Off to the Summit

Our summit rotation began on May 18th.  It's a hell of a thing to climb Mount Everest.  The mountain is so high and so big that for normal humans, it takes a minimum of six weeks to acclimatize the body to ever increasing elevations in preparation for the summit push.  Once acclimatized, it still takes six days round trip from base camp at over 17,000 ft to reach the summit and come back down.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, weather is a major uncontrollable factor in the overall expedition.   Bad weather could turn a "normal" trip through the Khumbu Icefall into an epic journey.  Really all it would take is 6" of snow, a little wind and a drop in temps by 10 degrees or so to make things very hazardous.  Now imagine the same weather on the open expanse of the Western Cwm.  It would be a complete whiteout in an area the size of a small city filed with huge crevasses.  Above the Cwm climbing in the open during this kind of weather and you would most likely perish.

What I haven't mentioned much is what happens to the human body when living for an extended period of time at a high elevation like base camp and above.  Anyone who's paid particular attention to the IMG blog throughout our expedition would have noticed a significant reduction in team members from the beginning to the summit list for team 1.  We lost almost half of our team to a variety of issues including acute mountain sickness (AMS), high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), gastrointestinal (GI) issues, dehydration, significant loss of body weight (>15%), etc.  

Of those who made it to the summit push, two experienced high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) which is a very serious swelling of the brain and two were sick up high and had to work through that at camp 2 for some extra days and then join team 3 and hybrid climbers on a push for the summit.  Imagine how you feel when you've got a normal cold/GI sickness and stay home from work.  Now take that feeling and put yourself at over 21,000ft at camp 2, living in a tent, eating pretty unpalatable food (not Mom's chicken noodle soup) and breathing rarefied air.  Then force yourself to dig in deep, shake off the sickness and climb the highest mountain in the world.

 Each of us suffered one malady or another during the expedition and it has been a lesson in suffering, human endurance, determination, resolution and acceptance to watch each person deal with their own issues.  We've supported each other for two months through the good, the bad and the ugly and in the end, some made it to the summit and some didn't.  The important thing is that all made decisions along with support from IMG to keep themselves safe from long-term harm or worse.  For a two-month expedition, the summit push is only six days and summit day is only one day.  Watching people around me make decisions on summit day was interesting because those who made bad ones ended up in the Himalayan Times and those who made good ones returned to base camp ready to go home to their families.

This year, the weather has been variable and difficult to predict.  IMG worked hard with multiple weather forecasters and other expedition leaders with whom they have long-term experience to study the patterns and plan for our climb.  In the end, there's risk and that's where mountaineers keep their eyes and ears open and make strategic decisions up high.  It was time for us to leave the comforts of our nylon base camp homes and go to work.

Day 1, May 18th

The first day of our summit push is a climb from base camp to camp 2.  Personally, I felt this was the hardest day of the six.  It's a climb of 4,000 feet through the very physically demanding Khumbu Icefall and open broiler of the Western Cwm.  The last hour of the Cwm is a mentally draining uphill slog followed by another half hour climbing up and through other camps to the IMG location near the top of the gravel debris field moraine that is our second home.  

In the photo above, note the ladder below the lowest climber.  This was a very deep and treacherous part of the Icefall that we traversed this year (8 total trips).

When you arrive in camp 2, the 21,300 ft elevation takes its toll and if you're lucky, the headache doesn't last more than a few hours.  The effort took me 7-1/2 hours including drinking 1-1/2 liters of water and eating a few gel packs and some candy bars. Calorie intake was probably 2,000 and calories burned 4,000-5,000.  Hydration lost was easily 2-3 liters.  

Day 2, May 19th

Today was a rest day after the big effort from yesterday.  Our jobs were to eat and drink as much as possible to make up for our shortfall and prepare for the job ahead.  My drink of choice was honey in hot water.  Not like at grandma's house but like a half cup of honey in a one liter Nalgene bottle of boiled glacial ice.  Trying to make up thousands of calories while still burning thousands of calories just to keep your body warm and functioning is impossible.  It's also a study in human nature.  Some people begin to shut down their food intake simply because nothing is appealing.  Others like me who have already lost too much weight on previous expeditions and know what truly "bonking" feels like just shove it in any way they can.

