01:00 9th June (GMT) - Good things come to those who wait...

As the first flakes of monsoon snow begin to fall on Mount Everest, both our South Col and North Ridge teams are back in Kathmandu, where they will celebrate their climbs with a party tonight at the Summit Hotel.

Spring 2005 will be remembered as one of the worst weather years in memory on Everest. Our South Col team had completed their acclimatisation by 28 April, with a night sleeping at 7,300m. On the same day on the other side of the mountain, members from our North Ridge team reached 7,700m whilst testing our new oxygen masks. They had climbed from the North Col at 7,000m to 7,700m on a flow rate of 2 litres per minute in just 4 and a half hours. We were beginning to feel very positive as the reports came through that team members were feeling strong, the sherpa team were starting to stock the top camps and the weather was still okay.

Then the winds came. The Jet Stream – a high altitude wind that blasts the upper reaches of the mountain at speeds of 80 miles per hour, positioned itself over Everest and showed no signs of budging. By mid-May, people started to get twitchy. Last year, Kenton Cool and Clive Jones were the first to top out on 15 May – a year to the day later, Kenton and this year’s South Col team were getting ready to leave base camp for a summit attempt. This attempt ended just above camp 3 a few days later, when it became clear that the forecasted lull in the wind was not going to materialise.

The first climbers of the season summited Everest in a brief window and extremely marginal conditions on 21 May, via the North Ridge. The highest that anyone from the South side reached that day was the South Summit (8,500m), before they were forced back by wind and cold. Finally, the Everest forecast models seemed to agree that the Jet Stream would start to move away from the mountain at the end of May. On 26 May, our South Col group left base camp and climbed to Camp 2, where they waited. They then moved up to camp 3 and on to camp 4 at the South Col, on 30 May. With the winds still strong, but decreasing, three team members, three sherpas and expedition leader, Kenton Cool reached the top of the world on 31 May and descended back to the South Col. Kenton descended quickly to base camp, having sustained a cut above the eye from rock fall just above the South Col.

On the North Ridge, climbers had summited again on 27, 29 and 30 May. The night of 1 June was extremely windy and our team were in two groups, pinned down at camp 2 at 7,500m and camp 3 at 7,900m. Leader, David Hamilton, phoned from camp 3 to say that he thought they would be descending soon. Later, he said that the second night at camp 3 was “the worst night I have ever spent in a tent”. Two out of the three tents in camp 3 were broken by the wind. When we had a call from David the following day, we expected it to come from Advance Base Camp, it was from the top camp at 8,400m! Team member, Tore Rasmussen joked over the Satellite phone “We are having a jolly good time here, brewing up, talking and enjoying ourselves.” The other half of the group had moved to what was left of camp 3. Over the next two days, in clear conditions, with very little wind, the team’s patience finally paid off and 8 out of the 11 original members summited. They did so quickly, with both groups topping out by 7.30am. On his descent, Ian Parnell commented that they had so much oxygen in the top camp, they were able to descend on a flow rate of 3 litres per minute.

As has been widely reported in the National Media, Sir Ranulph Fiennes took the decision to turn round on summit day. Ran was fearful of having a heart attack after he felt chest pains less than an hour out of the top camp. At a press conference in London on Tuesday, Ran described how he was feeling strong up to that point and was the first of his group to reach each camp, as he moved up the mountain. Whilst clearly disappointed not to summit, Ran’s main concern is to raise £2 million as part of his Healthy Hearts Appeal for the British Heart Foundation. As he sees it, if he achieves this aim, then the ‘Everest project’ will have been successful. You can visit www.bhf.org.uk to find out more about this appeal and to donate to it.

So that’s another Everest season over. These were the 9th and 10th Everest expeditions that Jagged Globe has organised and the 8th and 9th that have put members on the summit, making us the most experienced and successful British company on either side of the mountain. This year, a total of 12 out of a possible 17 members (leaders and climbers) topped out, despite the bad weather. This outstanding result is a testament to each team’s patience, commitment and hard work, as well as just a little luck!

