Final Wrap-up by Sean Disney

Date: Friday 2nd June 2006

News for the day: Welcome home! Our Everest summiteers, Sean and Vaughan, arrived in Johannesburg this afternoon looking a little leaner than usual, but otherwise very well, happy and extremely excited. They were greeted by a big crowd of family and friends, and spent the remainder of the afternoon at the airport exchanging news and filling everyone in with details of their expedition. They must have been extremely tired since it appears that their trip home was not as rosy as the picture painted below! On arrival at Kathmandu airport yesterday morning, they discovered that their 60-day visas had expired, and they were required to return to town to have the visas renewed. This resulted in a very big delay  and they were then only able to catch a plane out of Kathmandu yesterday evening. They spent the night at the airport with very little sleep and then boarded the Qatar Airlines plane home this morning. They will both sleep long and well tonight in their very own beds after an absence of 10 weeks.

Date: Thursday 1st June 2006

Date: Wednesday 31st May 2006

Date: Tuesday 30th May 2006

News for the day: News has just come through from Sean that he and Vaughan are still at Lobuche. The helicopter has been unable to land at Lobuche on account of very misty conditions. The team members are hoping and praying that they will be able to leave the mountains tomorrow, in which case they will arrive in Johannesburg on Thursday morning, 1st June. We will let you know as soon as we have any further news.

News for the day: Unfortunately, due to bad weather, the helicopter was not able to fly to Lobuche (4930 m) today to take our team members to Kathmandu. They are therefore impatiently spending another day in this small trekking village, and are hoping to leave for Kathmandu at 6.30 tomorrow morning, weather permitting. Everest north side news is that the Australian summiteer and survivor, Lincoln Hall, left Advanced Base Camp (6400 m) today on a yak (see picture courtesy of Jamie McGuinness - ProjectHimalaya.com). http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=3315 reports today that at the start of the spring 2006 Everest season, the peak had been summited 2557 times. This season is expected to record up to 500 summits, a result of the excellent weather conditions. This must surely be a record!

News for the day: After completing all their packing up this morning, the team members began their four hour hike down to Lobuche (4930 m). They plan to spend the night in this small hamlet and then take a helicopter to Kathmandu in the morning. News from the north side of the mountain is that Australian climber, Lincoln Hall, has made a miraculous recovery. At 2 pm Nepalese time today, he managed to walk into Advanced Base Camp, 6400 m, "in reasonably good health" according to the news report on http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=3306. His doctor has, however, pronounced that he has 2nd to 3rd degree frostbite on his hands (on a scale of 1 to 4).

News for the day: Sean and Vaughan arrived back at Base Camp (5360 m) today and reported that they were very happy indeed to be down. Sean could have made good use of his fishing rod on the return trip as the Icefall was thawing out very quickly. Tomorrow the team members will spend the morning packing up all their bags and barrels, and these will be transported down to Lukhla by the porters during the next two weeks. Pemba Sherpa has collected a number of rock samples for René from Camp IV and above, and these will be brought back to South Africa by the team. As soon as they are ready to leave tomorrow, the successful summiteers will bid farewell to their home for the last seven weeks, and hike down to Lobuche where they will be taking a helicopter to Kathmandu on Sunday. They will arrive home on Wednesday morning, 31st May, at 5.15 am (South African time). Incredible news from the north side of the mountain is that the Australian climber, Lincoln Hall, who was pronounced dead yesterday by his expedition leader, is alive and has been rescued after having  spent the night out on the mountain at 8700 m. The latest report is that Lincoln and the rescue party have reached North Col (7000 m), and although Lincoln has regained consciousness, he remains in an extremely serious condition (http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=3303).

News for the day: At the time of reporting (3.45 pm Nepalese time), Sean, Vaughan and their three Sherpas had returned to Camp II (6500 m). Chumbe Sherpa was busy packing up the team's tents and equipment, and the dining tent would serve as sleeping quarters for the night. It is relatively warm at Camp II at the moment and the Icefall is expected to be very slushy when the team descends to Base Camp (5360 m) tomorrow. Sadly, the group came across the Czech climber, Pavel Kalny's body today on their way to Camp II. He was killed after a fall from the Lhotse Gulley on 10th May 2006. The number of deaths in the Everest region this season has now risen to eleven with the news of the deaths on the north side of the Russian climber, Igor Plyushkin, the French climber, Jacques-Hugues Letrange, and the German visually impaired climber, Thomas Weber.  On a more positive note, we salute the achievements of two fellow South African climbers: Selebelo Selamolela summited from the north side on 18th May and Ronnie Muhl reached a height of 8700 m, only 148 m short of the summit, on 21st May. Selebelo is the second African, and the 7th South African, to summit Everest. Sean and Vaughan are placed 8th and 9th in the ranking of South Africans who have climbed to the top of the world, and they have also both become members of the exclusive Seven Summits club, having climbed to the highest point on each of the 7 continents. Our congratulations! As a thank you gift for participating in the NASA Cognitive Test Programme, the team was given a bottle of Indian Blend Scotch Whiskey. They are looking forward to a small celebration on their return to Base Camp tomorrow.

