01:00 21st May (GMT) - Summit stories from Rhys Jones

Summit day report

After a fairly long climb from Camp III up the Yellow Band and onto the Geneva Spur we arrived at the South Col in light snow, very aware of the fact that we would be leaving for our summit bid in just a few hours.

Baz, Kenton and I shared a tent and spent some time hydrating and resting on oxygen before trying to get a couple of hours sleep. The wind picked up and it was really snowing so after putting back our departure time twice, we set off at 23:45 for the long slog up to the Balcony.

We took a leisurely pace alongside our personal summit day Sherpas, who carried our spare oxygen bottles and eventually we arrived at the Balcony as the sun rose and lit up our view across the Himalayas. I had had very cold toes for some time and was glad when the sun slowly warmed us through, it had been slow progress though as the Sherpas had been breaking trail in the fresh snow. At this point Harry decided to turn around, and Phil had turned around a little way before. This left Baz, Carlos, Kenton and I to make the summit push. Above the Balcony there were no fixed lines, so to help the Sherpas we carried our own oxygen bottles from there up so they could break trail and fix. Thundu broke trail for a long time in the deep snow, negotiating the trickier rock steps before fixing lines up to the South Summit.

It was already getting late and we dropped down to the ridge between the South Summit and the Hillary Step, which again was covered in deep snow. Another sherpa took over pulling up old ropes and fixing new. We switched oxygen bottles and turned up the flow rate for the last push. After the Hillary Step we gave up fixing rope as it was taking too long, and made the final push to the top of the world. Once at the summit Kenton radioed down to Base Camp and I heard the tremendous cheer! It was a strange feeling on the summit, my last of the Seven Summits. We were there for no longer than two minutes, I pulled out my sponsor’s flag and made sure it said INEOS clearly, then put my mask back on and went straight back down.

Unfortunately it was cloudy on the top, but once down onto the ridge again the clouds parted and it was like looking out of the window of a plane. I was still conscious though that it was a long way back down to the South Col, and 4-5hours was not an unusual time. There was no time to relax and I continued down to the Balcony then on to Camp IV. I took 2 ½ hours to get back down, and was first back and Lama greeted me with some juice and hot drinks. I sat on my back and watched Thundu coming down the last few hundred metres. My down suit was covered in ice, I pulled off my mask and Justin from IMG came over to congratulate me. I crawled into the tent and Kenton arrived at about 18:30, then Baz a little later, we got into our icy sleeping bags and tried to force down some noodle soup. We all struggled, and Kenton brought his juice back up in the porch.

I‘d originally told my parents I wouldn’t call until I was down at Camp II or Base Camp, but I couldn’t wait. They already knew as Simon Lowe at Jagged Globe in the UK had called them and they sounded pretty happy. Then I put my mask on again and slept until about 6:30am when it was time to pack up. It was really cold that morning and my heels were numb as I left Camp. On the way down it was a great feeling seeing people on their way up, still uncertain about everything, as we were concentrating on getting home. At the top of the Yellow Band I clumsily dropped my goggles and watched them spin down the Lhotse Face, it was a sobering reminder of what might happen to me if I got lazy clipping into the lines. I then went down to Camp III as quickly as possible to avoid snow blindness, where I could take off my down suit and oxygen and start the final descent down the face to Camp II. I got to Camp II at 11:05 and got my sleeping bag and down suit out in the sun to dry. Then I laid in my tent and opened the birthday cards I had carried up. The others arrived a bit later and we rested all afternoon and spent the night there. We had arranged for the icefall doctors to come up the next day to help carry all the equipment back down, but in the morning Mingma informed us that they were too hungover. To help the Sherpas we carried a tent each, and an oxygen bottle. In fact I carried two oxygen bottles, which I later regretted every time I struggled to put my rucksack on. It was getting very hot as we reached the top of the icefall and my crampons balled up constantly on the way down. Still, we knew we were nearly home and after the last ladder crossing Mingma met us with drinks and congratulated us. With less than half and hour to go we carried on, knowing we were nearly home safe. Mara, Phil, Harry, and a film crew met us at the bottom with more drinks. After an emotional reunion with the others we did the last walk across Base Camp to our tents. I dropped my sack on the floor and then felt a tremendous relief. I had got up, and down Everest in one piece, with no frostbite, and could finally begin to relax.

It hasn’t really sunk in yet what we’ve undertaken over the last two months. For me, it was the last of my Seven Summits, and after speaking to my parents, it seems becoming the youngest ever to complete the challenge has become big news back home. It’s hard to imagine any kind of frenzy when we’re still so far away from civilisation. Apparently there was a party with 250 people to celebrate the team’s success. Now it feels as though the job is done, the Sherpas did a truly amazing job throughout and stripping the kit off the mountain, and we can walk out to Lukla. I’m looking forward to getting home now and intend to enjoy the British summer in the New Forest, lying in a hammock in the garden!

Thanks to everyone at Jagged Globe, the Sherpas, and everyone who helped me get this far too.

Rhys Jones

15:30 17th May (GMT) - Back at the South Col

Kenton just called in... wow, the boys have descended in super-quick time and are back on the South Col. That's a very, very fast descent (4 hours), having summited at 15:15 local time, it's now 19:15. Phew. It was a late summit due to the snow and the rope fixing, but it sounds as though the team felt strong and the weather was good so they made the right decision to push on. Congratulations guys!

12:30 17th May (GMT) - Descending from summit

11:30 GMT. The team are now below the Hillary Step on their descent back to the South Col.

