concerned that either my cornea was freezing up or I had developed a retinal haemorrhage, I decided that I would put on my dark goggles and continue on as long as it didn't get any worse. Fortunately it didn't and the blurring had cleared up by the time I got back to camp.
Shortly after third step we reached the summit pyramid. The summit appeared tantalisingly to be in sight at the top of a snow slope we still had to traverse around the summit pyramid, up through some rocks and move along one final snow slope before we reached the summit. Knowing that we had plenty of time I didn't rush and it took around two hours from the bottom of the slope.
I reached the summit nine hours after leaving high camp at 0730, quite possibly the quickest British climber from high camp to the summit in 2011 (still trying to double check this)! The weather was still calm, the skies were clear and the view was absolutely breathtaking. Aside from our team, there were only four other climbers on the mountain that day and we had timed our summit to perfection - thanks to Zac, Chris and Michael Fagin (our weather forecaster) for this.
I spent just under an hour up there, resting, taking in the view and taking some photos. I did completely fail to take any video footage or take my flags out of my pack which I am a bit annoyed about now but I will live with it.
The team also bagged a number of records. For two hours Geordie was the youngest Brit to complete the Seven Summits until George summitted and become the youngest person in the world to scale all of the Seven Summits and youngest Brit to climb Everest. Stephen hit a golf shot from the summit which became the highest, although we were all very amused when he gave us the world premiere of his video of this event at base camp and the video cut out during his back swing. But the blue riband record goes to Geordie and me, we "high fived" on the summit to achieve the highest high five in history.
Stephen's achievement in reaching the summit was particularly outstanding, he had been evacuated to Kathmandu with stomach problem 10 days before we left for the summit and only returned to base camp the day before. He had even had to use a cover story, an artist going to base camp to paint the Rongbuk Glacier, to get back across the border (unsupervised travel in Tibet is still prohibited). Unsurprisingly given his loss of acclimatisation, he started showing signs of HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema) at high camp so descended with Chris to ABC through the night and is convinced that Chris saved his life.
Descent and Exit
Dawa and I descended to high camp by 1300. The descent wasn't completely trouble free. Firstly, Dawa stood on my hand with his crampons which was incredibly painful but amazingly no broken bones and then I got some moisture into my goggles causing then to steam up a lot which made some of the sections very tricky indeed. The worst section was getting onto the ladder at the top of the second step, there is a blind drop from the top onto the ladder where you have to lower yourself onto the ladder six feet below. I tried to lower myself down on the rope and just couldn't find the ladder with my feet so had to hurriedly pull myself back up before I fell, on the second try I decided to abseil down and managed it but with an 8000 foot drop lurking I am really surprised that there aren't more fatalities here it was genuine heart in mouth moment.
I was totally dehydrated and exhausted by this stage and abandoned my plans to descend to ABC the same day. I rested for a couple of hours at camp 3 and then descended to camp 2 for the night. The remainder of my litre of water had frozen and so I had managed to survive on about three quarters of litre since I left the tent for the summit the night before. I was absolutely desperate for water but equally desperate for sleep, fortunately I had some hydrated energy gels left and so opted to use those to get me through the night.
I had one more bottle of oxygen left and had to elect whether to sleep on it or save it for the way down. I was very tired and felt my body could cope without oxygen for a night at 7800m so elected to save my oxygen for the descent the following day.
It snowed heavily and the wind howled all night and I did feel for those who had elected to go for the summit tonight. Aside from the vision problems I hadn't really suffered from any major problems in the cold and altitude although I had noticed that on the way down I had began to hear voices. I put this down to a combination of hyppoxia, dehydration and fatigue and had read about this being reasonably common for exhausted high altitude climbers so wasn't overly concerned.
The whole team reached ABC on 27 May and descended to base camp the following day. At base camp Ben's frostbite was getting worse, Mark was peeing blood, Jason and Stephen were also still ill so all were evacuated to Kathmandu early.
The rest of the team left base camp a day later and travelled to Kathmandu to celebrate.
The celebrations were topped off with a night with the Sherpas at Rum Doodles, the traditional post expedition venue. Teams document their expeditions with a team footprint and all Everest summiteers are entitled to free meals for life (although not drinks am afraid, this was stopped after it was abused)!
None of this would have been possible without the hard work of the Sherpa team. Those guys are incredibly strong at altitude (for example Ang, who weighs less than me, amazingly carried an 80kg pack down from camp 2) and worked extremely hard to help us reach the top.
I am in the process of sorting through the photos so will add them to the gallery section soon so all that remains is to thank you all for reading my blog and hope you enjoyed reading it!
I was climbing with Dawa Sherpa who was very strong and had summitted with one of my friends, Pete Sunnucks, last year so felt I was in good hands and set out at 2230, 30 minutes later than scheduled but over an hour earlier than last year so no big deal. The turn around time was 12 hours so my plan was to race up to the North East ridge and reach the second step in the dark and change my oxygen above the second step, this would hopefully take the turn around deadline out of the equation and hopefully allow me to coast a bit more higher up.
Carrying three full oxygen cylinders plus other kits is no mean feat at this altitude, last year when I first stood up the weight was a bit of a shock to the system and took a few minutes to adjust but this time I was relieved that my pack didn't feel quite as heavy!! Sticking to the turn around time is very important, most of the fatalities on Everest occur on the way down when people are late to the summit and either run out of oxygen or get trapped on the mountain. I got up onto the North East ridge in less than two hours, passing a few of my team mates and was feeling very strong still and well on course. I caught up with Mark and Ben who were in good rhythm so settled in behind them.
There had been a lot more snow fall this year and there was a light covering of snow on the route which made some sections much easier in crampons, this was evident as we passed Green Boots (our first radio check in point) and the body was much less visible than last year.
The infamous second step loomed ahead and I could see the head torches of those that had left before me on the step. It was a 100ft rock wall made up of a series of ledges and ladders. The main ladder was placed there by the Chinese in the 1970s and, I believe, until Conrad Anker and Leo Houlding proved it could be done for the film "The Wildest Dream" it had never been free climbed, unless of course Mallory and Irvine managed it in 1924...
As planned I reached the second step in the dark about five hours after leaving high camp and, as the technical crux of the climb, I was expecting a considerable challenge here and increased my oxygen flow from 2 litre/ minute to 3 litres/minute. It wasn't quite as I had expected but still absolutely exhausting but I made it up safely, albeit very out of breath. I think that climbing up in the dark helped because, as I saw more clearly on the descent, the step was very exposed.
I stopped to change onto my second oxygen cylinder and take a rest and drink just above the step. We were now about 3 hours from the top (and importantly still over 7 hours until my turnaround time), were making very good time so could afford to take a break and ease off a bit from here on.
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| Above the second step
While we were stopped my feet began to get very cold and numb, I had never suffered cold feet in my 8000m boots before and due to this and the warm forecast temperatures I decided not to wear any foot warmers and wondered whether this was a mistake, fortunately once I got moving again they began to warm up. We continued along the ridge to the third step and summit pyramid, passing a number of dead bodies which acted as a reminder that there was no margin for error.
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Shortly after third step we reached the summit pyramid. The summit appeared tantalisingly to be in sight at the top of a snow slope we still had to traverse around the summit pyramid, up through some rocks and move along one final snow slope before we reached the summit. Knowing that we had plenty of time I didn't rush and it took around two hours from the bottom of the slope.
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| Traversing the summit pyramid (c8800m) |
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| Top of the world |
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| Without goggles |
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| View back down the route from the summit |
Stephen's achievement in reaching the summit was particularly outstanding, he had been evacuated to Kathmandu with stomach problem 10 days before we left for the summit and only returned to base camp the day before. He had even had to use a cover story, an artist going to base camp to paint the Rongbuk Glacier, to get back across the border (unsupervised travel in Tibet is still prohibited). Unsurprisingly given his loss of acclimatisation, he started showing signs of HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema) at high camp so descended with Chris to ABC through the night and is convinced that Chris saved his life.
Descent and Exit
Dawa and I descended to high camp by 1300. The descent wasn't completely trouble free. Firstly, Dawa stood on my hand with his crampons which was incredibly painful but amazingly no broken bones and then I got some moisture into my goggles causing then to steam up a lot which made some of the sections very tricky indeed. The worst section was getting onto the ladder at the top of the second step, there is a blind drop from the top onto the ladder where you have to lower yourself onto the ladder six feet below. I tried to lower myself down on the rope and just couldn't find the ladder with my feet so had to hurriedly pull myself back up before I fell, on the second try I decided to abseil down and managed it but with an 8000 foot drop lurking I am really surprised that there aren't more fatalities here it was genuine heart in mouth moment.
I was totally dehydrated and exhausted by this stage and abandoned my plans to descend to ABC the same day. I rested for a couple of hours at camp 3 and then descended to camp 2 for the night. The remainder of my litre of water had frozen and so I had managed to survive on about three quarters of litre since I left the tent for the summit the night before. I was absolutely desperate for water but equally desperate for sleep, fortunately I had some hydrated energy gels left and so opted to use those to get me through the night.