Date: Wednesday 24th May 2006

Date: Tuesday 23rd May 2006

Date: Monday 22nd May 2006

Date: Sunday 21st May 2006

Date: Saturday 20th May 2006

News for the day:  Sean and Vaughan are feeling very well. The weather at Camp II (6500 m) this time has been very hot compared to the cold temperatures experienced on their previous visit on 5th May. They plan to leave for Camp III (7450 m) tomorrow morning at 8 am. The trip should take them no more than six hours. They will sleep on oxygen (1 litre/min) at Camp III for one night before proceeding to Camp IV (7950 m) on Monday 22nd May where they will again sleep on oxygen. All going well, they will leave Camp IV at approximately 10 pm on Tuesday night, headed for the top!  Their oxygen flow rate whilst moving from Camp IV to the summit will be approximately 2,5 litres/min. At present, the weather forecast for Tuesday night and Wednesday is excellent. News from the mountain is that more than 300 climbers are expected to summit this year on account of the excellent conditions. On a far less positive note, www.mounteverest.net brings us the following two news items: (1) On 17th May, Brazilian climber, Vitor Negrete, reported from Camp III, as he was setting off for the summit: "I am going tonight, without O₂, without a Sherpa and without a sat-phone, since the batteries of the one I have are almost gone. I am going completely on my own. I promise I’ll be careful." A day later, he achieved his goal, becoming the first Brazilian to summit Everest without oxygen.  Sadly, however, he died on his way down the mountain. (2) The Swedish climber, Tomas Olsson, who summited from the north side last Tuesday 16th May, is still missing on the mountain. He and his Norwegian climbing partner were attempting to ski down the north face after their successful summit attempt. At 8500 m, however, they encountered a steep 50 m rocky section, and whilst Tomas was rappelling down, the snow anchor broke, causing him to fall and to continue sliding down the wall. A helicopter has now been dispatched to assist in the ongoing search for the Swedish climber. Addendum 21st May: News has just come through that Sherpas found the body of Tomas Olsson at 6700 m yesterday evening. The body will be lowered 300 m down the face in order to avoid the avalanche zone, and will then be helicoptered out. This brings to eight the number of deaths in the Everest region this year.

Date: Friday 19th May 2006

News for the day: Sean and Vaughan spent a quiet day at Camp II today. Tomorrow will be a rest day again, and they plan to move up to Camp III on Sunday. They will then wait for the perfect day before making their summit attempt (Wednesday 24th May could be the big day). They are expecting the next wave of summits to take place next week. Kaji's restaurant produced a good meal today, but not quite as fine as Brown's in Rivonia where a certain member of the team dined at lunch-time!

News for the day: Sean and Vaughn reached Camp II (6500 m) after a 10 hour climb and a “picnic” in the Western Cwm (hence the slow time in reaching Camp II). Both are feeling well. At the time of reporting, Kaji, the Camp II cook, was preparing eggs and chips for Sean and fried rice for Vaughan. Kaji was also being accused of stealing all the oxygen from the dining tent with his kerosene stove (boy, does that stove stink, besides burn up oxygen like a jet engine!). Although there have been 42 south side summits over the last few days, wind speeds are forecast to increase to between 20 and 38 knots (40 to 76km/hr) over the next five days, and the teams at South Col will take a decision today whether to retreat or to go for the summit. Sean and Vaughan will sit out the next few days at Camp II if wind speeds do not abate. It is possible to summit in wind speeds of 30 knots (because of the thinner air at 8000 m and resulting lower pressure) but it is risky. At this stage it looks like our team could be making a summit attempt on Wednesday next week.

Date: Wednesday 17th May 2006

News for the day: The team members spent another quiet day, conserving all their physical and mental energy for the days ahead when their summit push begins. They will be leaving Base Camp tomorrow morning at 3 am, and the climb to Camp II (6500 m) will take a good 9 hours. Once again, they will be crossing the perilous Khumbu Icefall during the first part of their journey; this will be their seventh time crossing this hazardous link to the upper reaches of the mountain. They shared a visitors' lunch with a fellow South African climber at Base Camp today, Philip Rainer. Meanwhile, back home, René is nursing his injured (not for the squeamish) toe back to health, and his cough is gradually improving. He ventured into the office today but was promptly sent home. Up on the south side summit, four members of the Jagged Globe team, plus two Sherpas, were the first summiteers of the season (from the south). Rhys Jones, who has just turned 20, is now the youngest Briton to have climbed the "7 Summits". A few hours later, members of the Korean team also summited from the south.  On the north side, James Hooper and Rob Gauntlett have become the youngest Britons to summit Everest ever. They both turned 19 during the current expedition. On a sadder note, a British climber, David Sharp, is the 6th this season to lose his life in the Everest area. He was attempting to summit from the north side, reportedly without Sherpa help. It is not known whether or not he reached the top.