11:30 17th May (GMT) - On the summit!

Kenton just called from the summit of Mount Everest. Carlos Escobar, Rhys Jones (on his 20th birthday - the youngest person worldwide to climb the 7 Summits), Kenton Cool, Baz Welsh, Pema, Pasang and Tindu have reached the top of the world. These are the first summits from the South Side of Everest this season. They reported that despite deep snow, the weather continues to be very good. We wish them a safe descent to the South Col.

09:50 17th May (GMT) - The Hillary Step

At 0850 UK time, Mara telephoned from base camp. The team are now at the Hillary Step, having opened the route through deep snow. This has slowed them down of course, but they have felt strong all night, and are now poised to get to the top. The weather is good. Earlier on Phil and Harry returned to the South Col and are descending to Camp 3, accompanied by Mingma. Our Sherpas have excelled, with Pema leading the way to the South Summit and the Hillary Step, fixing rope as he went! Other teams remain on the South Col waiting to hear news that the route has been opened by the Jagged Globe climbers.

19:44 16th May (GMT) - To the summit!

Base Camp Manager, Mara Larson called in from base camp at 23:30 local time (approx 18:45 GMT) to say that the whole team were on the move from camp 4 on the South Col. Kenton, Carlos, Rhys, Baz, Harry and Phil are on their way! As of yesterday, ropes were fixed up to the Balcony and it's likely that as in 2004, Jagged Globe Sherpas (who include Mingma, Pasang, Lama, Pema and Tindu) will be helping open the route to the summit as the first climbers of the season attempt to summit Everest from the South Col.

The climbers will be aiming to reach the top by approximately 11:00 local time, returning to the South Col before it gets dark. Last year, the first Jagged Globe climbers reached the top by 10am on 31 May, though in 2004, Kenton Cool and Clive Jones summited in strong winds at 13:45, descending to the South Col at 20:15 (15 May).

The first summits of Everest this season were on the North side of the mountain on 1 May, when six Sherpas nipped up to the top in calm, warm weather after completing their rope fixing duties! The main wave of summits from the North began on 9 March, with many climbers reaching the top over the last couple of days in fine, settled weather. At this point last year, the jet stream continued to blast the mountain and all teams on both sides of the mountain were sat weather-watching in base camp. It wasn't until 20/21 May that the first climbers topped out.

01:00 15th May (GMT) - Up to camp 3

All members of our Everest climbing team (Guides, Kenton and Carlos) and team members, Baz, Rhys, Harry and Phil are heading up the Lhotse Face to camp 3 this morning. Base Camp Manager, Mara reports that the winds are low on the face, the sun is out and it's a bit quieter on the fixed ropes than of late. The team will move on up to camp 4 on the South Col tomorrow morning and head for the summit on Tuesday night (16th). At the moment, the forecast remains positive, with ropes so far fixed up to the Balcony on the summit ridge. Fingers crossed!

01:00 15th May (GMT) - Arrival at camp 3

Harry's just radioed confirmation.

Solid effort from all the boys and the last two are just arriving this hour (4pm).

Hate sounding like such a cheerleader, but have now had Kenton, Rhys, Baz, and Harry live on the radio and all sound about the best I've heard them on the hill all trip...

Looking good on this end....

-Mara

01:00 12th May (GMT) - Summit push tomorrow

"Well we leave tomorrow from basecamp. First up to camp 2 then a rest day. The 14th should see us weather permitting going up to camp 3 and then the south col and camp 4 the following day. All things going ok we should leave camp 4 around 10pm on the 16th may and make our way up to the summit. The team and I should hopefully be on the summit around 9am on the 17th.

At the moment the weather looks great for the summit attempt so fingers crossed the next little note should see a happy team sipping beer at BC.

Kenton."

Stay cool guys

   

01:00 10th May (GMT) - The stage is set

Tuesday was another dawn start through the icefall on the way back to camp 2. All were feeling good apart from Phil who had tummy problems. For Baz and I it was a quick trip to the top of the icefall but for Phil and Carlos it was a little more hectic. Their trip was cut short by illness and they returned to basecamp for rest and medication. Meanwhile the rest of the team ploughed on to camp 2 battling with high temps in the cwm, but all arriving by early afternoon greeted by a smiling camp 2 cook with cold juice.

Wed 3 May: This was a rest day for all the members. Phil and Carlos were resting at BC while the rest of us were at camp 2. Meanwhile the Sherpas came up to camp 2 from BC carrying yet more oxygen that will be needed for the summit push. A rest day at camp 2 means hanging out in the mess tent playing cards or reading. The temperature seems to flit from very hot to cold in seconds so one is always putting on or taking off jackets. The Sherpas meanwhile snuggle in the mess tent in a sea of down sleeping bags and one piece suits and seem totally content on life.

Thursday 4 May: We battle very cold temperatures and wind in an attempt to get to the Lhotse Face. The Sherpa team has split and two are attempting to fix rope to the south col (and camp 4) while the others carry loads to camp 3. As we near the bottom of the face the radio crackles to life and Mingma explains that it is just too cold and windy on the face and the Sherpas are turning round. This is the right move but it's always hard to swallow, defeat is after all defeat, especially as some other teams move on past us as I explain to the members about turning round. Camp 2 is quickly reached again and we all spend some time warming up fingers and toes. (Only later do we learn that an American climber will probably lose most of his fingers from frostbite contracted on the face this day). After a late breakfast the day melts away in more card playing and joking around at the camp. As the day progresses the wind seems to die on the Lhotse Face and hope for the next day increases. Phil and Carlos also hope to come up to camp 2 in the morning with a view to go to camp 3 after us.