We've been to camp 2 twice before, so mentally it wasn't a big deal.  Physically we're lighter and smaller now which we could definitely feel.  Looking uphill at the Lhotse Face, including the Yellow Band and Geneva Spur, many of us begin to reflect internally at the work and risks ahead of us.  That quiet mood has arrived in camp again.  Things are about to get very sporty as we continue to ascend the mountain and our focus needs to be as strong and resolute as ever.

 

In the photo above of the Lhotse Face you can see the route now which has been used a few hundred times since the last snowfall.  It extends from base camp towards the bergschrund at the intersection of where the smooth center section of the glacier meets the more heavily crevassed section on the right.  From there, it ascends mostly along that line past lower camp three which is visible as a bunch of yellow dots, to our Camp 3 a few hundred feet above, which has been packed up to preserve our tents. The route continues up and then arcs to the left to cross the Yellow Band which is the lightly colored rock formation that looks like a gun pointing to the right. We cross at about where the trigger would be. 

Climbing past the Yellow Band, we encounter a significant rock formation called the Geneva Spur.  It appears as the darker section of rock running diagonally downward from left to right in the photo.  It actually has quite a significant relief and stands out from the concave face by a couple of hundred feet. Surmounting the Geneva Spur and rounding a corner while ascending brings us finally to the saddle between Mount Everest on the left and Lhotse on the right. This is the South Col and the site of our high camp, Camp 4.

Day 3, May 20th

Today we leave the relative comfort of our advanced base camp and head to Camp 3 perched half way up the Lhotse Face.  Leaving at 4:10am, it's a solid hour to the bergschrund.  From there, the slope is quite steep and about half is still blue ice.  We do have the benefit of so many climbers passing before us this time and at least shallow steps have been kicked in for most of the way.  

The video below shows our Camp 3 location as well as climbers arriving just behind me.

The photo below is looking down the Lhotse Face and at the Western Cwm from camp 3.  At the end of the Cwm is the start of the Khumbu Icefall miles away.  Looking closely at the large rocky moraine on the right about half way down the Cwm, you can see the yellow tents of camp 2.

The photo below shows a lone climber ascending past our Camp 3 towards the Yellow Band.  The prominence of the Geneva Spur is behind him and Mount Everest looms above.

Moe and I arrive after 4 hours and 40 minutes of climbing and settle into a tent on the third tier of our encampment.  In order to maintain warmth and strength, we share a bottle of oxygen flowing at a rate of one liter per minute.  It's not a lot, but takes the edge off our 24,000ft elevation.  

At this point, we've got continuous work ahead of us with little nutrition, hydration and sleep.  This means when not climbing, we're resting quietly, eating snacks and drinking melted glacial ice.  The goal is to lose as little strength and weight as possible now that we're entering the death zone.  

Day 4, May 21st

Today is the day we enter new territory on the mountain.  Leaving Camp 3 just after 6:00am we realize that we're moving much slower than normal.  Kind of like teenagers getting ready for school, everything was in slow motion.  After 4 hours, 45 minutes of climbing on oxygen together with Moe and Karim, up the Lhotse Face, past the Yellow Band, up and over the Geneva Spur and onto the South Col we reach our camp 4.  We used an oxygen flow rate of 2-3 liters per minute while climbing.  This helped keep us warm and feed our muscles during the effort.

I took no photos of this route because of the steepness, exposure and generally dangerous nature that it presented.  In many places the track was little wider than your boot with many thousands of feet of exposure down the Lhotse Face and only a 7mm climbing rope fixed to the mountain with pickets and ice screws to protect you in case of a fall.  With so many climbers on the same fixed rope, you cannot fall.

Below is a photo of our team assembling tents after arriving at the South Col.  Tents are not left erected and unattended because they will most likely end up in Tibet after the first big wind comes through camp.

The South Col is a high, windswept and inhospitable place firmly planted in the death zone.  It's breezy today and the three of us seek shelter in a tent.  Three is cozier than two and we keep our oxygen flowing to ease the suffering.

After spending a little time up here, we realize there are many teams assembling for a summit attempt this evening.  The day before had high winds and most climbers who attempted failed to reach the summit.  There's usually no second chance the next day because of how much energy the climb takes out of you so many climbers elected to wait for a better weather window.