News for the day: Friday 19th May has been forecast as the beginning of a good weather window, and it is therefore expected that a number of summits from the south side will occur on this day. Earlier today, the south side ropes had been fixed only as far as the Balcony. The Jagged Globe team, nonetheless, is set to try for the south summit tonight, hoping the Sherpas will have fixed the ropes all the way to the top by then! Sean and Vaughan will rest at Base Camp again tomorrow and will then move up to Camp II on Thursday where they will probably await the next weather window. They enjoyed fresh chicken and lamb for dinner which had recently been transported to Base Camp from Lobuche. They spent some time today checking out their oxygen equipment to ensure that it was functioning 100%. On the north side, double amputee and mountaineer, Mark Inglis from New Zealand, was lauded for "successfully scaling the world's highest peak". This achievement occurred on Mark's 46th birthday - what a birthday present!
(www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00345.htm)

Date: Monday 15th May 2006

Note of thanks from René - I would like to acknowledge all my friends and family who sent messages to me during the seven weeks I was on the mountain:

Date: Sunday 14th May 2006

News for the day: Sean and Vaughan spent their last day in Kathmandu relaxing at the hotel. Tomorrow morning, they will be taking the helicopter back to Lobuche, weather permitting. René took an early flight out of Kathmandu today to Doha in Qatar. He spent the day at the Marriott Hotel enjoying the excellent hospitality of Qatar airways, and was due to catch the plane to Johannesburg at 9.15 pm this evening. The 3-man team enjoyed a sumptuous farewell meal last night at Chez Caroline: Lamb chops and steak with trimmings, apple crumble and ice-cream, accompanied by the best wine they have tasted in years, a bottle of Brouilly 2001, a "full-bodied, fruity, rich red" wine from the Beaujolais region in South-East France.

Date: Saturday 13^th May 2006

News for the day: This morning the team awoke at seven after a deep, restful sleep. They enjoyed a delicious breakfast of bacon and eggs, an all-time favourite. It was raining heavily, but this did not prevent them from having a productive day. In the morning they journeyed to Thamel, a shopping district of Kathmandu with Internet Cafés, outstanding restaurants and excellent bookshops. René and Vaughan visited a bookshop and ordered, amongst other books, Everest and Other Big Mountains. These will be bound in pig-skin leather and shipped to South Africa as a reminder of this extraordinary time in their lives. Some other curio items were bought such as T-shirts and gifts. They spent a relaxing afternoon taking advantage of the many benefits the hotel has to offer: a stunning pool, soothing treatments such as massages, and comfortable rooms with DSTV, to name a few. The evening brought a wonderful dinner of farewell and thanks on René’s part, as a token of his appreciation for the support and friendship he has received from Sean and Vaughan over the past six weeks. René has managed to get a seat on tomorrow’s plane from Kathmandu and he will be arriving in Johannesburg early on Monday morning.

News for the day: The team enjoyed a commitment free day today. René and Sean went into town and René took the opportunity to have a haircut. Vaughan spent time catching up on his sleep. Both Vaughan and Sean are feeling much better and are recovering quickly. For dinner, the team enjoyed pizzas at the Fire and Ice Pizzeria which boasts the "best pizzas in town". It is also (reportedly) the only place in the whole country which serves soft-serve ice-cream. At the time of reporting (9 pm Nepalese time), there was a full moon, the weather was clear, and the temperatures were in the region of 20°C. Earlier on in the day, temperatures had risen to 30°C, a far cry from the -32°C minimum temperature forecast at altitude 8848 m tonight! Up on the north side of the mountain, the 80 km/hr strong winds have forced climbers to abandon their immediate summit bids; on the south side, the Jagged Globe (UK) and Mallorca teams report that they are aiming to summit on the 17th May!

Date: Thursday 11th May 2006

News for the day: The team enjoyed a 2 hour helicopter ride down to Kathmandu today in very good weather. They arrived in the capital city at 12 noon. Sean and Vaughan are still very tired and sunburnt, and spent the afternoon sleeping. René's chest is a little better but his toe is not looking too good. He is hoping to clear the infection with plenty of visits to the steam bath tomorrow. This is certainly a time of pampering before the next part of the epic begins for Sean and Vaughan. They will be flying back to Lobuche, weather permitting, on Monday 15th May. René is booked to return to Johannesburg on the same day. Many of the south side climbers are resting in villages below Base Camp whilst the Sherpas are fixing the ropes above South Col. Meanwhile, on the north side, it is reported that a Georgian climber summited Everest yesterday, and 2 Americans reached the top today. There is tragic news from Mount Elbrus where 7 Russian and Ukranian climbers have died, and 4 are still missing, after they were caught in temperatures of -50°C only 300 m from the summit. Mt Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe, stands at 5600 m.

