ABC - Heading up the North Col

Email update to Dave Pritt at Adventure Peaks, http://www.adventurepeaks.com/


Morning Dave,
I hope that this email finds you well and enjoying an oxygen-rich Friday in Ambleside.
Just a quick email to let you know that I've decided to stay at ABC thanks to a frustratingly sore rib-cage (intercostal muscles) which I managed to develop over the course of the past 2 weeks thanks to the pesky 'khumbu cough' that most people seem to have picked up. I've been enjoying the hallucinagenic side-effects of a wonderful painkiller called 'tramadol', walking around BC and ABC in a perpetual 'stoned' state (much to the amusement of the team)... As a result, my rib feels better (I'm pretty sure that if I was hit by a yak I wouldn't even feel it) and I decided that attaching myself to a fixed line and heading back up the mountain is likely not the best or safest idea!! Thus, I'm applying my skills here at ABC helping the team here with the comms, weather updates and and meeting people from other teams. Obviously I'm incredibly disappointed but am trying to make the best of the situation. I'm looking forward to being able to 'celebrate' all of the successful summit bids on Sunday morning with the team here - we even have a special breakfast planned and Bolle said that he was going to dance...!?!

So, the updates in case you haven't had the opportunity to speak to Stu...

Dressed head-to-toe in their wind-proofs and big-boots, the team headed up the North Col yesterday under blue skies and a hefty-breeze, leaving ABC between 9 - 10am. Everyone was in good spirits and eager to take the first 'official' steps on their individual bids for the summit. The 'breeze' picked up in the early afternoon which resulted in some challenging climbing conditions navigating the steep and icy face of the North Col - gusts up to 50 - 60mph, very cold temperatures, reduced visibility and a lot of blowing snow. The team successfully arrived at the top of the North Col at around 14:00h only to find a number of tents obliterated due to strong gusts of wind. Thanks to the efforts of the Sherpas and cooperation by other teams, these were quickly repaired and replaced. Brendan radioed into ABC to say that upon entering the tent he was immediately pinned to the ground by the wind with the tent wrapping around him like cling-film..! Everyone was eager to collect ice/snow for a brew and some delicious 'boil in a bag' feasts and dive into the comfort of their sleeping bags to escape the extremly harsh winds which seemed to pick up and continue well into the evening.

This morning, initial reports from the North Col suggest that morale is high, everyone slept as well as they possibly could under the conditions and are all currently making their way up to 7500m where some of the team will start to breathe the oxygen rich air provided by the O2 cylinders and then continue their way up to the camp at 7800m. Winds are still quite strong however are expected to subside this afternoon with clear skies and ideal conditions expected for tomorrow's move up to 82000m. The team is moving well and we can see their little silhouettes against the clear-blue sky from our vantage point here at ABC.

Those are the updates at the moment -- I'm due to speak with Stu at around 4pm today to check in and see how things are going and also send through any further weather updates.

If there's anything you need from us here or if you need to get in touch with Stu just let me know - we're checking email about 2-wice / day at the moment so will be sure to get the message through.

Hope that all is well...!


Cheers,
Heather