Everest North Side 2016 – Update for May 4

Let me start this blog off with a little public service announcement for all the climbing fans out there. If you have a smartphone, do yourself a favor and download Snapchat and create an account. You don’t have to do anything but follow EverestNoFilter and AlpenglowExped. This unique social media platform allows you to check in with our teams everyday, getting an intimate and unfiltered view of climbing life on the big E!

Ok, now on to the update…

Advance Base Camp on the North Side of Everest. 21,000′.

Everest Rapid Ascent Team

Our Rapid Ascent team of Brian and Trudi led by all star guide Chad Peele have started to settle in to Advanced Base Camp at 21,000’ (6,400m) as of yesterday. Chad has reported that the team is in high spirits and feeling good. Alpenglow’s ABC on Everest is comfortable with large tents to hang around in and get some rest before moving higher. ABC is where the team will spend most of their time during the remainder of the expedition.

Yaks moving gear up to Advanced Base Camp. Check out those penitentes in the background!

The next few days will be spent resting and planning their strategy to move higher on the mountain. The two factors the team will use to devise their plan of attack will be weather and their own physical condition. On the weather front the winds are forecast to gain in strength for a few days starting on May 6. Temperatures on the mountain are forecast to rise to -4 degrees fahrenheit at 23,000’ (7,000m) over the next week so the team can look forward to relatively warm temps even though the winds will be strong.

The Sherpa team has fixed ropes up to 27,000’ (8,300m) already and will be looking to hit the summit soon! The work ethic and sheer physical strength that these incredible sherpa posses cannot be overstated. Early summit rope-fixing adds a huge degree of safety thanks to a reduction in traffic jams. This same team hopes to head to the summit tomorrow! We’ll see what happens.

#EverestNoFilter with Adrian and Cory

The dynamic duo of Adrian Ballinger and Cory Richards are steadily moving higher on the mountain without the aid of supplemental oxygen. The team left ABC yesterday and pushed 2,000’ of vertical gain in about 3 hours and 30 minutes. An incredible time for sure!

Climbing with heavy packs up to the North Col at 23,000’ the team passed one large ice serac that the team sprinted by in an effort to give themselves the biggest margin of safety possible. Weather was a little gloomy as the boys climbed through the clouds with a bit of light snow. No real danger posed there other than the fantastic views were obstructed.

Now at their camp on the North Col the guys will settle in for a few days of acclimatization before heading back down to ABC at 21,000’. During this time they will attempt to tag a bit higher to push their fitness levels even further.