A rapid retreat from Camp 3
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?Coffee, tea or French onion soup?? was the question Sundeep asked me, as we settled into Camp 3. This tiny campsite is perched halfway up the Lhotse Face at about 7100m. The Face is an ice and snow slope angled at between 40-50 degrees. Our ?campsite? had been carved out of the snow by our sherpas. On the one side blocks have been cut out of the slope, and on the other the blocks have been used to build up a ramp to give an eight foot wide ?terrace? to place our tent.
Sundeep Dhillon, Mike Grocott, Michael Brown (IMAX cameraman), Nigel Hart and myself had climbed rapidly without oxygen up to Camp 3 and on the way had overtaken a number of other teams. The intention had been to spend the night at over 7000m as part of the acclimatisation process. It was a couple of hours before sunset, and we were just settling down to a brew and the slow process of melting snow in order to rehydrate ourselves when a crackle came over the radio. The weather forecast indicated that a storm was coming in and threatened 20-30cms of snow. The exact timing of the arrival of the snow was unclear, but it was possible it could arrive by morning. The Lhotse Face is no place to be in a snowstorm particularly because of the risk of avalanche. The options were to sit the possible storm out, and hope that the forecast was wrong (either in content or timing) and complete our acclimatisation sojourn, or to pack up rapidly and descend the fixed ropes and try to get back to the safety of Camp 2 before dark. A rapid conversation took place, and with safety paramount, we packed up and descended the fixed ropes, getting into Camp 2 just in time for supper.
The following day with our Camp 2 experiments complete, the entire climbing Caudwell Xtreme Team safely returned from Camp 2 through the icefall to Basecamp. The Team has successfully completed the most ambitious range of physiological tests ever undertaken at this altitude including. These included arterial blood gas measurements (under half sea level values), maximal exercise testing, brain oxygen delivery studies, brain function studies, micro-circulation studies and isotopic food absorption studies.
We will now spend a week or so enjoying the oxygen rich air either at Basecamp or even lower down the valley. We will also use this opportunity to try to reverse the inevitable weight loss seen at extreme altitude. I am particularly keen to get any food without SPAM in it- I cannot wait to get home to some of Sylvia?s home cooking! Post a comment on this article... Open message form
Comments on this article| By: colin imray | When: 26th May 2007 16:18 | Chris!
Congratulations to you and all the team - and so many thanks to Kay for keeping us in touch. We did not dare to relax until you had all reached base camp; but now we can celebrate in the expectation that the sherpas will not be far behind you. We are setting off to take darling wife and brilliant children to a Thai restaurant in Warwick that they have chosen. Roxanne and Steve will join us.All our extended family and friends send their congratulations to the team for their physical and scientific achievements.And we send our best love and hugs to you personally.It's truly marvellous! A long way on from Mt Longonot and the Wittenham Clumps. Hope you can now have a spam free meal and good sleep.
M & D |
| By: Paul Firth | When: 25th May 2007 05:08 | Congratulations Chris!!! Fantastic news!! Great effort. I look forward to the stories and the research papers!
Paul |
| By: Gerald and Debby | When: 23rd May 2007 21:01 | Congratulations Chris ....and to the rest of the team!! |
| By: Brian Johnson | When: 23rd May 2007 15:59 | Fantastic achievement Chris. just got the news of your successful summit.Be careful on the way down.Look forward to the pictures.
Brian |
| By: Alison Colyer | When: 23rd May 2007 14:49 | Received phone call this morning from M & D to say that you reached the summit. Cannot tell you how proud I am. I think that most of Northwich now know of the team's achievements!
Looking forward to having a chance to see my heroic brother in person. Looking forward to the meal shots!
Hope creation looked OK from top of the world.
Loads of love,
Alison
xxxx
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| By: Gurdev Singh Deogon | When: 22nd May 2007 22:27 | Hi Chris !
Greetings from your lower limb clinic crew and a couple of patients we wanted to speak to you about...only kidding. Look forward to seeing your work on micro-circulation...there must be some way of linking it to diabetes !
We will continue to pray for your safe return with us. Your spirit is inspirational and courage no less.
God bless, gurdev |
| By: robert scully | When: 22nd May 2007 02:48 | Hi Mr. Imray
Just a quick note from a final year med student and fellow climber who had no idea you were attempting to summit everest! It makes our surgery block look easy! Well done, this is inspirational stuff. I wish you every success and a safe return.
