First Trip through the ice fall completed

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the delay in getting updates out, the internet via the cell network is touchy at best. Right now I have hiked about an hour out of base camp to get a strong enough signal to be able to send this update.

We spent 5 days above Base Camp working on acclimatization. With two nights  spent at Camp 1 and and 3 at Camp 2. We also took a little time to hike to the base of the Lhotse face. As of two days ago the route was fixed through to  Camp 3 It is expected that the route to Camp 4 (South Col) will be fixed in the next few days. The weather remains cyclonic in that mornings are nice and bright, almost warm enough to wear short sleeves and by 1 pm the clouds have come in the winds have picked up and you are headed into the dinning tent.

Right now we are planning to  go up for our second rotation on the mountain on May 2nd. The plan will be to head directly to Camp 2 and spend two nights there, ascend to Camp 3 for 1 or two nights, return to to Camp 2, then descend to BC after that. We tend to travel in the middle of the night through the ice fall because that is when it is most stable. 

I hope everyone is having a great spring. 

Chris Klinke

Everest BC

PS. I apologize for any typos but I am  sitting on rock typing this….

Training and Altitude

Hi Everyone, 

Sorry for the delay in blog entries but our internet is not very stable nor very reliable in any sense of the word.

We arrived in Base Camp on April 15th and have spent the time since then acclimatizing to the new altitude and doing technical training in the ice fall. This has meant that the team have been climbing up and down ice walls, traversing steep ice slopes, practicing walking on ladders with crampons, abseiling, working carabiners with mittens. You get the idea we have been busy. The team is doing well and we have been watching movies on a regular basis. The best so far was CHE, which actually turned out to be a 3/4 length version of Before the devil knows your Dead. It is just what you get for 100 rupees in Kathmandu.

Everyone is healthy. I am eating better then I normally do at home, except for Cassana Cuisine. 

We will be going through to Camp 1 starting next week. We will send an update when we are down with our first rotation through the ice fall.

Chris Klinke

Gorek Shep, Nepal

Team Photo after Puja

On the Trek

The days start to blend together as we are trekking into base camp. We spent one night in Phakding, and then continued onto Namache Bazaar. Namache always reminds me of Kathmandu on a micro Level. It is tucked into a hillside valley with varying levels of shops and hotels. You can get great coffee, fresh baked goods, and a wide selection of mountaineering gear. It also has a great pharmacy that came in quite handy since Sam and I both had a small chest infection after our time in Kathmandu.

We spent three nights there and lived in relatively luxury. A hotel with an attached bath.

We are now in Degoboche spending a night and from here on in we will be trekking everyday with no rest days until we hit Base Camp. The weather today was cooperative and we had sun and high clouds on our trek and when we got to our lodge it decided that it had enough of being nice to us and started raining. This could present some challenges as we head higher up with snow levels but we have some time for it to clear itself out.

Chris Klinke
Degoboche, Nepal

Getting ready to Go

I arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday and it is now Saturday and I am not sure where the days went.

My priorities have been helping Sam and Raffi get there gear sorted, getting the "nice to have" food items for base camp, making sure our power system is in place, and generally trying to get organized for taking a group of three people up the the south side of Mt. Everest.

I am excited to fly to Lukla tomorrow and escape the craziness that is Kathmandu. I am positive that if someone dropped me into Kathmandu blindfolded i could identify it by the noise and smell. There is a uniqueness to the city that I have not found any where else on the planet, patchouli mingled with rubbish, dust, and diesel exhaust. The sounds create their own rhythm that is either jarring to the senses or you embrace it for what it is. It is the launch pad for major expeditions all over Nepal and Tibet, and truly unique.

Climb Hard, Climb High, Come Home,

Chris Klinke
Kathmandu, Nepal