Date: Wednesday 10th May 2006

Date: Tuesday 9th May 2006

News for the day: Sean and Vaughan arrived back from Camp II at 1 pm today. An excited reception party consisting of Brown University researchers, personnel from the Base Camp clinic, and, of course, René, welcomed them back "home". To have achieved a height of 7450 m is no mean feat! Tomorrow they will all depart for Lobuche on foot, after which they will take a helicopter ride to Kathmandu. René has made a decision to return home from Kathmandu on account of his health. He also feels that he is now too far behind in the acclimatisation sequence to be able to attempt a summit push with his team in a few weeks' time. Sean has kindly offered to take the sponsors' flag up to the top for René. At this point, Sean, Vaughan and René wish to extend their sincere thanks to their wives for all the support they have received. They also wish to thank their many friends and family members who have sent so many encouraging and supportive SMS messages. Sean's secretary, Jenny, who has been constantly hard at work behind the scenes, is also sincerely thanked. Watch this space; we will continue to report and wish our climbers well.

News for the day: Sean and Vaughan returned to Camp II (6500 m) today at noon and spent the afternoon catching up on their sleep. They were extremely tired after their night spent at Camp III (7450 m) since, without oxygen, it was very difficult to get any sleep. The Sherpas, once again, climbed to Camp IV (7950 m) today to drop off equipment in readiness for the planned summit, hopefully in approximately 2½ weeks time! It has been said that there will be more "good weather windows" this season than usual and, as a result, more climbers will be summiting! For those climbers who have completed their acclimatisation rotations, there is a possibility that they could summit this weekend! Sean and Vaughan will return to Base Camp tomorrow and join up with René again. On Tuesday morning, they will begin their 4 hour trek down to Lobuche (4930 m), together with Pemba Sherpa, who will be stocking up with provisions in Lobuche and then returning to Base Camp. Once at Lobuche, the boys will take a helicopter to Kathmandu where they plan to spend the next 4 days, allowing their bodies time to recover. René spent some time again on the glacier nearby studying the rock formations with Elliott, a researcher from Brown University. The average temperature at Camp II tomorrow will be -12°C whilst at Lobuche, 1570 m lower, the average forecast temperature will be in the region of 4°C.

Date: Sunday 7th May 2006

Date: Saturday 6th May 2006

News for the day: Sean and Vaughan have been gearing up for their next hurdle, Camp III (7450 m). They are well, but a little apprehensive about tomorrow's trip. They will begin their ascent of the Lhotse face tomorrow morning in perfect weather. It will be sunny with some cloud but not a breath of wind. Jangbu Sherpa will accompany them to assist with the carrying of their sleeping bags and down suits. Thereafter, he and Chumbe Sherpa will climb to the South Col (Camp IV, 7950 m) to drop off tents and food in preparation for the team's summit attempt later in the month. René spent a quiet day at Base Camp reading, writing his mountain journal, and making notes for his geology project. The snow which fell yesterday has almost all melted on account of the fine weather today. Tomorrow he plans to make a short trip to the nearby Lingtren valley to take more pictures of the geological structures for his project.

Date: Friday 5th May 2006

News for the day: Sean and Vaughan took it easy at Camp II today, resting in their tents. Temperatures were pretty cold throughout the day and evening (-15°C) with continuous snowfall (10 cm today). Their lead Sherpa, Pemba Sherpa, returned to Base Camp this morning, leaving Chumbe Sherpa and Jangbu Sherpa at Camp II with the two-man team. René, Dawa the cook, and Dawa, the cook's son, are manning Base Camp, endeavouring to avoid the snow which has been falling continuously.

News for the day: Sean and Vaughan left for Camp II (6500 m) at 5 am as planned. René felt it wiser to remain at Base Camp since his "Khumbu" cough has doggedly persisted for the past few weeks, not showing any signs of improvement despite two courses of antibiotics. In addition, his toe, which developed a touch of frostbite, is not healing as quickly as was hoped. The team of two, plus Sherpas, arrived at Camp II at 2 pm, exactly on schedule. They are feeling strong and well, and will take it easy for the next 2 days until their planned push for Camp III (7450 m) on Sunday morning 7th May. Temperatures at Camp II this morning were -11° and this evening they will drop to -20° Celsius. The afternoon snow showers at Camp II are forecast to continue right through until Saturday. Base Camp temperatures, on the other hand, are warming up rapidly with today's thermometer readings ranging from -5 to +6° Celsius. René has commented that he will soon have to swop from his -40° to his -20° Celsius sleeping bag! He spent the afternoon watching Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, a film depicting the early years of the career of aviator and director, Howard Hughes.

