Mount Everest Expedition Cybercast news 2008

We are proud of this year's expedition on Everest. We managed to get six out of seven who attempted the summit push, along with seven out of 11 climbing sherpas, on the summit this year. Ratio-wise, compared to the other large expeditions there this year, we did pretty darn good.

We started out with nine, including myself, and by the time the summit bid had come around we were only seven, plus all of our sherpa climbers. Nabs became ill late in the climb and was not able to recuperate by the time summit bid time slot came around. Saad's rapid ascent mission quickly came to an end when he slipped on a ladder in the ice-fall early in his climb, injuring his leg enough that he was forced to call off his climb.

Our team members were an amazing mix of talents, personalities and cultures who all contributed to our excellent team dynamics and will be friends for life. Even Sultan, who gave us a good boxing match up high on the mountain, claims he still cares about us. Sultan doesn't remember anything about the events that took place the night of his rescue.

Sultan was new to climbing as many who attempt Everest are today. He was cautioned about how slow he moved on the mountain, and told this could be a serious problem for him in light of how many people there going to be on the route. He had all the information on how important it was to not push beyond his abilities come summit time and to be in tune with his body and the effects of altitude. He assured me he understood.

I believe we did something right that helped everyone perform the way they did on summit night. On May 11, after the mountain was open again and the military pulled out of BC, I suggested we go to Camp 2 and not return to BC until we had summited. We agreed to go to Camp 3 for acclimatization and stay two nights instead of the normal one. We stuck to the plan and didn't retreat to BC before the summit bid but, instead, stayed at Camp 2, making the summit push from there. I think we were stronger because of it and well acclimatized. The good weather was also working for us. We had 85 bottles of oxygen in place and 11 climbing sherpas which would be one to one plus two personal sherpas and back-up.

We headed out from the South Col - C4 the night of May 20 at 10:00pm joining in the long line of climbers headed for the summit. I had positioned myself in between the stronger members and the slower members to be in the best spot for both of them should they need help.

I made my check-in calls to Becky in Canada, who was online with Farouq's sponsor, Bader, throughout the entire summit bid night via MSN messenger. Bader was also in sat phone contact with Farouq so we had a four-way conversation going. At one point I called Becky and told her I thought Farouq and Sultan had turned back. I was disappointed for them but, at the same time, relieved, for safety reasons, that they made the right decision. Becky corrected me saying "No, they are still coming”. She had Bader on MSN, who was talking to Farouq at that very moment from his sat phone. Farouq was expressing concern to Bader because he had been asking Sultan to turn back just above the balcony but he refused. I learned later that Willie Benegas, while on his way down from the summit, passed Sultan on his way up and also told Sultan to turn back, but he continued.

Soon it was the morning of May 21. After a full night of climbing, we were all gathering on the summit: Dom at 7:00am, followed by Larry at 11:30am, Scott at 12:30pm, and myself with George at 1:15pm. George, Scott and I were just starting to take our summit photos when I got a call from Sultan that he was dehydrated. I told him to borrow some water and head down and that we were on our way and I had more water for him. We passed Farouq on his way up, traveling with his personal sherpa Mingmar, and he was in good shape. He was late, from moving so slowly with Sultan, but the weather was better than perfect today and I didn't have reason to be concerned for him to continue. He was in very good hands. What we didn't know was that Farouq had been having trouble with his glasses fogging up, which caused him to develop snow blindness. We didn't learn of this till the next morning. When wearing glasses under goggles, they tend to fog up, so Farouq was lifting his goggles to clear his glasses, allowing too much sun reflection in, which resulted in burning his eyes.

When we got to Sultan it was now 2:00pm, he was at the South Summit 8800m, sitting up at this point but refusing to move. The rescue mission began. He was now starting to go in and out of consciousness and at one point quit breathing. It was clear he was not going to walk off this mountain on his own accord. I had to remove his crampons as he was lashing slices in my down suit and punctured my Everest boots kicking at me whenever I tried to get near him. I asked Larry to go and cut some old rope for me so I could set-up a rope rescue system to lower Sultan down. I instructed the sherpas on the system and we began lowering him. I knew this was going to take some time, energy, oxygen and water, all of which was depleted by our longer-than-normal summit bid time due to the record breaking 75 climbers on the route this day. It was clear we needed help. Scott was just about out of oxygen so I sent him down to C4 to get some help. I asked Larry to give his bottle of oxygen to Sultan and get out of here, get down. We had more oxygen at the balcony they could get to in good time. When George came by I sent him down also, behind Larry. On his way down he came across Larry resting, (not lying in the snow as previously reported, an apparent exaggeration, which Larry cleared up with George later on at the team’s debriefing). However, Larry did need George's help sharing his oxygen bottle until they were safely down. I knew Farouq would be on his way down from the summit soon and I would need his help to communicate in Sultan's language. Not that Sultan didn't speak and understand English well enough, but I thought any help I could get to convince Sultan to keep moving was now urgent. I radioed to Lhakpa Sherpa, our rescue sherpa whose responsibility was to stay at C4 in the event of an emergency. He came up with more oxygen, water and food. Now there was Farouq and his personal sherpa Mingmar, Dendi and Lhakpa with me working and lowering Sultan bit by bit.