Friday 5 May: With little wind and a slightly later start, the day starts off well. We leave camp 2 with the news that Phil and Carlos are making good ground to camp 1. For me the walk to the bottom of the face is easier and quicker than the day before, for the first time I feel good about everything. After a chat to another team at the bottom of the face I blast up the ropes. I always find the up better than the along and find that I can push myself hard on the ropes. I catch up some Sherpas and exchange some sweets and hot tea before continuing up. My lungs sear with the effort it feels like there is a hot poker in my chest but somehow it's satisfying [?! - Ed], knowing that for the first time I’m pushing my body past its happy level. Much sooner than I thought I pass the position of last year's camp and as I pull up the rope, the smiling face of Pema comes into sight. "Ah Kenton, very fast sir" he calls out as he and the others dig platforms for the tents. It's always great how these boys say such things when they move so much faster and work 10 times harder than any western member does.

Resting at Camp 3 I listen to the radio calls between the other members and Basecamp. Phil is moving well up to camp 2. Rhys is on the lines a little below 3 and Harry seems to be having the time of his life. His radio call was one of a man fully enjoying his surroundings and loving the day something that is too often lost on this mountain. As the Sherpa leave to go down to camp 2 I make myself at home and reflect on how lucky I am to be here. The view is amazing and I bask in the sun making tea and relaxing. Our camp 2 is just 2 tents perched under some protecting ice walls. The Sherpas have cut out of the snow two flat spots in an otherwise steep wall. Walking round the tents is risky at best and a slip could be fatal. But for now it's home and seems great. Slowly some other teams come past but it doesn’t detract from my little bubble of happiness and solitude. Finally Rhys appears and I snap back to reality. Together we sort the tent and food while Baz appears. He looks a little tired but soon picks up with a hot drink and food.

While we wait for Harry and a full house, I speak to Phil who is in camp 2. Both He and Carlos had a great run up to 2 and all sign of illness has gone. Finally Harry comes over the Radio. He is some 30 minutes below camp 3 and very tired. The weather has come in a little, and light snow and cloud have replaced the warm sun, the temperature has dropped by about 30 degrees. I decided to drop down to him and take food and drink, leaving Rhys my tent mate, to make some food.

Harry isn’t too far away but is very tired. He perks up a lot when I turn up. Rather cheekily I have also brought down some oxygen and I simply show the bottle to Harry. He shrugs his shoulders and looks at me "why not". After plugging into the O’s the boy is unstoppable and we are soon back at camp 3. Harry crashes in the tent with Baz and I return in with Rhys. The evening is spent eating and doing the medical tests for Mara. Not that climbers are competitive, but there was a lot of shouting and screaming going on, not only between us but other teams on the radio.

Sat 6 May: Now sleeping at 7,000m is never fun and Friday night was no exception. Both Rhys and I woke early with bad headaches, while Baz had been awake since about 4am, hoping for me to say it was time to get ready. As it's so cold we all decide to wait for the sun, which finally come around at 8am. Harry has had probably the best night and sounds very chipper and seems fully recovered from the previous day. Before leaving we speak to BC and camp 2 on the radio and both sound more inviting than camp 3, so this spurs us to zip on down the ropes. Going down as ever is fast and we all arrive at camp 2 quickly and in high sprits. We get greeted this time by Phil’s beaming smile - he is very clearly glad to be back on track. Meanwhile it’s Carlos’ turn to be unwell - he has a slight fever but othererwise is also glad to be up. The Sherpas as ever are a giggling, smiling mass who play cards and talk amongst themselves. All our Sherpas grew up in Rolwaling and have known one another since childhood. This seems to mean they have a special bond amongst themselves, one of trust and utter devotion to one another.

After lunch three of us decided to go down to BC while Harry stays the night. The morning will see Phil and Carlos go to 3 while the Sherpas do the first carry to the South Col and camp 4. Harry will drop down to BC and thicker air. The run to BC is quick and relatively cool as low swirling cloud has enveloped the icefall. We’re greeted by Mara at the snout of the icefall with juice. This signals the end of another run on the hill known as Sagamartha (mother goddess of the earth)

Sunday 7 May: Again another perfect day on the hill. Carlos awakes with a full-blown fever and so decides to descend to BC with Harry. Mingma decides to break Sherpa tradition and go with Phil to spend the night at camp 3. Together they make their way up in remarkable time arriving at about 1.30pm. But perhaps not as strong as the remaining Sherpas who carry double loads from camp 2 to camp 4 - a height gain of almost 2000m and then return to camp 2 the same day! Harry and Carlos have a trouble-free but hot trip down to BC and are again greeted by Mara and this time Rhys with juice.

Monday 8 May: Phil and Mingma wake early and wolf down some hot tea before setting off for camp 2. Little traffic on the fixed lines helps them out, and soon they are walking along the flat to camp 2 where they have a late breakfast. Here the younger Sherpas are resting in the sun before yet another carry to camp 4 the next day.

In an effort to rejoin the main team, Phil and Mingma decide to brave the heat and come down to BC the same day, arriving mid afternoon and a little sun frazzled. Finally after almost a week the whole member team is reunited at BC and Shiva prepares a fine dinner in celebration. The great film Pirates of the Caribbean is put on after dinner to everyone’s satisfaction.