I had one more bottle of oxygen left and had to elect whether to sleep on it or save it for the way down. I was very tired and felt my body could cope without oxygen for a night at 7800m so elected to save my oxygen for the descent the following day.
It snowed heavily and the wind howled all night and I did feel for those who had elected to go for the summit tonight. Aside from the vision problems I hadn't really suffered from any major problems in the cold and altitude although I had noticed that on the way down I had began to hear voices. I put this down to a combination of hyppoxia, dehydration and fatigue and had read about this being reasonably common for exhausted high altitude climbers so wasn't overly concerned.
The whole team reached ABC on 27 May and descended to base camp the following day. At base camp Ben's frostbite was getting worse, Mark was peeing blood, Jason and Stephen were also still ill so all were evacuated to Kathmandu early.
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| Back at ABC |
The celebrations were topped off with a night with the Sherpas at Rum Doodles, the traditional post expedition venue. Teams document their expeditions with a team footprint and all Everest summiteers are entitled to free meals for life (although not drinks am afraid, this was stopped after it was abused)!
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| Team footprint |
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| Rum Doodle restaurant |
Monday, 6 June 2011
Summit attempt begins
Firstly many thanks to Dave, Euan and Paddy who looked after my blog while I was away and indeed even found time to add some "very witty" pictures and comments of their own!!
I arrived at ABC with the intention of going for the summit on 25 May but following a change in the weather forecast and after much debate within the team we decided to delay our attempt until 26 May, this would give us lower summit winds and better weather for the approach days.
The following day we received news of yet another change and it seemed that we would have to endure high winds of up to 60mph on the North Col and North Ridge climbs. We were aware that with the increased snowfall that the monsoon was imminent (once the monsoon arrives climbing becomes extremely dangerous) and we knew we didn't have forever so decided to stick to the 26th and, if necessary, spend an extra night on the North Col.
Typically winds on Everest are higher later in the day so we set off up the North Col early on the 23rd. I felt great, my pack was much lighter than on our last North Col climb and I powered up from ABC to the North Col camp in just under five hours (including two hours of breaks), even keeping pace with the Sherpas on the headwall (admittedly they were carrying much heavier loads and probably weren't really trying but was still a boost to my morale). Once again some of my teammates had paid the Sherpas to carry up some of their kit, I was glad that throughout the trip I hadn't had to do this and carried all my own gear - hopefully this would stand me in good stead higher up.
As it happened the wind did not get up on way up the North Col and while this was a relief at the time, it did call into question the reliability of our weather forecast. We planned to spend the night up there, assess the weather in the morning before deciding whether to proceed up the mountain.
The morning arrived but the forecast winds didn't so we set off early up the North Ridge. It may not look by much but the North Ridge is an incredibly tough slog up a seemingly never ending snow slope. The weather started off bright and warm but I wore my full down kit to reduce my pack weight although my pack was still a very heavy 20kg. I didn't seem to be alone in carrying a heavy pack and the whole team was struggling here with Heather and Simon both deciding to turn back. As we progressed the weather closed in and on account of the heavy pack, I reached the top of the snow slope, 7500m, more slowly than on our earlier acclimatisation climb. Above here the ground changed to mixed rock and snow, the heavy snowfall in recent weeks meant that there was more snow than in 2010, this was both a help and hindrance.
The climb up to high camp was a much shorter day, 4 to 6 hours, and once more over mixed ground. It was on this day last year that I sprained my knee so while the climbing was not technically difficult I was keen to avoid a repeat although had taken the precaution of carrying two knee strappings (one for use on the go and the other stronger one should I need to strap up at camp). I immediately recognised the spot were I injured myself last year and even though I took extra care here, I was still very tense and glad to overcome it without incident this time.
The weather was sunny and calm. I felt strong once and I climbed up into the "death zone" (above 8000m and the 3rd time I have reached this altitude) and up to high camp, arriving in just over 4 hours at around 1300.
Having taken the decision not to set up high camp in advance, no doubt influenced by the storms wrecking a number of tents on the North Col, the Sherpa team had left earlier to set up camp. Once I got up to high camp at 8300m some of the tents weren't ready but after a short wait (and offer to help, which fell on deaf ears) I dived into a tent and began the process of melting snow to make water. After the debacle of last year we had decided to allocate two stoves to each tent unfortunately we had only had one working stove and I began to feel a sense of deja-vu.
I was sharing a tent with Mark and we quickly got to work, the first pan took an hour but after that we got our act together and both managed to eat a dehydrated Sweet and Sour chicken meal, which was surprisingly palatable. I had also brought up a big bag of Salt and Vinegar peanuts which given the huge salt deficiency in my body tasted so good (although weirdly the thought S n'V makes me wretch now). I decided to only carry a litre of water on summit day figuring that any more would freeze and just become excess weight so I needed to rehydrate as much as possible before leaving the tent. I managed about two and a half litres which was excellent considering I had managed less than a litre last year so was as hydrated as I felt I could be.
By about 1830 Mark and I had finished melting snow and had enough to get going and by this time Nick joined us in our tent. Nick was exhausted and, after a rationale discussion, he took the unselfish decision not to go for the summit.
Mark left the tent for the summit at 2130 and I followed him an hour later.
I arrived at ABC with the intention of going for the summit on 25 May but following a change in the weather forecast and after much debate within the team we decided to delay our attempt until 26 May, this would give us lower summit winds and better weather for the approach days.
The following day we received news of yet another change and it seemed that we would have to endure high winds of up to 60mph on the North Col and North Ridge climbs. We were aware that with the increased snowfall that the monsoon was imminent (once the monsoon arrives climbing becomes extremely dangerous) and we knew we didn't have forever so decided to stick to the 26th and, if necessary, spend an extra night on the North Col.
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| Bottom of the headwall |
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| On the North Col |
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| North Col camp |
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| On the way to camp 2
Camp 2 was situated between 7600m and 7800m with our tents were situated at the top of the camp which meant that from the time we saw the first tents it would be over an hour before we reached our own camp which was frustrating at the time but very welcome the following morning. I eventually rolled into camp after about 7 hours at 1530, very tired and a couple of hours after my target time but still 4 hours earlier than in 2010 which would give me more time to re-fuel and hydrate.
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| Arriving at camp 2
There is no obvious place to camp up here and with no flat surfaces the tents are usually perched precariously on a ledge and I had to dig out a flat surface in the porch before being able to work the stove. I had managed a couple of litres of water and dehydrated Spaghetti Bolognese (which was practically inedible but was forced down) and then settled down to rest with no sign of my tent mate, Salam. I was awoken shortly afterwards by a Sherpa with the news that he was still going but moving slowly and wasn't expected for some time. I boiled up some water for him and waited, he eventually arrived exhausted in the dark at just before 2100.
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| On the way to camp 3 |
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| Arriving at camp 3 (8300m) the highest camp in the world |
I was sharing a tent with Mark and we quickly got to work, the first pan took an hour but after that we got our act together and both managed to eat a dehydrated Sweet and Sour chicken meal, which was surprisingly palatable. I had also brought up a big bag of Salt and Vinegar peanuts which given the huge salt deficiency in my body tasted so good (although weirdly the thought S n'V makes me wretch now). I decided to only carry a litre of water on summit day figuring that any more would freeze and just become excess weight so I needed to rehydrate as much as possible before leaving the tent. I managed about two and a half litres which was excellent considering I had managed less than a litre last year so was as hydrated as I felt I could be.
Mark left the tent for the summit at 2130 and I followed him an hour later.
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Done and Dusted
Some of you will by now be aware that Andy has achieved his goal and is now returning to camp for a well-earned rest. Knowing him as I do, he'll have some cunning new challenge up his sleeve for his next project....
There is no truth in the rumour doing the rounds of Twitter that he has been involved with Jemina Khan and/or Imogen Thomas and fled to the Himalayas to escape the furore around the super-injunction.
There is no truth in the rumour doing the rounds of Twitter that he has been involved with Jemina Khan and/or Imogen Thomas and fled to the Himalayas to escape the furore around the super-injunction.
Friday, 20 May 2011
Summit Itinerary
Most of the team left BC on the 19th to either break the back of the journey and use intermediate camp or to give an extra rest day at ABC. My preference is to spend an extra day at BC, where I am sleeping and eating well. Since the Sherpas arrived down here I have been eating with them. I much prefer their Dhal Bhat (Lentil Curry, this won't surprise those of you who know I am a huge fan of beans and lentils) to the western food that we are normally served, and crucially also find it much easier to eats lots of it. Salam has also been joining me and we have been told we are now honourary Sherpas- hopefully this is a good omen!
After arriving at ABC on the 20th, I will rest for one day before climbing up the North Col on the 22nd. I have left a fair bit of kit at the North Col camp so shouldn't have as much to carry as last time and will be probably take around 4.5 hours. Although if some of this kit (eg. down kit) was lost in the storms I won't be climbing higher but since the critical stuff was in the group tent it should be OK.
