Jeremy's First Transatlantic Yacht Race

  We flew out the next day.  A day of Thamel ‘shopping’ was followed by a very enjoyable 4 day Ayurveda yoga retreat and then 24hrs at an organic retreat next to the Namo Buddha Monastery (on the opposite side of the Kathmandu valley!).  We did a Nepalese three course cookery class on our last evening, and then caught our midnight flight home via Dubai. The A380s really are enormous planes, with very comfortable spacious economy seats.  And so, hopefully, on to the Fastnet Race in July…..!  If you would like to support the work of PHASE in Nepal please see:  https://phasenepal.org

Our ‘8am’ helicopter duly arrived at 11am: time to sunbathe, wash my hair in the warm sunshine with a bowl of hot water and play in the snow! Of course, my first ride in a helicopter was exhilarating! Four in the back and our guide next to the pilot, all the bags loaded at and on our knees! A 10-15 minute ride around the hills that had taken us 5 days to walk, seeing the same hilltop villages and tea houses.   We returned to luxury in Lukla with hot showers (that drain through the floorboards!!), carpets and cosy cafes. We wandered the single ‘high street’ (en route to ‘Everest’) in the afternoon and I had a banana lassi. We have brought our flight to Kathmandu forward to the morning…. weather permitting! 

Suddenly, after six hours walking descending through the snow laden valley, we are at Khote again - 3580m. A day’s walk down for the two it took us to ascend.       With this heavy snowfall you wonder if those at High Camp now (which could have been us with a spare 48hrs) will manage to ascend to the summit tonight. It is also lovely to be welcomed here with a lit fire & strawberry tea! Almost all the lodges only light their wood burners from 6-9pm! Wood must be an expensive commodity up here.   We are told that the heavy snowfall has made the planned 3 day route back to Lukla impassable: it was a very steep up and down path through the forests. Many branches are broken and the path is now treacherous. So negotiations then began for how to pay for a 5 minute helicopter ride over the ‘hill’ to Lukla: US$800 per 5 people. Our company would not pay for the guide to come with us, yet we are on a guided trekking tour. Ultimately we are paying US$250 each (x3), the gui...

I am soon ushered to look at the fabulous views in the clear morning air. We climb back up the sheltering slope behind our huge rocky outcrop. From there, there is a breathtaking view towards Mount Everest and the broad skyline of numerous other 7000-8840m peaks, including Lhotse and Makalu. To the right the valley is filled with low lying cloud and behind us the slope continues up towards the Mera Peaks.   More cloud, then snow, is predicted this afternoon and tonight. All tracks have disappeared and any direction will now take twice as much effort. So summiting is almost impossible today or tomorrow. We could climb further to 6000m this morning but we risk the weather preventing us then descending today. After discussion over breakfast we decide to descend in the morning sunshine - facing Mount Everest and the skyline of peaks as we do so.   We are often knee and sometimes thigh deep in the snow as we push through the snow, as our Sherpa guide recreates the ‘route’. We walk ...

We depart at 0800 wary of the snow forecast tonight. A steady climb to ‘base camp’ at 5350m, where we change our boots to hired La Sportiva B3 climbing boots, which are light and excellent, and crampons. We then traverse the large glacier and climb up a relentless slope to High Camp at 5800m, arriving at 1430 as the snow clouds open (with a standing 15min lunch en route!)   My legs tire more quickly than the inevitable breathlessness of the high altitude. I am pausing every 50 paces for a 30 second rest during the last hour but this method carries me up steadily. The snow deepens for the last 100m and steps become two at a time!  High camp is a ‘rent a tent’ set up. But these tents are a harsh environment at 5800m with a modest mattress and single layer cover. The snow fall becomes heavy and I am advised to bash clear the falling snow every 10minutes!! 18-24 inches rapidly falls in a few hours meaning the planned 2am ascent will not happen. Tent service consists of noodle soup...

  An acclimatisation day that took us up the ‘hill’ behind us to 5200m with glorious views of the valley and its glaciers. We also did some abseiling! Though it is unlikely to be needed! We are, however, roped together with harnesses for crossing the large expanses of glaciers, and may need a ‘Zumar’ device on steeper rope sections. I sleep in the afternoon to aid acclimatisation. The weather is not looking clear for our ascent with snow forecast.  

Day 7 and by 1pm we have arrived at what is effectively Base Camp (tho this is in fact just 2 buildings 300m higher up): A four a half hour slow and steady slog up the very rocky valley and over some moraine. We passed a large beautiful turquoise lake below a hanging glacier. It had recently burst its natural dam and flooded the valley with a million rocks.   By 4pm I have slept off my headache and lunch of tuna Momo’s in a relatively warm sun soaked bedroom as an afternoon snow shower drifts in.