Tuesday 9 May: While all the members are sleeping soundly at BC the Sherpas slip out of camp 2 at 4am. They are carrying mixed loads, (some food, but mainly oxygen) but all are huge. They make their way silently in the pre-dawn to the bottom of the ropes. Here they can unleash their true power and they rocket up the ropes despite the size of the loads. Camp 3 comes up and passes and the Sherpa train hardly slows, they are now above 7,000m with loads in excess of 25kg. At the Yellow Band one peels off and re-fixes over a 100m of rope that they were not happy with 2 days before. Not only are these young super humans carrying to camp 4, but also they are re-laying rope that was meant to be fixed by others. The momentum of the remaining 3 does not stop and they charge on, pass the cut off for the Lhotse teams and up into the so-called 'Death Zone'. They pause briefly while another has to re-fix over a 100m of rope and in the process open up a new line to the col.

And then it's onwards... all 4 together, this tight bunch of childhood friends doing one of the hardest, most dangerous jobs in the world and making it look easy. Camp 4 is a desolate windspread place that sits at 8,000m. The Sherpas burst onto the col with burning lungs; they deposit their loads and tie them down against the wind. Over the radio you can here them gasping in the rarefied atmosphere, but still you can hear the giggling, jolly demeaner that they are so famous for. Turning around for the descent, they race down the ropes past the Geneva Spur and Yellow Band. They almost trot into camp 2 where they have food and drink; here they pack up their things and drop still further to base camp. While we eat dinner the Sherpas arrive. Tindu, Pasang, Pema, Thundu (Lama Boy) and camp 2 cook Gelbu. These young men who to me are super human. I go out to greet them, they look worn but still fresh. They have just done a day that for most would be impossible yet here they are joking once again. I pass round cokes and beer and they thank me, though it's me that needs to thank them for opening up our summit window by putting in a super human day. At last the whole team is together down from the hill. For the first time in days I can sleep soundly in the knowledge that the team is safe, for at least tonight.

Kenton Cool

01:00 5th May (GMT) - Scare for Phil

Well the acclimatization venture to camp 1 ended with an epic hands and knees crawl, the second a mostly uneventful slog to camp 2, so it was only fitting that the third run up the mountain Tuesday brought a mixed bag of success and near disaster en route to camp 3.

After a relaxing few rest days here at base camp, filled with oxygen mask fittings and piles of Pringles, a 4:30 am breakfast call had all members stumbling out in the darkness with carabiners and jumars clanging.

5:00 am. From the comforts of my snuggled sleeping bag, I hear only the parade of boots in the direction of the toilet tents and back. In hindsight, maybe if I’d kept count of the number of rounds I might have encouraged a few of the boys towards our stash of Immodium instead of the Icefall but too warm, I roll over and snooze through til daylight.

6:45 am. My wake up call comes by way of a thundering avalanche, this one sounding eerily like its come from the direction of the icefall. Jump out of the tent and expecting the worst, sit huddling the radio and a cup of tea for any communication from the guys midway through the icefall.

7:02 am. The radio crackles, and with relief I pick up Carlos’ transmission; only a slow moving start by Phil. Apparently, the avalanche crashed beyond the climber’s trail.

7:12 am Playing sweeper to Kenton’s lead up to camp 2, Carlos radios again, this time reporting a stomach ailment has Phil moving too slow and too cold to make the destination. A quick conversation with Kenton follows and modification of the original plan has Phil and Carlos simply making a recovery stop at camp 1. Rehydration recommended and a joint decision made for the two to attempt the Western Cwm up to camp 2 the following day.

7:44 am. A more frantic radio transmission. Carlos describes Phil’s condition as fast deteriorating. Three ladders below "the popcorn" - a particulary treacherous section of the icefall, Phil’s physical and mental state on rapid decline. Tingling fingers and face reported, movement now uncoordinated. Kenton orders turnaround of Phil and Carlos, additional back-up from two Sherpas--- Pasang and Pema.

7:46 am. Passing guide radios report that Phil unresponsive to verbal commands; won’t respond to his name, not even eye contact. Roped descent begins. Kenton requests medical back-up from base camp and further assistance of Sherpas Tamding and Thundu also at BC.

Sherpas depart camp for possible rescue with supplementary oxygen and liters of fluids.

7:55 am. Rob Casserly, MD, on standby as needed from base camp. Requests heartrate and respiration info.

8:02 am. Barry and Kenton safely above icefall. Rhys and Harry report in 30 minutes below the top.

8:06 am. Carlos radios improvements in Phil’s condition. Short-of-breath but speech now coherent. Warming up with down layers provided by Sherpas and chemical hand-warmers handed off from passing climber. Descent clearly improving physical state—oxygen called off and medical check postponed until b.c. arrival.

8:30 am. Helicopter medical evacuation of Italian climber.

10:30 am. Base camp arrival. Phil, Carlos, and entourage of 4 sherpas helping with short-rope. Walking steadily but slowly, arrives at Jagged Globe camp to loads of fluids and medical check. Diagnosis: Extreme exhaustion and dehydration due to GI ailment, no HAPE or HACE.

Liters of hot Tang, Ramen soup, and straight to bed.

****Tuesday afternoon members Baz, Rhys, Harry and Kenton arrive safely at camp 2. Reporting yet again scorching heat throughout the Western Cwm. (And to the drama of the day, add the unfortunate arrival of Bernie, the base camp stray dog, at camp 2??).

Glad to report that all is well this afternoon. Phil provided a scare, but rests now, clearly dehydrated and exhausted, but back to cracking his old Manx ways.

Disappointed to have bonked from a minor case of illness, and counting down the minutes til he can rejoin the team, but heeding Mingma’s advice to rest and recover down here at least 24 hours.

