#northcol

#NorthsideSummitPush : return to the life zone. The struggle isn't just to get out of the "death zone", it's to get back to the life zone. After reaching the top, we want to get to thick air, warm temps and as far from the jet stream as we can. We rested at Camp 3 for an hour, rehydrating and refueling before packing our bags and returning to descent. Once again, a huge thanks to our #Phortse #Sherpa team, who dropped camp and carried our infrastructure down. #superhuman The weather didn't cooperate. As we packed, winds and clouds whipped up and light snow began. We made a speedy exit, knowing we had 6,000' of descent left before we would hit #everestabc. We arm-wrapped the fixed lines, belaying ourselves below camp, past the body of an Australian climber who had died the week before. Condolences to his friends and family. Camp 2, pictured, looked like a post-apocalyptic warzone with thick cloud rolling over tents shredded days earlier by gale force winds. Clearing the lines of rime as we went, the snow ramp between C2 and the #NorthCol seemed never ending. We paused to melt snow and drink before making the final push down the fixed lines. 18 hours after we started, we were home. Safe at ABC. Thick air. Real food. Coca cola. Beer. @alpenglowexpeditions #AdventureDoneRight #MountEverest #Everest #Everest2017 #EverestNoFilter #Northside #DarnTough #JulboUSA #terramartribe #strapinventureout (at Mount Everest)

The #NorthCol. . This zone is either freezing or frying. Today it was frying. Intense sun, fresh snow and zero wind combined to make for brutally hot conditions. I climbed from 6,400m to 7,000 in a T-shirt 🌴🌄🌞! . We tagged the Col and cached a few of our heavy items for summit day ( @EddieBauer down suit, mittens, heavy gloves, snacks, @backpackerspantry dinners, oxygen masks and regulators). It was a great day of movement for us, and other teams had some incredible accomplishments too: . The Transcend team of 16 climbers and Sherpa made the summit: the first team from either side of the mountain to reach the top for #Everest2017 (after the rope fixing team of course). . @Killianjornet flew past our team on his way up to 7600m without oxygen . #Everestnofilter team tagged 8,000m after spending the night at 7,700m w/o O2 Incredible day! Now we just need a weather window and we're set! @alpenglowexpeditions #AdventureDoneRight #Everest #Northside #Tibet #DarnTough

#NorthsideSummitPush: Day 1, part 2. Camp 1 sits at 7,000 meters on the #NorthCol. From camp, almost the entire route to the #summit is visible. It ascends the 2,500' snow ramp and rock ridge to Camp 2. From Camp 2 it contours climber's right to Camp 3, then gains the #NortheastRidge, the skyline pictured here. The rugged and steeply stepped ridge separates the #KangshungFace from the North face, with thousands of feet of relief on either side. At the North Col we begin using supplemental oxygen. We rest and sleep on a low flow rate, then crank it up to climb. The relatively low elevation of camp combined with wide, flat tent platforms and oxygen makes this the most comfortable camp on the route. Plus, the views are a 360 degree panorama of the North face, #Changtse, #EverestABC, the East Rongbuck glacier and Lhakpa Ri 🌄! @alpenglowexpeditions #AdventureDoneRight #Everest #Everest2017 #Everestnofilter #Northside

My next few posts are a chronological series of #Everest2017, starting at #EverestABC, ending on summit day. Follow #NorthsideSummitPush to see pics from each stage, and feel free to post questions in comments or email. 🌏🗻 #NorthsideSummitPush: Day 1 The NorthCol. After acclimatizing, we waited for a suitable weather window without too many big teams. This means we need two days with low winds: one to reach high camp and one to summit. We can climb through some wind on the way to camp 1 and 2, but we ideally we have low winds to high camp. This shot is from the day we climbed to the #NorthCol, the saddle between #Changtse and #Everest. We climb this section without oxygen. The climbers shown here are just below camp, which is hidden behind the bulge of ice in the middle of the shot. Once at camp we begin using supplemental oxygen, and we'll continue to use it constantly throughout the summit push. @alpenglowexpeditions #AdventureDoneRight #Everest #Northside #MountEverest (at Mount Everest)

#NorthsideSummitPush: the descent. When you hit the top, you're halfway there. This statement has a heavier feel to it when you're close to the cruising altitude of a 787. The pressure to get to where the air is thick and camps aren't exposed to the severe winds of the jet stream is constant and urgent. There is no time for dilly dallying. The business at hand is descent. Here we are almost back to Camp 3 (8300m/27,000'), just getting to the bottom of the Exit Cracks. The weather was still good at this point, just convective moisture building. A few hours later winds and snow elevated and the descent became fairly intense while we climbed down past Camp 2. #Changtse, the peak that forms the other side of the #NorthCol, is popping out of the clouds. @alpenglowexpeditions #AdventureDoneRight #MountEverest #Everest #Everest2017 #EverestNoFilter #Northside #DarnTough #JulboUSA #terramartribe #strapinventureout (at Mount Everest)

We're headed up! We're well rested, the big teams are gone and we've got a great looking weather window. 🔥🔥🔥#FiredUp . @brooks.entwistle, @chadpeele and myself are joining @coryrichards, @adrianballinger and @estebantopomena (#EverestNoFilter) and heading up tomorrow with some of our #Sherpa team. The rest of the Sherpa will fly up later and catch us before high camp. Our #summit bid will take four days. We'll camp at the #NorthCol, Camp 2 (7700m) and Camp 3 (8400m) before going for the top on the 27th. . Wish us luck! #MountEverest #Everest #Everest2017 #Northside @alpenglowexpeditions #AdventureDoneRight #DarnTough #strapinventureout #JulboUSA #terramartribe

Yesterday was exciting if nothing else. We climbed to the #NorthCol, ready to continue to the #summit. Greeted with blowing snow and frigid temps we ascended the fixed lines and ducked into our tents at 7,000m. . Our fingers were crossed and our hopes high that we'd get a good forecast and be able to continue up. But it wasn't what #MountEverest had in mind for us. 30 climbers and their Sherpa support were gathering at the col, shooting for the same summit window. With the marginal weather window and numerous climbers, we pulled the plug. . We finished descending the fixed lines at dusk and watched the #Alpenglow wash over Lhakpa Ri and surrounding peaks. A beautiful way to end a great day of movement in the #Himalaya. #Everestnofilter #Everest2017 @alpenglowexpeditions #AdventureDoneRight #DarnTough #climb8000 #Everest (at Mount Everest)

Sometimes you just don't want to be at 7,000 meters anymore 😱. Here's @chadpeele making a speedy exit from the #NorthCol after we tagged it with @brooks.entwistle. For more pics and info on what climbing on the #Northside is like, check out my blog: 🔗 in profile. . The weather was great for this acclimatization push to the North Col, but now we're waiting for a #summit window. We're holding tight, reminding ourselves to be patient. This is the hardest part of a big expedition like this. If you go early on a marginal window you risk cold injuries or not summiting. Wait until later and the opportunity might escape you ⌛ . #patience #Everest #Everest2017 #8000m #Tibet #AdventureDoneRight (at Mount Everest)