Everest 2021 – Climber Updates – 13th May
Selected updates from climbers on Everest – 13th May.
“The jet stream is moving back over Mt. Everest. What that means is we will be hanging out in EBC for several days, patiently waiting for the next summit window.
“Good news is there are a lot of beautiful day hikes to do around here!”
We are on standby, and ready to go at a moments notice!
“Jenna Besaw and I made a safe descent back to Base Camp. It was another wonderful day of climbing together. But the joy of the day was overshadowed by the news of two deaths high on the mountain.
“We shared some basic infrastructure at Camp 2 with both men. I only met Abdul and Puwei briefly in passing. Nevertheless the news of their deaths brings deep sadness and a stark reminder of the risks up here.
“Sending prayers to all of their loved ones”
“I have been in Nepal for over a month now. The process of acclimatization has now ended and there is one more round left, the most important round, a journey to ascend to the top of the world.
“Over the last period I have experienced an emotional roller coaster: joy, crying, pain, cold, heat and feeling of grilled chicken, excitement, thrills, fear, accommodation on ice, uncertainty, lack of sleep, lack of oxygen, lack of appetite, mountain cough that does not stop during the climb , Lips that cooled and came out sores and infected on a night that could not be opened here, I experienced accommodation in minus 20 and minus 30, pee in a bottle, pee in a bag and many other emotions … but I could not stand all these emotions without your support, love, reinforcements.
“Every word you wrote, every sentence you wrote on every channel I read, I got excited, I cried, you made my heart rumble and my mind dance. You gave me strength and power to continue. Now there is one last leg left and together with you I will do it.”
“What a journey.
“Took me just 22 days from when I landed at the world’s most dangerous airport Lukla and climbed Mount Everest on May 11.
“This is just the start folks”
“When I descended to 13k’ to recover, I tried to remain upbeat, but in reality, I assumed my trip was over.
“Yet as I rested in the tea houses, I realized I’m neither rich, nor young, nor happy-go-lucky enough to let this climb go without feeling a massive amount of regret for a very long time. I couldn’t quit without giving it everything I had. So now, rested and recovered, I’m about to start my summit bid. Weather dependent, I’ll be setting off tonight, a little earlier than my teammates to make up for lost acclimatization.
“In 10(ish) days, I’ll either be an Everest summiter or just a hairstylist in a cruddy mood.
“Think good thoughts for Sonam and myself. We’ve got a tough week ahead.”
“I’m safely back in basecamp.
“I am extremely lucky to have gone to Everest summit on the 11th May with my excellent guide Dawa Sherpa with Thamserku Expedition and absolutely amazingly strong and professional team Ascent Himalayas.
“I am so grateful!
“Thank you for all effort, all your hard work and all your competence as alpinists I am so fortunate and so happy!
“Thank you to all my sponsors and their support, your names are now on top of the world!
“I shall post photos of my itinerary soon , for now, a hot shower and a fresh drink.”
“I am very happy. It’s a dream come true.
“I reached the Everest summit, the highest point on Earth. The ascent was hard, especially the last day.
“We started to attack the summit at 21 pm, it was 17 hours in which I did my best.
“I was wearing my oxygen mask although I was short of breath anyway, my toes were getting frozen and my legs shaking, I began to notice my tiredness, but I had to continue until reaching 8.848 m. And then climb down.”
“From Base Camp, we rest and wait for a weather window for a 6-day summit push.
“Jet stream winds are moving in so it could be 10 days or more before we find it.
“I can’t believe I’m here, I can’t believe the possibility still exists.”
“We leave after tomorrow night!
“If everything goes well:
16/05: C2 (rest)
17/05: C3
18/05: C4
19/05/21: SUMMIT”
“Both Dorjee and I are back at basecamp safe and sound
“A quick thanks to all the Sherpas and team that made this possible.”
“It’s all gloom at BC this morning. 2 climbers died yesterday on Everest, Mr Abdul and Mr Liu. My deepest condolences to both families🙏🏻
“Since I arrived at BC, I have been having meals with Liu. He walked to Kala Pattar almost everyday for his training and conditioning. A strong and cheerful man. But gone, just like that.