We continue to run our expeditions with a clear ethos – to make sure that team members are well prepared and to make our expeditions as well resourced as any on the mountain. Crucially, that means the very best oxygen system and lots of it to spare, a high level of Sherpa support, the best equipment and expert leadership. On Everest, that’s what counts.

01:00 1st June (GMT) - Sherpas confirmed

At the moment, we just have two Sherpas confirmed as summiting last night - Pema Nurbu Sherpa and Pema Tshring Sherpa, both from Dolakha. These were the 4th summits for these guys and you might remember, they both topped out with Kenton last spring, opening the route to the top on the 15 May 2004. We're waiting to confirm who the third Sherpa was who summited.

UPDATE: Climbing Cook, Pema Tshring Sherpa was the third Sherpa who also summited (note that two of the guys have the same name!)

01:00 31st May (GMT) - Everest summit!

Kenton Cool, John Taylor, Greg Linsdell and Nick Farr were all on the summit by 10am this morning (31 May), along with three members of our Sherpa team (names to follow). Eirik Tryti turned round just below the South Summit at 10.30am. They're still on their way down.

They had left the South Col at 10pm on 30 May.

For those in Australia - check out Channel 7 tonight at 6pm.

01:00 31st May (GMT) - Climbers back at South Col

Phew. All the team are back at the South Col (Greg, John, Eirik, Nick), plus Sherpas, safe and sound. Kenton and one Sherpa have continued to descend to Camp 2. Kenton was hit by a rock some time in the early hours out of Camp 4. He received a minor blow but wasn't knocked out or concussed following the blow. A doctor looked at him at Camp 4 and his right eye was a little hazy. He may need a stitch or two.

UPDATE: Kenton had 6 sutures at camp 2, where he is now. He will leave C2 tomorrow am at 5.30 to reach BC mid morning. (Editor's note - some years ago, Kenton crushed both of his ankles in a ground fall from a E5 graded rock climb in North Wales. At the time, he was told by doctors that he would never walk again. He is a tough cookie!)

The rest of the team will descend to C2 tomorrow. Well done guys!

01:00 30th May (GMT) - Summit tonight

Kenton, Eirik, John, Greg and Nick are at the South Col now and will leave for the summit around 10pm local time tonight (approximately 5.15pm GMT). Jack descended back to Base Camp yesterday with Nima, having turned round below Camp 3.

Climbers from other teams summited from the South side last night. Reports coming in suggest that the weather was pretty good (no mention of high winds), though the going was slow because of deep snow and fixing rope on the ridge. The forecast for tonight is for calmer winds than last night, so we're hoping that wind is not going to be an issue and that overall, the weather hold out.

Our North Side climbers left ABC this morning for the North Col. They are looking to summit 2 or 3 of June, when the winds are forecast to be even lower. A handful of climbers summited from the North in the early hours of this morning.

01:00 24th May (GMT) - Summit attempt begins 26 May

Following a meeting of all the expedition leaders on 22 May, our team are planning to leave base camp on 26 May for a summit bid around 29/30 May, when the interminable winds are forecast to lessen! Everest saw it first summiteers (from Tibet) over the weekend (21/22 May), the highest point reached from the south side was the South Summit (8,500m). Strong winds and extreme cold forced climbers from going any higher.

01:00 20th May (GMT) - Summit attempt halted

We've heard from Kenton this morning - they've pulled back from above camp 3, based on the latest forecast that indicates winds are unlikely to drop as much as hoped. Some of the members will stay at camp 2 for the time being, whilst Kenton, John and Nick are returning to base camp today.

The current forecast suggests that the winds might start to die down between 25 and 31 May, due to early indications of the monsoon starting to form.

