Hello Everyone,
We have just finished our first rotation to Camps 1 and 2 over the last 6 days! The team did great! Everyone acclimatized very well to our new high elevation of 21,400ft at Camp 2. On our rest and acclimatization day at Camp 2 we hiked towards the Lhotse face and happen to be in the right place at the right time for a concert put on by the famous Raju Lama who is also climbing Mt Everest.
Our first rotation was met with very few people climbing through the icefall on the way up and also on the way down. We left at 2am this morning for Basecamp and we were greeted by our Chef and kitchen staff with a second breakfast when we arrived. The team is tired but feeling good about our success. Overall from Basecamp to camp 2 the route is in great shape. The icefall has very few ladders to navigate and the route from Camp 1 to Camp 2 is the quickest and easiest I have seen it in my 11 seasons on Mt Everest. This makes for a safe and quick trek through the Western Cwm, which I think has to be one of the most beautiful mountain scales in the World!
We will now rest for 4 of 5 days before heading back up to Camp 1, 2, and 3 for our final rotation before the summit attempt. For now the weather looks good, our Sherpa are working hard carrying loads of food and fuel, and oxygen to stock the camps and the fixing team has made incredible progress fixing the lines all the way to the South Col (camp 4). They hope to fix the lines to the summit in the next week or so.
For now though we will relax, rest, and let our bodies soak in the much thicker air down here at Basecamp at 17,500ft!
I will update again tomorrow, thanks for following along.
Ben Jones
Expedition Leader
