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Mount Everest, 8850 meters / 29,035 feet
Northeast ridge

Mount Everest is the highest summit on earth. The top reaches 8850 meters. The mountain, which is part of the Himalaya range in High Asia, is located on the border between Nepal and Tibet. It is also known as Chomolungma which means “Mother of the Universe” in Tibetan. Mt. Everest is also one of the 7 summits.

Mount Everest from the Base Camp (© P. Gatta)

Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norway Sherpa made the first ascent from the Nepalese side on 29 may, 1953. We climbed the Northeast ridge on the Tibetan side which was climbed first in 1960 by a Chinese and Tibetan expedition.

Mt. Everest and Asia's map (Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech)

April 17 - May 16:

We arrived at Katmandu April 15 and spent two days to review the gear, food, etc.
Apr 17-22: we flew to Lhassa (3660m, Tibet), we left Lhassa and cross the Tibetan plateau toward Everest.
Apr 23: we arrived at Everest base camp (BC) at 5150m/17,000'.
Apr 24-May 16: we made a first rotation up to the North Col at 7050m/23,000' to acclimatize and carry loads.

May 17: Base Camp (BC, 5150m/17,000’) – Interim camp (5750m/19,000’)

24th day of the expedition. We came back from our acclimation trip to North Col (7050m/23,000’) 10 days ago. Even though we train 3h a day, I am a bit worried that those 10 days spent at the Base Camp have been too long and that we lost part of our acclimatization. My Oxygen saturation seems to confirm it. It was at 90% a few days ago, it is now at 86%. In fact, we planned to leave for the summit two days ago and shoot for the middle of the good weather window (May 21-22) but the weather forecast was still uncertain.

We are going up today, toward the Interim camp. It is a walk of 12km (7.5mi) on the East Rongbuk glacier. 3h30 on the moraine.

Interim camp (© P. Gatta)

Yaks are ordered to the liaison officers several days in advance. Then he contacts the villages around to find enough Yaks to fulfill the needs. Some villages are far away from the Everest and it can take up to 9 days for the Yaks and their owners to join the base camp, carry the loads to the advanced base camp (ABC) and then return to their villages.
In total we have 2.5 tons of gear, food, tents, etc to carry to the ABC. As each Yak can carry around 40kg, we needed 60 Yaks to bring everything to the ABC. Multiply that by 15 expeditions and you will have an idea of how many Yaks travel on this trail regularly.

Our tents at Interim Camp (© P. Gatta)


Yaks on the way to ABC, Everest behind (© P. Gatta)

As the previous days, it is snowing in the evening. It is too cold in our tent so we eat in the warm kitchen tent with our Tibetan cooks.

May 18: Interim camp (5750m/19,000’) – Advanced Base Camp (ABC, 6450m/21,000’)

We continue our walk on the East Rongbuk glacier on the famous “miracle highway”. It has been named this way by the first explorers because there is an easy strip of stones splitting the glacier in two parts. We progress along this strip instead of crossing 10km of glacier and crevasses.

Miracle Highway (© P. Gatta)

Panoramic view from Advanced Base Camp (© P. Gatta)

May 19: Rest day at the Advanced Base Camp (6450m/21,000’)

We stay at the ABC to recover from the last two days and to review the gears one more time. We will have to carry up food again for the North Col.

Advanced Base camp, the North Col is on the right and some clouds cover the Pinnacles.
The summit of Everest is the small pyramid visible in the right background. (© P. Gatta)

Lastc check up of oxygen bottle, regulator and mask. Several regulators didn’t work properly last year so we will have to carry spare ones. One bottle weights 3.8kg (8.3lbs), the O2 pressure inside the bottle varies from 200 to 260 bars depending on the temperature. The autonomy in minutes = pressure x 4 / flow setting in l/min, i.e around 4h30 at the highest flow. Don’t worry, we won’t do the math at 8000m so we define the strategy now. We will carry two bottles each, we’ll change them above the second step and use 3l/min. That’ll give us 9h of oxygen which is not enough for the round trip camp 3 – summit – camp 3. Thus we will have to reduce the flow each time we can.


