Climb 7

If you check on Alan Arnette’s blog, the words “Summit Window” are now pretty much the name of the game.  But what exactly is a summit window? Mike gave me a quick rundown last night.

Basically the summit window is an opening of somewhat ideal weather in which to get from Camp IV to the summit and back. Right now, there are two anticipated summit windows on Everest. The first summit waves left Base Camp over the weekend and are headed up now.  Mike’s team is waiting it out a bit. Their itinerary is pretty straightforward for when they make the push.

• Go straight through the Icefall, skip over Camp I and settle in Camp II. This is about a 10km (6.25 miles) hike with a vertical climb of about 4,000 ft. That is a pretty steep grade. The team will spend the night and then take a rest day.
• Early (like really early!) he next morning, the team will move to Camp III where they will spend the night using oxygen.
• Then it is from Camp III to Camp IV – at a whopping 26,000 ft. The team will spend the night and bide their time for the perfect conditions to make that last trek to the top.

All of us at Climb7 are sending out our best climbing thoughts to the climbers who are striking out for the first summit window. Good luck, teams!

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The view from Pumori

The team climbed up to Pumori Camp 1 (18,500 ft) today to maintain their acclimatization. They were treated to fantastic views of Everest, Lohtse, Nuptse and the Khumbu Ice Fall.

Mike wrote:  ”Note the spindrift blowing off the summits – still too windy on top. We’re hoping for a break in the winds tonight to allow the Sherpas to fix lines to the summit.”

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Mike posted the following note this morning. Sounds like things are right on the cusp!

The first wave, or more accurately, the first tsunami of climbers left EBC early this morning for a summit rotation. If all goes well the lines will be fixed to the summit on May 17/18 with a possible summit window shortly after. Winds look fairly light – wishing everyone all the best. Based on the long line of headlamps heading up the Khumbu Ice Falls early this morning I doubt anyone will be lonely at the top of the world this week.

Our IMG Classic team will look to the next window. Based on the great mountain meteorologist Joel Gratz’s models, I’m liking the window that is opening around May 25th/26th. Winds look light and the window appears to be opening for a few days which would suit my Everest/Lhotse dual summit aspirations.

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Wearing the good luck scarves

The team said goodbye to their host, Phu Tashi Sherpa, today in Pangoche. The family provided the team with blessing scarves for protection and good luck. From Mike, “certainly we’ll need both!”

Ready to trek. Iconic Ama in the background.

Now the team is back on to the trail – 15 miles and 4,000 vertical feet from Pangboche to Base Camp. The team is looking strong, rested and undoubtedly anticipating the next step.

Perfect day for the 15 mile/4,000 vft trek

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The Everest Classic team chillin' in Pangboche

The team trekked down to Pangboche (13,000) to spend some time catching up on eating and breathing copious amounts of O2 at the Everest Summit Lodge in Pangboche. Mike indicated that it was great to be with friends/team taking a little stress off while they wait to start the Everest summit rotation. Everyone is already feeling better in the thicker air.

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On the way to Camp III

I picked up a number of weekend updates from Mike this morning.  He reports that the Camp 3 Rotation for the IMG Classic team is now complete!

More specifically, he said that after 4 days at Camp II, the team was successful in reaching Camp III by a new safter route up the Lhotse Face. Due to a lack of snow, the standard direct route has been plagued by consistant rock fall and considered too dangerous to climb. Thanks to IMG’s outstanding team and some elite climbers here at Everest (Damian Benegas and Chad Kellogg to name a couple) they constructed an entirely new route to Lower C3. Several of the team reached C3 for a “touch and go” that lasted over an hour.  According to IMG’s Eric Simonsen, the weather was so nice at the 24,500 ft camp that some of the team took off their down suits and basked in the sun.<

What’s next? Mike indicated that next steps include patience and rest at EBC with possible excursions to lower altitudes for more oxygen and hurry-up-and-waiting for a summit window.

There was additional good news today from a team working to fix lines to the South Col – snow and conditions much better than expected! Mike reports daily snow which has substantially improved the quality and safety of the climbing. Descending the Western Cwm above the ice falls he was impressed by the nearly foot of new snow.

Also included in Mike’s update was a a note regarding the Himex decision. He encouraged all to check Alan Arnette’s blog for a full report on HIMEX’s decision to cancel their Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse 2012 expeditions due to safety concerns. Mike said it was a “very complex decision – not an enviable leadership call. We remain fully committed to a safe and successful expedition.”

IMG Classic Team at C3 - via the new and improved Lhotse Face route.

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We could really use this forecasted snow! There are two immediate benefits: 1) better climbing than the current bullet-proof ice on the Lhotse Face and, 2) it may help contain some of the rocks that are taking flight off the face. Status quo will not win the day – we ar really in need of a sea-change. Of course, the old adage, careful what you wish for is worth pondering…

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A quick call with Mike this morning showed that not much has changed since yesterday. They are holding steady at Base Camp, continuing to rest, recover and acclimate. Even at Base Camp’s relatively lower altitude, red blood cells are building for the higher camps.

As a side note, it was super exciting to see Climb7 highlighted on Alan Arnette’s fantastic blog this morning. Thank you, Alan! I would encourage everyone to bookmark his blog to keep up on all the events on Everest this season.

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Golden Eagle soaring along the face of Pumori.

As it turns out, hanging around in the Khumbu Ice Falls is not a great option - this season is turning out to be somewhat unpredictable. Due to all this, Mike’s team is forced to move very quickly for 3-4 hours in cold, dry air through the ice maze. It comes as no surprise that most of of them have developed the exhausting non productive cough known as Khumbu Cough.

Khumbu Spa

Also keeping the climbers busy is testing oxygen systems fit and function. This is an essential preparatory step before heading off toward the hypoxic heights of Everest. The climber needs to become very familiar with all the valves and adjustments of the overall system well before leaving the South Col. Simple issues that can be resolved relatively easily like ensuring that a good fit for goggles and helmet/mask can destroy a summit bid if not taken care of down at EBC.

Testing O2 systems

The team is at Base Camp for another several days – getting healthy and waiting for a break in the weather before seeing what it is like to head on up to Camp III.

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