Valerio Massimo Everest Expedition 2009

Hello to all from EBC.

Well, we had a great trip to climb Lobuche peak.  We summited yesterday morning, descended to Camp 1, then to Lobuche BC, and then two of us made the arduous 12km and 450 meter height gain trek back up to Everest BC.  It was a beautiful trip with some amazing photos, but I will leave the post until tomorrow as today’s ‘rest day’ involved one of the largest practical jokes I’ve ever been part of.

Many of you in the UK will be aware, given there are nightly reports on ITV news, of a group of cricket-playing Brits known as the ‘Everest Test’ who are attempting to play the ‘Highest game of cricket in the world’.  Their website is www.theeveresttest.com in case you want more info.  Their plan was to hold the highest game of cricket ever and claim the record for the Guinness Book of Records, playing at Gorak Shep, the last village before Everest Base Camp, at a height of 5,165 meters.  That was until Russell found out about it two months ago on a trip to London and made plans for some serious one-upmanship.

So this morning Russell announced his little wheeze.  We would form two teams of 10 players, dressed in uniform, with two umpires, and, oh, of course he had had a set of professional cricket equipment brought up for the joke.  But the sting in the tail is that we would hold our cricket match at Camp 2 on Everest itself, on the flat ground of the Western Cwm, at 6,400 meters on the 28^th April.  This is a full 1,235 meters higher, which would of course set a new world record, and mean that their record would be held for….only 7 days.  Naturally, the winners of the Everest Test match were invited to join us in a ‘mini knock out tournament’, but they would never make it to that altitude given the look of them.

I’ve never seen Russ so animated as he was after breakfast this morning, marshalling everyone.  There were to be two teams of 10 – one Sherpa (the Khumjung Tigers, headed by Sirdar Phurba Tashi), and one Western (the Icefall Warriors, headed by Senior Guide Mark ‘Woody’ Woodward).  Each was to have its own uniform, Sherpas in orange, the Westerners in Red, and all with the Himex black down vest and matching black trousers.  He was such a perfectionist that everyone had to be dressed exactly the same – no scarves, matching caps – I was even issued with the same trousers as all the others because my black ones were a different fabric!  Russell was manager, and given the Everest Test is sponsored by Nokia, Russell decided we needed sponsors too, so he nominated me as the ‘sponsor’ or money man, representing the MCC (Mountain Corrupt Corporation).  I was duly decked out in the only shirt we could find, a piece of black climbing tape as a tie, and a cap on which we scrawled ‘MCC’ in huge letters.

Once everyone was ready the full team of around 30 proceeded down to Gorak Shep.  We had sent a scout ahead to find out who the captains were and to make sure the players were on the pitch.  As we approached the players, like children, we all hid behind a rock to get in uniform before the final 200 meter march onto the pitch in military formation.  We could see the ITV cameras trained on the pitch and our Discovery film team were ready and waiting as well.

So Russell made the call and we marched out from behind the rock, with Russell and the money man (me) each leading the teams in full uniform and in perfect line formation with the captains carrying bats and stumps, and towards the dumfounded cricketers.  Some of our ‘civilian spies’ heard the captains say ‘What the f**k is going on?’, conscious of the ITV cameras rolling.  They were taken completely by surprise.  By the time Russell got to the pitch he called the captains and they came over, and the challenge (see photo) was duly handed over.  Their TV cameras rolled…

To be fair by the time the captains came over they realized that  a) it would be bad sportsmanship to be anything but gracious, and  b) someone recognized Russell.  Soon their whole two teams surrounded us and Russell and the captains exchanged signed caps.  It was all in good humour, although one of the captains, conscious that they could never take up the challenge at that altitude, wryly remarked that ‘we had hoped to hold the world record for more than 7 days….”.  Someone commented that the ‘Second highest cricket match in the world wasn’t bad’ and Russell (a Kiwi) pointed out that the Brits were good at inventing games, only for other nations to beat them.

Anyway all very funny, with plenty of good humour, and given the amount of effort they had put in, they took it  well.  After handing each captain a bottle of whisky, Russell was interviewed for ITV (who were loving it), and then we all sat in the sun to watch them practice before returning to Base Camp.  The captains and some of the players even came up to our Base Camp for tea and beers later on.

A fun day.  For anyone watching the ‘Everest Test’ segment tonight on the ITV news, I would be interested to see if they include it in their report…

Until tomorrow from EBC.  Enjoy the photos.

Our two teams march onto the pitch with captains Phurba Tashi (left) and Senior Guide Mark 'Woody' Woodward (right)

Russell hands over the challenge to the two team captains

The 'Everest Test' team captains hold up our challenge

A close-up of the Himex Western Cwm challenge

Me as the 'Sponsor' in my 'suit', with tie made out of climbing tape an MCC cap

'The 'Everest Test 2009' banner - they will hold their world record for 7 days...