Once we have left ABC there will be no more rest days as the body deteriorates more quickly the higher you go so we will climb to 7800m the next day. Most of this day (up to 7500m) will be spent on the North Ridge, which is a snow slope, and above 7500m the ground changes to mixed snow and rock. This will be a tough day, last year I didn't arrive in camp until 1930 and some of the team until after 2100 which made it difficult to refuel and hydrate properly. I went well up to 7500m a couple of weeks ago and am aiming to leave North Col earlier and make much better time this year.
The next day continues on mixed snow and rock up to 8300m. Like the previous day not massively technical but I strained my knee ligaments on this day last year so need to be careful not to repeat although am carrying a brace and a strapping. This should take 4 to 5 hours and get me to high camp around lunchtime/ early afternoon.
Once at 8300m, I will spend the rest of the day trying to melt snow/ice for water and eat as much as possible - both an absolute nightmare at this altitude!!
We have spoken a lot about summit day at BC and the team have all been allocated departure times based on expected speed. I am due to be the last to leave my tent at 2200 Nepal time (1745 UK time) on the 24th and all being well aim to reach the summit in around 8 to 9 hours, so by the time everyone in the UK wakes up on the 25th I should be on my way down.
Obviously it will be difficult for me to update this until I return so the Adventure Peaks website (link on the left on the main blog page in the new section, although I understand they have launched a new website since we have been out here so may not work anymore) is the best place to follow our progress. I also understand Stu is planning staying up in his lucky pants to update the team's progress through the night on summit night.
We are now back up to a full complement for the summit attempt so hopefully there will be good news all round in a few days.
After arriving at ABC on the 20th, I will rest for one day before climbing up the North Col on the 22nd. I have left a fair bit of kit at the North Col camp so shouldn't have as much to carry as last time and will be probably take around 4.5 hours. Although if some of this kit (eg. down kit) was lost in the storms I won't be climbing higher but since the critical stuff was in the group tent it should be OK.
Once we have left ABC there will be no more rest days as the body deteriorates more quickly the higher you go so we will climb to 7800m the next day. Most of this day (up to 7500m) will be spent on the North Ridge, which is a snow slope, and above 7500m the ground changes to mixed snow and rock. This will be a tough day, last year I didn't arrive in camp until 1930 and some of the team until after 2100 which made it difficult to refuel and hydrate properly. I went well up to 7500m a couple of weeks ago and am aiming to leave North Col earlier and make much better time this year.
The next day continues on mixed snow and rock up to 8300m. Like the previous day not massively technical but I strained my knee ligaments on this day last year so need to be careful not to repeat although am carrying a brace and a strapping. This should take 4 to 5 hours and get me to high camp around lunchtime/ early afternoon.
Once at 8300m, I will spend the rest of the day trying to melt snow/ice for water and eat as much as possible - both an absolute nightmare at this altitude!!
We have spoken a lot about summit day at BC and the team have all been allocated departure times based on expected speed. I am due to be the last to leave my tent at 2200 Nepal time (1745 UK time) on the 24th and all being well aim to reach the summit in around 8 to 9 hours, so by the time everyone in the UK wakes up on the 25th I should be on my way down.
Obviously it will be difficult for me to update this until I return so the Adventure Peaks website (link on the left on the main blog page in the new section, although I understand they have launched a new website since we have been out here so may not work anymore) is the best place to follow our progress. I also understand Stu is planning staying up in his lucky pants to update the team's progress through the night on summit night.
We are now back up to a full complement for the summit attempt so hopefully there will be good news all round in a few days.
On the road again
Finally we have some good news on the weather front and I will leave base camp tomorrow and aim to summit on the 25th.
It's been a strange few days at base camp, all the teams except for us and one other have been waiting at ABC for early weather windows which did not materialise. Consequently, there have still been no summits from the North although the CTMA team are heading to the summit today to complete the fixing of the ropes up to the summit. Conversely, there have been plenty of summits from the South (I have wondered many times if I should have gone that way and could now be relaxing in Kathmandu) although the weather on that side is now much worse and I understand that many teams have left the mountain.
The other Northside teams are aiming to summit on the 20th and 21st whereas we will wait. While it would have been easier to follow the other teams up to ABC I am pleased that we stuck to our guns and have stayed at BC where I think we will have eaten and rested much better than we would have at ABC. Hopefully, they can all summit on these days and leave us with a clear mountain on the 25th.
The only worry with our strategy is with acclimatisation, it is now two weeks since I climbed up to 7500m and normal thinking is that acclimatisation last around two weeks (although this is not an exact science). Personally, I will have spent two weeks at base camp (i.e. exactly the same amount of the time as last year) and walked up to around 5800m a couple of time so I expect it will be OK but won't know until I climb higher again.
The summit push itself will be five days of climbing, each consuming around 10,000 calories which, coupled with the appetite suppression at altitude making it very difficult to consume more than around 1500 calories a day, can be very debilitating. Especially when you also factor in the difficulties keeping hydrating.
In addition to dehydrated meals (which are not the best and very difficult to digest at the best of times), I will be carrying chocolate, peanuts, energy gels, beef jerky and energy powder. Hopefully these will be enough to keep me going but I will need to be very careful to make sure they don't freeze - particularly on summit day.
It's been a strange few days at base camp, all the teams except for us and one other have been waiting at ABC for early weather windows which did not materialise. Consequently, there have still been no summits from the North although the CTMA team are heading to the summit today to complete the fixing of the ropes up to the summit. Conversely, there have been plenty of summits from the South (I have wondered many times if I should have gone that way and could now be relaxing in Kathmandu) although the weather on that side is now much worse and I understand that many teams have left the mountain.
The other Northside teams are aiming to summit on the 20th and 21st whereas we will wait. While it would have been easier to follow the other teams up to ABC I am pleased that we stuck to our guns and have stayed at BC where I think we will have eaten and rested much better than we would have at ABC. Hopefully, they can all summit on these days and leave us with a clear mountain on the 25th.
The only worry with our strategy is with acclimatisation, it is now two weeks since I climbed up to 7500m and normal thinking is that acclimatisation last around two weeks (although this is not an exact science). Personally, I will have spent two weeks at base camp (i.e. exactly the same amount of the time as last year) and walked up to around 5800m a couple of time so I expect it will be OK but won't know until I climb higher again.
The summit push itself will be five days of climbing, each consuming around 10,000 calories which, coupled with the appetite suppression at altitude making it very difficult to consume more than around 1500 calories a day, can be very debilitating. Especially when you also factor in the difficulties keeping hydrating.
In addition to dehydrated meals (which are not the best and very difficult to digest at the best of times), I will be carrying chocolate, peanuts, energy gels, beef jerky and energy powder. Hopefully these will be enough to keep me going but I will need to be very careful to make sure they don't freeze - particularly on summit day.
Monday, 16 May 2011
Day 6 in the Big Brother house
Sixth day (and counting) at base camp...I am saying this with a mock Geordie accent (a little like the one Jim and his brother adopt).
The weather forecast has not been very promising. That said, we are the only team still at base camp. There is a hint of good weather on the 16th/17th/18th, summit winds of 35-50 mph (not really what I would call good weather) so all the other teams moved up to ABC to try and grab an early summit.
Still no mention of the monsoon in the weather forecasts (traditionally the best summit weather is just as the monsoon system arrives and pushes the jet stream away from Everest giving a few calmer days) and to my mind waiting is the best strategy. Most teams appear to be using European weather forecast whereas we are using an American one (the same source that delivered excellent summit conditions for me last year and Cho Oyu) so I am pleased we all agreed to hold off and just hope it proves to be the correct decision, although a bit strange when the weather forecast is the most important part of the day (makes me feel a bit like an Australian cricket fan hoping the rain will save them again).
Since we made this decision, it looks like the Chinese have also began to lean towards a delay and are now saying the summit ropes won't be fixed until the 18th. I understand this has created panic amongst the teams at ABC who now have to decide whether to stay up there, come back down or try and fix the ropes themselves. There is a meeting this afternoon between the CTMA and teams to try and work things out but these "politics" appear to rear their head very regularly (this is very frustrating as today looked like a good summit day and no doubt many people made it from the South, although it is Friday the 13th so maybe people held back).
I am hopeful that we will be able to make our move on or around the 17th but best not to get a date into the head before the weather settles. Although, if we have to wait much longer we will have to start thinking about re-acclimatising (acclimatisation normally lasts around two weeks) which would be highly annoying.
Unfortunately, Stephen had to return to Kathmandu a few days ago. He had been very ill for a over a week and lost a lot of weight so this seemed the most sensible decision. The early signs are promising that he will be able to return to the team over the course of the next few days and hopefully be able to join up in time for the summit bid.
Without a firm departure date, everyone is just trying to keep their frustrations in check and keep themselves busy and healthy. I am trying to eat and sleep lots (up to over ten hours a night now), keep healthy and do regular exercise without wearing myself out although wandering round base camp feels like a prison exercise yard (not from first hand experience mind) so am trying to be creative and find new places to visit.....as well as doing 'things'.
Hopefully will have some more positive news to report in the next few days.
The weather forecast has not been very promising. That said, we are the only team still at base camp. There is a hint of good weather on the 16th/17th/18th, summit winds of 35-50 mph (not really what I would call good weather) so all the other teams moved up to ABC to try and grab an early summit.