01:00 19th May (GMT) - Move to camp 3

Most of the team moved on up to camp 3 this morning. They plan to climb to the South Col tomorrow, with the aim of summiting on the 21 May, when the forecast is for the winds to die down slightly. The forecast models say that the winds will increase again between 21-23 May and get stronger until the 27 May - beyond then and the forecast is less certain. The guys want to give it a shot now, rather than put all the eggs in one basket and risk getting caught up in queues later on. The team are well-resourced with oxygen and could have another crack at it if they're turned back by strong winds above the South Col (as per 2003) on Saturday.

01:00 17th May (GMT) - Summit push is on

All climbers headed off to Camp 2 this morning. Kenton, Eirik and Jack at 5.30am and Greg, John and Nick at 6.30am. There they will rest for a day and await a weather update today, before deciding whether or not to go higher.

01:00 15th May (GMT) - Leave for the summit

Tomorrow (Tuesday 16) our Everest South Col team will leave base camp and climb up to Camp 2 on Everest, where they will wait in the hope of summiting around 21/22 May. This is when the forecasts indicate that the winds will start to drop. So if the climbers can make it to the South Col, they only need one day of calmer winds to make an attempt on the summit. Our North Ridge team are leaving it later, as they need a longer weather window, as they will be above the North Col and exposed to the winds for four whole days.

01:00 10th May (GMT) - Possible summit attempt

Our south side team have been meeting with other teams today in base camp to coordinate putting in the route above Camp 4. Depending on the forecast tomorrow, they may well leave base camp on 13 May to head for the summit. This would have them summiting around 19 May. Last year, Kenton Cool and Clive Jones were the first of the season to the top, when they summited on 14 May. With a strong team this year, all of whom have already slept at camp 3, it looks like the strategy again is to push the route out and be among the first to summit. However, it has been extremely windy today and our Sherpas had to turn around at the Geneva Spur en route to Camp 4 on the South Col, where they had planned to finish stocking the camp. This means that they will have to get ahead of the main climbing team, who will probably arrive in C4 on 18 May, to make sure that all the oxygen, ropes, stakes, ice screws etc are in place. It's high-altitude supply chain management!

Tom Briggs, Jagged Globe office

01:00 9th May (GMT) - Climbers in BC and C2

Our South side climbers are now back in BC or C2 having been down the valley in Dingboche since they came off the mountain. They are all in good health. The Sherpas are doing another carry to Camp 4 on the South Col tomorrow, so that will be Camp 4 established.

The weather forecasts until early next week are for increasingly strong winds up high, so it's unlikely that they will be going up. Just to confirm that although we lost two tents in Camp 1 in the avalanche last week, none of our members or Sherpas were involved.

01:00 9th May (GMT) - Back in Kathmandu

The team are back in Kathmandu today, having trekked out down the Khumbu valley and flown via Lukla. They will party in the Summit Hotel tonight with members of the North Ridge team.

01:00 3rd May (GMT) - Resting in the Khumbu Valley

All the climbers are really enjoying the chance to relax now, having all moved down to the valley to suck in the oxygen-rich air after their time at Camp 2 and night at Camp 3.

Yesterday (2 May), Nima and the rest of the Sherpa team left for 4 or 5 days to put in Camp 4.

01:00 29th April (GMT) - The winds are coming

Just a short update from Mike Curtain in base camp this morning. The whole team spent last night in Camp 3 and were back in Camp 2 by 11am this morning. They hope to make it all the way back to base camp today by 2-3pm as the forecast is for strong, 50 knot winds and gusting over the next few days. Last night was the coldest night so far in BC. The good news is that they've completed their acclimatisation before this break in the weather, so can now relax and wait for warmer temps and maybe weather window for an early summit bid? The challenge now is to rest and not get too fraught playing the "waiting game" -it's all about patience now...

 

01:00 26th April (GMT) - Team reach Camp 3

The guys are currently acclimatising at Camp 2. Yesterday (Monday 25 Apr) they climbed up to Camp 3 (7,300m). They said that the climb was very steep and icy and it took them the best part of the day. As yet, the trail is still very tough, as very few climbers have ventured that far, but it should get easier as more Sherpas and climbers make their way to Camp 3 over the coming days.

