Roping High!

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Last time I wrote, I mentioned that the Caudwell Xtreme Everest climbers were all moving down the mountain for a bit of R&R before the final push on the mountain. Now we are slowly starting to dribble back into camp.

What did we do down the mountain? We ate a lot, played chess and cards, read a lot, ate some more and also went on walks around the area of Dingboche. We met lots of other climbing groups and also quite a few of the CXE trekking groups.

Dan, Maryam and I arrived back at base camp yesterday. We felt we had had enough rest down the hill and wanted to start getting ready for the science that we need to complete on the South Col. We hopefully will have the window of opportunity in a few days to ascend the mountain again and continue the final and, for us exciting, bit of science on the South Col. I will fill you in more of this in the next blog.

I hope you will have noticed that the photograph accompanying this blog is essentially one of the Sherpas. You see?while we have been down the mountain fattening up, the Sherpas have been up the mountain preparing the way for ?our? final push. While our programme was as above, their programme was remarkably different.

Pema, our head Sirdar, explained: Eighteen climbing Sherpas reached the South Col (7950m) a total of 3 times in 5 days, without oxygen of course. Lead by Mingma ? head climbing Sherpa and 11 times Everest summiteer, 2 times K2 summiteer, also Pema?s brother- their programme was something like this: Base Camp to South Col and return to Camp 2; rest; carry to South Col and return to Camp 2; rest; carry to South Col and return to Base camp. During this time they completed the fixing of ropes between camps 3 and the South Col. One of the Sherpas also contributed to a team of 7, to fix the ropes from South Col to the Balcony. They carried all our gear up: research equipment, tents, cooking equipment, food and oxygen.

Our Sherpas have a total of about eighty 8000m peak ascents between them. The rest of us if we include the BBC and IMAX teams have a total of 20! So we can see what we pay good money for: a remarkable race of men who bear the brunt of the work. We often ask ourselves why we, as lowlanders bother? This is a very good question and one which each of us need to answer in our own way, privately or publicly. Myself, I have not been able to verbalise the answer adequately?yet.

Today Michael Brown from the IMAX crew and Aracelli Segarra (Spain?s first woman summiteer and from the original IMAX movie) plus Sherpas Kaji, Chombee, Phurba and Pasang Tharka went through the icefall to Camp 2. We expect Roger and Nigel back at Base Camp today and Graham and Dave of the BBC have just arrived. The rest - Mike, Denny, Paul, Vijay, Sundeep, Andre, Chris, Mick and Jeremy are going to Lobuche during a 2-day trek back to base camp. The full complement of the Caudwell Xtreme Everest should then be back in Base Camp. The only one missing will be our Camp 2 cook Chuk Tenzing who still remains high.

Before ?Until next time?????.?, a big thanks has to go to all the base camp crew in both the Caudwell Xtreme Team and Trekker Camps, such as the cook staff, who do so much of the unrecognised hard work.

PS: Happy Mother?s day tomorrow to all the South African Mums!

In the photo, the Sherpas are as follows:

Back row: Danu Sherpa, (Dan), Pema Tsering Sherpa, Fura Gyaljen Sherpa, (Maryam), Chhring Pemba Sherpa, Dawa Tenji Sherpa, Pemba Nuru Sherpa, Pasang Nuru Sherpa, Ang Dawa Sherpa
Middle row: Shiba Bhadur Tamang, Pasang Tenzing Sherpa
Kneeling: Ong Da Sherpa, Mingma Chhri Sherpa, Mingma Temba Sherpa, Dawa Tashi Sherpa, (Pat), Pasang Nuru Sherpa
Sitting: Thundu Sherpa, Angdu Sherpa, Pema Chhring Sherpa.

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Blog by Patrick Doyle