Date: Wednesday 3rd May 2006

News for the day: Another quiet day was spent at Base Camp. Although a fair amount of the team's equipment was taken up to Camp II (6500 m) last Wednesday, they still needed to pack items such as oxygen masks, and down booties and mittens for Camp III (7450 m). They leave at 5 am tomorrow, and hope to reach Camp II in 9 hours. The treacherous Khumbu Icefall, with its series of 14 ladders has, once again, to be crossed. Light snow is forecast at 6500 m with winds of between 20 and 25 km/hr during the day. Temperatures will range from -17 to -11° Celsius at Camp II tomorrow.

News for the day: Today was a long, slow day for the team. Rest periods such as this, however, are all part of the schedule, as the body needs to recuperate from the higher altitudes to which it has been exposed. They will spend tomorrow preparing their equipment and then leave for Camp II (6500 m) on Thursday morning. They plan to sleep here for 3 nights, move up to Camp III (7450 m) for 1 night, return to Camp II for a night, and then descend once again to Base Camp.

Date: Monday 1st May 2006

News for the day: The team took a 2 hour trip down to Gorak Shep (5160 m) today and enjoyed lunch there. Sean and Vaughan did not climb Kalar Patar, as planned, as it began to snow after lunch. It continued to snow throughout the afternoon and evening. Back at Base Camp, the boys relaxed, had dinner and then watched a few episodes of Jerry Seinfeld before retiring. Vaughan and René were delighted to receive their replacement iPods which had been sent via courier from Johannesburg to Kathmandu, and then transported up to Base Camp! Camp III is presently occupied by 5 tents belonging to Polish, Russian and Czech climbers. It has been reported that four Sherpas are the 1st climbers this season to summit Everest. This ascent was from the north side and was achieved whilst the Sherpas were fixing the route to the top.

Date: Sunday 30th April 2006

News for the day: The team spent a very quiet day at Base Camp (5360 m) today. The weather has warmed up a little and they estimate that temperatures this afternoon were +5° Celsius. Whilst not on the move, it seems that meal times are the highlight of the day; lunch consisted of tinned pork, toast, gherkins, tomatoes and corn. Tomorrow morning, the team plans to do the 4.3 km trip down to Gorak Shep (5160 m). Sean and Vaughan intend to climb Kalar Patar (5545 m) which is a short distance north-west of Gorak Shep.

News for the day: The team spent a relaxing time at Base Camp today. They did their washing, visited neighbours, read and slept. Lunch consisted of toasted cheese sandwiches, coleslaw, potato and salami. Delicious fruit cake was on the menu for afternoon tea! There were light snow showers during the afternoon. René has built up a good collection of drawings and pictures for his geology project, and he continued to work on this today. The lines from Camp II to Camp III have now been put in to place and there are climbers who are pushing for the 7450 m mark on the Everest south side. On the north side, the ropes have already been set to the 8300 m mark. The race is on, it seems!

Date: Friday 28th April 2006

News for the day: The team departed from Camp II (6500 m) at 7.30 am and arrived at Base Camp 5 hours later. Conditions were fine and clear for the return trip through the Western Cwm and the Khumbu Icefall. Some of the crevasses have now been fitted with 2 ladders side by side on account of the large numbers of climbers this year (150). On their return, the team enjoyed a shower and settled in to their Base Camp accommodation where they will remain for the next 4 or 5 days. After this, they plan to move up to Camp II again, stay there for 3 to 5 days, and then make a push for Camp III. A research team, testing for blood clots, took a small blood sample from each of our team members on their return (just a finger prick). The results showed no signs of clotting.

News for the day: The team spent a comfortable night at Camp II (6500 m) and are acclimatising well. Taking it easy, is the name of the game, since any quick movements cause them to become breathless. In comparison to Camp I, which they found bleak and desolate, the position of Camp II in the Western Cwm is stunning. They are surrounded by magnificent peaks and, at the time of reporting (1 pm Nepalese time), the Geneva Spur was visible, the view of Lhotse was spectacular, and they could just get a glimpse of the "Balcony". The summit, however, was covered in cloud. The weather today was sunny although outside temperatures were still fairly cold (-5° Celsius). The geology of the area is quite distinctive: the dark black rocks at the top of Everest give way to the "Yellow Band" of sedimentary sandstone at about 7500 m, and then the granites appear below this. The team has completed two sets of tests for the NASA project on speech impairment at altitude. The first was at Base Camp and the second at Camp II. The tests measure and compare co-ordination, concentration, memory, comprehension and deduction at various altitudes, and the results will be used for the NASA Mars space shuttle project. Once the lines to Camp III (7450 m) have been put into place, climbers can then start moving up the Lhotse face. Our team, however, plans to return to Base Camp tomorrow. They hope to leave at 6 am and estimate that the trip "home" will take about 6 hours.

