Canadian Mt. Everest 2005: The view from the Lhotse face

©EverestNews.com

Update: Tuesday 26th April, 8pm. Everest Camp Two
(EST is 9 hours 45mins behind Nepal)

The view from the Lhotse face

Diary by Harold Mah

Sean left Camp One today with his climbing sherpa and has now returned to Base Camp. He is going to stay the night there before heading back to Dingboche in the morning, at a much lower altitude, to give his body a better chance to heal quickly. He is in good spirits but is still suffering from a respiratory ailment. His climbing sherpa is also sick and is going back down the mountain with Sean! On the way down Sean met Will Cross who is sick too – from a gastrointestinal ailment – and is heading back down the mountain. It seems that sometimes all it takes is a return to a lower altitude to let the body heal itself (with a little help from some medicine) and then you can get back to business. I expect to see Sean back at Base Camp in a few days.

Today, under a sunny sky, I accomplished my goal. I got to the foot of the Lhotse face. I climbed from Camp Two which is at 20,000 feet and had a barometric pressure of 462hPa (Hectopascals), to 21,670 feet and a barometric pressure of 442hPa. This is the start of the final climb to Camp Three. To give you an idea of how steep the ascent is to the Lhotse face, it took me and my climbing sherpa three hours to get up there and only one hour to get back – we literally flew back down.

There are some minor crevasses to cross but nothing as severe as the Khumbu Ice Fall and nothing that needs a ladder. You just have to be careful where you step and how you walk because you could easily twist an ankle, or hurt yourself. And, it’s a long way down from up here.

The Lhotse face, which has a yellow band of dissolved fossils that give it some colour, is probably one of the most beautiful and magnificent sights on the route. When you get there you turn around and look back down the Western Cwm to Camp Two far, far away and see the dots of climbers snaking their way up the mountain. The climbers heading up to Camp Three above are heading up a slope with a 70-80 degree pitch. They have Everest framing them on one side and a valley on the other side. One false step to the side and they would end up rolling and tumbling down the slope for half a kilometre or more.

When we got back to Camp Two we celebrated with a traditional Nepali lunch of potatoes and an extra spicy soup that almost burned my mouth off.

The afternoon was devoted to visits from other Sherpas and cooks who came by to say “hello”. There is a definite pecking order among the Sherpas depending on experience and years in the business but they are all unfailingly charming and friendly.

Tomorrow I’ll head back to Base Camp and wait for Sean.

More later

Harold

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.

   Ascenders

   Atlas snowshoes

   Atomic

   Big Agnes

   Black Diamond

   Brunton

   Carabiners

   Chaco

   Cloudveil

   Columbia
   CMI

   Crampons

   Edelweiss ropes
   Eureka Tents

   Exofficio

   FiveTen

   Featured

   FoxRiver

   Gregory

   Granite Gear

   Harnesses
   Headlamps

   Hestra
   Helmets

   Helly Hansen

   HighGear

   HornyToad
   Ice Axes

   Julbo

   Kavu Eyewear

   Katadyn

   Kelty

   Kong

   Lekisport

   Life is Good

   Lowa

   Lowe Alpine

   Lowepro

   Millet

   Motorola

   Mountain Hardwear

   Mountainsmith

   MSR

   Nalgene

   New England Ropes

   Nikwax

   Omega

   Osprey

   Outdoor Research
   Patagonia

   Pelican

   Petzl

   Prana

   Princeton Tec

   Primus

   Rope Bags

   Royal Robbins

   Salomon

   Scarpa

   Scott

   Seattle Sports

   Serius
   Sleeping Bags

   Sterling Rope

   Stubai

   Suunto

   Tents

   Teva

   Thermarest

   Trango

   Tool Logic

   Trekking Poles
   Yaktrax
   and more here