Everest 2006: N. Ireland and England Everest 2006 Expedition: update

Today has been a day of resting around the base camp, we have spent most of day on the Sat phones trying to get our equipment through! Alias we are no further on, all the equipment is still sitting in Kathmandu airport awaiting customs clearance we are told! We have heard every excuse under the sun why these consignments have not cleared customs before now, team morale is dropping and I am have a hard job keeping morale up. We are told that there is a national holiday tomorrow in Nepal, Saturday is a holy day and therefore nothing is open so things will not happen until Sunday! But on Sunday "there will be no problems with the clearance" again we have heard this all before. We have contacted the British embassy in Nepal and they have used what influence they can to expedite the process of customs. The transport of our equipment has become a major problem and has put serious pressure on our expedition, we do not want to name and shame people, but we have been serious let down. Anyway enough of the doom and gloom, Adrian still has not got his rucksack that the sherpas lost, so he has just won the award for the lest well dressed man at base camp, we all would like to congratulate Adrian on his award, Alan McDowell is still taking statements and was last heard saying "I am pursuing a number of lines of enquires and I have a few people helping me with enquires", so more on the case of stolen chocolate later. Kate was hoping that today was shower day for all the boys, as everyone is beginning to smell a little, unfortunately the weather was a little too cold, so sorry but Kate is going to have to bare it for another few days, we may get a wash tomorrow? Geoffrey has suggested that if don't own shares in Thurya (sat phone), rush out and buy some, as at the rate we are going they will double in value very shortly. The food continues to be excellent, but the mess tent is very cold and not a pleasant place to be, thanks to the lack of clothing! We are all grateful for Fergal's I pod which has a great selection of line dancing tunes and at this time the two step Everest shuffle is the only way to keep warm. Despite the lack of obvious silver linings thanks goes out to those who phoned even though we did miss your call, please don't let this stop you from trying again as every little helps.

At this point we all want to say thank you to Andrew Weir (don't forget my baggage please) for all the behind the scenes work he is doing and to Mike Foster who is also helping to pull us out of this cold windy hole. One thing is for sure if this had been a selection assessment no one would have been discharged for complaining or not maintaining a stiff upper lip. The team is holding up well but at this time there is only a small ?m? in MORAL. But I know that the arrival of equipment will make that a capital M and when we are celebrating the effort of our summiteers this will only seem like "character building". That all for now, as our finger joints have frozen. Adrian/Neill PS I promise never to complain about having the heating on again Adrian

Dispatches

Millet One Sport Everest Boot  has made some minor changes by adding more Kevlar. USES Expeditions / High altitude / Mountaineering in extremely cold conditions / Isothermal to -75°F Gore-Tex® Top dry / Evazote Reinforcements with aramid threads. Avg. Weight: 5 lbs 13 oz Sizes: 5 - 14 DESCRIPTION Boot with semi-rigid shell and built-in Gore-Tex® gaiter reinforced by aramid threads, and removable inner slipper Automatic crampon attachment Non-compressive fastening Double zip, so easier to put on Microcellular midsole to increase insulation Removable inner slipper in aluminized alveolate Fiberglass and carbon footbed Cordura + Evazote upper Elasticated collar. Expedition footwear for mountaineering in conditions of extreme cold.  NOTE US SIZES LISTED. See more here.

A cold weather, high altitude double boot for extreme conditions The Olympus Mons is the perfect choice for 8000-meter peaks. This super lightweight double boot has a PE thermal insulating inner boot that is coupled with a thermo-reflective outer boot with an integrated gaiter. We used a super insulating lightweight PE outsole to keep the weight down and the TPU midsole is excellent for crampon compatibility and stability on steep terrain. WEIGHT: 39.86 oz • 1130 g LAST: Olympus Mons CONSTRUCTION: Inner: Slip lasted Outer: Board Lasted OUTER BOOT: Cordura® upper lined with dual-density PE micro-cellular thermal insulating closed cell foam and thermo-reflective aluminium facing/ Insulated removable footbed/ Vibram® rubber rand See more here.

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