Still no mention of the monsoon in the weather forecasts (traditionally the best summit weather is just as the monsoon system arrives and pushes the jet stream away from Everest giving a few calmer days) and to my mind waiting is the best strategy. Most teams appear to be using European weather forecast whereas we are using an American one (the same source that delivered excellent summit conditions for me last year and Cho Oyu) so I am pleased we all agreed to hold off and just hope it proves to be the correct decision, although a bit strange when the weather forecast is the most important part of the day (makes me feel a bit like an Australian cricket fan hoping the rain will save them again).
Since we made this decision, it looks like the Chinese have also began to lean towards a delay and are now saying the summit ropes won't be fixed until the 18th. I understand this has created panic amongst the teams at ABC who now have to decide whether to stay up there, come back down or try and fix the ropes themselves. There is a meeting this afternoon between the CTMA and teams to try and work things out but these "politics" appear to rear their head very regularly (this is very frustrating as today looked like a good summit day and no doubt many people made it from the South, although it is Friday the 13th so maybe people held back).
I am hopeful that we will be able to make our move on or around the 17th but best not to get a date into the head before the weather settles. Although, if we have to wait much longer we will have to start thinking about re-acclimatising (acclimatisation normally lasts around two weeks) which would be highly annoying.
Unfortunately, Stephen had to return to Kathmandu a few days ago. He had been very ill for a over a week and lost a lot of weight so this seemed the most sensible decision. The early signs are promising that he will be able to return to the team over the course of the next few days and hopefully be able to join up in time for the summit bid.
Without a firm departure date, everyone is just trying to keep their frustrations in check and keep themselves busy and healthy. I am trying to eat and sleep lots (up to over ten hours a night now), keep healthy and do regular exercise without wearing myself out although wandering round base camp feels like a prison exercise yard (not from first hand experience mind) so am trying to be creative and find new places to visit.....as well as doing 'things'.
Hopefully will have some more positive news to report in the next few days.
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Title: Acclimatisation complete, waiting for the weather again...where is the Little Chef when you need one ?
Apologies as it has been a while since my last update, everything still going well but either haven't had anything interesting to say or don't seem to have been near a computer anytime recently.
Have now been up to 7500m so my acclimatisation is now complete and we are back at base camp resting and waiting for the weather to settle and allow us an attempt on the summit. We are currently in our third day at BC and after a two week wait last year it is beginning to feel like Groundhog Day already, albeit it without Bill Murray's dry wit.
Despite being our second time, the North Col climb was pretty tough as the weather was extremely hot. We went up with a full pack (all my food, kit and clothing is now up there to try and preserve energy on the summit bid) so was hard work but made it in good enough time.
In the past, I have found both sleeping and climbing above 7000m for the first time difficult with headaches and loss of appetite. I didn't have the best night's sleep but I still managed to race up the North Ridge to 7400m the following morning without any difficulty which was a pleasant surprise. The North Ridge is a long steep snow slope, really not very interesting without any convenient stopping places (unless you want your pack to slide into oblivion) but there are amazing views of Cho Oyu, Pumori, Changtse and other stunning peaks.
The last hour up to 7500m was very hard work, as the wind dropped and I was battling severe heat in down salopettes and jackets designed for much colder temperatures so was tough going. Four of us reached 7500m around lunchtime with the rest of the team reaching altitudes between 7100m and 7400m. I won't have to climb above this altitude without oxygen again on this trip and had reached 7500m very quickly overall so was happy with the way things had worked out (particularly as last year the weather had prevented any of us reaching 7500m on acclimatisation).
It is also above 7000m where we begin to collect snow and ice to melt, unfortunately my regular tent mate had a chest infection so stayed at ABC and I tented solo above 7000m for the first time which, while it made it easier to cook and make water, was incredibly cold through the night. Melting ice and snow is a laborious task which gets harder the higher you get, we need to do this to drink and eat. Food consists of rehydrated or boil in the bag meals, I will probably write more about food later this week,and drinking water is either boiled or just melted with iodine tablets (which don't taste too good) - either way with the complete loss of appetite up there not particularly pleasant.
The following day I returned to ABC and then back to BC, which feels like a five star hotel compared to the higher camps. Although I have just finished reading a book about the Foreign Legion so find it difficult to feel too sorry for myself but my trekking boots are nearly dead so I hope they have one more BC to ABC trip and back left in them as I don't feel like going through the full Foreign Legion experience.
Some of the team were unwell and had delayed their final North Col run for a few days to try to recover so while we were back at BC the jet stream came very close to Everest and there was a huge storm high on the mountain, destroying five of our seven tents on the North Col. We had been aware of the storm risk and most of the critical kit had been stored in central storage tent, which fortunately had escaped,but there was a lot of kit and supplies in the individual tents. I had left my food pack in my tent, which while it wasn't blown off the hill was destroyed so while we think it has survived I am not completely certain what is left and will have to carry more up the last time just to be sure.
In the meantime, we wait at BC trying to keep ourselves busy doing 'things'. There have been some summits from the South already but the ropes will not been fixed to the summit on the North side until around the 14th and there is talk of a summit window around 16th/17th and some teams are heading up for then.
The CTMA have not fixed the ropes to the North summit yet (sometimes they make the Labour party look efficient!) but hopefully this will happen in the next few days. Our latest weather forecasts indicate that it will be windy on the summit until at least 18th/19th so guess we just have to be patient but maybe things will change.
Have now been up to 7500m so my acclimatisation is now complete and we are back at base camp resting and waiting for the weather to settle and allow us an attempt on the summit. We are currently in our third day at BC and after a two week wait last year it is beginning to feel like Groundhog Day already, albeit it without Bill Murray's dry wit.
Despite being our second time, the North Col climb was pretty tough as the weather was extremely hot. We went up with a full pack (all my food, kit and clothing is now up there to try and preserve energy on the summit bid) so was hard work but made it in good enough time.
In the past, I have found both sleeping and climbing above 7000m for the first time difficult with headaches and loss of appetite. I didn't have the best night's sleep but I still managed to race up the North Ridge to 7400m the following morning without any difficulty which was a pleasant surprise. The North Ridge is a long steep snow slope, really not very interesting without any convenient stopping places (unless you want your pack to slide into oblivion) but there are amazing views of Cho Oyu, Pumori, Changtse and other stunning peaks.
The last hour up to 7500m was very hard work, as the wind dropped and I was battling severe heat in down salopettes and jackets designed for much colder temperatures so was tough going. Four of us reached 7500m around lunchtime with the rest of the team reaching altitudes between 7100m and 7400m. I won't have to climb above this altitude without oxygen again on this trip and had reached 7500m very quickly overall so was happy with the way things had worked out (particularly as last year the weather had prevented any of us reaching 7500m on acclimatisation).
It is also above 7000m where we begin to collect snow and ice to melt, unfortunately my regular tent mate had a chest infection so stayed at ABC and I tented solo above 7000m for the first time which, while it made it easier to cook and make water, was incredibly cold through the night. Melting ice and snow is a laborious task which gets harder the higher you get, we need to do this to drink and eat. Food consists of rehydrated or boil in the bag meals, I will probably write more about food later this week,and drinking water is either boiled or just melted with iodine tablets (which don't taste too good) - either way with the complete loss of appetite up there not particularly pleasant.
The following day I returned to ABC and then back to BC, which feels like a five star hotel compared to the higher camps. Although I have just finished reading a book about the Foreign Legion so find it difficult to feel too sorry for myself but my trekking boots are nearly dead so I hope they have one more BC to ABC trip and back left in them as I don't feel like going through the full Foreign Legion experience.
Some of the team were unwell and had delayed their final North Col run for a few days to try to recover so while we were back at BC the jet stream came very close to Everest and there was a huge storm high on the mountain, destroying five of our seven tents on the North Col. We had been aware of the storm risk and most of the critical kit had been stored in central storage tent, which fortunately had escaped,but there was a lot of kit and supplies in the individual tents. I had left my food pack in my tent, which while it wasn't blown off the hill was destroyed so while we think it has survived I am not completely certain what is left and will have to carry more up the last time just to be sure.
In the meantime, we wait at BC trying to keep ourselves busy doing 'things'. There have been some summits from the South already but the ropes will not been fixed to the summit on the North side until around the 14th and there is talk of a summit window around 16th/17th and some teams are heading up for then.
The CTMA have not fixed the ropes to the North summit yet (sometimes they make the Labour party look efficient!) but hopefully this will happen in the next few days. Our latest weather forecasts indicate that it will be windy on the summit until at least 18th/19th so guess we just have to be patient but maybe things will change.
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Over 7000m at last but still not broken the back of the journey
Finally there was a break in the snow on Monday afternoon and night and we set off for the North Col first thing on Tuesday morning in bright sunshine.
The sunshine lasted until the North Col headwall came into sight when both the headwall and approach were bathed in cloud. The North Col would be the first time we would actually climb on Everest and for most of the team this would be their first time and which was obviously very exciting.