The current plan is that they will stay at Camp 2 for 2 more days and then climb up to Camp 3 for an overnight stay, returning to Camp 2 the following day and descending to base camp shortly afterwards. We expect them back in BC on Saturday (30 Apr). Each members will then decide whether they want to rest down in the valley or at base camp, before the summit bid.

The weather is good, although we are getting snow most afternoons; the wind is very calm and therefore obviously good for the climbers.

This is all the news for now will be in touch soon.

Tracey and Mike at Jagged Globe base camp, Everest South side

01:00 26th April (GMT) - Live from Camp 2

Kenton Cool has just called in on the Iridium phone from Camp 2 at the head of the Western Cwm. To say he is sounding upbeat would be an understatement! In Kenton's words, the whole team are "storming". They've up there for 4 or 5 days and are resting today and tomorrow, having already 'tagged' Camp 3. They plan to spend the night at Camp 3 (c7,200m) on Thursday night, before descending.

01:00 23rd April (GMT) - Team acclimatising at C2

News from our film crew on Saturday:

"The team are currently all up at camp 2 having a 4-night acclimatisation session. They are planning to go up to camp 3 tomorrow (Sunday) to just touch camp but come back to 2 to sleep. All seem to be going well with Eric and Jack joining them from camp 1 this morning. The weather has been really predictable with sunny mornings and snow by 2pm, the forecast is to improve by Sunday or Monday. We are having a quiet time down here at base camp with them all up the mountain, although we are managing to keep entertained."

01:00 22nd April (GMT) - Climbing Sherpas

After breakfast this morning, a couple of Sherpas who I had worked with in the past came to our camp to say "hi". Pemba Dorje brought some of his friends across and we all sat down and caught up over a cup of tea. For me, socialising with the Sherpas is amazing and having now done eight trips to Nepal in 10 years, I'm lucky enough to have many friends here. It all starts in Kathmandu, the compound of Summit Trekking is always teeming with the boys sorting tents and gear. Meeting friends who I've not seen for a year or more, I’m always greeted with the huge grin and a hug of real friendship. Then when the work is finished, the volley ball net is put up and the fun really begins, with a competitive but light-hearted game, mixed with a little light refreshment followed by the 'pub' stop up the road, where the beer is a third of the price it is in Thamel.

The short statured boys playing volleyball are the backbone of any big expedition! As we slowly make our way up to base camp, they speed up the valley in two days and start preparing the camp. This consists of building cook shelters and digging out tent platforms from the moraine and ice. This takes over a week of hard work for them and this is before they even set foot on the mountain.

It’s on the mountain that these guys come into their own. Today for example, Pema Nurbu carried a 20Kg load from base camp to Camp 2 and then returned to BC by 11.30. When we go up tomorrow, it will take us at least that long just to get to Camp 2.

For me, as the climbing leader, having a close working relationship with the Sherpas is, of course, extremely important. I will work with Nima (our Sirdar) who co-ordinates all the carrying of equipment by the Sherpas. This involves hanging out in the cook tent with Nima and the Sherpas discussing the days ahead. This is always a joy, as the Sherpas, despite their huge workload, are always laughing and joking and these "meetings" always take much longer then they have too.

It’s hard to really convey what these guys are like, always smiling, always happy, always willing to help. They put up with amazing hardships, carrying to Camp 2, three days out of four, while we all relax and rest at Base camp. Carrying all the equipment from Camp 2 to Camp 4 without using oxygen. Carrying the team members' spare oxygen on summit day (meaning a total of 5 bottles for the Sherpa, and one for the climber). All this with a smile, and I've never seen a Sherpa get cross or raise his voice.

