Dates for your diaries

We have been working on our multi-media extravaganza and it's looking great. We have 4 confirmed dates so far:

Rheged, Penrith on the Friday 20th January 2006
Tel: 01768 868000
Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal on Saturday 21st January
01539 725133
Theatre by the Lake, Keswick on Tuesday 21st March
Tel: 01768774411
Rosehill Theatre, Whitehaven on Wednesday 22nd March
Tel: 01946 692422

Hope to see you there.
You can also check out Stuart's new website for some more photos:
www.sharpedgeimages.co.uk

Questions answered

Hello again. In response to a query made in the comments:

Our private expedition was totally self financed, all costs we split between the 8 climbers. We are the Karrimor expedition because one of our members has strong connections there and Karrimor very kindly donated rucksacks, kit bags and sleeping mats to all members including the 4 climbing Sherpas. If you want to go to Everest North side with a commercial outfit you would be looking at paying around 40 thousand dollars.

For training, we are all active people so have a good level of background fitness anyway. For the expedition we all increased the levels of activities; running, climbing, biking, etc.

It is normal to lose weight on expeditions so a priority for the slimmer members especially was to gain some weight. This was achieved in my case (a modest 3kg) through increasing my pie intake (and other food generally) whilst still keeping up the regular exercise regime. Surprisingly I only lost around 3kg on the expedition.

As we are all involved periodically with guiding in the mountains, we each have our own contacts with companies specialising in outdoor equipment and clothing. We can therefore usually wangle a deal on this kind of equipment either in return for photos or in the case of new equipment with test feedback.

I hope this answers your questions.

All's well that ends well

News from Ian:

'As for health, right eye is still half sight but making
a slow recovery, toe is now purple and getting some feeling back into it and otherwise feel pretty good, going climbing this week and at the weekend and aim to start work in about 10 days'

Big piece in the Keswick Reminder this week, double page spread with loads of photos and in colour too. The last time they printed a colour picture was for the queens visit! We are honoured.

That's probably it for now, or at least until the next jolly. It's been quite an adventure and a fantastic experience. Thanks to the rest of the team and to you all for the comments and support, it really means a lot.
Stuart.

Night view from Base Camp

How's it going Ian?

I'm hoping that Ian will get in touch to tell me how he is recovering. His blackened, frost bitten toe I know had lost it's scary colour and his voice had come back. I'll hopefully update soon.

A close shave...

During the 15 minutes or so on the top of the world, neither Tim nor I had kept our oxygen on. It was amazing how fast the cold crept back into our fingers without the warming effects of the oxygen. It was suddenly very clear why people who try to climb the mountain without oxygen have a far greater risk of frostbite. As soon as we donned our masks and turned the oxygen back on, the warmth quickly returned to our fingers.

The Second Step, the crux of the climb at around 8600m

The wind that up to now had been very light was increasing and combined with the temperature, my thermometer had bottomed out at -28 degrees C, decided us to head down. We met Ian on his way up with Pasang, Karma and Jangbu at the foot of the Dihedral, only 30 minutes from the top. After congratulating us and shaking hands he mentioned he was having problems with his eye. I swapped sunglasses with him as I was using my goggles at the time. Tim, Phenden and I continued down making good time.

Returning along the NE Ridge

Along the NE Ridge, abseiling down the rock steps, to the top of the North Ridge. We had descended to within 200m of Camp 3 (8300m) when there was an urgent exchange on the radio. It seemed that Pasang had come across Ian lying collapsed in the snow somewhere below the Second Step. Our hearts stopped, our minds raced. What could we do from here? To climb back up would take hours. Dr John was talking with Pasang on the radio explaining that he had to draw off 2cc of Dexamethasone (lets hope it's not frozen) and inject it into Ian's leg. None of the Sherpas had done this before. In the end Ian
came around enough to do this himself.

Within 5 minutes the drug had taken effect and Ian was able to stand and eventually make progress down. In camp 3 Phenden had started melting snow with a view to carrying hot fluid back up the mountain for Ian. This proved not to be necessary as Ian was able to make his own wobbly way back to Camp 3. On arrival there he looked terrible, he could barely stand, his eyes were bloodshot and he couldn't speak. We piled him into a tent and plied him with hot fluid and a high flow of oxygen. When he was able to, he said his feet were cold and he hadn't had the feeling in his toes for some time. We decided to leave his boots on because if they were frost bitten we wouldn't be able to get them back on again and descent would be even more tricky.

The weather had deteriorated with snow falling and a strong wind. At 13:00 hours Tim gave Ian a tablet of Dexamethasone to top him up and sent him off with Pasang to descend. Remarkably, Ian managed to get down to the North Col where he was met by Mick and Matt and then go all the way back to ABC.

A situation that could have easily turned into a disaster was avoided by good planning (Dr John had provided everyone with an emergency medical kit), teamwork and support from the phenomenally strong team of Sherpas. Importantly, it was Ian's own physical and mental strength that facilitated his evacuation from the mountain. My hat goes off to you.

Stuart, Ian and Tim back at ABC

Tim and I made it down through conditions resembling Scotland in winter to Camp 2 where we crawled, knackered but happy, into one of the tents. We both craved a long cold drink so our efforts at re-hydrating with hot tea or Bovril were half hearted to say the least. The following day we were met at the foot of the glacier by Matt, Dan and Tim. It was then some emotion was released: 'I'm OK, probably glacier dust in my eyes'

Pasang Karma Sherpa's puja certainly worked for us

How about Ian? He had a frost bitten toe, he'd had probable cerebral oedema on the summit of Everest rendering him blind in his right eye and possibly worst of all he'd lost his voice! Find out more...soon...

Prayer flags

The summit is only half way...

