Summit plans?

Our 2010 Project Himalaya Everest Expedition 8848m dispatches

We head up for our summit push

16 May - at Everest BC

We woke to a clear morning, barely a breath of wind on Everest - or rather it looked that way but in fact there was unseen wind as the sherpa team was high on the mountain dropping loads of oxygen at 8300m. Luckily the wind died down on the afternoon. Thanks, team!

Anyway, after coffee our first job is checking all the weather sites and making an analysis of when might there be a summit window. We know with high certainty when it will be very windy and so have planned an attempt after that as it is far more comfortable to climb above North Col in low winds. Note that it takes us around a week from leaving Base Camp to when we actually summit, and weather forecasts are perhaps 50% accurate five days out. So conditions/forecasts could - or will - change. This is really where my skills will be tested.

Today Eric headed to Interim Camp and after chatting with the Adventure Dynamics South Africans, powered up in just under three hours, beating the 3:07 time that Laurence made, as part of a Chessell Adventures North Col-Lhakpa Ri expedition. Eric is an athlete and was rather surprised that last time a trekker whipped his ass. He is yet to challenge my 6 hours BC to ABC though (no stop at IC), although Barry's time of ABC to BC (ie in reverse) of about four hours was the same.

Boyish competition aside, it shows that we are significantly more adapted to the altitude when we first arrived, when our times from BC to Interim were around the 5 hour mark.

Lets see how Fernando does tomorrow.

16 May - dead camera

Today my camera died (Canon 5D). The on-off switch has been playing up, and now it just shows an error. It will be easily fixed in Kathmandu at the new Canon service center - but we are not in Kathmandu. Am I bummed? Amazingly, not.

Yes, I love taking pictures as many of you know, but what you don't know until now is I have a NEW camera arriving today! The chances of that... !

(And also Duncan has my compact Panasonic LX3 too, used for his Sea to Summit bid).

Prayer flags at our base camp - Jamie

17 May - heading up

Myself, Fernando and Barry head up to Interim Camp today. We won't be trying to beat Eric's time but I do want to see if we are keeping up a good pace.

Eric will reach ABC today.

18 May - to ABC

The walk up to Interim is easy enough; it is the trek up to 6350m that starts to bite, and so today will be tougher but hopefully we will feel good with the altitude, and won't have to stop too much - other than for photos. Luckily I take plenty of those!

19 May - ABC

We will stay here to rest and re-acclimate to the altitude, and then check how the weather is looking. We expect a few windy days up here. Hopefully not tent-destroying winds though.

When will we summit? We don't yet know. Will I send another dispatch? Yes, perhaps from ABC, if not too rushed.

Current Everest forecast by Mountain Meteo Services - thanks!