As we were working our way down, we came upon a climber in distress - an older Korean fellow we had seen earlier in the day dragging an empty bottle of oxygen bottle behind him, heading to the summit. Scott checked the man’s gauge and confirmed it was indeed empty, so I got the word out to one of Jamie McGuiness's sherpas to give him some oxygen if he could and the Korean continued to the summit. This was the same guy we found on our way down, sitting on the route, stuck in old fixed rope, with the new fixed rope pinching his shoulder in a position such that he couldn't move. I managed to cut the old rope under him, move the rope from his shoulder that had trapped him, and slid him down and to one side. He was obviously terrified. When I moved him, I discovered he had been sitting a puddle of his own urine. Poor fellow, I couldn't help him much more than that my hands were full with Sultan. I did however have him and his pack now properly hooked up to the new fixed line and he managed to scoot down on his butt, and eventually showed up at C4.

Meanwhile, Scott had made it down quickly to C4 calling out for help, but no one responded. Scott resorted to offering money, twice, raising the ante each time, but no one was prepared to acknowledge his request. Finally, someone pointed him to Willie Benegas’s tent, saying he might be able to find help for you. Willie found a sherpa from another team who was going up the next morning to do a carry of oxygen to the balcony and asked him to also carry a sleeping bag, stove and fuel to prepare Sultan for a night out.

All Sultan wanted to do is sleep. We were now prepared to let him do exactly that. There was no way we could physically carry him. At this point, Sultan had become violent and a danger to his rescue party. At one point he heaved a rock at me, hitting me square in the forehead, knocking me off balance, and almost sending me down the South Face. Luckily I was stopped by a sherpa on his way up. The sherpas were no longer interested in the events that were taking place and I respected that. We had been working extremely hard to lower and drag Sultan; it was now over 32 hours we’d been up there, most of it without oxygen. We were dragging Sultan and would pendulum him through the steep pitches. The rocky flat sections were very difficult having to semi-carry him and drag him, trying not to rip open his down suit.

It was now 3:00am May 22, at around 8100m we put Sultan in the sleeping bag and tied him off on a ledge so he wouldn't roll off, straight across from Scott Fisher's dead body, hoping Fisher might tell him to get out of there, that was his place, go home! From what happened next, maybe he did? I managed to get some water and fuel in Sultan. I tried to get him to take the oxygen but he kept throwing it off. I covered his face with his Oman flag, tucking it in around his hood to protect it from the elements. I told him I would be back in a couple hours - we were much closer to C4 now so I figured I could quite easily make it back up in good time to take over where we left off, after we rested. We decided to go at once and get some rest for all of us, warm our feet, and get more provisions. It was around 4:30am I retreated to C4, with the sherpas, and we crawled into our tents. It was just a short time later a sherpa came down without actually looking at Sultan reporting that Sultan was dead. Willie passed this news on to me. Needless to say, I was devastated. I had just left him, how could it be? I was in shock. The feeling inside me was something I had never felt before. 27 years guiding and I have never lost a client, it didn't seem real.

Around 7:00am I heard someone yelling, "Tim, Tim, Sultan is alive!" I looked out of my tent to see two sherpas from the Indian Army escorting him down. I couldn't see him at first because I was looking for someone carrying him down but then my eyes focussed in on his familiar boots, he was walking! Apparently the Indian army sherpas passed by him and saw him rustling in his sleeping bag. He was wide-awake now and somewhat refreshed, got up and walked down to the south col. This was music to my ears, not only did he come back from the dead but he walked down too and I didn't have to go back up and get him.

That morning, we were all re-united again at the South Col, except for Dom, who had summited first then went all the way down to C2 unaware of any of the problems we were dealing with till we caught up to him. Willie escorted Farouq down from C4 to C2, Sultan retreated with George and Ang Pasang to C3 and I went all the way down to C2 after 38 hours in the death zone. The next day Scott, Dom and Larry went to BC. I stayed at C2 with Farouq until his eyes were well enough to travel through the ice-fall to BC, and also to wait for Sultan to make his way down too. I was concerned Sultan would have difficulties because of his fingers in the ice-fall but it worked out

Sultan is now home and he will probably lose two, maybe three, finger tips to frostbite but other than that all else checks out just fine.

The sherpas and I weathered well up there. We have all our fingers and toes and the oxygen deprivation didn't seem to effect us. At least Becky says I check out so far. Though I may be able to milk this one if needed.