Base camp standing by, Mara

01:00 30th April (GMT) - Update from Kenton Cool

Jagged Globe Updated 30/4/06

Tuesday morning at 5am saw the Jagged Globe team stumbling in the semi darkness to the mess tent. Now alpine starts have always been the single factor why I may give up mountaineering, and this is no exception. Rubbing sleep from my eyes I look at the other members. I hope they aren’t as upbeat as they look as this would be un-just. Me, the fearless leader, feeling like doom while the others jump around like honed machines. Breakfast is served and washed down with sweet milk tea and all of a sudden there is no reason not to leave.

Waved off by Mara we circle the Puju and offer rice to the gods to bid us fair travel. Shiva lights the incense that always burns when either Sherpa or team members are on the hill. The passage through BC quickly takes us to the foot of the icefall where crampons are put on. Moving swiftly through the pinnacles one can find a rhythm and a pace that suits. The team soon fragments as each finds their own pace, talk is rare and one looses oneself in thought. This trip saw myself and Baz move at the same rate while Phil and the others were a little behind but still moving well.

Three quarters of the way up we stop for a drink and bite to eat, the icefall is full of people today and a few pass as we sit and talk. We exchange “hellos” and little else. I break away from the team in the upper section feeling strong and fit for the first time and I close on Dave Hann (a friend from past years). We chat for a bit before we both re-enter our own thoughts. The very top of the icefall this year is a sombre place. A huge collapse last week buried 3 Sherpa and injured others. I pass through this area in mute respect for the recent dead.

The top of the icefall comes quickly and so does the sun. I wait for the team basking in the warmth of the early morning sun finally warming frozen fingers. I chat to some Sherpa and pass sun cream round, we all laugh as one of these hardy folk turns white as he sloshes on the cream. Camp one is a short 20 minutes from the top of the icefall mainly on the flat and this proves to be a pleasant stroll in the sun.

The Jagged Globe camp 1 is just 3 tents and a small wall built of snow. The tents are partially buried in snow, but Baz the human snow blower, spends his first 2 hours at the camp digging them out. The others lay around watching one-man work like true builder boys. The afternoon passes is a series of short power naps and dinner is soon around. Boil in the bag is never great but a sweet and sour chicken hits the mark. Harry settles down to the last of his book with a hot chocolate and I finish melting water for the morning. As the sun drops behind Pumori, the temperature plummets and the sleeping bag calls.

Leaving camp 1 is a relatively leisurely affair. It’s freezing cold in the shade so we all wait for the sun, which finally hits at around 8am. Tindu Sherpa appears from basecamp to check on us and pick some equipment up which needs to go to camp 2. We slowly move our sleep-laden legs into action and move up the Western Cwm. For all the team, bar me, this is their first look at the cwm proper. It’s a huge hidden valley guarded by the icefall below and flanked by Nupste, Lhotse, and the huge bulk of Everest itself. Its no wonder people thought that Everest was impossible from the south as this valley cannot be seen from anywhere. It was Eric Shipton in the early 1950’s who finally saw into the cwm. The cwm took my breath away the first time; one can read all the books and look at pictures but to see it for real is something that I will never forget. The only issue with it is that it forms the world’s biggest solar reflector. As we zig-zag on the path up the cwm we pass over huge crevasses that have had ladders placed over them, in places up to 3 lashed together. All this time the temperature rises until the final slog to camp 2, when it’s so hot one can hardly think, let alone move. The last hour is a teaser, one can see the camp and it looks so close but…

We arrive into camp as individuals, each finding it hard in the sun. First the Sherpa then myself followed by Rhys, Baz, Phil and finally Harry and Carlos. We have all made good time and are happy to reach the camp. While the team members hydrate and rest, the Sherpas and I dig out the tent platforms. The site of camp 2 stretches for maybe 800m. The lower area is called the getto and the upper the strip. We always camp low – it’s more sheltered from the wind and the tents can go on the moraine rock rather than snow and ice. I have a great afternoon with the Sherpas catching up on gossip over a Dahl Baht lunch, this is perhaps the times that I like the most kicking back after work with the boys who make it all happen.

The afternoon brings a nasty snow shower so we all retreat to the mess tent for cards and talk about tomorrow and the Lhotse face. The face is the key link to the upper part of the mountain. It rises over a 1,000m from the end of the cwm up to the south col, a sweeping wall of ice and snow that is cut ¾ height by the famous Yellow Band and ends with the Geneva Spur. That is all tomorrow, now is the time to have some dinner and play cards. Bed always comes early and tonight it’s even earlier. Carlos and I are tucked up reading by 7.30pm and I’m asleep soon after.

Moving up towards the strip is bitterly cold, it’s just before 8am and the sun is yet to hit. Today’s mission is to climb partway up the Lhotse Face and return to camp 2 for the night. As we move through the upper camp we speak to various teams and catch up on news of friends. Then it’s over the wee pressure ridge and into the upper reaches of the cwm. The track is clear to see despite the snow of yesterday and progress is quick, then the sun hits and the temperature soars. We all have to stop and strip off layers. The path to the face is mellow bar one step, which really could do with a ladder. Poor Carlos with his short legs has to hurl himself with conviction over the gapping hole; to get it wrong would be a bottomless drop into the bowels of the mountain.

