Second rotation climb – through the treacherous Khumbu Ice Fall
Everest Blog -week 4 – 8th May 2018
Traversing deep crevices during the ascent up to Camp 1.
Since my last update I have completed the second rotation of the climb. This is a five-day journey from Everest Base Camp (EBC) up through the infamously treacherous Khumbu Ice Fall to Camp 1 where we camped for a night, then up Camp 2 where we camped for two nights before turning back down and descending to EBC.
This was a particularly exhausting climb where each segment had to be completed within a specific time. Failure to complete the sections within the allocated time would result in elimination from the summit bid. After the end of this rotation our team, which initially comprised eight members, has dwindled to three, on account of injury, illness and timing issues. The cold, the altitude and the very thin air make every step a challenge, both mental and physical.
We returned to EBC quite depleted, and tried our level best to eat well despite the severely reduced appetites. When I did this climb in 2016, I lost 10kg, because of the extreme energy deficit – significantly more energy being expended than being consumed. This is inspite of the expedition team preparing very appetizing meals for us.
We had a couple of days rest, and did one long climb during that rest period to prevent our bodies from becoming too stiff with cold. Today I depart on the final rotation, up the Khumbu Ice fall, to Camp 1, Camp 2 and then up a huge vertical glacier up to Camp 3, and then back down the same way to EBC. Camp 3 is situated at an altitude of 7,300m. From this point onwards oxygen cylinders are required because of the very thin air. I will be out of communication for at least a week. My next update will be after that final rotation, before the final summit bid.
Oxygen tanks in preparation for the climb beyond Camp 3 to the summit.
Everest at the back, the dark grey mountain