All the very best
Robert Scully |
| By: Brian Johnson | When: 20th May 2007 23:22 | Hi Chris. Glad to hear you're blog, with the climbing and research going well.Hope you're better dressed than on a BMRES expedition and not taking that black umbella up the slope to keep the sun off.Really rooting for you.
Keep happy and safe up these later stages.
Brian |
| By: colette | When: 16th May 2007 09:51 | Hi Chris, just wanted to wish you all the best of luck in the bid for the summit. Keep safe and Good Luck.
Colette |
| By: Marcus Miller | When: 13th May 2007 01:38 | A well-wisher from warwick writes:
It?s fascinating to read your dispassionate account of issues arising on the world?s highest mountain and how you cope with them: and amazing how you have been scooting up and down the mountain, acclimatising and storm-dodging. But it?s impossible to grasp the reality of what you face - in extremes of temperature, lack of oxygen, and the need to create ledges on 45 degree ice slopes just to get some shut eye! You seem to be at the very edge of world, at the existential limits of the universe, high in heavens like some Saint Exupery -- but without the luxury of wings or an oxygen mask.
From a temperate isle set in a sea of blue, with a spring sun lighting the landscape, we send you warmest good wishes: Warwick u is proud of u.
Marcus Miller
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| By: M & D Imray | When: 11th May 2007 18:05 | Modern technology is marvellous.We watch all that you and the team are achieving and wonder how you actually seem to enjoy the daily discomforts. It is much easier at our age to be armchair adventurers.The splendid blogs bring everything you all do very close. Thank you Kay.Hope you are putting on weight ready for the ascent - and that John Caudwell is better - he is a real hero! We are taking darling wife and brilliant family out at end of this month,and will join them at the airport next month. Happy Day ! Love from all the family.We're rooting for you. |
| By: Roxanne Matthews | When: 11th May 2007 12:43 | Hi Chris
Not sure if you can still pick up messages now that you are scaling such lofty heights but I just wanted to send you loads of luck for this last push to the summit. I so admire the efforts of you and the rest of the team - and have been following your progress on BBC Midlands!. You are doing a grand job! Take care.
Cousin Roxanne (& Steve) xx |
| By: Tim and Maggie Harvey | When: 10th May 2007 22:34 | Hi Chris Great to read your news hope you have eaten well at base camp, you sound better than you do on a BMRES trip there must be something in this acclimatisation. The research sounds as if it goes well. Happy climbing Maggie and Tim |
| By: Pijush Ray | When: 9th May 2007 10:11 | Hi Chris,
Greetings from everyone in Clinical Gerontology from the cosy confines of my office at UHCW! You seem to be having a good time in the snows. We look forward to hearing about your exploits when you are back with us.
Best wishes
Pijush |
| By: Judith Picker | When: 4th May 2007 15:50 | Hi Chris
it's been great reading your blogs - it sounds amazing up there but rather scary! Some of the photos on the website are fascinating and the views quite beautiful. Good luck with the rest of the expedition and hope you reach the summit.
Take care
Judith and everyone at St Cross |
| By: Alison Colyer | When: 1st May 2007 18:25 | A SPAM diet would be a total starvation diet for me - and I would be more than just grumpy!
Glad to hear you have a chance to rest up a little and to feed up too. Also relieved to hear that you are safe.
Much love,
Alison
x |
| By: John Bray | When: 1st May 2007 16:37 | Hi Chris, we at BBC Midlands Today are following the trek and you personally with great interest. We believe you are now back at basecamp after reading your blog, and it sounds fascinating that you have carried out these amazing tests. Therefore we would really really like to speak to you via satellite phone on tomorrow's programme (weds 2nd May). Please email me on the address above. many many thanks. John. |
| By: Darling Wife | When: 1st May 2007 11:36 | Hello 'Grumpy Old Man'!
Reading your blog you sound remarkably cheerful; not at all grumpy. I can imagine your reaction to Spam though! Cameron has planted some mixed salad seeds and bought a Raspberry cane, with which he hopes to impress you with a bumper harvest on your return. Half way tomorrow! I'm celebrating in the French Bistro in Leamington Spa and shall raise a toast to you all. Fill up whilst you can and re-charge your batteries.
Send our best wishes to the rest of the crew and remember to be more cheerful the next time you ascend!
Love always
S xxx |
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Chris Imray 1st May 2007
Kay Mitchell
23rd Dec 2009 1 message 
02/06/07 
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