Clothing (10kg/22lbs): 2 layers for the legs, 4 layers for the body, beanie, balaclava, 2 pairs of gloves, 1 pair of down mittens, socks, goggle, hands and feet warmers, down suit and plastic boots.

Gear (12kg/26lbs): ice axes, crampons, carabineers, jumar, head light, knife, water, snacks, camera, rucksack and 2 oxygen bottles.

May 20: Advanced Base Camp (6450m/21,000’) – Camp 1 at North Col (7050m/23,000’)

Last time I climbed to the North Col I baked, so this time I leave ABC early. Geff is sick and will not go up with us. We try to climb quickly when we pass the big serac half way to the col.

Climbers on their way to the North col.
The tents are close to the large serac underneath the col. (© P. Gatta)


Kathapu Peak (7283), Lhakpa-Ri (7045m).
Trail between the ABC and the North Col.
Picture taken from the North Col (© P. Gatta)

May 21: Rest day at North Col

I am not sure we needed this rest day, many teams skipped it and went straight to camp 2. Anyway, we will stay here at 7050m/23,000’ all day melting snow to drink, eat and rest. Many climbers who summitted earlier are passing in front of our tent, we cheer and congratulate them but we are scared to see how exhausted they are.

Our tents at the North Col. (© P. Gatta)

May 22: Camp 1 at North Col (7050m/23,000’) – Camp 2 (7700m/25,000’)

We just got a call from Duncan who is at the camp 3; he told us to be prepared for a cold and windy day… Let’s be positive, I’ll wear the down suit instead of carrying it in my rucksack already full.

Climbers on the way to camp 2, the summit is on the right. (© P. Gatta)

The snow conditions are good but the wind is getting stronger as we climb up. When we reach the camp 2 the wind is blowing at 60 km/h (37 mph). As there is no large spot to put all tents together, they are quite spread out. I share a small tent with Gavin. We spend a part of the day listening to the radio conversations between the Sherpas trying to help out a climber who broke a hand in the second step.

The wind is blowing hard during all night. We sleep with all the clothes on and we keep everything in the rucksack in case the tent is blown away.

Changtse (7583m) seen from camp 2. We can see the tents at the North Col below. (© P. Gatta)

May 23: Camp 2 (7700m/25,000’) - Camp 3 (8300m/27,200’)

We got the last weather forecast by radio early in the morning and it is bad. The wind will be stronger than expected, from 40 km/h (25mph) raising to 80 km/h (50mph), the temperature will drop to -25/-30ºC (-22ºF). We have a long discussion between us. Finally Kirsti, Kevin and Gavin decide to go down. I decide to go with Namgyal and Nima. Jamie stays at camp 2 to follow our climb.

We leave early to the camp 3 that we reach in 4 hours. I am not sure we should call this place a camp, it is rather a 30º snow slope where we can pitch a few tents. Going in and out of the tent once we had taken off the crampons is quite a challenge.

Climbers on the way to camp 3 (I’m 2nd from the bottom). (© P. Gatta)


Nima in front of our tent at camp 3. (© P. Gatta)

We spend the afternoon resting, drinking and eating some snacks. At 11pm we have all our clothes on and not an inch of skin is exposed to the wind. We have to wear the goggle even if it’s dark to protect the eyes from the frostbite. I put 2 bottles of boiling water inside my down suit. It takes a while to put crampons on; the boucles are frozen and the metal is so cold that it sticks to the gloves. Fortunately we covered the ice axe with soft plastic and hockey tape to avoid this problem and to isolate the metal from the gloves. 11:30pm, we are ready to go.

