I am afraid that I have to start with solemn news. Sadly there was a serac fall earlier today on the route up to the North Col. News at the moment is still coming through but it is confirmed that three people were caught at the wrong time in the wrong place. A Hungarian man was killed, another was rescued and a third is still missing. It was a very unfortunate accident that was completely unforeseeable. My thoughts, prayers and condolences are with the missing climber, and all their families affected.
 
I cannot remember exactly what was happening last time I wrote, sadly my internet access here is not what it is back home and my memory seems to be impaired as well, but im pretty sure it was just before we left Base Camp to head high.
 
Our itinerary is a three-pronged approach where we first hit 7000m i.e. the North Col before descending to Base Camp. The second move is to 7500m prior to resting at BC again in preparation for the finale of the expedition and our summit attempt, which, in theory should be in under one months time. The reason for this is to allow our bodies adapt to the decrease in Oxygen in the atmosphere. The summit of Everest has around 30% of the Oxygen available to us at sea level and it requires weeks / months of acclimatising for our bodies reach these extreme altitudes.
 
So we headed off to Advanced Base Camp at 6400m via an Interim Camp a week or so ago. The trek to ABC is 16 miles long across rocky morraine that winds around a nearby mountain, Changtse, following a vague path. There were some fantastic views along this trip, the highlight being the ‘Penitentes’ which are enormous vertical stacks of ice, almost like inverted icicles, created by the winds. Eventually the colourful sight of prayer flags and tents that represented Advanced Base Camp came into view and into the tent we collapsed. The next 24 hours was thankfully a “rest day” which helped us acclimatise but the altitude jump meant there was a fair few coughs and headaches spread around the team – thankfully I managed to escape relatively unscathed.
 
If I thought Base Camp was windswept and barren then ABC made it look positively luxurious. It is on hilly, rocky terrain, with sporadically placed teams represented by rows of tents from where every attempt to head to the north ridge of Everest is launched from. A 1 hour trek meant we had reached “Crampon Point” and time to really switch-on was upon us. On go harnesses and crampons, (something that worryingly was not done correctly by everyone), across an icey plateau and we were at the base of the “Headwall”. In theory it was only a 4-500m vertical ascent, all up fixed ropes, but in practice it was going to be a physical and mental test that would split the team in the way they coped.
 
It was great to get crampons on again and hear them bite into the steep blue ice as we gained altitude. I was climbing in a great routine with Pete my tent mate and step after step we got closer to that elusive 7000m point. The highest point either of us had reached had been the summit of Aconcagua at 6962m, so it was a new personal best for us to finally cross over a horizontal ladder laid across a crevasse and, once more, to be met by multi-coloured tents and a wonderful view of our route up the north ridge. The North Col is higher than any point outside the Himalaya so it was understandably a very satisfying mental box crossed off.
 
A quick descent, well I say quick, it was somewhat delayed by some people’s ability to abseil down a rope correctly, but we reached the base of the Headwall. After not too long we were welcomed back into ABC by a cup of hot chocolate – all in all a challenging but ultimately rewarding day.
 
One more well deserved rest day in ABC and we were ready to head back down to 5200m and the safety of Base Camp. The descent was long but everyone made it back in a three day period and we now have 5 “rest days” at BC before heading back up again.
 
My proudest moment of the whole expedition has to be remembering to bring the board game “Risk”. To date we have practically played a game per day with Andy coming up trumps more than I would like to admit but hopefully the altitude will impair his tactical judgement over time. These rest days are all about killing time and letting one’s body recuperate before the next challenge ahead.
 
I have to shoot as a queue is fast developing behind me but I hope to write another blog prior to heading up to 7500m.

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