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I’ve just arrived in Kathmandu after a long couple of weeks of gathering all my own supplies as well as any extras for Valerio.  These include his vital final ascent gloves (he’s currently got a pair of spares) and a vast chunk of Parmesan cheese donated by my lovely friend Sibilla (apparently his first lot has already gone off).  Additionally, many posters to this blog will be delighted to know that I am bringing with me a number of razors ranging from electric to a Crocodile-Dundee-style knife, so whatever is required we’ll manage to return Valerio to his urbane clean-shaven state in time for the ascent.

I only just made it as after enjoying the chance to say a proper goodbye to everyone at a friend’s birthday party, and had a consequentially uncomfortable first-leg flight.  I had a four-hour layover in Doha, which is much more like an enormous Duty Free shop with some inconvenient gate-queues attached.  I managed eventually to wend my way through all the alcohol and cigarettes to my gate, where I promptly fell asleep and nearly missed my plane – thank you to ‘Dan the Trekker’ who woke me up and then dealt with my overexcited babbling during the four hour flight to Kathmandu.

So I’m finally here, slightly jetlagged, and should probably get to bed.

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Hello to all from EBC.

More changes of plans…after all it is Everest.  Yesterday Russ decided that rather than going into the Icefall to train, he would build his very own ‘extreme assault course’ on the glacier 200 meters from our Base Camp.  This enables us to tackle every kind of obstacle the Icefall will throw at us, without spending a full day in the Icefall with the constant risk of Cathedral size blocks of ice breaking loose and flattening us.  As he said, a helmet won’t do much good in the Icefall is a serac breaks loose.  So our new high altitude adventure playground throws all the specific Icefall problems (3-4 lashed ladders crossing deep crevasses, 3-4 ladders lashed together up an ice-cliff, snow bridges, crevasse rescue and general complex fixed line work), within spitting distance of the camp, so we trained there – another clever innovation.  It also means that when we do hit the Icefall we will have all our skills down pat and will be able to move through it with much greater speed, which is another way of avoiding getting killed.

Due to the relatively high (relatively…) temperatures, we were treated to a steady flow of massive avalanches pouring off Everest and Pumori’s flanks yesterday and throughout the night.  Some of the big ones sound like freight trains approaching, and when one massive one thundered – seemingly towards us – during lunch, the tent emptied in about 10 second as everyone scrambled to gawp at it.  A constant reminder of the dangers ahead.

Yesterday afternoon Team C went down to Lobuche, carrying all clothing, food, sleeping bags and personal items with them.  The technical gear for the climb (ice axes, crampons, heavy high altitude boots, harnesses and equipment) was carried down by porters in kit bags to Lobuche Base Camp, or at least all but one was.  As we sat at dinner last  night, Russ got a call from Lobuche BC to say that one of the bags (and porters) had not arrived, and without the bag, the team could not head off this morning to Camp 1.  A frantic search ensued to locate the missing porter.  As I went to bed last night, he had not been found.

This morning Russ told us what happened.  By 1am nothing had been found so Phurba was sent down to find out what happened.  It turns out that one of the porters, who Russ had just promoted from carrying the ‘shit barrels’ (all waste is carried down) to a general load porter, had stopped off after an hour at Gorak Shep and basically got on the chang (the local beer).  He got so smashed that he gave his load to friend of his to take down to Lobuche BC, but the friend only made it to Lobuche village (still half an hour from Lobuche BC) ,where he also decided to get smashed.  The load remained outside the tavern as it began to snow…  Phurba eventually woke up all the porters between here and Lobuche, found the bag, and took it down to Base Camp in the middle of the night.  Sherpas usually ‘graduate’ from menial tasks, to kitchen work, to mountain load carrying, to high altitude work, and with each ‘promotion’ they get paid much, much more.  Russ was not pleased and said that the young sherpa will be returning to ‘shit barrel’ duty after a telling off.

Anyway we awoke this morning to bright sunshine and a completely white landscape, due to the overnight snowfall.  We are all busy packing our own kit and will be heading down to Lobuche Base Camp after lunch, where we will spend the night, before heading up to Camp 1 tomorrow, and onto the summit on Sunday, returning to Lobuche Base Camp, and ideally (if we still have the energy), trekking back up to Everest Base camp the same day.

Alix is flying out to Nepal tomorrow, so will probably post ahead of her departure and perhaps from Kathmandu (internet cafes everywhere) on Sunday, and I will post again on Monday when I get back from our trip, and include some photos from the mountain.

So off we go for what will hopefully be our first proper (i.e. 6000 meter) summit of the expedition.

I hope you all have a more relaxing weekend than I will!

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