Second rotation. 26th - 30th April
Another early start. However this time the group moved at different paces. We covered a lot of the icefall before it became the sun came up. Because of the collapse the day before there were a lot of Sherpas moving up. This meant a few queues but we made our way up quickly. That was until I arrived at the scene of the collapse the day before. Where there was previously three single ladders over a plateau, there was now a steep drop and a landscape of freshly broken up ice blocks.
The icefall is effectively hollow. As the season moves on and the temperature rises so the melt water beneath becomes a river and continues to hollow out beneath the huge ice blocks. Most several storeys high. What happened here was not a ice cliff falling over but the entire landscape dropping by 5m. A tremendous release of energy. Must have been terrifying to have been there at the time and amazing only two were injured.
As I looked around there were rucksacks left everywhere. Sherpas either running for cover or arriving, realising the route was destroyed and leaving them there until they returned the next day.
At this steep drop about 8 Sherpas were looking over the edge and trying to figure out how to get down. I asked one and they said “very difficult section”.
I decided to wait for Dorjee who was not far behind...
The ice fall doctors reopened the route very quickly the day before but it was a basic fix. I abseiled down and then followed the new route across the scene of destruction. Some ice moved beneath my feet. Not a place to linger. A new vertical triple ladder took us back up to the original route and we were back on track.
We continued to move fast and hit camp 1 in five hours. Two hours shorter than last time.
Passing us the other way was Kenton Cool and his two British climbers, Victoria Pendleton and Ben Fogle. They arrived in camp a week after us and sadly the lack of acclimatisation seems to be showing. Poor Victoria had to be placed on oxygen at camp 2 and was on it for the descent. This would really only be done in an emergency. Credit to them that they made there way down. Someone else decided they needed rescuing by helicopter from camp 2. Ben was on good form and seems to be quicker to acclimatise.
Dorjee Bulks and I moved on to camp 2. It was seriously hot. Not being know for the protection offered by my hair I had to do a lot of covering up. The sun and the reflection from the snow was debilitating. We staggered in to camp. The rest of the team planned on staying a night at camp 1.
We found our tent, rested, ate and slept.
This was our first full day at Camp 2. We rested, played cards and waited for he rest of the team to arrived.
The next day Dorjee was to take us to touch Camp 3. This would be Bulks altitude record and would put us close to the South Col and the summit ridge.
As always I started the day with porridge before packing light and heading off for camp 3. This involved a two hour walk to the base of the Lhotse Face. There are loads of crevasses along the way but no rope needed. Just a small stretch and we were over them. Didn’t love it though.
Once at the Face there was no gentle warm up. It was straight on to the steepest iciest wall I had ever seen. Being early in the season few had been here so there were no helpful footsteps to use. Instead I slid my ascender up the rope and climbed up behind it. Exhausting. Tried to find a rhythm. 20 steps then a rest. Quite a long rest where you sit back in your harness and let the rope take the strain. You put a lot of faith in that harness and rope!
Half way up a friend from another team was moving up the down rope and met someone coming the other way. I managed to side step my rope towards him and he could switch ropes. Not somewhere to make a mistake. Golden Rule - never unclip.
We moved up the Face for three hours. When we finally arrived over yet another ridge we were at camp 3. Stunning views and the highest we will need to get to without oxygen.
On the descent we hand slide down the rope for the gentler section and abseiled the rest. Only took 30 mins to descend.
We walked back to camp 2 tired but pleased we had reached our target.
Another rest day for us but the rest of the team went to have a look at the Lhotse Face.
We heard that there had been another small avalanche in the icefall near the top where the route gets a little close to the west shoulder of Everest. It is a know area not to spend time. One person twisted their ankle but made it up to camp 1 before helicoptering off.
We also heard that Lhotse had been climbed the day before and there are plans for Nuptse in the next day or so. Generally the season is moving very fast.
Today we returned to base camp. We picked up our rucksacks and moved fast. Took 40 mins to get to camp 1. Again we bumped in to Kenton. This time only Ben Fogle was with him. Victoria was staying in Base Camp.
The weather was cloudy and snowy. Much easier to move than in the sun.
We moved fast through the dangerous section. Now we have with us one of the greatest climbers of his generation. Victor Saunders. As we moved he was following me and I then heard him say “oh bugger”. I stopped and turned and see him looking down a rather deep crevasses. “Shit” he continued. It turns out that as he crossed it his crampon had come off. Shocking timing. Now for most on the mountain that would be the end of it. Not for Victor. He made sure everyone was through the most dangerous section before acquiring some rope, returning and abseiling down to rescue it. Fortunately it landed on a snow bridge. A few inches to one side and it was gone.
Meanwhile the rest of us continued to move fast and past another small collapse near the middle. It did not affect the route. All these changes are perfectly normal and the ice fall doctors remain on top of them.
We were down within two hours.
In the afternoon I managed a shower which was wonderful. I then studied the weather with Henry. Bulks and I are all set now we just need the right weather window.
Tomorrow we rest and review.
