Climbing and Cookies

The team rounded the Puja at 3am this morning kicking off their second
rotation up Mt. Everest. The day began at 2am with scrambled eggs, bacon,
and wild berry walnut steal cut oats for a protein packed way to kick off
the rotation. The team moved all the way to camp 2 in good style. They are
getting ready for a nice dinner before settling in for the night.
Meanwhile, in base camp, Jenny tamed the stove while Joey whipped up a batch
of his famous Honey, Oatmeal, Raisin, Butterscotch, Walnut, and Shredded
Dark Chocolate Cookies to send up to the team. The extra energy will help
maximize tomorrow rest day at Camp 2 :-)

Life at Alpine Ascents Everest Base Camp

It's another beautiful sunny day here in Base Camp. This is our last full
day of rest and relaxation before we depart on our 2nd rotation. Climbers
have been enjoying a variety of activities around Camp. Reading in our
Mountain Hardware Space Station is always popular. The 800 square foot dome
is carpeted, decked out with lounge pillows, and boasts wonderful views of
the surrounding mountains. Joe caught Marc utilizing the space for some
Yoga and stretching this morning as he went to take pictures for the
Cybercast. Others opt for a friendly game of cards in our heated dinning
tent and there is nothing like a good game of Ping Pong on these calm
windless days! Even with all these great ways to pass the time, the most
popular activity seems to be an afternoon nap in the heat of these lovely
sunny days.
After a hard day of reading, card playing, Yoga, pong and resting it is
important to fuel up with some good food. Our chief, Jenny, prepared another
delicious Sushi dinner last night and followed it up with some home made
brownies for dessert. To wind down after a hard days rest we watched Casino
Royal on the big screen set up in our social tent. Everyone is doing great
& we are looking forward to our climb up tomorrow morning on our second
rotation, hopefully in a few days to reach Camp 3.

Emailing: Chef Jenny with our apple pies

Today we enjoyed another rest day in base camp. Some of our team members
went on a hike to Gorak Shep to stretch their legs and to enjoy some 3G
service on phones, Ipads, and personal computers. Back at our Alpine
Ascents dining tent we enjoyed "Mexican night" with burritos, corn souflet,
and award winning pineapple black bean empanadas. Having tamed our oven and
mastered high altitude baking, Jenny was able to make some amazing homemade
apple pie for dessert.
We're doing our best to rest & recover from our first rotation up on the
mountain, and looking forward to our next rotation in a few days time.
Everyone is doing well here at base camp.

Successful first rotation!

We just returned from our first rotation up on Mount Everest.  We were up at our Camp 1 and Camp 2 for a total of four nights.  We went on an acclimatization hike above our Camp 2 and had marvelous views of Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse!  Team members did very well and acclimatized well.  Yesterday we descended down from Camp 2 to base camp through the Khumbu Icefall.  Everyone is now resting in base camp and enjoying the thicker air and great meals here in base. 

Day 2 at Camp 2

The weather was beautiful up and down the Khumbu Icefall today.  At the top of the Icefall the climbers had a leisurely morning before taking an acclimatization hike up the Western Cwm.  Everyone enjoyed a nice meal in our Camp 2 dining tent and they will be heading to bed soon so that they will be fresh for an early morning trip back down the Icefall to Base Camp.

 

Down at the base of the Icefall we have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather as well.  Laundry was at the top of the list, followed by some showers, and then we went to work polishing up camp for the team’s arrival tomorrow afternoon.  We also set up a slack line, a sort of thin balance beam made from climbers webbing. It’s a nice way to take a break from the camp chores J

Team to Camp 2

The climbing team moved up to Camp 2 today, also know as Advanced Base Camp.  The camp sits higher than any point in North America at 21,000 feet. The team will spend two nights in Camp 2 acclimatizing before descending back to Base Camp to recover from their first rotation. From the radio calls it sounds as though everyone is doing well and enjoying their time on the mountain. We look forward to seeing them back here in Base Camp soon for some well deserved rest and relaxation!!