June 6, 2008 - Chinese Everest Invasion continues to leave a bad taste. Tim in Kathmandu, winding up expedition payments is informed that his account will include a $300US charge as our teams contribution to cover the military's food and travel while policing climbers during the Everest Torch relay. Guy Cotter brought this to everyone's attention in a press release during the climb, but the conversations and requests for money quickly ended when he went public about it. But now that all the press has gone and most climbers have left the country and blogs have come to an end, expedition leaders are being slapped with the bill.

May 30, 2008: Sultan report: Tim and team gathered this evening at Rum Doodles to enjoy their final dinner as a team and do the Yeti foot ritual. We are happy to report that Sultan's toes will be fine. He may just loose the tip of one, maybe two fingers. Pretty darn lucky to have spent the entire night up high on Everest. I am EXTREMELY impressed and PROUD how everyone involved and how they pulled the rescue off using everything they had left in them to save fallen teammates.

Daily Blog are now complete! BUT.... We will be updating occasionally with information on "Scott's book", " America's Missing Children" Telethon, "Celebrations in Saudi Arabia", "Tim's expedition windup statement", and any other productions that will come of our Everest 2008 Expedition. Do check back sometime...... Next adventure: Mt. Pumori, Kilimanajaro then Aconcangau in that order. All with accompanying support treks and tours.

May 29, 2008: SO IT GOES LIKE THIS: Scott, you didn't send me "YOUR" summit photo. "yes I did"........:) :) :).....Note the Free Tibet writing on his face protection. I thought this was a picture of someone else. IT IS INDEED SCOTT MORTENSEN AND PROUD OF IT......Here is one of many emails coming in today:

"When I saw the picture of free Tibet on the summit I was so proud to be your friends, and the world should see it. Right on for doing what you know is right, from the Free Tibet on the summit to pooping in a bag !! " Mike Hyrinuk- Turks and Caicos Islands

News from Tim. Sitting in Namche Bazaar with longtime Everest climbing partner Constantin Lacatusu, . Tim was with him in 1997 when he became the First Romanian to stand on top of Everest. Rendezvous in the Himalayas are infectious among world climbers. Never a "been there done that". The Himalayas continues to lure world climbers back again and again.

May 28, 2008- TIBET RE-OPEN DOORS: Our Tibetan contact informs us today that China has agreed to re-open Tibet for tourism again beginning the end of June 2008. We are told that it will be for sure this time, hmmm? We will be offering our independent Tibet Overland Jeep tours again for the summer for anyone interested.

Scott Blog: .... give an oxygen deprived writer who just summited Mt. Everest, and who is still acting on adrenaline from a rescue, a dose of rich un-bottled oxygen and a keyboard, and you have a 500 page book in one night in Namche Bazaar. I know I promised a blog, but that isn't exactly what I got so I will make a short note of interest for you. I realize Scott left everyone on the ledge of a cliffhanger in the last blog so this will help settle the curiosity for the time being. The rest will have to wait as I don't have enough space on my server:

I was about to deliver two rescue breaths and begin CPR when Tim tried the old school precordial thump—a hard fist to the chest which is a desperate attempt to provide enough stimulus to get the heart beating again. Whatever the physiological reaction was, Sultan inhaled again and though he denies ever losing consciousness it was clear to me that we were still in serious trouble. Successfully rescuing a patient from this high in the Death Zone was a rarity in the annals of mountaineering—especially, when the would-be rescuers were exhausted from a grueling two days of climbing.

“Larry, go down and cut that rope.” Tim was now issuing directives with one thought in mind…save Sultan’s life. Though I had certifications in Rope Rescue Systems I and II as well as Mountain Rescue I couldn’t believe how fast Tim was tying his figure eights, adjusting his prussiks, and setting anchors for Sultan’s descent…and all this without oxygen. Tim’s bottle was empty. I descended about 10 meters to help Larry with the receiving end of the hand off.

Tim spent 38 hours at the death zone, the latter part mostly without oxygen. Scott rousted a sleeping bag and stove sent up by Lhakpa sherpa thanks to Willie making the connection with the only taker Lhakpa, while Willie came to bat and brought Farouq down from C4 to C2.

This is where I am going to leave you. The team will all be back in Kathmandu tomorrow. Now in Kathmandu is Dom, Farouq and Sultan. George, Scott and Larry tomorrow and Tim and Dendi in two days time and Rum Doodles is calling. Speaking of Rum- Tim handed off his congratulations bottle hand delivered by Ang Nima all the way from Kunde when he heard the news. I think he said Jamie McGuiness and the boys were currently enjoying it next door. Let the parties begin!

Dominique Gilbert- First to stand on top of Everest! Dom on the summit of Everest May 21, 2008. Holding shirt "GAMES OVER FREE TIBET" Good one! Also some scenery for everyone back home. Dom was the first of the team to arrive at the summit. No surprise! Strong climber.