Last year, clearing Camp 2 at the end of the expedition, it was clear that the Sherpas were carrying bigger than normal loads in an attempt to clear the hill in one go. I offered to carry a load down for them. It took a while arguing to get them to agree to this, but my reward that night was a rowdy drinking session with them all, but more than that, I gained their respect, something that for me was special.

As we drunk tea this morning, Nima pulled out some T-shirts; the Mt Everest Summiters Club. Rolwaling, Dolakha. I had seen some of these T-shirts around base camp this year but didn't know what it was about. It’s common knowledge that almost all the climbing Sherpas come from Rolwaling, the neighbouring valley to the Khumbu, and a lot from one village called Dolakha. Many are related to each other, which is one of the reasons they have so much fun when they get together. All the Sherpas started to talk loudly in Nepalise and Nima translated for me, they wanted a picture of themselves with me all wearing the shirts. As we climbed up to the Puja Altar, I thought about what an honour this was. All around me were multiple summiteers; Apa Sherpa had summited 14 times (a record), while Pemba Dorje set the speed record last year at 8hrs 10 minutes. These guys wanted a photo with me; surely it should be the other way round? Pulling on the shirt was special as it was as if I was becoming part of their club. They were all laughing and talking to me as if I was one of them - it was an emotional few minutes.

It turns out that the shirts are being sold to summiteers this year. This is an attempt to earn money to help send children from the poorer families in Dolakha to school in Kathmandu. I think this is great. The Sherpas are by themselves trying to help their own families in Rolwaling, trying to raise their living standards and the standards of education. Just as I thought I knew all about these guys, they surprise me again with yet another selfless act for others. I suppose by now I should know better and not be surprised anymore.

Kenton Cool, Jagged Globe Expedition Leader

01:00 20th April (GMT) - Report from journey to Camp 2

It’s Wednesday here and it’s snowing. It’s amazing how quiet base camp becomes when there is a coating of snow. Everyone is in his or her tents and this bustling tented city grinds to a halt.

All our members have now been up to Camp 1 for at least one night and all have ‘tagged’ Camp 2 at 6,200m, so we’re all more than happy with how things are. Jack and Eric spent an extra night at Camp 1 to make sure that they are fully acclimatised. Camp 1 was a great experience; the Sherpas have positioned it in a slight gully. The three Jagged Globe tents stand out well with the big logo on them, so they’re easy to locate. We all arrived at different times between 8.30am (Kenton) and 12.40pm (Jack), after a rather hot journey through the icefall. The day was spent being lazing in the sunshine, ‘brewing up’ and eating. Despite being at 6,100m, the heat is amazing. But then as soon as the sun goes down, the temperature plummets and we all have to retire to our sleeping bags.

Dinner was a gourmet boil-in-the-bag, which for me was bacon and beans, followed by a chocolate pudding in chocolate sauce. After a hard day sun bathing, it hit the spot nicely! Snuggling down in a huge sleeping bag was lush until the burning desire to pee overtook the proceedings. I left my pee bottle at base camp - it was a rather shy me that had to ask Nick for his, getting out the tent for a pee wasn’t going to happen in the night time cold at over 6,000m. The night was fairly uneventful until the early hours when the wind picked up, and then the tents started to rattle and bend. Due to the position of the tents in the gully, we were sheltered, but other teams were not so lucky with their tents being blown flat.

Dawn came at around 5.30am and it was bitterly cold with the wind. The plan to go to Camp 2 was still on, but we were going to wait for the sun and a little warmth before moving. Moving from a night in the hills or a bivy is always slow with the laborious task of melting ice for a brew and forcing down breakfast. This was no exception, especially when there are huge sleeping bags to lay down in nice and warm, rather than brave the cold. First off were Greg and JT (John), who bravely left before the sun hit, the rest of us followed shortly after. The trail to Camp 2 is nice and mellow this year, with only one triple horizontal ladder that provides a little bit of excitement, compared to three of them last year. Three of the guys decided to add to the excitement by going down an inclined ladder forward after watching the Sherpas do it. They all said agreed afterwards that it was a silly and scary idea! The path to Camp 2 is the first place where you can see the whole route to the summit of Everest. Stunning views of the Lhotse Face dominate the day. The position of Camp 3 can also be seen, as well as the Yellow Band and Geneva Spur, up to the South Col, the South Summit and main summits are also visible

