Hi all! Thanks for all your messages of support – both for Bianca and Paul and for me!!
I’m happy to report that Bianca and Paul are now at Camp 2 – at approx 6500 metres. They left Camp 1 early this morning and arrived at Camp 2 by about 9:30am. This is because the Western Cwm usually gets very hot during the day when the sun is out – it’s like a prism reflecting and concentrating the heat from all directions. Of course, as soon as the sun is gone it gets very cold though!
Based on some satellite text messages, they both seem well and were happy with how they felt climbing today. They were able to congratulate a few climbers we’ve gotten to know who summited on the 18th and are on their way down. Of course there have also been cases of a few deaths already on the mountain, and multiple people needing to be evacuated – mainly due to altitude issues. So this is a somber reminder not to take anything for granted.
We’re currently waiting for new weather forecasts to come in to decide whether they will move up to Camp 3 tomorrow or wait at Camp 2 a bit longer. The weather, and how they’re feeling will be the main determinants of their next movements. Camp 2 is relatively flat, has a (primitive) dining tent, and is not yet too high – so it’s possible to stay there for a few days. Whereas Camp 3 is situated on the steep Lhotse Face and is much more precarious and also getting quite high – so it’s not advised to stay there any longer than necessary.