May 26, 2008- FIRST SUMMIT PHOTO TO SHARE- Larry Williams Mt. Everest summit May 21, 2008.

"To all the students from Spanish Springs High School in Reno Nevada who didn't know where I was. See you all soon! "

Larry was able to dispatch this photo from Namche Bazaar in the Khumbu Valley on his way home from the summit of Mt. Everest. Scott and Larry will be up first thing tomorrow morning to begin the 13 mile walk to Lukla. Getting out of there will be dependant on good weather. The monsoon rains are starting to move in now which can back log flights for several days forcing them to wait it out for good enough weather to fly.

The moon over Nepal was shedding its pink luster while the sunrise over Tibet was growing in amber. In between, Mt. Everest split the man-made boundaries like an upside down thunderbolt. It was officially the most beautiful dawn I had ever witnessed. A single tear froze inside my goggles. I was going to make it.

Standing in line at the Balcony, waiting my turn to change an oxygen bottle I was unaware that though my way up Everest would be a summit of splendor, the way down would be a complete circus of the bizarre. For starters, I couldn't understand why I was using up oxygen so fast. My flow rate was a measly 1.5 liters per hour. With the slow motion progress of the crowd ahead of me, I didn't need anymore than that. But something was wrong. I kept checking the gauge on my TOP OUT system. I was losing pressure too fast.

Hours later, about a 100 meters from the summit, I ran into Karma Sherpa. I told him I would have to turn back because though I had a few hours of O's left, the crowd was too thick for me to make it back to the Balcony in time to swap out bottles. Physically, I could make it to the summit, but I would be breaking one of my cardinal rules of mountaineering....SAVE EVERYTHING FOR THE WAY DOWN. It was disappointing that I would not reach the summit, but not as disappointing as dying on the mountain. While I was thinking the matter over Karma Sherpa offered to exchange bottles with me.

"No way." I replied without hesitation. The only thing worse than dying myself, would be causing someone else to...but after convincing me that his brother had extra I finally, gratefully accepted Karma's offer. My summit hopes were restored. Needless to say, I was extremely thankful.

After spending 45 minutes on top of the world, I headed down just ahead of our Peak Freaks guide Tim Rippel. I've read the books and was ready to roll. For me, summiting Mt. Everest was akin to running up to the penthouse of a burning building, grabbing your precious photos and then trying to make it out alive. Yet, everyone was moving so slow! An uneasy feeling was growing in my stomach....

HOWEVER,

I am currently in Dingboche, writing as fast as I can...the internet here is too costly!!!! Therefore, I will blog you all tomorrow in Namche--with rescue photos! There is so much to say about this year on Everest. There will be a whole new batch of controversy, blame, and negativity. Before it all hits, I would like to say that there are also shining stars in the darkness. The rescue efforts of Tim Rippel, Willie Benegas (MOUNTAIN MADNESS) , all the Super Sherpas, and Peak Freak members who played a hand in the amazing rescue of Sultan and Faruq had me in awe. I was proud to be a part of it.

A QUICK EXCERPT...

On our way down from the summit, Tim and I came across a disoriented man from the Korean team. He was out of oxygen and still trying to push for the summit.

"Tim, this guy is a dead man." I said after inspecting his pressure gage. Goose eggs.
"So am I if I don't get out of here soon." Tim replied. I checked the medicine in his bottle. He was at lower liters than me, but still took the time wrangle two Sherpas to help the man out by providing more oxygen. Meanwhile, I tried to convince the Korean that the summit was in the opposite direction---DOWN--to no avail. He staggered and stretched for a summit that was still an hour away. A radio call interrupted my ineffective ruse.
"Tim, this is Sultan. I am at the South Summit. I am very dehydrated. I need help."
"Okay, borrow some water from someone we're on our way down." Tim assured him.

Later we passed Faruq who was still heading towards the summit with his personal Sherpa, Mingmar. I thought someone would turn him around. It was way too late to push forward....or maybe not???? Though I didn't trust it, the weather was absolutely perfect.
"Tim, I want to get the hell off this mountain." I said after another lengthy delay waiting for a man ahead of us to take ten minutes to swing his leg over a rock. My sense of unease was now an absolute feeling of impending doom.
"Me too." Tim said. "Me too."

The harrowing events that followed may change my life forever.

Will write more soon...much love to you all. Thank God we are all safe.

MSM- Michael Scott Mortensen

May 24: Everyone at BC: All Peak Freak members are at BC. Most are heading out tomorrow but Tim and some of the sherpas will stay a couple more days to sort and dry equipment to store in our Khumbu cache to be ready for our Everest Training climb on Mt. Pumori Oct. 2 this year.

Some are asking "what is snow blindness" Explores Web has a good climbers description. Farouq had two days to heal at C2 and then was able to climb down from C2 to BC without a problem. Sultan also did really well and everyone is whistling away this morning (May 25 Nepal time) packing up.