View from the steep camp 3. Only 5 mountains in the world are higher than this camp. (© P. Gatta)

May 24: Camp 3 (8300m/27,200’) – Summit (8850m/29,035’) - North Col (7050m/23,000’)

The route above camp 3. Picture taken from 8770m on the way down from the summit (7am) (© P. Gatta)

We leave the tent at 11:30pm (on the 23rd), the wind is not too strong but it is cold. The first part of the climb up to the Exit Cracks (8500m/28,000’) is steeper and more technical than I thought. It requires ice axe and crampons front point technique. The snow is soft and around calf deep and the trail broken by Nima is instantly filled in with fresh snow. With the oxygen mask, the goggle and the hood it is very hard to see, actually it is impossible to see our feet.

It is a relief to reach the ridge (8500m/28,000’) where we can find better snow conditions. The flip side is that we are more exposed to the wind which doesn’t allow us to stop for any rest.

The First Step is a short climb at larges boulders (PD, II). Then the traverse continues to the right on the narrow ridge. The second step (8610m/28,250’) is the hardest section of the route. The lower part consists of large boulders (III) that I climb in a hideous style, using my knees, elbows and everything I can. Above, a steep snow gully leads to the bottom of the famous ladder. The first ladder was placed there by the Chinese expedition in 1960 in order to ease the vertical slab (V+). Climbing the ladder is easy but the traverse from its top is very exposed and technical. I have to take my oxygen mask off several times to see more precisely where to put my feet. The fixed rope is poorly placed; they are so low that they are useless and would not stop a fall.

    
Left: second step seen from below (previous year). Right: Kevin climbing down the 2nd step, reaching the top of the ladder. Both photos from Jamie McGuiness.

Passing the second step was good mentally, now it remains 2 hours to the summit and it’s easier. We change our oxygen bottle. The first one is not empty but there are very few comfortable places to do it and we don’t want to be caught by surprise. We keep the empty bottle in our rucksack and will take them down. The third step is easier (II) and shorter (10m).

4:20am, we are above the second step, note the curvature of the Earth. (© P. Gatta)

 
 4:30am, I am climbing the third step, 8700m/28,500’ (© P. Gatta)



 From the top of the third step. (© P. Gatta)

Just above the third step, 2 dead bodies lay down only few meters away from the route. I saw several others at a lower altitude too. Two of them died only a few days ago, some last year and others several years ago. I am shocked and sad. I know that it is not possible to get the bodies down from this altitude but perhaps their team mates could have buried them a bit better.

The sky becomes orange as the sun rises. We catch up the Colombian team on the last snow slope. Then we leave the ridge and go right to impressive North Face that we will follow for a few pitches. This face is very steep and we can see the glacier 3500m/11,500’ straight below.

Nima and me climbing the snow slope, 8770m/28,700’. (© P. Gatta)


From the snow slope looking down, we can see the route following the ridge. (© P. Gatta)

We exit the North face to the summit ridge that we follow to the top of Everest. We reach it at 5:45am and stay there for 45 minutes.

Summit ridge and top of Everest.
We can see many prayer flags on the left. (© P. Gatta)

Views from the top of Mount Everest

Looking North: Base Camp and the Tibetan plateau (© P. Gatta)	Looking West: the big summit is the Cho-Oyu, 8206m, 6th highest mountain (© P. Gatta)
Looking East: the ridge is on the right and below we can see the impressive Kanchung face (© P. Gatta)	Looking South-East: the big pyramid is the Makalu, 8485m, 5th highest mountain. Behind on the left we can see the Kangchenjunga, 8586m, 3rd highest. (© P. Gatta)
Looking South: Lhotse, 8516m, 4th highest mountain (© P. Gatta)	Looking South: climber going down on the Nepalese side (© P. Gatta)
Summit of Mt. Everest. May 24th 5:45am (© P. Gatta)	Summit. I look funny with all the gear inside my down suit (© P. Gatta)

 Panoramic view from the summit. Everest Northeast ridge (left), Kangchenjunga, Makalu and the beginning of the Lhotse ridge (right) (© P. Gatta)

6:30am, it is time to go down. Namgyal stays a bit longer to take more pictures. No problem on the way down until the second step. When I reach the second step, Nima and Namgyal are way behind. I start climbing down anyway and soon make a mistake. My left foot is trapped in 5 or 6 old ropes that haven't been removed. I can't move up or down, I can't use the fixed rope either because it is badly placed and too low. I try to stay calm, remove the mask to have a better look at the situation, and put it back on to breath heavily before moving. I take off my foot from the mess and move slowly to reach the top of the ladder. The full process took me probably 15 minutes but it went well and I can continue the descent.