Date: Wednesday 26th April 2006

News for the day: The team left Camp I (6065 m) as planned at 5 am taking the well-known route to Camp II (6500 m) via the Western Cwm.  They arrived, frozen to the bone, four and a half hours later. Although there was only a gentle wind, this caused the chill factor to increase, and they estimate that temperatures were in the region of minus 30° Celsius. Despite using their hand and foot warmers, they could hardly feel their fingers and toes at times. Even their eyelids and beards showed signs of freezing! Once at Camp II, however, they thawed out and were more than satisfied with their luxurious dining facilities and outstanding cook. Drink of the day: Hot orange juice! They will spend a second night at Camp II tomorrow before descending to Base Camp once more on Friday morning, 28th April.

Date: Tuesday 25th April 2006

News for the day: The team slept very well last night on the Khumbu glacier and then spent a lazy day at Camp I (6065 m) today. Although it was a beautiful day (30° Celsius inside the tent at noon), they decided to postpone the trip to Camp II after their 14-ladder, marathon trip yesterday. They are becoming experts at melting snow for tea, drinking water and for ablution purposes. Lunch was a scrumptious combination of tuna, smoked meat and biscuits. It started to snow again later in the afternoon causing temperatures to drop to -5° Celsius (inside the tent). Weather permitting, the team plans to climb to Camp II (6500 m) tomorrow. The trip is approximately 2 km (horizontally) and should take about 4 hours.

News for the day: As planned, the team left Base Camp at 5 am. The tragedy which had occurred three days previously was brought home to them fully as they passed the spot where the three Sherpas had died. They reached Camp I (6065 m) safely at noon after a strenuous 7 hour trip. The journey was made all the more difficult on account of the additional equipment which they were carrying. Whilst at Camp I, their culinary skills will be put to the test since their cook is presently stationed at Camp II (6500 m). They had no difficulty preparing a delicious lunch of burritos with smoked pork and cheese. It has begun to snow again, quite heavily, and the team is unsure whether they will be able to go ahead with the scheduled climb to Camp II (6500 m) tomorrow.

Date: Sunday 23rd April 2006

News for the day: Another quiet day was spent at Base Camp, gathering strength and courage to cross the Icefall once again to Camp I tomorrow. The weather today was perfect with 14° Celsius being recorded inside the tents at 5 pm. Although some of the snow has melted, Base Camp is still covered in a white blanket. Our team's Sherpas worked hard today ferrying equipment to Camps I & II in preparation for the 4 day stayover this week at higher altitudes. The team is looking forward to their 5 am start in the morning and they hope to reach Camp I by 11 am.

Date: Saturday 22nd April 2006

News for the day: Base Camp was very quiet today as the climbers mourned the 3 Sherpas who had been killed in the Icefall yesterday. A number of Puja ceremonies was held in honour of these Sherpas. Tomorrow, the Sherpas from our team are climbing to Camp II (6500 m) to set up an Advanced Base Camp with kitchen/dining tent and sleeping tents. The team will cross the Icefall again to Camp I (6065 m) on Monday, sleep over, climb to Camp II on Tuesday, return to Camp I to sleep, and then climb to Camp II again on Wednesday where they hope to spend two nights before returning to Base Camp (5360 m). Although King Gyanendra has promised democracy to the people of Nepal, it seems that the protestors are "unmoved by his words". There is still much unrest in Kathmandu with day-time curfews still being imposed.

Date: Friday 21st April 2006

News for the day: It was cloudless and sunny at Base Camp today. A heavy air, however, hung over the camp after the news of the death of 3 Sherpas at around 7 am this morning in the Khumbu Icefall when several large towers of ice collapsed. Ang Phinjo Sherpa (50), who died in the avalanche, was on his 49th 8000 m expedition. Weather permitting, our team plans to climb to Camp I (6065 m) again on Monday 24th April. They will spend two nights there and then move up to Camp II (6500 m) where they hope to spend a further two nights.

Date: Thursday 20th April 2006

News for the day: The weather was beautiful today and the snow began to melt a little. The Camp I climbers returned safely to Base Camp at 2 pm Nepalese time. Our team spent the morning with Pemba Sherpa assembling their oxygen units, working out flow rates and testing to see that the equipment functioned 100%. Sean's "World Space Radio" is now working and the group was able to tune in to the BBC and CNN world news programmes. They were even able to quote the current gold price and the Rand/Dollar exchange rate!

Date: Wednesday 19th April 2006

News for the day: It continued to snow today with Base Camp being transformed into a wonderland of snow. Some climbers, however, have been stranded at Camp I (6065 m) where approximately one and a half metres of snow have fallen.  They are unable to descend to Base Camp as the Icefall ropes have been buried in the snow. This evening, the stars appeared, hopefully heralding good weather for the next few days. Our team spent another quiet day, reading and sleeping. They enjoyed pasta for dinner and then watched Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. Tomorrow, Pemba Sherpa will conduct an oxygen training session for the group and this will help to relieve the boredom which is being experienced at the moment!