BLOG WITHDRAW SYNDROME: Our readers are emailing complaining about suffering from blog withdrawal so I am getting some help till Scott has a chance to put something together. One reader said our expedition and blog was like following a Reality Everest Series.

PHOTO: Kristene Perron- good friend:

While Becky waits for Scott to send her some more of his wonder words from the mountain, she has given me the great honour of writing a little piece with my thoughts and opinions of the climb. And who am I? Well, I’m not a mountain climber, in fact all of what I know about mountaineering in general, and Everest in particular, comes from Tim, Becky, and few lousy Hollywood movies. I am a friend of the Rippels, I’m also a fan…but then, anyone who knows them for more than five minutes usually is.

If you’re like me, then you’ve probably been following the team and their ascent from the comfort of your home. Cheering their triumphs, laughing at their misadventures, and waiting, so very impatiently, for that magic day when they would stand on the top of the world. (Hey you guys up there on the mountain, if you think scaling a wall of ice is stressful, try sitting at home, frantically refreshing Peak Freaks “Everest News” page every five minutes!)

At last the day arrived; the team was on their way. Would the weather be kind? Would they summit? Would we ever find out why Scott is single??!

From Peak Freaks’ Cook Islands Base Camp (elevation .5m), my husband, Fred, and I kept a constant vigil on the MSN Messenger – Becky had strict instructions to inform us the second she heard anything. With each ping, our excitement grew – “They’re on the move”, “They’re at the South Summit”, “Farouq is 450m from the summit and the others are ahead of him.”

And just when we couldn’t take anymore, finally, the word, “They made it!” I’m sure I don’t have to explain how thrilled and relieved we were.

Apparently, one of the team members, Sultan, was in a bit of trouble. Details, as tends to happen when you are communicating via sat phone half way across the world and 27,000 feet above sea level, were sketchy. The team was making their descent but Tim, Farouq, and two or three Sherpa’s were staying behind to try to rescue Sultan. We didn’t know much more than that when Tim passed into a dry zone for the sat phone. The next almost twelve hours were spent biting our nails down to the nub.

Let me take a moment to tell you just a little bit about my friend Tim. On the Decency and Ethics Scale, Tim falls squarely in the top five percentile. In an emergency, I would not hesitate, not even for a heartbeat, to put my life in his hands. He is levelheaded, experienced, and able to assess, and respond to, danger with logic and determination. (Though he has been known to chase bears from his yard, naked, with only a broom for defense…go figure). On the mountain, without having ever climbed with him, I can swear to this, safety is his priority; his clients and team mates come before his ego, always.

Knowing this gave me some comfort as I waited for news. If anyone could survive a night on the mountain and get everyone down safely, it was Tim.

And then came the, now all too familiar, MSN ping. I clicked open the screen, “Tim is alive.” Good, I can breathe again! Soon I would learn that he had held out with Sultan, until he saw the lights of other climbers. And later, both men would find themselves at Camp 4, sipping tea and recovering from a long ordeal. I don’t want to write more until I hear the full story, (rumours and speculation on Mt Everest? Impossible!) but suffice it to say we are all thankful to know Tim and Team are safe and sound.

I think what I’ll take away from this latest Peak Freaks Adventure is a bit of a head shaking. Everest has become such a popularity contest, the “in” thing, a must-do for the challenge-oriented, that it’s easy to forget how very real the danger is. I tell people, “Oh my friend Tim’s climbing Everest right now,” as casually as I might say, “I think I’ll have a tuna sandwich for lunch.” How often do I really stop and consider the magnitude of what he’s doing? Not often enough.

I’m not a mountaineer, I’m an ocean person. But both are extreme environments, both deserve to be approached with humility, with respect. You cannot “conquer” an ocean, nor a mountain. Everest, for all her beauty, can shake climbers off as easily as a bad case of fleas. I know Tim understands this; his understanding, his humility, his respect is what makes him more than an expedition leader, it makes him worthy.

To all the Sherpas, thank you, bless you for taking such good care of Tim and his team. To the team members who did not summit, you attempted the near-impossible and that makes you mighty. Besides, you did summit because I know the rest of the team carried you with them in their hearts. To the team members who did summit, congratulations, may this experience enrich you and those you love. To Becky, we love you, and thanks for keeping us updated; we miss you most at times like these.

May 23: Tim calls in from C2. He had actually gone all the way down to C2 and didn't stay at C4. Sultan stayed at C3 with George. Tim is with Farouq in C2 helping entertain him while his snow blindness heals and waiting for Sultan who arrived at C2 today with George. All considering Sultan was very lucky. Tim said he will probably only loose the tip of one finger. Dom, Scott and Larry are all down at BC now.