The Col itself is a series of steep snow slopes, ice walls and crevasses and is around 400m high rising to just over 7000m above sea level at the top (higher than anywhere in the world outside of the Greater Himalayas). The ropes had only just been fixed by the CTMA and the route was similar to last year, I think some of the crevasse ladders have not yet been put in place and the crevasse at the top had widened since last year and now required an extra ladder which made things interesting.
Geordie was really flying and was up there first despite suffering from a severe bout of Royal Wedding fever. I climbed with Ben (who despite being called Ben and being from Leeds is a sound chap) and we both reached the top in under three hours (a couple of hours before turn around time) which is very good going for the first time up especially as there was still a fair bit of snow on there which made some sections more tiring. Overall five of our team (plus both leaders) reached the top with the others all getting within 150m of the top this was sufficient height to complete this phase of the acclimatisation programme so was a good result all round.
I was pleased with the way the climb had gone, I didn't really struggle with the altitude and felt stronger than last year. We estimated that approximately 10,000 calories per person would be burnt throughout the day, I probably hadn't eaten or drunk enough (Porridge and Omelette breakfast; Bounty bar; Snickers and about a litre of water) although the terrain is quite tricky and the weather windy and snowy so there were not many opportunities so I was especially pleased thatＩdidn't feel at all tired once back at ABC and felt I could have easily gone back up (I was pretty shattered last year once I got down the first time).
For the rest of the team the drama was only just beginning. After I had returned to ABC, we heard a radio message which said help was required, get some food and water inside him and get him moving. At first we had no idea what was happening and were worried that one of our team was in trouble but it turned out that Greg saw what looked like a body lying in the snow. This body was in fact a Chinese climber who was a member of the CTMA rope fixing team and was exhausted descending from 7800m and had collapsed. The rest of our team had managed to get some food inside him and get him moving under his own steam while we sent some sherpas out to help him back to camp.
Despite my earlier reservations about our schedule I think we are now ahead of most (if not all) teams. Tuesday was the first opportunity to climb the North Col and I was expecting it to be very crowded so was quite surprised when there were only a handful of Western climbers on there and indeed many teams were only making their way up to ABC while I was descending.
The following day I made my way down to base camp and with all the recent snow the trail looked completely different to anytime I had seen it in the past and I was lucky enough to see some Himalayan deer (I am sure they have a different name but they look like deerand we are in the Himalayas) for the first time.
After a week at ABC it is instantly noticeable how much thicker the air is at BC, you don't really realise how tough life at ABC is until you descend. It is generally agreed that the human body deteriorates above 5500m and spending the next few days at BC should be ample to prepare me for the next stage.
It was also great to have my own tent again the first night I slept right through without disturbance and felt totally refreshed the next morning. The only downsides are that my cold still won't shift and I seem to have picked up some sunburn on my face, it is nothing too dramatic (I hope) but I think caused either by the reflection off the snow on the way down to BC coupled with the fact thatＩhave no beard to protect myself this time.
The current plan is to stay at BC until Monday when we will return to ABC and then move up to the North Col to sleep before climbing up the North Ridge to 7500m, generally agreed as the highest point at which the human body can acclimatise. This would be our final acclimatisation stage and seems to be coming around very quickly and while this will be less than 1500m from the summit it will still not feel like we have broken the back of the journey.
I was pleased with the way the climb had gone, I didn't really struggle with the altitude and felt stronger than last year. We estimated that approximately 10,000 calories per person would be burnt throughout the day, I probably hadn't eaten or drunk enough (Porridge and Omelette breakfast; Bounty bar; Snickers and about a litre of water) although the terrain is quite tricky and the weather windy and snowy so there were not many opportunities so I was especially pleased thatＩdidn't feel at all tired once back at ABC and felt I could have easily gone back up (I was pretty shattered last year once I got down the first time).
For the rest of the team the drama was only just beginning. After I had returned to ABC, we heard a radio message which said help was required, get some food and water inside him and get him moving. At first we had no idea what was happening and were worried that one of our team was in trouble but it turned out that Greg saw what looked like a body lying in the snow. This body was in fact a Chinese climber who was a member of the CTMA rope fixing team and was exhausted descending from 7800m and had collapsed. The rest of our team had managed to get some food inside him and get him moving under his own steam while we sent some sherpas out to help him back to camp.
Despite my earlier reservations about our schedule I think we are now ahead of most (if not all) teams. Tuesday was the first opportunity to climb the North Col and I was expecting it to be very crowded so was quite surprised when there were only a handful of Western climbers on there and indeed many teams were only making their way up to ABC while I was descending.
The following day I made my way down to base camp and with all the recent snow the trail looked completely different to anytime I had seen it in the past and I was lucky enough to see some Himalayan deer (I am sure they have a different name but they look like deerand we are in the Himalayas) for the first time.
After a week at ABC it is instantly noticeable how much thicker the air is at BC, you don't really realise how tough life at ABC is until you descend. It is generally agreed that the human body deteriorates above 5500m and spending the next few days at BC should be ample to prepare me for the next stage.
It was also great to have my own tent again the first night I slept right through without disturbance and felt totally refreshed the next morning. The only downsides are that my cold still won't shift and I seem to have picked up some sunburn on my face, it is nothing too dramatic (I hope) but I think caused either by the reflection off the snow on the way down to BC coupled with the fact thatＩhave no beard to protect myself this time.
The current plan is to stay at BC until Monday when we will return to ABC and then move up to the North Col to sleep before climbing up the North Ridge to 7500m, generally agreed as the highest point at which the human body can acclimatise. This would be our final acclimatisation stage and seems to be coming around very quickly and while this will be less than 1500m from the summit it will still not feel like we have broken the back of the journey.
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
First time at ABC
We had a few comms problems between writing and sending my previous post so have in fact been at ABC for a few days now.
The journey from BC to ABC was fairly uneventful and didn't seem as tough as last year, I think this is combination of the body remembering how to acclimatise and my knowing what to expect and therefore how to pace myself. I was certainly more sensible than last year and kept a steady pace so had a lot left in the tank on my arrival at ABC.
The trail is mainly on glacial moraine and the scenery is spectacular, although my own view is probably slighted by the fact I have made the trek seven times already (four up and three down) - at 15 miles each way and around seven hours time that will be around 180 miles and 84 hours on exactly the same track by the end of this trip so you might be able to understand why I go onto autopilot.
There is a decent of path of sorts and Yaks can carry heavy loads up to ABC which means facilities are decent, we have a cook tent, mess tent and toilet tent but life at ABC is much tougher than at BC.
At 6400m ABC is very high and simple tasks can leave you breathless at first and simple tasks like washing, cleaning teeth and dressing are difficult. Having said that, it is amazing what a difference a couple of days up here can make, the slight dizziness and headache that I had on arrival have now completely gone for me although a couple of the team are still suffering.
This is also the first time that we will share tents on the expedition, while this makes tent admin more difficult but since it is so cold at night and we don't have as much stuff as at base camp is probably helpful overall.
The sun is also incredibly strong up there (especially when it reflects off the snow) and some people, like Heather who has acquired the new nickname of Little Miss Sunburn, have been caught out. But I have learnt from past woes, in particular when my lips and nose peeled off on Aconcagua, and have kept myself well covered up.
The weather at ABC has been atrocious until today with a lot of snow which prevents us from doing much - we have managed a bit of climbing practice on the ice towers and a walk up to about 6600m but that is about it. We have had large dumps of snow which makes it very dangerous to go up the North Col, for both hidden crevasses and avalanche, and are hoping to head up the North Col first thing in the morning.
Hidden crevasses are even a bit of a danger around camp for the unwary and unfortunately one of the yaks fell into one earlier today and was killed but hopefully we all have greater awareness of the danger than the poor yak.
Apologies for the fairly dry update but my plan is to head straight back to BC the day after (think two long days will help fitness and stamina) but not sure the computer will be coming down until a couple of days later so thought I had better let you know all was well.
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Acclimatisation Continues
We have now been at base camp ("BC") for six days and are heading up to advanced base camp ("ABC") tomorrow. I have settled into base camp life once again and for those of us who were here last year there is a huge sense of deja-vu - including the games of Risk. I am pleased to report that, at the time of writing, I am unbeaten (although this will likely change by the time you read this as we have only played once and are hoping to play again this later).
I am also back into the same routine of getting up and going to bed early. This is largely governed by the sunlight and temperature and always reminds me of how people must have lived in the days of yore, like when Dan was a boy and not a Prince Charles lookalike.
The food has been erratic thus far, we seem to have had an awful lot of spam (I can count five times already). I am not particularly happy about this and still don't know how this can possibly count as meat so am refusing to eat it (I am not the only one). Even the cook team have now taken to stealthly trying to disguise it amongst other foods. Having said that, I am not in anyway criticising the kitchen staff who do an excellent job and anyone who knows me will know I am not in a position to make judgements on anyone else's cooking ability.
So far, the weather has been much worse than last year so, after a reasonable start, the last three days and nights have been very windy and it is showing no sign of abating which could make our stay at ABC interesting.
