Mt. Everest 2005: The Singapore National University Team:  Today has been a day of celebration and concerns.

At 9.30am, E-Fung stepped onto the summit of Everest, his voice announcing the event loud and clear. It had been a grueling climb of just over 12 hours.

Then it was a finger-biting wait until 11.38am when Yen Kai repeated the feat, thus becoming the first Singaporean to stand on the world’s highest peak. (Edwin Siew and Khoo Swee Chiow, who summitted Everest in 1998, were then Malaysians and Singapore permanent residents. Both have since taken up Singapore citizenship.) This fact will be recorded in the annals of mountaineering.

But as all mountaineers know, "going up is optional, coming down is mandatory". And more accidents and deaths occur during the descent than the ascent.

E-Fung arrived at South Col (Camp 4) at 3pm, totally exhausted but in good spirits. It was a relief until he noticed, while resting, that the toes on his left foot were numb. Two of the toes were slightly purple. He sought medical advice from Base Camp, and the assessment made was that of a touch of frostnip.

It was difficult to tell if the toes would swell the next day. If they did, E-Fung would not be able to put on his boots to walk down the mountain. That would mean that he would have to descend there and then. But it was already 5pm and crossing the icefall in the dark would be too dangerous. Besides, E-Fung was very tired.

Without looking at the toes, it was a tough guess as to whether they would swell. So Dave Morton, an experienced mountaineer and guide, and a good friend from the Cho Oyu climb who was in the tents nearby, was asked to look at the toes. Having seen many frostbitten cases, he would be able to make a good judgment.

"They don't look very serious to me," Dave’s voice came on the walkie, to the relief of all. "It seems to be superficial frostnips." Medication was prescribed and E-Fung slept with his inner on just in case the toes swelled during the night.

But where was Yen Kai? There have not been any walkie contact for hours. His descent had taken an inordinately long time. We could only guess what his condition would be like, having spent over 18 hours on the mountain since leaving Camp 4 at 9pm the previous night.

Finally, at about 6pm, word came that he had arrived at Camp 4. He was very tired, but otherwise in good shape.

There was relief all round at Base Camp, but not letting down of our guard.There was still the descent from South Col the next day. The two exhausted climbers would have to come down the infamous Lhotse Face, Western Cwm, and down to Camp 2. And the final crossing of the Khumbu Icefall, by now crumbled and melting. Lulin Reutens

It has now been reported that they now all at base camp...

Meet - Robert Goh Dr Robert Goh is a Principal Member of Technical Staff in DSO National Laboratories. Born on 22 September 1965, he holds a PhD in Aerodynamics. He and team mate Edwin Siew climbed Mount Xixabangma in Tibet in 2002 in alpine style, the first in Southeast Asia to reach over 8,000m without sherpa support and supplementary oxygen. Other achievements include skiing to the South Pole as Co-leader of Antarctica 2000 and reaching the South Summit (8,751m) of Mount Everest as a member of the Singapore expedition in 1998.

Built to handle a myriad of different climbing pursuits, the Ultralight Universal is our best selling crampon. This crampon lives for trekking, glacier travel, or steep couloirs and snowfields. Totally adjustable Zytel straps make this crampon durable and easy to use. Fits everything from moon boots to flip-flops, our lightest crampon available. Weight: 590g Points: 10. See more here.

   Ascenders

   Atlas snowshoes

   Atomic

   Black Diamond

   Botas

   Brunton

   Carabiners

   CaVa Climbing Shoes

   Chaco

   Clearance

   Clif Bar

   Cloudveil

   CMI

   Crampons

   Edelweiss ropes
   Eureka Tents

   Exofficio

   Featured

   FoxRiver

   Garmin

   Granite Gear

   Harnesses
   Headlamps

   Hestra
   Helmets

   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

   Patagonia

   Pelican

   Petzl

   PowerBar

   Princeton Tec

   Prescription Glacier

   Glasses

   Primus

   Rope Bags

   Salomon

   Scarpa

   Seattle Sports

   Serius
   Sleeping Bags

   Stubai

   Suunto

   Tents

   Teva

   Thermarest

   Trango

   Tool Logic

   Trekking Poles
   Yaktrax
   and more here