DO SUMMIT GOOD: October 2011

Wednesday 19 October 2011

Back to Basics

Hit the climbing wall last night and felt I was right back to square one. My fore arms where blowing up after no time at all and felt I had no finger strength. So it's back to the finger board and some serious strength training and spend some hours on the wall and build up my stamina.
Apart from being weak it was great to hock up with Tommy and share some stories of my time in the mountains. Tommy having pulled a tendon and me being weak resulted in a early night and popping to grab a pizza and beer.

Grabbed a new pair of climbing shoes that where well needed as my present shoe had holes on the big toe which challenged the grip on offer from the shoe. I ended up with a pair of La sportiva katana's a more advanced shoe to what I was climbing in, which will hopefully assist me in climbing a little harder.

Back to strength training is crippling me. The joys of muscle fatigue!! i can't sit on the toilet....
"Train hard or go home" is a moto I keep thinking about.

Sunday 9 October 2011

Time to Reflect

The second we entered China communication was difficult, so apologies for limited personal updates on the expedition so far. It was an amazing trip, and reflecting back provided some invaluable lessons that I will take forward.

Advanced Base Camp (ABC) welcomed us with great facilities that made the stay in the mountains a little more comfortable. Dendi, the Sherpa Chef, always cooked up a storm morning, afternoon and night - which powered us for daily Himalayan slogs, up and down the mountains.

It was a great pleasure to experience a Puja, a Nepalese ceremony, that takes place before stepping foot on the mountain. It was great to share this experience with the Sherpas and also to experience drinking alcohol at high altitudes!

Moving up the mountain, the walk between ABC and Camp 1, the scree slope, became the bane of our lives. A rubble covered slope which seemed like we were always taking one step up and sliding two steps down! And it was always in my mind that I may have to attempt this slope around 6 times during my stay.

Being in the Himalayas during an earthquake was quite an experience too. Such a vulnerable environment, made even more dangerous by random avalanches. Thoughts were always with the climbers high in the mountain during this time.

The acclimatisation process was a complete success and all members of the team were fully acclimatised for a summit push, providing the mountain would present itself. It was a waiting game, seeing out storms, and when we got the nod it was a amazing feeling. Being turned around at camp 1 due to bad weather was a massive blow, then given the chance for a second attempt and being turned at Camp 3 was a real knock - but an invaluable lesson! The mountain is always in control and must be respected.

7,500 metres was our high point and I personally felt really strong pushing up the mountain. I've been told by the guides that this is a great position to be in, in respect to the preparation for Everest in 2012. The lessons learnt and experience gained have laid solid foundations and I now feel confident that a crack at the tallest mountain in the world is within my grasp…

6 months of prep and continued dedication is all that stands between me and this life changing challenge!