Done! Now I can start training, planning and preparing for “7in4”!! A week ago with rope fixing stalled on both Everest (South side) and Lhotse, it looked like I could be sitting around and waiting in Base Camp for some time, waiting for another opportunity to attempt the summit. A week later and I’ve been up, been down and now …
Practice Run No.4: Game, Set and…….
After a successful summit, it’s now time for match point. Full update to follow in a couple of days, but in short… Been up, been down, now preparing for match point. Summited Lhotse (8516m) yesterday at 17:20. Very late in the day to be on an 8000er, many delays along the way, but worked out ok. Only spent 5min on …
Practice Run No.4: The Wait Continues
Rope fixing…. The current obstacle! The weather has been reasonably good for a number of days now, the only thing stopping teams from going for the summit is ropes. The ropes have been fixed as far as the South Col on Everest and Camp 4 on Lhotse. That’s where it’s stalled. There are no ropes to the summit on either …
Practice Run No.4: First Summit Attempt Aborted Before It Began
Well, I was hoping for an early finish, but looks like this one is going to go the distance. Better settle in for the long haul…. I left Base Camp last Monday at 03:10 on what was meant to be our summit push. It was still very early in the season to be going for the summit, but it looked …
Practice Run No.4: Tomorrow I Leave for Summit Push
The Wait is Finally Over. I’ve been back in Base Camp for four days now, waiting on weather to commence our final summit push. I hate waiting. A bit of down time is a good thing, time to rest, recuperate, prepare. But too much down time is detrimental. You get lethargic. You try to maintain positive thoughts, but with too …
Practice Run No.4: 2nd Acclimatisation Rotation and Video Tour of Camp 2
Another trip to Camp 2 now back in Base Camp ready for final summit push. Last Saturday we headed back up through the Khumbu Icefall for our second acclimatisation rotation. We set off from Base Camp a touch earlier this time, at around 03:15, as we were aiming to go straight to Camp 2 in the day, skipping Camp 1. …
Practice Run No.4: First Time Through the Icefall and Up the Lhotse Face
Well, the Lhotse Face lived up to its reputation and some. Last Friday we set off from Base Camp at about 03:45 and headed up through the Khumbu Icefall for our first acclimatisation rotation. If you’ve ever read/seen any books/documentaries on climbing Everest South Side, you would have heard of the Khumbu Icefall. It is the first major obstacle and …
Practice Run No.4: Self Taught Cyst Removal
A Week in Base Camp – Melbourne Weather, Day Walks and Cyst Removal. Weather is possibly the most boring topic, the kind of topic you discuss with strangers when you have nothing else to talk about, but not in Everest Base Camp. Back in Australia, Melbourne is renowned for its unpredictable weather, its “4 seasons in one day”. Well this …
Practice Run No.4: Welcome to Everest Base Camp
EBC – My home for the next 6 weeks, in between rotations on the hill. Two days ago I arrived at Everest Base Camp, three days ahead of schedule. Here I’m joining Tim Mosedale’s expedition, but they’re not due to arrive until later today, so I have spent the past couple of days with our Sherpa team who have been …
Practice Run No.4: Lobuche Summit, 6119m
Dragging myself out of bed at midnight I often wonder what I’m doing, but summit sunrises make it all worthwhile. I am writing this on Thursday because yesterday I was too knackered to do anything other than drink, eat and sleep. After a few days trekking up through the Khumbu valley with overnight stops at Namche and Pangboche, we arrived …