Fri 4^rd May 2012 Camp 1 6500m to Everest Base Camp

Minus 20 Deg C, it is FREEZING this morning!

I am completely organised, hot chocolate, porridge, boots on, kit packed and am away with the first group at 4.55am. Mustard keen!

It has snowed a few inches overnight and I can appreciate the beauty of the Western Cwm as I scamper and skate on the ice and rocks behind the lead pair before we track midway into the middle of the valley. Weren’t we supposed to put on our crampons around here somewhere?

The sun is starting to shine on the mountains in front of us. It’s a wonderful sight.

It’s amazing how quickly we make our way down. It took me about 4 hours to come up from Camp 1 but will take me about an hour to get down!

Eventually we come to the first crevasse and ladder, just before Camp 1 then I realise all of the lead group already have there crampons on! I stop to put mine on but the bottoms of my boots are layered with packed snow so quite a few people catch and overtake me.

After passing Camp 1 we soon reach ‘Blood and Guts’ ladder. The start of the really dangerous part. I am with Doc, Alexis (TV man) with Wisey is just behind us, despite a couple of unscheduled quite traumatic ‘bathroom’ stops.

We can now see the Icefall in the light. It is indeed quite scary. Huge areas of ice up on the Western flank of Everest are poised to cascade down onto our path. Four to Six storey slabs have already split away from the main icefall, directly above us, leaning preposterously like a succession of Leaning Towers of Pizza. We have to proceed directly over the rubble field where a multitude of buried fixed ropes bear testimony to the number of icefalls and avalanches which have already taken place this year.

I note that Doc and Bruce (one of our guides) are not clipping into the fixed rope in order to speed up progress. In fact Bruce, who previously had been assisting us over the ladders, has now sprinted on ahead. This is so dangerous that as far as the guides are concerned it’s every man for him or herself.

We have just entered the top of the rubble field when it happens.

There is a loud crack and the sound of falling ice and snow.

A terror goes through my soul. I am completely stranded. There is nowhere to go.

Doc just below me stops in his tracks and turns to look up, expecting the worse.

Time stands still, where is the cascade of ice, snow and rock?

It doesn’t come; the fall is somewhere high behind us. There is no time to dwell, speed is of the essence. These falls seem to come in pairs.

We race through the Icefield, jumping small crevasses without clipping on the safety lines. It takes less than 20 mins to get to the safety of the ‘Football Field’.

Looking back upwards it’s a scene of destruction and looming destruction. We don’t dwell too long, it’s getting warmer and we still have the danger of the big and small popcorn to negotiate.

Progress is swift, don’t look up, don’t ponder, what happens happens. Concentrate on your technique; assess where to clip on and where not to.

There are still quite a few people coming up. Thankful to be going down and not up, down and down we go.

Eventually the Base Camp area comes into view and just after 815am, Harry, with three Sherpas are there on a small ice hillock with some hot sweet black Sherpa Tea.

As they have bothered to make the effort I stop to have a drink. Wisey, who is probably on a mission to find a civilised commode bypasses the tea stop.

Henry, Alexis, Doc and I enjoy the sunshine and the safety, and then make our way down and back to Base Camp.

There is a full English Breakfast awaiting; some of the Guides have a beer in hand.

Lots of man and a few woman hugs. It’s good to be home.

Showers, lunch, beers and whiskey.

A party is organised and just after supper Doc mans the decks, some people from another expedition have been invited and fro about 8pm the White Pod is transformed, once again, into the coolest, wildest night club in the valley.

Once again the acrobatic drunken climbers scale the White Pod metal frame until the early hours....but something is amiss. Where is Russ? No suited disco dancing entrance as before.

I retire at 1145am, just as the battery for the music runs out. I drift off to sleep as I hear them trying to start up the backup generators.

I later hear they get it working and continue until almost 3am. I am dead to the world, thankfully.