 

Moving to Camp 1

The team had their first alpine start Monday morning so that they could begin their ascent to Camp 1. The day began with banging pots and pans and various other methods for waking sleeping climbers out of their warm down bags at 2:00 am.  After making a cold and groggy trek to the dining tent, they were greeted with hot drinks, maple walnut oatmeal, cinnamon French toast and crème, and crispy bacon to get their day started off right.  Everyone finalized their packing and excitedly headed for the Khumbu Ice Fall with glowing headlamps, but only after stopping by the Alpine Ascents Puja.  The Sherpa lit a fire made from Juniper, producing smoke which cleanses the climbers as they pass by.   Each climber stops to throw three small handfuls of rice as an offering to Everest for a safe passage through the mountains before heading off.  Their headlamps slowly glided between boulders and ice seracs to the start of the ice fall.  From Base Camp, we were able to follow their path through the clear night as they climbed towards their new camp.  Everyone made it to camp in good form and will spend the rest of the day enjoying hot drinks and rest. 

 

The team spent most of the day today relaxing in Camp 1.  They took a small acclimatization hike up the Western Cwm and filled the remainder of the day with more eating, reading and lounging. 

We took advantage of our free time here in Base Camp to actually get out of camp for the first time in over a week!!  We ventured off toward Pumori Camp 1 which sits northwest of Everest Base Camp at 18,500 feet and gives spectacular views of the Khumbu Ice Fall and the surrounding mountains.  The trail was lined with lovely little boulder that we were able to scramble up.  Climbers always need to get their fix J 

 

Signing off from Everest Base Camp,

 

Jenny and Joe

 

Call from Everest Expedition

Click Player to listen to call.

First foray into the Khumbu Icefall

Today we made our first foray into the Khumbu Icefall. We climbed
approximately 1/3 of the way up and crossed the first ladder, then
returned back to camp. Everyone did an excellent job today, and we
enjoyed the afternoon in base camp preparing for our first rotation on
the mountain. Tomorrow we plan to depart at 3 AM for Camp 1. Our
plan is to spend 2 nights at Camp 1 and 2 nights at Camp 2, then
return to base camp. We are excited to begin climbing Everest!

Everest Videos From our Friends at Sportsideo.com

We invite you to check out recent videos from Sportideo.com's exclusive coverage of our 2012 Everest Expedition including a satellite interview with Garrett!

http://sportsideo.com/videos/view/232

Interview with Garrett:

http://sportsideo.com/videos/view/278

Preparation for 1st rotation

Today we practiced more fixed line training in the lower Khumbu Icefall involving rappelling, ascending vertical ice, ladder crossings, etc.  We sorted through our snack food in preparation for 5 days of climbing above base camp.  We had some light snow in the afternoon, then clearing before sunset.  Tomorrow we plan to go for a short hike in the Khumbu Icefall and then return to camp for another night here in base.

More Photos from the Khumbu Icefall

Successful day of training in the Khumbu Icefall

Today we went into the Khumbu Icefall and practiced various climbing techniques including fixed line travel, ladder crossing, rappelling, and climbing vertical ice! We had beautiful weather for our training today, and we plan on another productive day of training tomorrow. Tonight we had a wonderful meal prepared by our chef's Gopal & Jenny, the food here at base camp is absolutely outstanding! We've attached a few photos of our recent meals. Everyone is doing great here at Everest base camp!

Puja Ceremony at Everest Base Camp

Today we had our Puja ceremony!  Together with our Sherpa team we asked the mountain for safe passage for us during our climbing.  At the end of the Puja ceremony we erected a mast with several strings of prayer flags that encompass our camp.  Pictured above are photos of our team during the ceremony, the tradition of wiping sampa flour on members faces, and dancing afterward to the traditional Sherpa songs of Mt. Everest.  Now our Sherpa team will begin carrying loads to our high camps, and soon the western climbing team will begin our climbing!