News for the day: The team spent a very quiet day at Base Camp in order to give their bodies a chance to recover from the taxing trip to Camp 1 (6065 m) yesterday. It has been snowing continuously during the past 24 hours with a total of 18 inches (457 mm) having fallen so far. There are no plans to move from Base Camp at the moment on account of the weather. The temperature outside is at least -10° Celsius. After yesterday's difficult day, the team's appetites have returned and they enjoyed hot dogs wrapped in pastry for lunch, and pizza and trifle for dinner. They watched part of a DVD, American Pie, before the power supply for their DVD player ran out!

Date: Monday 17th April 2006

Date: Sunday 16th April 2006

News for the day: The team spent most of the day reading and sleeping. Jangbu Sherpa and Chumbe Sherpa took between four and a half and five hours to do the trip from Base Camp (5360 m) to Camp I (6065 m) and back again (with a load of equipment: tents, poles etc). Our team will be leaving Base Camp at 4 am tomorrow morning, and hope to do the return trip to Camp I and back in 12 to 14 hours. They supped on soup, toast and popcorn this evening and will retire early in preparation for their long, arduous climb tomorrow.  It has been said that, at present,  the Khumbu Icefall is the safest it has been for years!

Date:  Saturday 15th April 2006

News for the day: The Khumbu Icefall has now been equipped with all the necessary ladders and ropes to allow teams to move from Base Camp to Camp I. The team ventured up the icefall today and reached a height of 5585 m, approximately a third of the way towards Camp I.  It was unbearably hot in the Icefall due to the reflection of light off the ice.  They crossed 3 crevasses on their way up.  It is said by some that the crossing of the Icefall is one of the most dangerous sections of the entire climb.  Pemba, who is their Sirdar (lead Sherpa), accompanied them. He has completed five Everest summits.  The team reports that he is an outstanding guide.  They will rest tomorrow and then probably move up the Icefall again on Monday. The other Sherpas on the team are Chumbe (two summits) and Jangbu (two summits). 

Date: Friday 14th April 2006

News for the day: The team is beginning to acclimatise well.  The highlight of the day was the Puja ceremony this morning which lasted approximately three hours. No team ventures above Base Camp without having taken part in this ceremony.  The team and their staff of 9 were all blessed by the Lama, their crampons and ice axes were blessed, and they were each given necklaces which had been blessed. Rice and Chang (a type of wine) were thrown over all members of the party. The flag pole was erected, it stood firm (a sign of good luck), and a bird alighted atop the pole (also a sign of good luck).  Seven tendrils covered in prayer flags radiated from the pole, each about 200 m in length. After the ceremony, the team slept and read, and then had a meeting to discuss the NASA speech impairment project for which they have volunteered.

News for the day: The team spent the better part of the day tucked up in their sleeping bags in their tents. It was a very cold day with a great deal of wind. The temperatures during the day are generally between 0 and 5° Celsius but at night, they drop to about  -15° (the tents, however, are a little warmer than this).  They enjoyed pizza for dinner and then watched "Heat" with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro before retiring to bed. The Lama will be staying overnight at Base Camp tonight in preparation for the Puja ceremony in the morning.

Date: Wednesday 12th April 2006

News for the day: The team enjoyed another quiet rest day today, reading during the day and watching a DVD after their dinner of soup and toast. Their cook has been serving gigantic portions and they felt they needed a break from this today. They have joined a NASA project which is conducting research on speech impairment at various altitudes. They made their 1st (and hopefully last) descent into a crevasse behind the dining tent today in order to retrieve René's T-shirt which had blown away in a strong gust of wind.

News for the day: The team is finding it a little difficult adjusting to the altitude, with some breathless periods occurring around 2 in the morning. The temperatures are fairly cold: 4° Celsius during the day and -4° at night (inside the tent).  The thick down suits and sleeping bags, however, are keeping our group warm and comfortable. On Friday morning at 10 am, the entire team of climbers, sherpas, porters and camp staff will take part in a Puja ceremony conducted by a Buddhist Lama. During the ceremony, flags are raised and the team is blessed. The "Ice Doctors" have not yet put the ladders and ropes in place for the climb to Camp I (6065 m), but it is hoped that this will be completed by the weekend. 

Date: Monday 10th April 2006

News for the day: The team spent a quiet day reading and watching DVDs. They will be doing this for a number of days in order to acclimatise before attempting to climb to Camp I (6065 m). They spent some time today putting up their communications aerial for their 144MHz radio links. There are approximately 200 tents at present at Base Camp. The climbers include famous names such as Henry Todd (expedition leader and Everest legend), Dave Hahn (guide extraordinaire and member of the team which discovered Mallory's body), and Apa Sherpa who holds the world record for the most number of Everest summits (15 in 15 years). He is hoping to go for his 16th summit this year. The weather is fairly cold (4° Celsius inside the tents). Today's dinner was Dal Baht, the Nepalese national dish: Rice with lentil soup and vegetable curry.