I squeezed into a tent with Tim and Ian who were already in the process of melting snow for brews. It was 17:30 (Nepal time) so we had less than 5 hours before our planned departure to try to eat, drink and rest. As the sun got lower I kept looking out to check the weather, we commented on the absolute lack of wind and marvelled at the spectacle of the myriad peaks and ridges in the setting sun. For the record, Tim had the (dehydrated) lamb dinner.

Looking down over the Kangshung Face to makalu

We managed to arrange our respective limbs and bodies in the tent so it was possible for us all to lie down of a fashion. It would have been an hour and a half¹s rest but for Ian¹s persistent shuffling and fidgeting: 'Hey chaps, anyone seen my pee bottle?' None of us was going to sleep anyway with the anticipation of the climb.


Sunrise from Everest

At 21:00 our alarms went off and Tim set to melting snow for more fluid. Ian was really quite ill at this stage with his chest infection, speaking in only a whisper and doubling over with coughing fits on a regular basis. We drank and filled our water bottles then it was time to go. The outside temperature was minus 25 degrees C. We donned crampons and each put 2 fresh oxygen bottles in our sacks.

The North East Ridge

At 23:00 we started our climb. There were lights already above us but we soon caught up with a small party of Indians, one of whom was having a crampon tied onto his boot with string! (One of the Indians took 14 hours to summit and was not to return). Shortly after we caught up with another group of around 6 people. The ground was steep and it was not possible to pass them for some time. Tim was out in front at this stage and made a good overtaking move as soon as it was possible (annoying the Russian who didn't seem to want to let anyone past). I followed right behind and we quickly moved ahead.

The final difficulties around 8750m (28700ft)

Tim and I stormed ahead leaving the rest of the team stuck behind the slow moving group. The route follows a narrow snow gully interspersed with sections of rocky scrambling all the way to the North East Ridge. All of a sudden you have a new 180-degree's worth of vista opens up below you. Makalu is just there to the south, almost continually backlit and silhouetted by
lightning illuminating the inside of the slowly approaching monsoon storm clouds. What an incredible light show, I could have watched it for hours but we had places to go.

Tim approaching the summit

We made good progress along relatively easy ground up to the first of the 3 steps. This required some easy climbing then more easy ground interspersed with scrambling along sloping rock ledges. The second step took a bit more effort to overcome. In two sections; the first requiring some energetic climbing, the second is the famous Chinese ladder with a brand new ladder in place. Getting off the ladder required 3 or 4 delicate crampon moves on very small rock ledges, very thankful for the fixed lines. The sky in the east was slowly brightening.

The final snow slope

An almost flat section leads to the Third Step that again is far from being a doddle to climb. We climbed up the snow slope above, unclipping from the fixed rope to step past the body of a Slovenian climber who had died just a week previously, to arrive again at the North Face. The sun rose above the eastern horizon casting a huge triangular shadow of Everest. An exposed 100m traverse along sloping ledges led to the Dihedral, the final bit of rock climbing before the summit ridge. 10 minutes up easy snow slopes led to the summit that we reached at 06:00. A small group was just coming down so we had the top of the world to ourselves.

Looking back down the NE Ridge with Kangshung Face on right

The sense of relief and emotions I was expecting to have on summiting did not materialise having been tempered by the numerous bodily reminders of our mortality. Most deaths after all occur on the way down, the summit is only half way.


Stuart on top

More soon

Into the Death Zone

The night was a very windy one, the flapping of the tent fabric amplifying the sound effect and reducing already disturbed sleep for most. For me at least, I woke rested and feeling relatively good (thank you immodium and O2).

Dan at this stage had made the difficult decision to descend. Tom set off towards Camp 3 but decided after a short distance that he too would return to ABC. Ian and Tim despite their rough night were the first to head off up the hill leaving Mick, Matt and myself to bring up the rear. My thoughts were to see how far I could get, bearing in mind that I had barely eaten or drunk in the last 24 hours, if I got to 8000m that would be a bonus.


Looking down the Rongbuk and East Rongbuk Glaciers with the North Col and Changtse

Ian, who could only talk at a whisper, was obviously suffering with his chest infection whereas Tim who had been coughing and sneezing for a few weeks seemed to be cured. We made steady progress up easy scramble of the North Ridge, Matt and I were using 2 litres per minute oxygen, Mick preferring to do without and striding out in front. Matt at some point had
decided that he would break the 8000m barrier then return. Mick at this stage tried using his oxygen mask and found for whatever reason that he couldn¹t get on with it and so made the decision to go with Matt to a high point above 8000m and then descend.


Camp 3 below the Yellow Band

We followed a rising diagonal ramp leading across the North Face up towards the yellow Band. Half way across this (around 8100m) I said goodbye to Matt and Mick and continued with Phenden Sherpa who had come down from Camp 3 to collect some gear that the others were carrying. Most of the North Face is made up of beds of Shale and Limestone, inclined at just the wrong angle and direction to make passage tricky. With crampons skating around on sloping slabs interspersed with passages of hard snow, I reached the final snow slopes leading up to the base of the Yellow band at 8300m. Plod, plod, a few
steps, a few breaths, a few more breaths, more breaths and repeat, until Camp 3.


Sunset view from Camp 3 (Pumori in the middle at bottom)

What a campsite! Stuck improbably on the steep North Face; a few tents, a few figures, lots of rock, patches of snow and most of the world below. Mountains we have stood at the base of and strained our necks looking up at, we were actually looking down on; Pumori (7145m), Changtse (7585m), Cho Oyu at 8201m for heavens sake! We¹re going camping higher than Cho Oyu. Incredible!

Stay tuned and find out tomorrow who had the lamb for dinner, who was a real fidget in the tent and who upset the Russian.