Tag: Everest South Face

Resting at base camp 23-04-13 7PM

We’ve had a relaxing day at base camp. The Canadian Lhotse team are up at Camp 2, their last rotation for this season. Unfortunately time is tight for them so they are heading back to Kathmandu via heli on the 25th. The rest of the team (Margaret, Warren, Chris and Peter) are preparing for the Camp 3 rotation due to start around Thursday.

By the 26th, they should be one of the first teams to sleep at Camp 3. They were already one of the first to sleep at Camp 1 and 2. Everyone is feeling quite strong. Weather permitting, we hope to make the first summit window in the first week of May.

Margaret, Warren, Chris and Peter all say hello and are doing well. Be sure to check out more pictures on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/HimalayanAscent

Snow snow snow 8AM

After enjoying 2 nights at Camp 2, Margaret, Warren, Chris and Peter are now back at base camp. The Canadians are heading up to Camp 2 today. It’s been snowing daily for the last few days, and the forecast is snow for the rest of the week.

Thankfully it’s manageable snowfall and it hasn’t delayed our acclimatisation plans. There are quite a few climbers moving between base camp to Camp 2, to help break the route through the snow so we’re continuing as planned.

The next 3 days is rest, then the first push and sleep at Camp 3. It will be the last rotation before the actual summit push. We are half way into the expedition and the excitement is building.

Enjoying Camp 2 6PM

Our team of Lakpa, Margaret, Warren, Chris and Peter reached Camp 2 in good time today. Everyone is feeling strong and healthy, and they are now enjoying the comforts of Camp 2 on the Western cwn plateau. They will spend tomorrow night also at Camp 2 to further facilitate their acclimatisation.

The Climbing for a Cause trekkers are spending their 2nd night at base camp this evening. Today they had a tour of some of the ice fall and visited our friends at the Himalayan Rescue Association tent. It will be a quiet camp again when they begin their trek back to Lukla tomorrow

Round 2 underway 12PM

Lakpa left this morning with Margaret, Warren, Chris and Peter to climb to Camp 1. They are sleeping there tonight and will move to Camp 2 tomorrow for the night. They will be back in base camp on Saturday after completing their second rotation.

Sumit is returning to base camp with the trekkers from Climbing for a Cause led by Sharon and Allan Cohrs. Sharon and Allan summited Everest in 2011 (as the first Australian couple and as the first breast cancer survivor in Sharon), so this is very familiar grounds to them.

Posted photos on facebook 1PM

We’ve posted a few photos around base camp on facebook.

Take a peek at what it’s like to live and work at Himalayan Ascent’s base camp this season.
http://www.facebook.com/HimalayanAscent

Back at base camp 10PM

A successful first rotation. Everyone is back at base camp after spending 2 nights at Camp 1 and hiking up to Camp 2 (6600m). The next 2 days will be a rest to recoup, before beginning round 2. Base camp is getting busier with more friends and teams arriving on a daily basis. The doctors and staff from the Himalayan Rescue Association joined us for dinner this evening. Climbing is only half the expedition experience…gas bagging and socialising is the other.

Carol is heading back to Lukla after successfully climbing Island peak. She already has the 7 summits under her belt, but she’s not done with climbing and is adding a few more Himalayan peaks.

The Climbing For a Cause trek is sleeping at Dingboche tonight. In a few days they’ll be at EBC itself to spend 2 nights at BC with the climbing team.

1st rotation to Camp 7PM

Our teams have officially started their rotations. Margaret and Warren with Ang Kaji and Dendi are currently resting up at Camp 1 (6100m). They set off early this morning around 3am and reached the top of the icefall at 10am. Meanwhile, Chris and the Canadians with Lakpa and Cherring left a day ahead to Camp 1. Today they climbed across the Western Cwn for lunch at Camp 2, and returned back to Camp 1 for the night. Both teams will be back at base camp on Monday after climbing up to Camp 2.

Himalayan Ascent are the first guided team to sleep at Camp 1, and tomorrow at Camp 2. With few climbers yet to start rotations on this route, we are enjoying having the mountains to ourselves. It will certainly get busier during our next rotation.

Irish Peter arrived the other day into EBC. He went up to Pumori high camp today for his acclimatisation walk.

Sharon and Allan Cohrs of Climbing for a Cause with a team of EBC trekkers are currently spending their 2nd night at Namche. In a week, they will reach EBC to cheer on our Everest/Lhotse teams. You can follow their journey here: http://www.climbingforacause.com.au/blog

First frolic in icefall 8PM

The day was just too good to sit around yesterday so we geared up and practiced walking on ladders wearing crampons.

Traversing through the Khumbu icefall is one of the crux of climbing Everest. We must climb up through the broken glacier, pass between giant intimidating seracs and cross over very large crevasses (sometimes several ladders tied together). The threat of falling seracs means we need to climb quickly and safely, and often very early in the morning to avoid melt.

Today Margaret and Warren with Sumit tested their new ladder crossing skills by climbing halfway through the icefall. Both climbers felt good by the experience, so we rounded back to base camp for lunch. Tomorrow we’ll have a proper rest before our first rotation climb to Camp 1, which sits at the top of the icefall.

Pumori high camp 8AM

As we continue to make our preparations for the real climb, we broke out into separate teams yesterday. Margaret, Warren and Chris joined by Carol and Sumit hiked the route behind base camp to Pumori high camp (a stunning 7000m mountain that also stands along the Nepal-Tibet border). It was a slow 2 hr acclimatisation hike to 5500m. Over the next few weeks, the climbers will continue to increase their altitude gain slowly to adapt to the reduced oxygen. If they are to hike that trail again next week, it will take less time and it will feel less difficult as they become more acclimatised. Lakpa accompanied the Canadian team through the icefall to Camp 1, and then returned to base camp. Whilst our guides set off early just after 12am to Camp 1 and then Camp 2 to set up the higher camps. Today is a complete rest day for everyone. We have lots of fun planned for tomorrow.

Day of spiritual reflection 11PM

Our puja or buddhist ceremony was held today under blue skies. We couldn’t have asked for a more stunning day. The local lama chanted prayers for 4 hrs, he blessed our equipment presented at the alter, and we finished by throwing tsampa into the air as an offering to the spirits who watch over this land. This ceremony requests protection and success. It’s an essential ritual we follow on all major expeditions.

Due to the unfortunate accident yesterday where a Sherpa (part of the route setting team) fell to his death into a crevasse, today’s ceremony was subdued. Our guides were particularly touched by the ceremony. In a few hours they will begin their climb straight to Camp 2 (6600m) to begin setting up advanced base camp. They have been acclimatizing at base camp for the last few weeks, and they are keen to begin climbing. Lakpa is also stretching his legs in the ice fall up to Camp 1 with the Canadian Lhotse group tomorrow.