Thursday 23rd July
July 24th, 2009 by Jake
Getting ready for what should hopefully be our penultimate foray up the hill (Inshallah!). Once again it snowed overnight, and the weather conditions haven't been great today, but due to it being relatively warm in BC, it hasn't really settled, but just left everything feeling rather damp and miserable down in BC.... So reminds me of good old Blighty really!
Fabrizio and two other climbers stayed in C2 today due to unfavourable weather conditions. We've been on the radio with him throughout most of the day, and the weather sounds pretty nasty up there, and he sounds very bored! Hopefully tomorrow morning they will push on up the hill, and make the most of what should hopefully be good weather over the weekend.
The 3 new team members had a very appropriate, yet unfortunate introduction to the mountain. They left early this morning and were attempting to push to C2 to get a feel for the route, and dump some personal kit. However, the mountain gods were not smiling upon them, and cursed them with wind and deep powder on the lower slopes. Due to this, and many of the ropes being buried, they didn't manage to get even to C1, and after over 7 hours of slogging (it should only usually take 3.5 hours to C1), they decided to cache some gear and head back down. They've just arrived safely back in BC, looking pretty shattered, and saying that the conditions were just like Scotland! Glad to see that their spirits stayed high, even if they didn't.
So the plan for the rest of us still stands. Tomorrow morning at 5am, myself, 2 members and 2 HAPs are going to try and push up to C2, and then spend the weekend fixing to C3, and hopefully spending Sunday night in C3. I pray that the snow conditions are a little more favourable for us tomorrow morning, because the whole team's progress rather depends on us making C2 tomorrow (and not destroying ourselves in the process). A second team will then follow us up on Saturday, with a view to coming on up to C3 with us on Sunday as well. Then it will be a mad dash back down the mountain on Monday morning, to avoid a battering from the high winds that are scheduled for early next week.
So, once again, have a good weekend, and Inshallah, I'll have more to report (on some positive progress) on Monday afternoon.
Fabrizio and two other climbers stayed in C2 today due to unfavourable weather conditions. We've been on the radio with him throughout most of the day, and the weather sounds pretty nasty up there, and he sounds very bored! Hopefully tomorrow morning they will push on up the hill, and make the most of what should hopefully be good weather over the weekend.
The 3 new team members had a very appropriate, yet unfortunate introduction to the mountain. They left early this morning and were attempting to push to C2 to get a feel for the route, and dump some personal kit. However, the mountain gods were not smiling upon them, and cursed them with wind and deep powder on the lower slopes. Due to this, and many of the ropes being buried, they didn't manage to get even to C1, and after over 7 hours of slogging (it should only usually take 3.5 hours to C1), they decided to cache some gear and head back down. They've just arrived safely back in BC, looking pretty shattered, and saying that the conditions were just like Scotland! Glad to see that their spirits stayed high, even if they didn't.
So the plan for the rest of us still stands. Tomorrow morning at 5am, myself, 2 members and 2 HAPs are going to try and push up to C2, and then spend the weekend fixing to C3, and hopefully spending Sunday night in C3. I pray that the snow conditions are a little more favourable for us tomorrow morning, because the whole team's progress rather depends on us making C2 tomorrow (and not destroying ourselves in the process). A second team will then follow us up on Saturday, with a view to coming on up to C3 with us on Sunday as well. Then it will be a mad dash back down the mountain on Monday morning, to avoid a battering from the high winds that are scheduled for early next week.
So, once again, have a good weekend, and Inshallah, I'll have more to report (on some positive progress) on Monday afternoon.
wilki
July 24th, 2009
hello old bean – thinking of you and Aimless lots and hope you get on ok this weekend – give it beans! Been a rollacoasta here – creeping about like an 80 year old man til yesterday, 3 days solid in hospital having tests etc, coughing blood and had 250ml fluid drained from me lungs from a tube inserted between me ribs – yuk! On the mend now, fly home tomoro am. dude be safe, go well, love to aimless and the crew.
heres to fun on uk rock. Wilki
emily chiswell
July 24th, 2009
jake
i know its been a while but thought i would leave a comment as just been reading your blogs and they seem a world away from me in my little box here at work – very inspiring
best of luck and keep safe
x
James
July 25th, 2009
Hey Jake- really enjoyed reading your blog over the last month or so. Hope everything goes well over this weekend. Best of luck