I stumbled across this recent entry on the National Geographic website. Scary stuff but gives a very good glimpse of conditions on Everest at present. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/everest/blog/2012-04-30/the-rescue Looking at other blogs, it appears as if conditions are tough at present with strong winds and some avalanches but perhaps nothing too exceptional for Everest. Another very good source of information (as well as err this one of course) is Alan Arnette’s site which can be found at http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/ There are also links …

For information the route to camp 3 is deemed so dangerous that an alternative route is being sought. This means we will be in base camp for one further day and that we will not be back to base camp until the 7 May 2012. In summary the dangers are that there is reduced ice, the boulders embedded in the ice are coming loose and descending down the steep face. There have been a number of injuries and the expert …

Well the last few days have been very, very hard. 23 April: up 1:45 and left base camp for camp 1. It was very cold and windy. The temperatures must have been approaching -20 degC. It is a little morbid, but I did notice crossing one of the crevasses that there was a lot of blood in the face of the crevasse – it was obviously where the poor Sherpa had fallen and been killed. I have to say that …

I have now been away 28 days with nearly three weeks at base camp at a height of 5,300 m. I am still in reasonable health. A little cough but I think this is only expected with this territory and altitude. It has been really helpful to receive encouraging e mails. Thank you to everybody for these. Mentally and psychologically I am, although many would seriously doubt it, in good shape. There is still along way to go and some …

I have one further day’s rest tomorrow and then it is back to work. The intensity picks up. I have to say that this little project is a tough one. You are: 1.) A long time away from home! 2.) You spend a long time at reasonable high altitude 3.) You have periods of very high intensity 4.) Hygiene control is very difficult 5.) It is going to get even more difficult However, there is a lot at stake and …

I was up at 2:00 am local time for a little breakfast and then into the ice fields again. We aimed to complete 60% of the climb and did so returning to base camp for 8:30 . I have taken a few further photos for those that are interested in the landscape. It is, to say the least, quite an interesting experience. One of the big problems is congestion. The Sherpa’s all leave around this time and they proceed much …

Phil has now been at Everest Base Camp for about a week. The days of singing songs from The Sound of Music are a distant memory. There are now several weeks of further acclimatisation and hard physical work with repeated trips up and down the mountain to increasingly higher altitudes and camps before the final summit attempt. The fundraising is going well with further large donations pledged totalling around £110,000. In terms of the impact that this will have on …

We didn’t get any specific requests to show the un-edited version of Phil, Chris, Alan and Nigel naked at Base Camp. I’m not sure whether that was because of my dodgy Photoshop skills making it obvious that they were holding up a CRUK banner to cover their bits. Or, whether the thought of seeing everybody naked in freezing temperatures was too repulsive or too challenging for those with less than perfect vision. Lets face it, even fantastic vision and a …