Everest Ropes School
Today was a day spent refining our technical skills to prepare for our first acclimatisation rotation up the mountain in a couple of days time.
Everest Rope & Ice School – We spent some time on a ropes circuit practising all techniques we will need to employ further up. Our guides built a ropes course on the ice peaks on the glacier just near camp to enable us to practise ascending, traversing and descending using a variety of techniques. Learning to climb on fixed line up very steep slopes is mandatory for what is ahead. Training in using our ascenders, descenders, crampons and changing over between anchor points is crucial to success and safety. All in all, it was a great day.
Tomorrow, we venture into the icefall for the first time. The icefall is the head of the Khumbu Glacier and has to be crossed to reach Camp 1 (5,900m). It is a jumble of gigantic ice blocks so ropes and bridges are necessary in order to climb through safely. It will make for an interesting day!
More later
Brad
Getting used to crampon placement on ladders.
Practising up with ascenders and front pointing with crampons.
View Epic Everest Expedition Update 12 here or stay tuned to the latest Adventure Consultants Expedition dispatches.