I have done three separate acclimatisation walks up to 5500m, 5700m and 6000m over the past few days. The purpose of the acclimatisation walks is get my body used to higher altitude and increase my red blood cell count. Each time, I will try and spend as long as possible up high to maximise the benefit. Despite suffering from a very sore throat since arriving at BC, I haven't really encountered any difficulties and my training seems to be working so far (but as previously said I would really know how I am doing until I get to ABC and beyond).
I was concerned that my throat was the start of the famous Khumbu Cough but, after a couple of disturbed nights' sleep, it has now thankfully gone only to be replaced by a cold. I only have myself to blame for the cold though, after I had the bright idea to go up to 6000m only in a shirt and windproof jacket on a very windy day - I guess I should really know better by now. Maybe I was still deluding myself that I lived in Durham and could get away with this before I became an adopted Southerner?
We have also had our main Puja ceremony a few days ago. The Puja is a Buddhist ceremony where a Lama comes to camp and blesses the mountain, the team and our equipment. The Sherpas will not climb on the mountain until the Puja has taken place and many of them use it as a last chance to relax before the hard work begins. I decided to take the precaution of getting my knee support blessed this year as well as my boots, crampons, ice axe etc. I have also managed to avoid losing my prayer string thus far after losing it the day after last year!
The walk to BC to ABC is around 15 miles with an ascent from 5150m to 6400m across tough undulating terrain. It would normally take me around 7 hours and is extremely tiring but I am strangely looking forward to it as it should give me an idea of how strong I am compared to last year. We will split it into two the first time and use an intermediate camp at 5700m. Intermediate camp is probably the most depressing place in the whole world and I am not looking forward to our night there. The walk itself is mainly through a moraine and there is no real objective danger apart from a load of huge rocks defying gravity and menacingly perched over the route like something out of a cartoon and just ready to fall, I remember the first time I saw them I thought "This is dangerous".
ABC is a very tough place to live and I will aim to spend around four days there this time. It is very cold, windy and high (6400m above sea level, so a mile above Mont Blanc and 500m higher than Kilimanjaro) and very basic tasks are draining when you first arrive. Apparently, we are in exactly the same place as last year so I will aim to get there as quickly as possible and secure one of the best tent spots (i.e. not at the top of a small hill from the mess tent and toilet like last year).
One indicator of acclimatisation is oxygen saturation (although often mis-used), my oxygen saturation has risen back above 90%, as opposed to 83% when I first arrived at BC. Admittedly this is not good compared to the normal 99% at sea level (where under 90% would lead to admittance to intensive care) but much higher than most (including some of the sherpas). I feel very well acclimatised so will hopefully not suffer too much as we ascend although will be interested to see what it drops to at ABC and the North Col.
Once at ABC, we will get a fantastic view of the whole route up to the summit and the plan is to spend a couple of days getting used to the altitude and then climb up the North Col to over 7000m. After over three weeks out here this will be our first bit of proper climbing so am looking forward to that and it will feel like we are finally getting going.
Over and out to the next time !!
Andy
I am also back into the same routine of getting up and going to bed early. This is largely governed by the sunlight and temperature and always reminds me of how people must have lived in the days of yore, like when Dan was a boy and not a Prince Charles lookalike.
The food has been erratic thus far, we seem to have had an awful lot of spam (I can count five times already). I am not particularly happy about this and still don't know how this can possibly count as meat so am refusing to eat it (I am not the only one). Even the cook team have now taken to stealthly trying to disguise it amongst other foods. Having said that, I am not in anyway criticising the kitchen staff who do an excellent job and anyone who knows me will know I am not in a position to make judgements on anyone else's cooking ability.
So far, the weather has been much worse than last year so, after a reasonable start, the last three days and nights have been very windy and it is showing no sign of abating which could make our stay at ABC interesting.
I have done three separate acclimatisation walks up to 5500m, 5700m and 6000m over the past few days. The purpose of the acclimatisation walks is get my body used to higher altitude and increase my red blood cell count. Each time, I will try and spend as long as possible up high to maximise the benefit. Despite suffering from a very sore throat since arriving at BC, I haven't really encountered any difficulties and my training seems to be working so far (but as previously said I would really know how I am doing until I get to ABC and beyond).
I was concerned that my throat was the start of the famous Khumbu Cough but, after a couple of disturbed nights' sleep, it has now thankfully gone only to be replaced by a cold. I only have myself to blame for the cold though, after I had the bright idea to go up to 6000m only in a shirt and windproof jacket on a very windy day - I guess I should really know better by now. Maybe I was still deluding myself that I lived in Durham and could get away with this before I became an adopted Southerner?
We have also had our main Puja ceremony a few days ago. The Puja is a Buddhist ceremony where a Lama comes to camp and blesses the mountain, the team and our equipment. The Sherpas will not climb on the mountain until the Puja has taken place and many of them use it as a last chance to relax before the hard work begins. I decided to take the precaution of getting my knee support blessed this year as well as my boots, crampons, ice axe etc. I have also managed to avoid losing my prayer string thus far after losing it the day after last year!
The walk to BC to ABC is around 15 miles with an ascent from 5150m to 6400m across tough undulating terrain. It would normally take me around 7 hours and is extremely tiring but I am strangely looking forward to it as it should give me an idea of how strong I am compared to last year. We will split it into two the first time and use an intermediate camp at 5700m. Intermediate camp is probably the most depressing place in the whole world and I am not looking forward to our night there. The walk itself is mainly through a moraine and there is no real objective danger apart from a load of huge rocks defying gravity and menacingly perched over the route like something out of a cartoon and just ready to fall, I remember the first time I saw them I thought "This is dangerous".
ABC is a very tough place to live and I will aim to spend around four days there this time. It is very cold, windy and high (6400m above sea level, so a mile above Mont Blanc and 500m higher than Kilimanjaro) and very basic tasks are draining when you first arrive. Apparently, we are in exactly the same place as last year so I will aim to get there as quickly as possible and secure one of the best tent spots (i.e. not at the top of a small hill from the mess tent and toilet like last year).
One indicator of acclimatisation is oxygen saturation (although often mis-used), my oxygen saturation has risen back above 90%, as opposed to 83% when I first arrived at BC. Admittedly this is not good compared to the normal 99% at sea level (where under 90% would lead to admittance to intensive care) but much higher than most (including some of the sherpas). I feel very well acclimatised so will hopefully not suffer too much as we ascend although will be interested to see what it drops to at ABC and the North Col.
Once at ABC, we will get a fantastic view of the whole route up to the summit and the plan is to spend a couple of days getting used to the altitude and then climb up the North Col to over 7000m. After over three weeks out here this will be our first bit of proper climbing so am looking forward to that and it will feel like we are finally getting going.
Over and out to the next time !!
Andy
Monday, 18 April 2011
Journey to Base Camp
It turned out that our last night in Kathmandu was Nepali New Years Eve so we set out 1 January 2068 (Nepali years) although I still haven't managed to find out what year zero signifies. The bus used for our early morning trip to the border had no suspension and brakes that sounded like they'd not been oiled for quite some time. The road itself is pretty interesting and has featured in the lists of the 'World's Ten Worst Roads', mostly on account of the winds that swirl around it and the general surface condition. However, the locals are nothing if not resourceful and they get around this by driving up the middle of the road and honking their horn to warn oncoming traffic. A little unorthodox but seems to work ! I wasn't too worried as I've shared a few car journeys with Jarrod and am still here to tell the tale.
This is the third time I have made this journey in the past couple of years and after a losing a wheel on the way to Cho Oyu and suffering a puncture last year it was nice to make it to the border unscathed this time. However the Iceland team (the other UK team on the North Side of Everest this season) were not so lucky and they lost a bus full of supplies down a ravine a couple of days earlier, killing the driver and nearly ending their expedition. We saw the bus as we drove past and it was completely destroyed.
The border crossing across the Friendship Bridge was trouble free, aside from the usual Chinese bureaucracy which meant that every single bag was emptied and searched, as usual they seemed more interested in reading material than anything else. Once over the border we are in the hands of the CTMA (Chinese Tibetan Mountaineering Association). They pick us up at the border and drop us off at base camp as part of our climbing permit. In between they tell us where we stay, what we eat and where we go.
Right over the border we were in a Chinese town Zhangmu which was perched on the side of the hill and was a typical frontier town - not very charming lots of shady characters and dubious establishments the CTMA informed us we would be spending the night here.
Tibet is on Beijing time (we stayed on Nepali time) so we set off very early the next morning, the first thing that you notice in China is the markers denoting the distance to Beijing every km. These reminders plus the military checkpoints you pass through leave you in little doubt as to who is in charge here. The road up to the Tibetan plateau is superb. When I first came through a couple of years ago the new road was incomplete and there were tents on the roadside for the workmen to live in but now it is complete, I have no idea how many people died in the construction but it is a fantastic feat of Chinese engineering and a real contrast to the Nepali side.
Once on the Tibetan plateau itself the landscape becomes much more barren. We swapped our bus for Land Cruisers at the border so we made swift progress through Nylam and Tingri. Unfortunately in Nylam we learnt that the leader of the Adventure Peaks Everest North Col/Lhakpa Ri expedition, who had been acclimatising in Tibet and will be sharing base camp with us, has been attacked by wild dogs in Nylam and will have to return to the border to get himself checked out. Wild dogs are a real problem in these places and I have always carried a walking pole to fend them off but it sounds like he was attacked by a pack and could do nothing about it.