The South West Face (made famous in 1975 by Bonnington, Scott and Hastons audacious route) is so bare this year; it’s hard to believe it’s climbable at all. The trail to Camp 2 is pretty quick and 2 hrs saw all of us touch camp. There are no tents there yet, so we can’t sleep there until a few days from now. From Camp 2, it’s a long descent back to BC and we were all keen to get this behind us so we all (bar Jack and Eric who stayed at Camp 1) shot off quickly back to Camp 1, had a brief drink, before disappearing into the icefall. We were all back in BC by 2.30pm and were welcomed in with some apple juice and a large lunch.

Jack and Eric were in radio contact that night to say they were nicely tucked up in their sleeping bags after a good feed and that the weather was good at Camp 1, despite the cloud we experienced at BC.

The next day saw the whole team getting back together at BC for a few days rest. Rest days here mean different things for different people. I for instance flit from camp to camp meeting up with old friends and making new, while others play cards or read in their tents. Yesterday Greg, Tracey, and Cherie went down the valley for a change of scene, but the major action and drama was occurring in the icefall. Ben Webster from one of the other teams fell in the icefall and badly broke a leg; the ensuing evacuation of Ben took a number of hours. A team of Sherpas carried him down with the help of a couple of Mountain Madness guides, straight to the medic tent here at BC.

We were all woken about 6.30am this morning to the thump of rotor blades of a huge Russian Helicopter. This had flown in early to pick up Ben and a couple of others and needed the cool of the early morning to generate the lift at this high altitude. It turns out that this was a lucky medi vac as the weather crapped out a couple of hours later.

Today has been spent at rest again; I went into the icefall with Willy (guide for Mountain Madness) for a morning’s ice climbing. This was rather exciting due to the cold temps make the ice really brittle but a good morning was had by all. Back in Base Camp, a team of school kids from Melbourne turned up to vist all the Aussie guys and Jack found a Polish friend and spent the morning chatting in his native tongue. As I write this, our cook is preparing a cake for Jen as it is her birthday today. We surprised her this morning with some little gifts the guys carried over from Australia. Tonight is going to be another DVD night. It looks like it may be Troy - we had Top Gun the other night - what a great night was had and how corny does that film seem nowadays!? So that’s the update for now – It’s due to the snow tomorrow (Thursday April 21), so it looks like another day at rest before going up to sleep at Camp 2 on Friday, weather permitting.

Kenton Cool, expedition leader

01:00 15th April (GMT) - Camp 1 'tagged'

Yesterday, Greg, John, Nick and myself (Kenton) tagged Camp 1 and Jack almost made it there too, which was an excellent effort all round. The passage through the icefall is in really good condition, which is great - it's pretty safe and fast this year. There are hardly any ladders which is always a pleasure, although there is a big 5-section ladder near the top of the icefall, but it's up rather than across. The site of Camp 1 is almost the same as last year, nestled in a small dip, but still exposed to the wind.

Topping out in the icefall is always an amazing experience. The vast expanse of the Western Cwm lies ahead of you, closed at the end by the massive Lhoste Face. It's breathtaking, and although you can’t see the South Col and Camp 4, most of the route is visable and it provides a sobering sight for the task ahead.

Today has been a bit of a rest day, although a quick trip into the icefall was needed to try and retrieve a lost camera (unfortunately, to no avail). All the team members have been sorting equipment in preparation for sleeping at Camp 1 tomorrow. This will be another early start to travel through the icefall before it gets too warm. After a night at Camp 1, then we’ll wander up to Camp 2 to ‘tag it’, before returning some time on Sunday (17 April).

