Thursday 21st April, 9pm. Everest Base Camp
(EST is 9 hours 45mins behind Nepal)

Bad weather slows us down

Diary by Harold Mah

The weather has not been kind to the climbers at Base Camp and is slowing all the expeditions down. We had another inch of fresh snow this afternoon, after a warm morning and the forecast is for this to continue until Saturday. Right now it’s completely cloudy so I can’t see the mountain, although the moon breaks cover now and again and shines down on us.

We did some small hikes around Base Camp but no-one could go in to the Ice Fall because of the weather so there is an atmosphere of quiet tension and resignation. Everything’s on hold for a bit and people are sheltering and waiting.

Sean is still suffering from acid reflex and can only eat certain foods but the sherpas have created a special “Sean menu” and are looking after him in fine fashion. Today, a pot of rice pudding miraculously appeared at dinner, just for Sean. They have created a special menu for him all the way to camp 2 and will look after him all the way up and down the mountain.

I found out today how they store all the yak and chicken meat that we’ve been eating. They take an ice pick and dig a deep hole in the glacier, by the kitchen, which acts as a large refrigerator. Tonight we invited some Nepalese climbers over for dinner and we learned a little more about their customs. Apparently a destitute person can live in a Nepalese village on as little as 1 rupee a day because when the community sees someone who is struggling they rally round and open their doors and hearts for them. Whereas in the big cities, doors close to the destitute and people cross to the other side of the streets.

This evening we met Will Cross, 38, who is doing the Peaks and Poles challenge which is to climb the highest peaks on the seven continents and get to both poles – a heck of an achievement. He’s already done five of the peaks and after Everest he heads to Russia in July to climb Mount Elbrus. Last year he made it to the balcony on Mount Everest, which is above Camp 4, but had to turn back because he had a problem with his oxygen regulator and because the retina in his companion’s left eye exploded. This year he has changed his preparation schedule and he plans to eat more fat at Base Camp, work on his speed through Camps 1 & 2, use no oxygen at Camp 3, and he has got a new regulator for his oxygen system. When he’s not climbing he lives in Pittsburgh with his wife and six children and is a motivational speaker. He even has his own web site at www.willcrossmotivates.com! He used to be a School Principal but I guess he was looking for something a little different in his life. He doesn’t think of himself as a fitness guru but he just loves mountains.

What’s amazing about Will is that he has been a diabetic for 29 years! His Peaks and Poles is sponsored by Novolog (an insulin product) and he wants to demonstrate to the world, and particularly to other diabetes patients, that diabetes shouldn’t slow you down or stop you doing anything. He uses an insulin pump all the way to Camp 2 and then, as he climbs higher, he injects himself six times a day.

More later

Harold

Harold Mah is staying at Base Camp to support Sean Egan when he makes his summit attempt in May.