Tim wants to give a big shout out to good friends Willie Benegas and the Indian Army sherpas who came to the aid of the team when it was most needed. Tim asked Scott to roust someone up at C4 who could carry a sleeping bag and stove up to boil water for Sultan that night. So a big thanks to Scott for making that happen too!

The expedition is still not finished so stay tuned... Not finished till everyone is at BC... Tim hopes Farouq's eyes will be ready tomorrow for travel and it looks like Sultan will be able to manage travel through the ice-fall too.

May 22- Hi everyone! I have just been prompted to make a report by our readers. Sorry, I have been so faithful until now. That is because this was show down time and I

have spent countless hours responding to both concerned and happy readers. Just want to say "SULTAN IS DOWN" but word is that he and Tim are still at high altitude, Camp 4. When I last talked to Tim he was packing up to get down to a lower elevation but apparently they are too exhausted. Tim and Sultan had spent 38 hours at extreme altitude so they (Tim and Sultan) will sleep at Camp 4 before stumbling down. All is good and thank you to everyone who has been giving us good vibes and incredible support throughout this journey. Our team totaled 13 summits, 7 sherpas and 6 members.

SUMMIT REPORT! Sorry everyone for the delay in getting the post updated. It has been a busy night. Dom, Larry, Scott, George, Farouq and Tim have all summited. Everyone except Farouq, Tim and Sultan are now down at C4. Sultan collapsed just below the south summit. Tim and 2 sherpas have been roping him down all night, Farouq is now with them helping too. Tim sounded very positive in that Sultan will be fine, they are refreshed after the arrival of Lhakpa Sherpa who came up from Camp 4 up to help and supply them with drinks and eats. Tim says it should be clear sailing now getting him down to C4 from where they are. More later when the satellite reception improves.

Sat phone calls: Tim also said when he called in that I may not hear from him again till he gets back down to the South Summit because of something to do with reception. So if you are wondering why no word for a bit that would explain it.

Saad's Naseer's Rapid Ascent didn't happen for him: He will offer an explanation to the site after the dust settles from the Everest summits.

Dominique is the first Peak Freak to summit, Larry is closing in from where Tim is watching, Scott is in there too, and George is not far. Tim is in between everyone watching for Farouq and Sultan who are behind them. Tim says everyone is moving slow now as there are now about 50 people in front of him.

Farouq checks in: Farouq just checked in with sponsor 0845 Nepal Time- he is 450m from the summit and the others are in front of him. Stay tuned!

THE CORNICE RIDGE: A 400- foot long horizontal section of rock and wind-carved snow, this is easily the most intimidating section of the climb. Climbers must carefully traverse a knife-edge ridge of snow plastered to intermittent rocks. This is the most exposed section of the entire climb, and a misstep to the right would send climber tumbling down the 10,000- foot Kangsung Face. A misstep to the left would send one careening 8,000 feet down the Southwest Face, were it not for the fixed ropes.

THE HILLARY STEP: The most famous physical feature on Everest, the Hillary Step, at 28,750 feet, is a 40- foot spur of snow and ice. First climbed in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, the Hillary Step is the last obstacle barring access to the gently angled summit slopes. Modern-day climbers use a fixed rope up here to ascend the Hillary Step. We marvel at Hillary and Tenzing's achievement in climbing this impressive mountaineering obstacle without fixed ropes and using what is now considered primitive ice climbing equipment.

Getting close! - I just picked up word that one team has just summited. This could mean our team is right behind them. Stay tuned!

APPROACHING THE SOUTH SUMMIT ! ! ! !- 0330hrs- Nepal time, just moments ago - I missed the call but he left a great message. He sounds terrific and says he and the team are approaching the south summit and he will call in again shortly. Everyone is strong, Farouq and Sultan are behind them taking a slower pace. With him is Larry, George, Scott and Dom.. the weather and the view is beautiful. He would have called earlier but the Chinese air space was somehow interfering with his connection. Good news, I am so proud of these guys.

THE SOUTH SUMMIT: The climbers first small victory of the day, the South Summit is a ping pong table-size dome of snow and ice at 28,700 feet. From here the climbers can obtain the view of the final obstacles ahead of them: the Cornice Traverse, the Hillary Step, and the final slopes to the summit. It it's late in the day or the weather is deteriorating, this is the place to make the all-important decision to turn around. Having said that, they are in good form.

Dear Becky,

Obviously I am disappointed to have fallen ill so late in the trip. I knew that being strong and healthy was one thing but staying healthy requires luck and

it's quite heart-breaking to have suffered fatigue at such a crucial time in the expedition. The last few climbs after I recovered were tough and I knew that I was at less that 60 per cent strength which may have taken me to Camp 3 and the South Col but it would have been foolish to have attempted the summit. So my expedition has come to an premature end. I leave with some amazing memories, new friends, and a spiritual peace of mind that I found on this special mountain. I came to summit but left with more than I could have imagined - it really was a life changing experience and am sure that as I reflect over the next few weeks I will draw many more positives.