Date: Sunday 9th April 2006

News for the day: The team arrived safely at Base Camp (5360 m) today.  Their camp has been well set up and looks directly up the Khumbu Icefall.  The Sherpas are competent and the cook is very good.  The group enjoyed a delicious dinner of spaghetti this evening in the heated dining tent and then treated themselves to a DVD after nine days on the road.  They are cosy and comfortable in their tents despite the cold weather.

Date: Saturday 8th April 2006

News for the day: Sean and Vaughan took it easy this morning on their rest day. René climbed to the top of Kalar Patar (5545 m) and found the views of Everest, Makalu (8462 m) and the South Col breathtaking. Makalu, which is 22 km east of Everest, is the 5th highest mountain in the world.  It is an isolated peak in the shape of a 4-sided pyramid. René did some work for his geological project, drawing sketches and taking photos of the rock structures.  The landscape is barren and isolated with small patches of grass here and there. The weather is fine with some light snow falling.

Date: Friday 7th April 2006

News for the day: The team was overjoyed today when they arrived at Gorak Shep (5160 m) - Everest was clearly visible and Base Camp, too, was in sight! The trip today took the group three and a half hours in fine, clear weather. René reports that the geology of the area is superb! They will spend the next two nights at Gorak Shep whilst their backstage crew puts the finishing touches to their Base Camp home. They hope to make a short trip to Kalar Patar tomorrow (5545 m) with its glorious views of Everest and the Khumbu Glacier.

Date: Thursday 6th April 2006

News for the day: The team has now arrived at Lobuche (4930 m). The altitude is still causing slight headaches but once they are settled into Base Camp, this should ease (i.e. until they start their climb up to Camp I). The lodge at Lobuche is overflowing with trekkers, all headed for Base Camp. There is a great deal of snow on the ground and the evening temperatures are in the region of -3° Celsius. Tomorrow they will move on to Gorak Shep (5160 m) where they will stay for two nights. They hope to arrive at Base Camp fairly early on Sunday morning.

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Date: Wednesday 5th April 2006

Date: Tuesday 4th April 2006

News for the day:  The team is happy and taking a well-earned rest in order to acclimatise. The more slowly they ascend, the better they will feel! Ama Dablam (6812 m) is right on their doorstep and they are also able to see Mount Everest from Pang Boche. It appears that there is a great deal of wind up on the top of Everest at the moment!

The Monastery at Teng Boche

Date: Monday 3rd April 2006

Date: Sunday 2nd April 2006

News for the day: The team trekked to Namche Bazar (3440 m) today and certainly found the climb a little more strenuous towards the end of the day. They have booked in to the Khumbu Lodge (definitely not one of our Kruger Park Lodges). The walk today through the valleys was fairly warm, however, this evening it began snowing and the temperature dropped to below zero (Celsius). Tomorrow's journey takes the team to Pang Boche, 3958 m.

Date: Saturday 1st April 2006

News for the day: The team left Kathmandu Airport as planned at 6 am and arrived at Lukhla an hour later.  The trek to Base Camp began with a 3 hour walk to Phakding (2500 m) in rainy conditions. The team enjoyed a good supper and are spending the night in a "lodge". Tomorrow they can look forward to a 5 hour walk to Namche Bazar (3440 m).

Date: Friday 31st March 2006

News for the day: Sean and René have been keeping themselves busy at the Internet Café since this is their last opportunity (until they return to Kathmandu) to communicate via e-mail. Vaughan went further afield today to get some good photographs. (We are looking forward to seeing his slide show on his return.) The team leaves Kathmandu Airport at 6 am tomorrow morning. The plane trip to Lukhla will take approximately an hour, and then the trek to Base Camp (5360 m) will begin: The trekking party will include 103 porters (each carrying 20 to 30 kgs), 3 climbing Sherpas, and 2 cooks, one of whom will remain permanently at Camp II (6500 m).  The large group of porters will go on ahead in order to set up camp for the team in advance. 

Date: Thursday 30th March 2006

Date: Wednesday 29th March 2006

News for the day: Sean and Vaughan have returned from their photographic trip to Chitwan.  Vaughan has now begun a series of photographs on temples in Kathmandu.  René visited the Ministry of Mines and Geology today and acquired a number of geological and topographical maps for the research he will be doing whilst trekking from Lukhla to Base Camp.

News for the day: René arrived safely in Kathmandu this morning. The team is enjoying the luxury of the 5 star Hyatt until Saturday morning when they fly to Lukhla and the trek to Base Camp begins. Sean and Vaughan have spent a few days away in Chitwan photographing tigers and Asian rhinos.

Date: Monday 27th March 2006