“I have a list of mountain friends that have passed on. People that I have met in the mountains or climbed with. Liu is No.18.
“I feel numb but every loss does something to my being. Having been to the edge myself a few times, I remind myself to count my blessings.
“Fellow friends, cherish your family & friends, tell them you love them, hold on to your dreams. When it’s time to go, have no regrets.”
“Hoping and praying the weather cooperates so I can become the 1st NFL player and oldest person to tag both Everest and Lhotse.
“Been a long road to get here but we are close to kickoff.”
“Took a nice acclimatization hike up to 19,000’ to get our bodies ready to climb in a few days.
“We’ve been through the icefall 4 times and this will be the final round thank God. Weather watch and then we’ll go for it.
“About 150 have already gone for the summit which means less crowds.”
“To aid our acclimatization we stayed in camp 2 (#C2) for an extra day, just resting. The previous days’ efforts had cost us in energy so this was the perfect opportunity to get some of it back.
“It was a sunny morning so we sat outside in the baking sun, taking in the magnificent view all around us. We were in the middle of a massive amphitheater of steep, snowy faces of #Lhotse, #Everest, and #Nuptse. And what a spectacular sight it was too! From our camp you could also see a few tiny, ant-like dots slowly climbing up the Lhotse face, towards camp 3 somewhere around 7,000m.
“Our second camp is at the far end at around 6,400m and therefore is closer to the Lhotse face. It being closer makes the next step shorter.
“As part of the #basecamp service there is also a cook and a small dining tent here for the whole season, but we’ve brought our own food to the mountain so we left the dining tent for the other members. Although we have accepted the kind offers of tea or lunch. ☺
“During our rest day we pretty much did not much else than resting and eating. And got some glacier ice to melt into water for the next day. By the afternoon it was cloudy again and a few snowflakes dropped down so we stayed firmly in the sleeping bag until dinner time when we got ready for the following days’ excursion up to camp 3.”
“Few more days to wait for the final summit bid. It’s been a mental rollercoaster for me last few days but feeling the vibe of the mountain and energy from our team there is only one gear that will work for this mission. In my local rescue team at home (@dagrenning) we would call it “Böddi gír”.
“Boddi is one of our towns legends and been in rescue service and fire team as long as I remember. While in the mountains he drives like there is no tommorrow and frequently he will pull off the impossible with the one and only “böddi gear”.
“More on the dates for final summit bid later, but now for the mind “pedal to the metal””
“I set off at 11p.m. to be behind the crowds and hoped for a summit free of crowds.
“This worked a treat but alas the clouds had started to build particularly off to the West. So no 360° summit panorama.
“It’s surprisingly difficult to focus, see through the viewfinder, see the settings on the camera screen etc etc but I hope I have footage that can at least create a great banner from Lhotse around to Cho Oyu. Details to follow.
“After returning to The S Col and resting up for the night we then set off for Lhotse.
“It was a perfect morning but by the time we reached the summit it was particularly cloudy and windy with lots of spindrift. No panorama! Indeed it was the most Scottish conditions I’ve had anywhere else other than in Scottish Winter.
“We made our way back down to Lhotse C4 and picked up the trail back to C3 on the Lhotse Face. It was a white out for most of the way down and given that we’d just summited 2 x 8,000ers in 2 days we were somewhat jaded.
“A bunch of hours later we were met at the bottom of the Lhotse Face by our cook, Amrit. He had a bottle of Coke for us each (which promptly froze on opening) and a flask of hot white tea (which ended up spilt on the floor after the first cupful).
“By now it was pretty much dark and the wind was blowing spindrift across the trail which had all but disappeared. Getting back to C2 involved following the nuance of a trail and using a certain amount of mountain savvy.
“Back at C2 we drank gallons of hot sweet milky tea and gobbled up momo soup. We relaxed for the first time that day and revelled in each other’s company.
“I could not have attempted let alone climbed Everest and Lhotse without my companion Tenji Bhote. A huge thank you.”
“In a few days we start our summit attempt. We hope the weather will be with us. I can’t wait to see the rest of the mountain”
Everest 2021 – Team Updates – 13th May
Everest 2021 – Climber Updates – 12th May