For now, my thoughts and prayers are with the other members of the team and I wish them every success for the summit push. I would like to take this opportunity to perhaps offer a "view from the inside" of the team. If only to give Scott a well deserved break from writing and let him concentrate on climbing.

I will start with Scott as he's the man behind the pen and the video camera and therefore not in the limelight as often as the rest of us.
Scott is most people's idea of the "all American hero". He's blessed with good looks, an athletic physique and a great sense of humor. It is impossible not to like him right from the outset and, if I add that he is also incredibly thoughtful and sensitive, I am sure that many girls will be wondering why he's single at the moment. Scott always has time for the other members of the team and I enjoyed many conversations with him and Larry as we huddled in a tent whilst it snowed heavily outside. My only concern about Scott was that he seemed to take great pleasure in throwing rocks at my tent!! This happened wherever we were: Base Camp, Camp 1 (no rocks here so he threw snowballs) and Camp 2! He informed me that this was a sign of true friendship. In the UK we just buy each other a beer...... perhaps things are done differently in California, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and look forward to a few beers when we next meet. If you will forgive me for lowering the tone, my lasting image of Scott will be seeing the immense delight on his face as he became the first member of the team to use the mountain poo bag. For those who don't know, Peak Freaks are the first company to use a biodegradable human waste bag on Everest to ensure that all human waste is brought down from the mountain and not left to pollute the environment. It is an excellent policy and I hope other expeditions will follow suit. However, "the bag" requires significant practice using one of the three techniques demonstrated by Tim early in the expedition (I will refrain from outlining the techniques in this forum). Scott mastered it at the first attempt whilst balanced in a quite precarious position near a crevasse. This was hardly a surprise - did I mention that he appears to be naturally gifted at nearly everything I have seen him attempt for the first time. The grin on his face as he held up the bag and shouted his delight to me was priceless!! I will be absolutely overjoyed for him when he summits.

The first time I met Larry he told me that he was a big fan of birds. "So am I" I replied. It would appear that this was our first transatlantic difference in the English language. He was referring to the feathered species whilst I confused this innocent hobby with a liking for the fairer sex. Over the last two months, Larry's enthusiasm for bird-spotting has spread to the whole team and is a typical example of how Larry's passion and enthusiasm for life is so infectious. One particular bird-spotting incident springs to mind which, interestingly, did not even involve Larry. Scott, Dom and I were walking up the valley one day when Scott saw a particular breed of pheasant and immediately got out his camera to capture the moment for Larry. Dom then shouted that he had spotted another breed of bird which Larry had declared was his favorite of the region - we were excited at spotting this bird and looked forward to showing the footage to Larry - I can only speak for myself when I say that I would have never paid any attention to such things had I not met Larry. I have no doubt that, as a math teacher, he possesses the unique ability to make math an interesting subject and I am sure that hundreds of pupils have been incredibly lucky to have been taught by him. On the mountain, Larry is the most experienced of the group and whilst a few of us spent the first few weeks sprinting around the ice fall probably using up too much energy (actually that may have just been me), Larry kept a steady pace which will now pay dividends as they approach the end of a long expedition and the final goal. Having already climbed 3 of the "7 summits", Everest will send him further towards deservedly becoming a member of an elite group of climbers who have climbed the highest peak on each of the 7 continents. One final note on Larry - for us "younger" members, he was a shining example of a family man. I remember that as he received a package from his family half-way through the expedition (containing photos, letters and sweets) , Scott looked at me as if to say "so that's what happens when you're married!!" Team Williams really is a family effort and having heard so much about his wife and daughter I hope to meet them in person one day.

Dominique, my new friend from Quebec, is generally fairly quiet yet when he says something we are in stitches with laughter. I must admit that during the first few weeks I never knew what he looked like. A skilled ice climber, he is so strong on the mountain that he was far ahead of the rest of team and I am not sure any of us saw him break into a sweat. As a result, I only knew what his rucksack looked like because that's all I ever saw as I was way behind him. I got to know Dom better when we went down the valley to Namche Bazaar and I thoroughly enjoyed his company and dry sense of humor.

Farouq - What an ambassador for his country! He generally enters a room (or in our case, a dining tent) with an impact - namely, a beaming smile and a huge amount of positive energy. I think I would struggle to find anyone who could possibly dislike Farouq. He had us regularly laughing with his stories and observations from his time in the US. So much so that we decided that a TV series called "The Adventures of Farouq" would be a huge success in Saudi Arabia. I say that he is a great ambassador for his country because on numerous occasions he more than held his own during discussions about his culture and religion - in the face of some quite interesting debates and he educated us all on the culture of the Gulf States. They say that one should never discuss sex, politics or religion at the dinner table. Aside from climbing, I don't think we talked about anything else!! There was always an interesting discussion and it was enriching to have a mixture of nationalities with differing outlooks. As potentially the first Saudi to summit Everest we often remarked that he will soon become Saudi Arabia's most eligible bachelor and I wish him every success in the future; no one deserves it more and I am privileged to call him my friend.