Anyone who's read much about climbing Mount Everest knows that one of the major concerns we have during a summit push is waiting in line behind slow climbers.  Your options are to wait and get cold or to pass.  Passing is difficult because of the effort required to increase speed and to climb on the side of the route outside of the steps that have been kicked into the snow.  It’s also dangerous since the passing climber must unclip from the safety rope during the process.  We have ways to protect ourselves during this maneuver but it’s not as good as being continuously clipped into the line.  With the backup of climbers assembling on the South Col today, we’re concerned about crowding on the route and the effects it will have on our safety.

Day 5, May 22nd 

Our team is split into two groups for the summit push.  Most of the members will be leaving at 8:00pm and the three of us will leave at 9:00pm.  Depending on our progress, we hope to summit at around sunrise.  If you zoom into the photo below, you can see the route leading from camp up to the balcony with climbers on it.  From the Balcony, the route follows the ridge up to the South Summit (the top point in the photo) then along the summit ridge moving away from the observer to the summit.

 

About an hour into our summit push we encounter our first slow climbers.  As it turns out, more than half of the day’s climbers have left already and we can see a string of at least 50 headlamps heading up the mountain.  The three of us are climbing strong and passing becomes routine.  After a few hours, we reach the Balcony and change our oxygen bottles for fresh ones.  This ensures our supply will last on the upper mountain.

With all of my gear on, I felt kind of like an astronaut.  The summit suit is huge and quite insulating.  Boots of course are massive and heavy.  Then add a balaclava, hat, goggles, oxygen mask and hood which seem to close off the outside world.  The effect when climbing is that you recede into your own thoughts and shut off much of the suffering that’s taking place. 

I was traveling in this space for quite a while above the Balcony when a wind came up seemingly out of nowhere.  At first my reaction was negative because obviously wind means cold and the potential for frostbite on the small exposed parts of my face.  Then, slowly I realized that something has changed with respect to the topography.  Coming out of my bubble, I realized that we had reached the South Summit and were exposed to the Tibetan side of Mount Everest which is why we had wind.  The positive effect on my mind was immediate and overwhelming because I was sure now that I would reach the summit.  Looking quickly at my watch, I was also sure that we would summit in the dark.  It was only 2:35am.

We slowed our pace along the summit ridge and sheltered behind a rock formation almost at the summit for about 40 minutes.  This was a good place for a snack and some water while we waited for the sun.  At about 4:10am we slowly headed to the summit, reaching it at 4:25am just before the sun cracked the horizon.

Looking back over my shoulder at the ridge, I could see another dozen climbers just arriving.  This certainly is a busy day on the top of the world.

I also realized that we could see climbers arriving on the northeast ridge from Tibet.  It was like space travelers from two different worlds coming together for a brief encounter.

The light was beautiful although not so great for simple photography.  The mood was exuberant and we were all hypoxic from taking our oxygen masks off.  So many years of dreaming and planning, so many hours of training, so many pushups :) , so many days on the expedition and so many potatoes during our meals have led to these few minutes on the summit of Mount Everest! My command of the English language isn’t sufficient to express the emotions that I was feeling.

After about 35 minutes, it was time to leave the summit.  Many climbers went the other way back into Tibet along the Northeast Ridge:

And we went back our way towards the South Col between Everest and Lhotse, across the Geneva Spur and the Yellow Band, past Camp 3 and down the Lhotse Face, through the Western Cwm with a stopover for the night at Camp 2 before continuing down the rest of the Cwm and through the Khumbu Icefall for the 8^th and last time to Base Camp.

Our two-month expedition is now over.  Our bodies have taken a beating and true recovery will only begin when we're back at Base Camp and will accelerate as we descend further back to civilization.  Moe, Karim, Jim and I have decided to take a helicopter from base camp to Kathmandu to accelerate our schedule for getting back home.  The video clip below is the first leg of that journey from base camp to Pheriche.  It takes two shuttles for us and our gear to Pheriche because of the reduced helicopter capacity at base camp elevation.

Heli video to Pheriche link  https://youtu.be/5iQ7c9EO1io

Many thanks to my family, friends, employees, customers and colleagues for their support, understanding, patience and generosity.  This climb has been a dream come true and I couldn’t have done it without all of you.

Namaste