After a long day in the car driving through Tibet, with most of us avoiding Tibetan food and water after one of last years team is thought to have contracting Hepatitis E here, we finally arrived at base camp. At around 5150m above sea level base camp is over 300m higher than Mont Blanc and we would not drop below here until our way out in late May/ early June. We had also seen our last tree and buildings for weeks but at least had the consolation of waking up to a magnificent view of Mount Everest every morning.
We have been at Base Camp for a couple of days now, quite a few team members are sick (I am fine so far) so we have had to alter our schedule. A few of us walked up to 5500m this morning and we should move onto 6000m in the next few days. While we are still on schedule, some of us are not convinced the revised is aggressive enough as a few days bad weather could cause problems so will have to keep an eye on this continue to try and push where possible. Over and out !! Take care all
This is the third time I have made this journey in the past couple of years and after a losing a wheel on the way to Cho Oyu and suffering a puncture last year it was nice to make it to the border unscathed this time. However the Iceland team (the other UK team on the North Side of Everest this season) were not so lucky and they lost a bus full of supplies down a ravine a couple of days earlier, killing the driver and nearly ending their expedition. We saw the bus as we drove past and it was completely destroyed.
The border crossing across the Friendship Bridge was trouble free, aside from the usual Chinese bureaucracy which meant that every single bag was emptied and searched, as usual they seemed more interested in reading material than anything else. Once over the border we are in the hands of the CTMA (Chinese Tibetan Mountaineering Association). They pick us up at the border and drop us off at base camp as part of our climbing permit. In between they tell us where we stay, what we eat and where we go.
Right over the border we were in a Chinese town Zhangmu which was perched on the side of the hill and was a typical frontier town - not very charming lots of shady characters and dubious establishments the CTMA informed us we would be spending the night here.
Tibet is on Beijing time (we stayed on Nepali time) so we set off very early the next morning, the first thing that you notice in China is the markers denoting the distance to Beijing every km. These reminders plus the military checkpoints you pass through leave you in little doubt as to who is in charge here. The road up to the Tibetan plateau is superb. When I first came through a couple of years ago the new road was incomplete and there were tents on the roadside for the workmen to live in but now it is complete, I have no idea how many people died in the construction but it is a fantastic feat of Chinese engineering and a real contrast to the Nepali side.
Once on the Tibetan plateau itself the landscape becomes much more barren. We swapped our bus for Land Cruisers at the border so we made swift progress through Nylam and Tingri. Unfortunately in Nylam we learnt that the leader of the Adventure Peaks Everest North Col/Lhakpa Ri expedition, who had been acclimatising in Tibet and will be sharing base camp with us, has been attacked by wild dogs in Nylam and will have to return to the border to get himself checked out. Wild dogs are a real problem in these places and I have always carried a walking pole to fend them off but it sounds like he was attacked by a pack and could do nothing about it.
After a long day in the car driving through Tibet, with most of us avoiding Tibetan food and water after one of last years team is thought to have contracting Hepatitis E here, we finally arrived at base camp. At around 5150m above sea level base camp is over 300m higher than Mont Blanc and we would not drop below here until our way out in late May/ early June. We had also seen our last tree and buildings for weeks but at least had the consolation of waking up to a magnificent view of Mount Everest every morning.
We have been at Base Camp for a couple of days now, quite a few team members are sick (I am fine so far) so we have had to alter our schedule. A few of us walked up to 5500m this morning and we should move onto 6000m in the next few days. While we are still on schedule, some of us are not convinced the revised is aggressive enough as a few days bad weather could cause problems so will have to keep an eye on this continue to try and push where possible. Over and out !! Take care all
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Life on the road
Life on the acclimatization treks was basic but comfortable, we have been spending our evenings in Nepali teahouses. The teahouses are charming little places, although some of the decor looks like it has come straight out of the Magic Roundabout.
The diet is pretty standardized along the entire trek, meat is limited to Yak and Chicken and I haven't seen any sign of fish (probably a good thing in a landlocked country). I have avoided meat so far as the level of meat hygiene over here is a bit different to that we are used to and seeing meat carried open on the trek was a pretty common sight that doesn't fill me with confidence. So far I have avoided any significant problems but you always have to be very careful particualrly as running water is scarce and hot water is a luxury up there.
I did at first think that the Khumbu region was the first place in the world I had visited without an Irish pub. Alas, when we returned to Lukla we found that even this part of the world has been inflitrated.
While it was certainly much more enjoyable and a nice change from the Tibetan acclimatisation I followed last year and on Cho Oyu, I am still not convinced that the Nepalese acclimatisation route is as effective. It is over ten days since I left the UK Tibet
We are a few days behind the schedule we followed last year, having said that there are still plenty of reserve days built in, we did spend a long time waiting at base camp last year and the team seems to be much healthier so hopefully it is just my natural tendency to compare to last year.
We did cover a fair distance but the trekking through the Khumbu region was straightforward and I felt strong throughout. This is reassuring but I think it is difficult to tell anything until we get higher. I have regularly measured my pulse and oxygen absorption levels and the readings are encouraging.
It still feels to me like we have not really started yet and that the expedition proper starts tomorrow (at about 0500 when leave the hotel). Within the next week or so we will move up to base camp and then up to advanced base camp (6400m) but at least they gave me the "Everest" room in Lukla so hopefully that is a good omen for the coming weeks...
 |
| Teahouse bedroom |
 |
| Local artwork |
But there are also some familiar names around and it was particularly nice to see that the Nepalis don't just support the winning teams!
 |
| Liverpool's favourite son |
 |
| Local meat transportation "lorry" |
The kitchens are basic and the contents of the menus are pretty uniform. I have tended to stick to the same dishes - Dhal Bat (lentils, rice and veg), porridge, lots of eggs and rice and Mars bar pies. I did attempt Pizza once, they used Yak cheese and it didn’t go well, so learnt my lesson and wasn’t so adventurous again.
 |
| Friendly "local" |
 |
| Dorje helping in the kitchen |
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| Probably the highest Irish pub in the world |
We are a few days behind the schedule we followed last year, having said that there are still plenty of reserve days built in, we did spend a long time waiting at base camp last year and the team seems to be much healthier so hopefully it is just my natural tendency to compare to last year.
We did cover a fair distance but the trekking through the Khumbu region was straightforward and I felt strong throughout. This is reassuring but I think it is difficult to tell anything until we get higher. I have regularly measured my pulse and oxygen absorption levels and the readings are encouraging.
It still feels to me like we have not really started yet and that the expedition proper starts tomorrow (at about 0500 when leave the hotel). Within the next week or so we will move up to base camp and then up to advanced base camp (6400m) but at least they gave me the "Everest" room in Lukla so hopefully that is a good omen for the coming weeks...
 |
Cheesy picture of the Everest room
|
Acclimatising on the South Side of Everest
Have been in Nepal for over ten days now but time seems to have flown by.
After a week or so following the classic Southside Everest base camp trail in the Khumbu region of Nepal, I am now back in Kathmandu and preparing to travel across the border into Tibet tomorrow. Apologies to those chasing an update, the communications in the Khumbu region were very "basic" and didn't have a great deal of spare time. Once I arrive at base camp updates should become more regular.
The trek was a lot of fun and we followed the famous route through Namche Bazaar, Pangboche and Dingboche before trekking back to Lukla and flying out again.
As I had expected the flight into Lukla last Monday was an experience (and not necessarily a pleasant one). The turbulence as our little two engined plane flew through the hills was something else, it was more like a roller coaster than a flight at times and I was extremely glad to finally land safely on the famous sloped runway.
The airport is like no other I have ever visited. Planes only fly in the morning (before the clouds come in) and during this time they appeared to take off and land every a couple of minutes, in many ways it was more like a taxi-rank than an airport. It was absolute chaos compared to our airports although the mayhem didn't seem to bother some of the employees.
We shouldn't complain though, the airport was only built in the late 1970s and before that the only way in was a two month trek into Lukla.
We set off on the trek as soon as we landed, the trekking itself was not particularly taxing and the weather seemed to follow a pretty regular pattern - bright and sunny from the morning through to mid afternoon then the clouds would arrive sometimes accompanied by snow. As always at altitude, the sun was fierce and hot but once it disappeared it became bitterly cold.
The route was surprisingly quiet on the way out but far busier on the way back to Lukla. We were able to visit the centre of the Sherpa world, Namche Bazaar. I had always wanted to visit, it is an important trading post between the Sherpa people and Tibetans who have made the five day trip over the Nangpa La pass near Cho Oyu. Unfortunately there were no Tibetans there at this time but the town is still main hub on the Everest base camp trek and is still a busy little town.
And also visit Khumjung and see the famous Yeti scalp. I am told that it is genuine but I am a bit sceptical particularly as this particular Yeti appeared to have ginger hair and a centre parting and not the white frizzy hair I expected.