From the top of the 2nd step, looking up (on the way down).  (© P. Gatta)

I do not fully trust the fixed rope and prefer to climb down rather than rappelling. I still use a cows tail though. It takes longer but I finally reach the camp 3 around 9am. We stay there a few minutes to melt some snow to drink, eat a snack and I continue the descent alone. At 8000m, mythic altitude, I stop to take a last movie.

I reach the camp 2 around 11:30. Jamie gives me 0.5l of juice that I drink straight. What a pleasure! Stupidly I am still carrying the water in my down suit even though it is so cold that I can't drink it. Since we left the camp 12 hours ago, we almost didn't drink or eat. I pay the price now, being very tired and sleepy. The wind is blowing at 80km/h (50mph) and conditions are getting worse so we can't stay here and have to go down quickly.

The descent to the North Col takes me almost 4h while I climbed it in 5h with a heavy rucksack few days ago. At several occasions I seat in the snow, more or less falling asleep. I reach the North Col at 15:30pm, we have been climbing for 16 hours, with 22kg of gear, mainly above 8000m in deep snow and cold weather. That's enough for me today, I decide to sleep there and I'll continue the descent to ABC tomorrow. Jamie kindly stays there to, helping me out to melt snow and cook. Finally I enjoy this last night at this nice camp now I know that it is over. Nima and Namgyal are going down to ABC tonight.

May 25: North Col (7050m/23,000’) - Advanced Base Camp (6450m/21,000’)

After a good night, I feel great and I am ready to go down. Jamie and I clean up our two tents, gather all our gear and leave the camp with big rucksack again. Jamie takes plenty of photos . Just before reaching ABC, he realizes that he put his camera on the ground when we took off the crampons and forgot it there. He goes back up again to recover his camera while I am eating the first real meal in several days. In the afternoon I pack all my gear (40kg/88lbs) that will be carried down by the Yaks.

May 26: Advanced Base Camp (6450m/21,000’) - Base Camp (BC, 5150m/17,000’)

I leave the ABC and I am glad to walk down the 25km/15mi along the Rongbuk glacier for the last time. Four hours and a half later I reach the BC, this is the end of the walk and the climb in Everest. It is nice to be back into a thicker air. I spend the afternoon to pack everything and eat.

May 27-28: Base Camp (BC, 5150m/17,000’) - Zanghmu (2300m/7,545') - Katmandu

The travel from the BC to Katmandu along the "Friendship highway" is quite an adventure. Actually I wouldn't call it a highway, not even a road but fortunately the scenery compensate for the lack of comfort. In total it takes 14 hours with a 4 wheels drive to reach Katmandu. As far as the hotel in Zanghmu goes, I would give it less stars than my tent in BC, but at least there is a wonder...called shower. The first one in weeks.

Shishapangma, 8013 m, the 14th -and last- of the 8000m summits.
Picture taken from Lalung La, 5050m, on the way to Zanghmu (© P. Gatta)

Crossing the border between China and Nepal was my last adventure. Especially because in the rush, I forgot the Visa paper. Fortunately our representative from the Chinese Mountaineering Association did a great job with the Chinese immigration and spared me few years of "extended trip" in China...

The "road" to Zanghmu. (© P. Gatta)

7 Summits Challenge

Mt. Everest is part of the 7 Summits Challenge which consists in climbing the highest mountain of each of the 7 continents.