George arrived a few days later than the rest of us. As soon as he arrived we were bombarded with statistics and facts regarding his chosen charity "America's missing children". Before too long, we were also able to recite the figures from memory due to the numerous occasions that we were reminded by George. I only mention this as it is indicative of George's energy and passion to promote and do everything he can do assist others, and in this case, a very worthy cause. In the short time I have known George I have never heard him say a bad word about anyone and he was possibly the most courteous and polite climber in Base Camp who would always go out of his way to help anyone. He has a heart of gold yet it is his bladder that is more impressive as we were all amazed at George's incredible ability to fill a 4 litre bottle with urine each night!! (the pee bottle phenomenon is also the subject of much discussion at base camp). Finally, I feel that it is my duty to inform his family that George is now addicted to the series "24" with Kiefer Sutherland. Every night, when George rose from the dinner table and placed himself in front of the DVD I knew that it was time to set up for the evening's episode. George's family would be well advised to buy a few of the box sets of "24" to assist George on his return to civilization.

So to our leader Tim (or Timalaya as we sometimes referred to him). Tim brought together a group of determined climbers and created a team with his spirit, humor and professionalism. As we proceeded up the valley to Base Camp, Tim was forced to remain at Kathmandu to work hard to secure a climbing permit due to the political circumstances at the time. We knew all we needed to know about the man when we saw the immense amount of affection with which he was greeted by the Sherpas at his arrival at Base Camp. Tim and Becky have created an adopted family in Nepal and wherever we were in the Khumbu valley, just mentioning his name would ensure that we had special treatment. It has been a privilege to climb with Tim. On the technical side I have learnt a great deal from his enormous wealth of experience, and on the social side I have thoroughly enjoyed his easy-going company - not only would I recommend Peak Freaks to anyone who may be interested but I look forward to welcoming Tim and Becky, as friends, to the UK.

I cannot finish without mentioning the team of Sherpas - both the camp staff and the climbing Sherpas. Anyone who visits Nepal will be struck by the incredible hospitality shown by this wonderful race of people. I heard a saying that the Sherpas are the world's elite climbers without the salary or the ego that one would expect from someone who is at the top of their profession. The former is a great shame, the latter is such a rare quality that we can learn much from their honest and sincere outlook on life.

So that's all from me. It's been an incredible journey - right now it is tinged with a huge amount of personal disappointment that I cannot be with the other members of the team as they push for the summit. I am not the first to be in this position and I certainly won't be the last. If I learned anything about high altitude mountaineering over the last few months it is that a climber who takes unnecessary risks is one that does not understand either himself or the mountain he climbs. It was an honor to be able to climb on the slopes of Mount Everest and to experience one of the most beautiful places on the planet. I hope one day to return but, in the meantime, there are other dreams to follow.

Nabil

May 20 -Where is Nabs you ask? "Nabs picked up an illness from his trip down the valley. This kept him in base camp whilst recovering. However, he never regained full strength and on the way to Camp 3 it became clear that he would not be able to sustain a strong summit push so he was headed back down the valley to recuperate. Unfortunately time was not on his side and this illness, so late in the expedition, effectively ended his climb." He is very much missed by the team. They are all so tight. Nabs will be writing a little piece I will put up shortly on his "view from the inside". Stay tuned!

May 20-Sherpas punch route through to the summit! Ropes were successfully fixed to the South Col and trail broken to the summit by two sherpas. Theirs are the first two summits for this year. Tim and team haven't checked in yet. Stay tuned!

TEAM IS ON THEIR WAY UP TO C4 They will be checking in once they all have arrived. Enjoy the video with messages from the climbers.

May 19- Tim checks in: Everyone is rested and feeling terrific! Tim expressed concerns about some clouds forming that may bring snow creating instability on the Lhotse face for their decent. The winds are calm but there is considerable precipitation in the reports for tomorrow. Many sat phone calls have been going on for the past few hours comparing weather information and everyone agrees that the bad weather for the 20th should stay heavy and low and they are going to go for it. Here is the plan:

Tim says, "There is a strong enthusiastic team of sherpas are up at the South Col right now. They are almost at the balcony with rope and tomorrow they will be spreading it all out and start working it to the summit. He also added that the Korean's summited Lhotse today."

May 20- Nepal time: 0700hrs - Leave Camp 3 for Camp 4- arrive around 1400hrs - rest on oxygen till 2100hrs and begin the push to the summit.

I have some audio feed from them this morning that I will have up shortly. (as soon as neighbor Jason wakes up that is, so I can have him convert it to a windows file!!!!!) JASON!!! WAKE UP!!!! Stay tuned!