We regroup below the face and have a drink and bar each before setting on up the ropes. We all sit under the huge dark brooding hulk of the mighty South West Face of Everest famous for the 1975 Bonnington expedition. For me this is one of the epoch-making climbs in history. The face is always fixed with rope so each member needs to move his or her jumar up the rope and heave themselves up. And repeat the act a couple of thousand times. As ever the bottom 30 feet are the steepest and near vertical ice needs to be overcome. Most get to the top in a heaving scrabbling manner, not very stylish I agree but hey, it works! Then the rope snakes up left on more mellow but still steep ground, each can find a rhythm. Slide pull, step step, slide pull, step step, slide pull, step step collapse in a panting heap for a few minutes then slide pull… you get the idea I hope.

As we climb the views unfold at the end of the cwm and at last we can see over the ridge behind BC. Cho Oyu and other mountains can be seen way off to the west. After a month of slowly gaining height, the face is a breath of fresh air and we all make rapid progress up. As I approach the lower part of camp 3, a cold wind picks up and I have to scrabble to put on a jacket to fight off the cold. The others left rucksacs at the base and don’t have jackets so I make the decision to turn round. Rhys is with me as I zip down the ropes, almost running we meet the others some 100m below our high point and explain the plan. All agree that the day has been good and best not to spoil it. As Phil asks about going down I whizz past him thinking of tea at camp 2. He apparently looked at Baz for help who kindly stepped in as temporary leader and teacher. As always over an hour up is turned around to about 10mins down and Rhys and I get to the sacs first with Harry just behind. Meanwhile, poor Phil is talked down by Baz, which left me feeling a little guilty when I found out. Shooting down to Camp 2 we pass another team moving up the cwm in the midday heat, we give them sympathetic looks as we run down for cold juice.

All the members are back at camp by 1pm and we can all give ourselves a big pat on the back. The day has been great and it’s been a huge step towards getting to the summit. The rest of the afternoon is spent playing cards (losing in my case, winning in Phil’s) eating and hydrating. Then Gelbu brings out a massive dinner, which I would like to say gets wolfed down but instead it gets nibbled and then bed again beckons all too quickly.

Friday morning dawns cold and crisp. All the members have opted to leave early to try and avoid the icefall in the heat. The exception was Harry who damaged his fingers a few years ago when climbing Shishapamgma. He left with Mingma about an hour later when the sun was warming up his pinkies. As we all felt good we flew down to camp 1 and then on to BC before lunch. We enter BC and are greeted by a smiling Shiva with ice cold orange juice.

That was all a few days ago now we are all resting before going back to camp 2 and then on to sleep at camp 3. The days in between have been spent watching DVD’s, playing Trival Pursuit (which Harry won) eating and drinking. Ah yes, a few showers and a little washing of clothes have been going on.

We are hoping to go back up through the icefall on Tuesday and spend the next 4 or 5 days on the mountain on the final cycle of acclimatisation. After that, it’s back to BC and await the green light from the weather men that will make or break our dreams.

Kenton Cool, expedition leader

01:00 24th April (GMT) - Sun bathing in base camp

The team are back up in base camp today, enjoying the sunshine. They plan to head up to camp 1 and on to camp 2 at the head of the Western Cwm tomorrow. Here's a photo (black and white for some reason - Ed?), of Kenton and Rhys relaxing at base camp today.

01:00 21st April (GMT) - Epic descent from Camp 1

Hello All,

Well we’ve had a fairly epic few days. We set off up to Camp I on Monday hoping to spend the afternoon resting there, then tag Camp II the next day and come all the way back down to Base Camp Tuesday.

On the way up, near the top of the icefall Carlos shouted “man from ladder!” and we looked around and the guy climbing up behind us was off the ladder and we could just see his gloved hands holding underneath the rungs of the ladder. We legged it down about three pitches and then there was only one hand holding on. I overtook Carlos when he tangled in the ropes and as I got to the edge the fingers peeled off the rung. I half expected him to still be falling when I looked over the edge, but he was just hanging there on the ropes. Myself, Harry, Carlos and a Sherpa hauled him out. We then had a few minutes rest before we carried on up to Camp I with our loads.

We topped out in the icefall and went along flattish ground to Camp which popped up from nowhere when we eventually gained a rise. Our three tents were on a good spot and we spent the afternoon from noon onwards. As the afternoon progressed the skies clouded over and it started snowing. And didn’t stop. I went out and the snow was a good 5 inches. By morning the tents were pretty covered, and having eaten nearly all our food we tried to make a break down and find the start of the lines to the icefall. There was terrible visibility and Kenton broke trail. He was on his hands and knees probing for crevasses, crossing cathedral crevasses. It was pretty desperate to say the least. We abandoned the attempt having no luck finding the lines and went back to the tents. We spent the afternoon in our sleeping bags watching the snow build up on the outside of the tents. It snowed forever and there was an enormous avalanche (see photo) and Kenton told us to get ready to run. Scary!

The snow dusted the tents. It snowed all night and was waist deep outside. No dinner, just some chorizo and a hot drink. Next morning Harry and Kenton tried to find two Malaysian climbers one of them is Swee Chow who has done all 7 summits and both poles and is back to do this oxygen free, (he’s a good mate now) but after punching through waist deep powder they couldn’t climb the ice wall their tent was on as they weren’t wearing crampons. They bumped into some Russians and Poles and tried to find the lines again. Still no luck. Another day in the tents. We got some food from the Adventure Consultants stash to get through the evening. Carlos was outside digging the tent out for ages. It had only taken me about ten minutes, an hour later he came in covered in snow. Firstly he didn’t like my rendition of Carlos the snowman, I blame the language barrier. My “missed a bit” joke didn’t get a laugh either. I went out later and it turns out he had moved about eight tonnes of snow. It was very windy that night and the next day we really had to move down.

