Sunday, April 29, 2007

BC -> C1 -> C2

After a minor hiccup at Base Camp, Michael and his comrades-in-climbing made excellent progress through to the now-familiar sites of Camp 1 and Camp 2.




After waking up at 4am on 27 April to begin an 8-day journey on the mountain, Michael and the team discovered that the ice fall route between base camp and camp 1 had been closed due to an avalanche. Avalanches aren't uncommon, but it was back to base camp for another day of enforced rest and general shenanigans (see Chuck––possibly a direct descendent of Santa Claus––practising his tight-rope walking skills below). The icefall route was cleared and opened later in the afternoon.




The next morning, 28 April, saw the team set off amid blustery conditions. The team climbed smoothly and strongly through the morning, arriving at Camp 1 (6100m) by 11.30am. The image above shows the tents at Camp 1, where Michael napped, read and prepared for the next day's elevation gain to Camp 2.





Heading out into a cold morning on 29 April, Michael and his fellow climbers made excellent progress to Camp 2. They made the journey in 4 hours, with only 30 minutes separating the front of the climbing group from the rear. Above is a picture of small avalanche they witnessed on the way up. By all accounts they are climbing strongly and acclimatising well. Mark observed that the team's appetites have improved and that the air felt thicker at this altitude, which is all great news for their continued progress.

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