Oh, Joy!

A full night of uninterrupted sleep, and we are awoken to the sound of snow sliding from the tents in the sunshine. In fact, it is overcast and still lightly snowing, but the difference from the high altitudes is remarkable: I was aware of my nasal hairs freezing yesterday morning, and our hands were bitterly cold first thing. But, then, what do you expect some 23,000 feet up on a mountain side?

The topic of conversation over breakfast is weight loss- the subject of Mike Stroud?s research. Why do we all seem to lose weight at altitude? I jump on the scales, to find that I have lost some 7kg since leaving London. One amongst us is down 13kg- almost exactly 2 stone.

Story by Hugh Montgomery