We set off at about 9:30 and loads of people were trying to get down. Only one guy was trail breaking and everyone else just sat on their rucksacks wondering why it was taking so long. Kenton led and we overtook the Poles and Korean’s and exchanged a few choice words. Kari Kobler, a bit of a legend apparently said “get out of the way, let my strong British youth come through”. So we passed the slipstreamers (Henry Todd’s words!) who did nothing to help. Kenton broke trail for a bit, then another legend, Simone Moro passed us with 14 sherpa’s on their way down from Camp II. Normally II to I takes about and hour, but it took them 4 in the deep snow. The trail breaking then turned into a bit of an ego trip with Simone and a sherpa breaking all the trail up to their waist trying to pull up the lines. Kenton told them to swap over and do a section at a time, Simone replied “what we need now not words, but power”. Meanwhile our Sherpas were breaking a trail through the icefall and took many hours in the deep snow. We met after a hard morning and they gave us chocolate and tea as we were hungry and dehydrated. We then started in the better trail to the top of the icefall, in mist and poor visibility. I passed Phil and descended the lines quickly. We carried on and on down feeling pretty tired and after what felt like forever we were on the last pinnacles back to Base Camp in scorching heat. Mara and Small Paul and Kylie (Kenton’s friends) were at the bottom with more drinks. We made the last slog across to our tents and were in the mess tent at about 5pm. A big day!

We spent time hydrating and then had Fray Bentos pies for dinner as a special treat! Nobody could eat very much though as we were so tired.

This morning Rob Cassidy came over and told us that 3 sherpas had been killed in the icefall. Near the top there is an unroped traverse of about 150 metres under some huge hanging seracs that look like fox’s glacier mints. Apparently the bodies are not retrievable. It’s very sad and pretty sobering, especially as it was at about 7:30 this morning when the icefall is more stable than usual.

We have a few days off now and are planning an assault on Gorak Shep for fried eggs on chips.

Rhys.

01:00 19th April (GMT) - Climbers stuck in camp 1

The weather has been horrendous the last few days and the team are in C1 for a 3rd night, which was not the plan!

They left on Monday morning with the intention of staying up a night, wandering a bit higher, and then returning Tuesday morning back to base. A storm rolled in on Monday and they were unable to descend yesterday (Tuesday) as the fixed ropes at the top of the icefall had been completely buried. Today the storm continued, though they tried to descend again, with Sherpas breaking trail up from BC, but crap conditions and the late start put a halt to that.

One other American team, the Polish crew, and two Korean teams round out the count up there at C1 at the moment and after a last ditch effort by Jagged Globe and the Polish team to dig up ropes again this past hour, they’ve again called off efforts and turned back to camp 1 for a third night. The crew is all well at camp 1. We had word at around 2pm that Kenton and Harry had returned to camp, so they're all nestling in for another night on the hill. Many thanks to Adventure Consultants for supplying extra food and Alpine Ascents for the offer of gas. Luckily, our guys packed an extra supply so they're faring well on the hydration side.

Our Sherpas, strong as ever, battled through waist deep snow and broke trail half-way up the icefall. Tomorrow morning they will set off again, hopefully this time with the support of a few other teams to break trail all the way up to camp 1. Our boys are eager to come down but are still sounding upbeat.

- Mara

01:00 14th April (GMT) - Update from Rhys Jones

We’ve enjoyed a challenging couple of days since the puja and have now made two successful trips into the Khumbu Icefall.

After a very early start on Wednesday we set off for our first climb into the glacier. The first ladder wasn’t too scary as it was only a few inches above a frozen pool of water. The second one was a lot more exciting. The practice session in Base Camp could barely prepare us for the enormous drop we could see through the rungs in the ladder. It was a lot more wobbly than the practice ladder too, so all in all a pretty exciting first experience.

The other ladders seemed less and less daunting as we got used to concentrating on the placing our crampons properly on the rungs instead of looking into the drop below. Even so, the ladders are still character building. We made very good progress up two thirds of the icefall before turning around. The wind by this stage had really picked up and Harry received a refreshing coat full of spindrift on the last fixed line up.

We descended the lines with ease all the way back to Base Camp, only slowing down for the steeper sections and of course the ladders.

We used our rest day to sort out food for higher up on the mountain and spent the afternoon relaxing.

Today we had a 5am breakfast ready for our climb to the top of the icefall. The second ladder was as wobbly as we’d remembered from the previous trip but we continued up. The sherpa team passed us en route to Camp I where they dropped off the first loads. The sun eventually came out and made us instantly very hot. We all climbed higher than our first trip, with most of the team reaching the top of the icefall.

We then started our long descent back to BC again at a good pace and were back in time for lunch.

We’re now looking forward to a couple of days rest before moving up to sleep at Camp I for the first time.

01:00 10th April (GMT) - Ladder practice at base camp

Simon has just called in from base camp. Kenton, Carlos and Mara arrived on Saturday (8 April), so the whole team has had a couple of days together in base camp. Everyone is healthy and feeling good and looking forward to getting on the mountain. The Puja is tomorrow (11 April), and then they will begin their first journey through the icefall to establish camp 1.

Over the last couple of days, the team have been doing some training at base camp and gear checks. Kenton gave a briefing on safety, and they did some ladder-crossing practice over a glacial puddle. Apparently, Kenton was the wobbliest of the whole group on this excercise (but then he has broken both ankles previously in a climbing fall and was told he would never walk again!).