Kenton Cool, Expedition Leader

01:00 13th April (GMT) - Report from Everest Base Camp

All the members are now in base camp after an 11 day trek. The trek took us up through the wonderfull Khumbu Valley. This starts with a breathtaking flight into Lukla and a pant-filling landing on a runway that is inclined by 20 degrees. The trek wanders up next to the Dud Khosi river, which, after a couple of days lands us all in Namche Bazzar, the main town in the Khumbu region. A couple of relaxing days were spent here resting and looking through the local markets, picking up the last minute bits of kit.

The trek then took us past Thyanboche with the famous monastery that burnt down in the 1970’s. A wonderfull night was then spent amongst the Rhododendron in Dewoche. The next port of call, Dingbouche, nestles under the majestic mountain of Ama Dablam. Home for four nights, this village provided a welcome break, with a chance to catch up on showers and the washing of dusty clothes. Dingbouche also allowed the team to do a number of acclimatisation hikes up the valley. The final day was a gruelling trek up Chugum Ri, a height gain of 1,200m. This uphill grunt did reward us all with a spectacular view of the south face of Nupste and Lhotse (possibly the most impressive wall in the world?).

The next two days were fairly uneventfull, with a general altitude gain up towards base camp. There was however some competive card games played between the trekking group and the climbing group. The climbers came out on top of course!

Base Camp was finally reached on 8 April by Jack, Eirik and myself (Kenton), with the rest of the team arriving the next day with the trekkers. The departure of the trekkers that afternoon left us finally as the ‘climbing team’, the ‘film team’ and the basecamp crew, a total of 11 people, plus our sherpa crew. Base camp is nestled on glacial morrain with our camp slighty isolated from some of the others in a slight dip. The sherpa crew did an amazing task digging out all of the tent platforms and building cook shelters. We even have a shower.

Base camp is dominated by the Khumbu Icefall, a huge tottering pile of ice that guards the entrance to the famed Western Cwm. This icefall has to be negotiated on a number of occasions, which is disappointing as it is considered by many to be the most dangerous part of the climb. The Icefall is kept ‘open’ by the icefall doctors who venture each morning into it to maintain a safe passage. This ‘safe passage’ consists of ropes and ladders that span across the big crevasses. Crossing the ladders always proves to be exciting with the possibility of a plunge into the depths of the icefall if all goes wrong.

One of the most important things at Base Camp early on is the Puja. This is a ceremony led by a Lama who blesses the expedition. Ours was on 10 April. The Lama, who is also one of our climbing Sherpas, started the Puja around 10am with chats from a small religious book. Although a very important ceremony for the Sherpas (they won’t go higher than BC with out it), it is also a time for fun and drinking and is always a high point of any expedition.

The day after the Puja we all ventured into this huge ice playground with the view to not only familiarise ourselves with the path taken, but also help with acclimatisation. The three Australian boys (Greg, John and Nick) went like steam trains, all topping out at 5,995m at the top of the fall. Eirik, Jack and myself made it to 5,800m before returning to BC. It was a great day out, with good performances from all concerned.

For the last two days, we have been at rest at base camp, sorting through our kit, making sure that all has arrived and making sure we are as comfortable as possible.

Tomorrow we all intend to retrace our steps back up to camp 1 with a light load that we will leave at that camp. While we have been resting, the Sherpas have been woking hard doing two big carries up to camp 2 and returning in the same day. The Sherpas are having a rest day tomorrow before they go back up to establish camp 2 for us.

So tonight sees us all sat down for dinner in the big dome tent thinking about an early start tomorrow in an attempt to avoid the intense heat that will comes with the rising sun.

More to come upon return from the icefall.

Kenton Cool, Expedition Leader

22nd March - Despatches from beginning of April

The Everest South Col team will arrive in Kathmandu 27 March. Despatches will appear on the Jagged Globe website from the 2nd week in April, when the team arrive in base camp.