Mt. Everest 2005: Alpine Ascents Everest 2005: Oxygen day

Update: May 15 Everest BC
    
Hello friends, family and loved ones,

This is Oxygen day, the day we really focus on learning about proper breathing technique and our oxygen delivery systems. This morning everyone selected an oxygen mask that properly fit their particular face. Then we labeled them with our names so as not to lose them and also so we can identify each other on summit day. You can imagine with mask, ski goggles and big down suits it’s very difficult to know who you are climbing with. Name tags save a lot of confusion. We discussed the function of the mask and how to attach it to the regulator as well as correct way to install all onto our Russian oxygen bottles. Then it was hands on practice time. Everyone learned to change out a bottle and how to determine that it’s functioning properly. We all paid close attention as our well being depends on this.

The afternoon was filled with breathing class. Supplemental (bottle) oxygen has its limits. It gives us a 3000 ft. advantage roughly. So we need something else to get us to the top safely. All of us guides presented a seminar on how to breathe at altitude. This was full of technique gleaned from our decades of doing this. Then we practiced, we huffed and puffed and blew our dinning tent down. Before it was over all team members were able to increase the oxygen levels of their blood by 15%. Trust me, that’s a significant increase. Proper breathing really is the key to climbing this mountain.

Yesterday we were invited to a concert at the base camp medical clinic. Kristina, the doctor from the Czech team is a trained violinist and she wanted to share with us some of her gift. I always carry my fiddle in the mountains and was able to loan it to her for the performance. Talk about beautiful, that woman can play. Vivaldi, Bach and Devorak were magnificent to listen to on a crystalline day with the awe inspiring Nupste, Lhotse and Everest as a backdrop. Then she broke into Gypsy tunes and I broke into tears as the crowd broke into thunderous applause. It was a moving experience, a beautiful woman making beautiful music on a beautiful day in the beautiful Himalayan Mountains.

Mountain High,
Vern Tejas

One Oxygen bottles contains 1200 liters of Os. At 2 liter per minute flow a bottle should last for 10 hours.

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

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