We should have some more photos on the website in the next day or so, once Simon is back in Namche. We should be posting images from the base camp laptop, once we've solved some technical issues!

Jagged Globe office.

01:00 6th April (GMT) - Acclimatisation at Dingboche

We have just spent a pleasant 4 days at the Dingboche Guest House and Lodge, at about 4,320 metres, acclimatising. For the first day, we merely rested and relaxed, but made a small journey over the hill to Pherriche to attend the daily lecture on Altitude Illness given by the resident doctors at the clinic of the Himalayan Rescue Association. This gave the team a useful update on the latest thinking about altitude illness, which included the interesting news that Viagra should be used in conjunction with Nifidepine, in the treatment of High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema. As a way of saying thank you for the lecture and for the work done by the HRA in general, we made ourselves available for several medical tests. These included having eyeballs prodded and scanned by ultrasound, as well as giving pulse and oxyimeter readings. All painless, but hopefully useful in adding to the data.

The other days at Dingboche have been spent walking up hills to about 5,200 metres. This has given us the most stunning views of the surrounding mountains – with Ama Dablam towering over us in our lodge, but Nupste, Lhotse, Taweche, Cholatse, Khan Taiga, Pumori, Baruntse and Makalu being near neighbours. That’s not to forget Island Peak and Lobuje, of course, as these have been photographed a lot, in order to get a perfect shot for next year’s brochure, perhaps, or for use at future pre-expedition weekends, at least.

Meanwhile our Sherpa team led by Mingma Tsiri has been up at base camp working hard to get everything organised. Min Bhadur Tamang, our kitchen assistant came back down to Dingboche, to join the team whilst he gets over a headache – a few paracetamol seem to have done the deed, but Bhadur will remain with the team until we get to base camp.

Today, we were joined by our base camp manager, Mara Larson. This will be Mara’s 4th consecutive season at base camp, and she will combine her on-going studies into the effects of altitude with supporting the team during the climb. Before the end of the day, Mara had us doing her tests to measure our mental dexterity. These were great fun at this relatively modest altitude, but the same tests are no doubt going to prove very challenging once in the Western Cwm and above.

Simon Lowe

01:00 30th March (GMT) - Chilling in Namche Bazaar

All team members, less Kenton and Carlos, were together in Kathmandu at the Summit Hotel by last Sunday evening. They were joined by Keith Kinrade, a friend of Philip Drowley and Simon Lowe, who was to take the helm during the trek, pending Kenton's arrival after completing the latest round of his guides' examinations.

After a day in the city, the team left early on the flight to Lukla. By 0830 of the first day on trek, we were sitting sipping tea, at the first of many tea stops en route to our first night's destination, at Phakding. This was an easy day, with a comfortable, largely downhill stroll of 3 hours. In Phakding we called to stay at the Friendship Lodge, as this was owned by the family of Dawa Tsirring Sherpa, who had been with Simon on his first trip to Nepal in 1985. Since then Dawa had been expedition Sirdar with Simon on a Mera Peak Trip and visited Simon's home in Sheffield. Unfortunately, Dawa was on trek when we called but his wife made the team very welcome. Simon hopes to bump into Dawa higher up the trail.

After good food, plenty of tea, a good night's sleep and great hospitality, the team set off at 0730, on Wednesday morning, for the big climb to Namche. Shortly beyond the Sagamartha Park gate at Monjo, the team settled down for tea and a slow lunch, to stoke up on fuel for the big hill to follow. When it came, just after a leisurely walk by the river, it was no big deal, and the team floated up in good time, hardly breaking into a sweat! That aside, however, everyone was happy to take a break today in Namche, and vague plans for a detour to Thame were scotched, by the preference to simply chill where we were. As the name of the game is acclimatisation with minimal effort, this was readily agreed, so today is one for washing, writing, reading and taking even greater quantities of tea.

01:00 29th March (GMT) - Team flies to Lukla

Our Everest climbers take an early morning flight from Kathmandu to the Khumbu Valley this morning. Jagged Globe Managing Director, Simon Lowe is accompanying the team all the way to base camp. Simon continues to lead one or two expeditions a year, but hasn't been in Nepal for a few years, so he's back on the trail and making sure that the team has a slow and relaxed trek up to BC. Expedition leader, Kenton Cool is flying out to Nepal a week later and will join the group in BC.

Kenton has just passed the final ski test of his IFMGA British Mountain Guides' qualification this week. It's the culmination of many year's personal mountaineering and five years of training, mainly in the European Alps. The British Mountain Guides typically accept just a couple of Aspirants onto the scheme each year, with many of those who have qualified in the last few years being the 'leading lights' in British Alpinism. The Guides Carnet is tailored towards working in the Alps (for which it is a legal requirement) and not the Greater Ranges, where no mountaineering qualifications are required. Leaders or Guides on Jagged Globe 8,000m expeditions are chosen for their overall high altitude mountaineering and leadership experience, though the training and experience gained whilst qualifying as a Guide will clearly contribute to their leadership style.

Kenton will be supported this year by Carlos Escobar. Carlos is also an IFMGA Guide and our main Guide in Bolivia, with over 20 years' experience mountaineering in the Andes, with multiple guiding ascents of the big peaks such as Illimani in Bolvia, Huascaran in Peru and Aconcagua. Jagged Globe and Carlos have worked together now for about 15 years. We're really pleased to have Carlos with us on Everest this year. Carlos flies to London and then on to Kathmandu, where he'll team up with Kenton for the trek in.

15th March - Team arrives in Kathmandu 26 March