We also stopped off at the famous Everest View hotel en route. The hotel is famous for Japanese tourists flying in to enjoy the views and requiring supplementary oxygen in their rooms but is now rumoured to be one of the destinations on William and Kate's honeymoon so may soon be famous for a different reason. The view of Everest (left with the plume) and Ama Dablam (right) is certainly quite spectacular, although I have to say absolutely nothing on the view of Everest from the North side.
After a week or so following the classic Southside Everest base camp trail in the Khumbu region of Nepal, I am now back in Kathmandu and preparing to travel across the border into Tibet tomorrow. Apologies to those chasing an update, the communications in the Khumbu region were very "basic" and didn't have a great deal of spare time. Once I arrive at base camp updates should become more regular.
The trek was a lot of fun and we followed the famous route through Namche Bazaar, Pangboche and Dingboche before trekking back to Lukla and flying out again.
As I had expected the flight into Lukla last Monday was an experience (and not necessarily a pleasant one). The turbulence as our little two engined plane flew through the hills was something else, it was more like a roller coaster than a flight at times and I was extremely glad to finally land safely on the famous sloped runway.
 |
| Sleeping bank clerk at Lukla airport |
We set off on the trek as soon as we landed, the trekking itself was not particularly taxing and the weather seemed to follow a pretty regular pattern - bright and sunny from the morning through to mid afternoon then the clouds would arrive sometimes accompanied by snow. As always at altitude, the sun was fierce and hot but once it disappeared it became bitterly cold.
 |
| View of Lhotse from the trek |
 |
| Namche bazaar |
The original plan to visit Ama Dablam base camp was aborted as the tea house had not yet opened (we are delaying our first night in a tent until we reached base camp) but this allowed us to visit Everest ER and the memorial at Piriboche.
 |
| Everest Southside memorial |
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| Yeti scalp |
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| Everest and Ama Dablam from the Everest View hotel |
We climbed up to 5100m on Saturday, spent some time up there to maximise our acclimatisation, then descended and began the walk back out to Lukla.
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| On ridge up towards 5100m |
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Take off
The day has finally arrived, I fly out tonight and am itching to get going.
Have eased up on the training over the past couple of weeks and mainly been resting up to get rid of all those little niggles and eating lots. In fact am absolutely sick of food now (something I thought I'd never say) but am a couple of kilos heavier than last year which was my target and hopefully is a good thing.
Have spent the couple of days packing my kit and then repacking it, seem to have managed to get it under the 36kg baggage allowance but given I have freighted out 12kg of stuff out already achieving this on the way back should be even more of a challenge.
Adventure Peaks news feed for the expedition is still not live but I am assured it will be soon and that Stu will be updating live on summit day, he has even promised to wear his lucky pants for us!! It will be here (it is also linked on the right hand side) once it is live:
Adventure Peaks Everest 2011 news feed
Thank you in advance to Dave, Euan and Paddy who will help keep this up to date while I am away. I am hoping my thinly veiled threats of mentioning certain events in Paddy's best man speech and sporting a huge handlebar moustache in Rachel and his wedding photos in June will be enough to ensure that they don't follow through on their promise to "doctor" the updates too much. Just in case this doesn't quite work, I will definitely not be posting any Yeti pictures until I get back so any that "find their way" onto here should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Finally, thanks for all your kind wishes they are much appreciated and will certainly help me on the way. I have had a few quotes that people have passed in my direction over the past few days but a couple probably sum things up nicely, from TS Eliot "Only those who risk going too far know how far they can go" and Ed Viesturs "Getting to the top is optional, getting down is mandatory."
I will have both of these in the back of mind over the coming weeks and while I will be giving it everything to achieve the summit I will also make sensible decisions on the mountain to ensure come back in one piece.
Have eased up on the training over the past couple of weeks and mainly been resting up to get rid of all those little niggles and eating lots. In fact am absolutely sick of food now (something I thought I'd never say) but am a couple of kilos heavier than last year which was my target and hopefully is a good thing.
Have spent the couple of days packing my kit and then repacking it, seem to have managed to get it under the 36kg baggage allowance but given I have freighted out 12kg of stuff out already achieving this on the way back should be even more of a challenge.
Adventure Peaks news feed for the expedition is still not live but I am assured it will be soon and that Stu will be updating live on summit day, he has even promised to wear his lucky pants for us!! It will be here (it is also linked on the right hand side) once it is live:
Adventure Peaks Everest 2011 news feed
Thank you in advance to Dave, Euan and Paddy who will help keep this up to date while I am away. I am hoping my thinly veiled threats of mentioning certain events in Paddy's best man speech and sporting a huge handlebar moustache in Rachel and his wedding photos in June will be enough to ensure that they don't follow through on their promise to "doctor" the updates too much. Just in case this doesn't quite work, I will definitely not be posting any Yeti pictures until I get back so any that "find their way" onto here should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Finally, thanks for all your kind wishes they are much appreciated and will certainly help me on the way. I have had a few quotes that people have passed in my direction over the past few days but a couple probably sum things up nicely, from TS Eliot "Only those who risk going too far know how far they can go" and Ed Viesturs "Getting to the top is optional, getting down is mandatory."
I will have both of these in the back of mind over the coming weeks and while I will be giving it everything to achieve the summit I will also make sensible decisions on the mountain to ensure come back in one piece.
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Outline Schedule
The weather can play havoc with any plans, we have plenty of reserve days set aside to try and cover this but have to be very flexible. We were ahead of schedule last year until the weather grounded us at base camp for two weeks and patience can be severely tested, especially as you need to save all your strength for the summit attempt.
In 69 days there will only be around 26 "active" days. The body doesn't recover very well above 5000m and begins to feed off itself so those rest and acclimatisation days are very improtant. There are lots of tough long days, even before you factor in the weather, and on summit day alone you can burn around 15,000 calories and it is difficult to ingest more than a couple of thousand up there.
In 69 days there will only be around 26 "active" days. The body doesn't recover very well above 5000m and begins to feed off itself so those rest and acclimatisation days are very improtant. There are lots of tough long days, even before you factor in the weather, and on summit day alone you can burn around 15,000 calories and it is difficult to ingest more than a couple of thousand up there.
The outline of our itinerary is below (and now added to the route page):
Date
|
Day
|
|
2 Apr
|
1
|
Depart Heathrow
|
3 Apr
|
2
|
Arrive Kathmandu
|
4 Apr
|
3
|
Fly to Lukla (2800m); trek to Phakding (2640m)
|
5 Apr
|
4
|
Trek to Namche Bazaar (3446m)
|
6 Apr
|
5
|
Acclimatisation day
|
7 Apr
|
6
|
Trek to Pangboche (4000m)
|
8 Apr
|
7
|
Trek to Dingboche (4500m)
|
9 Apr
|
8
|
Trek to Ama Dablam base camp (4750m)
|
10 Apr
|
9
|
Trek to Namche Bazaar (3446m)
|
11 Apr
|
10
|
Trek to Lukla
|
12 Apr
|
11
|
Fly to Kathmandu
|
13 Apr
|
12
|
Drive to Chinese border; overnight in Tibet
|
14 Apr
|
13
|
Drive to Everest Base Camp (BC; 5200m)
|
15 Apr
|
14
|
Rest day
|
16 Apr
|
15
|
Acclimatisation walk up Frozen River (5700m)
|
17 Apr
|
16
|
Rest day
|
18 Apr
|
17
|
Acclimatisation Ridge walk (6000m)
|
19 Apr
|
18
|
Rest day
|
20 Apr
|
19
|
Move to Intermediate Camp (5700m)
|
21 Apr
|
20
|
Move to Advanced Base Camp (ABC; 6400m)
|
22-24 Apr
|
21-23
|
Rest and acclimatisation
|
25 Apr
|
24
|
Climb North Col (7000m)
|
26-29 Apr
|
25-28
|
North Col reserve weather day
|
30 Apr
|
29
|
Return to BC
|
1-4 May
|
29-33
|
Rest days
|
5 May
|
34
|
Return to ABC
|
6 May
|
35
|
Climb North Col and overnight at North Col
|
7 May
|
36
|
Move to 7500m; overnight at North Col
|
8 May
|
37
|
Return to ABC
|
9 May
|
38
|
Return to BC
|
10-13 May
|
39-42
|
Rest days
|
14 May
|
43
|
Return to ABC
|
15 May
|
44
|
Rest day
|
16 May
|
45
|
Move to North Col
|
17 May
|
46
|
Move to 7800m
|
18 May
|
47
|
Move to 8300m
|
19 May
|
48
|
Summit day
|
20-30 May
|
49-59
|
Reserve Summit days
|
31 May
|
60
|
Descent
|
1 Jun
|
61
|
Clear mountain
|
2 Jun
|
62
|
Clear mountain
|
3 Jun
|
63
|
Clear ABC
|
4 Jun
|
64
|
Return to BC
|
5 Jun
|
65
|
Clear BC
|
6 Jun
|
66
|
Drive to Nylam
|
7 Jun
|
67
|
Drive to Kathmandu
|
8 Jun
|
68
|
Kathmandu
|
9 Jun
|
69
|
Return to London
|
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