Mt. Everest 2005: Alpine Ascents Everest 2005 Camp One

Update: Camp I
    
It's 5:30 pm and we're all settled into our tents at Camp I in the Western Cwm. I'm catching the last few rays of sun hitting my tent before it drops below the steep ridge of Nuptse.

Wow, what a day. We had a spectacular journey through the icefall today and the entire team is now at Camp I. Ladder after ladder attached to one another in order to span crevasses and ascend serac faces. A journey through an immense broken glacier is a breathtaking experience. Gigantic towers of blue ice and multi-story serac walls make up what feels like an ice forest. I know everyone had an exhilarating experience.

So now we're "relaxing" in our tents waiting for our bodies to say 'uncle' and give up for the day. It's hard to really relax the first afternoon and evening at another high point- approx. 19,500 ft tonight. Slight headaches, queasy stomachs and a lack of appetite are common. The team did an excellent job of getting down some calories an hour ago. We've had some on again off again wind since we arrived at CI and it's just kicked up a bit as the sun is now dipping below the ridgeline.

Tomorrow we'll spend the day around CI- maybe get out the mp3 player and speakers and pretend we're in the tropics if it's sunny. We'll definitely be thinking of those of you back home.

All the best,
Dave

Dispatches

Vern Tejas, Willi Prittie, Dave Morton, Jose Luis Peralvo, and Lakpa Rita Sherpa will lead the Alpine Ascent team on Everest this Spring. They will attempt the standard South East ridge route.

GUIDE STAFF (BIOS)
Lakpa Rita Sherpa Senior Guide & Sirdar	Vern Tejas Senior Guide	Willi Prittie Senior Guide
Dave Morton Senior Guide	Jose Luis Peralvo Senior Guide	Ellie Henke Base Camp Manager
CLIMBERS
Nigel Clark	Esther Colwill	Ron Farb
Kevin Grant	Cathy Groninger	Kent Groninger
Mostafa Mahmoud	Jeanne Stawiecki	Dianette Strange-Wells
Tony Van Marken	David Liano	Danielle Fisher

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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