Hello to Kary and Scott at Rosseau Lake College. Today we had a rest day at BC. I washed some clothes, added a gear loop to my harness, had a baby wipe bath, repaired some holes in my down sleeping bag, tried to fit, unsuccessfully, anti bot plates (anti snow balling plates) on Al's crampons and did a few rounds of the practice course. The practice course is a series of ladders and ascents and descents on fixed lines (an anchored rope) to allow climbers to review skills before going through the ice fall. I have taught rock climbing since 1982 but some of the skills required on a big mountain are unique. Today I was practicing doing all the activities with my massive high altitude mitts on. I was working on a neat trick to release my ascender using the side of my mitt that Ryan showed me. Here's a shot of me at the top of the practice course with base camp in the background. Notice my - 60 C boots, the Millet Everest model (thanks Chander Chaddah of the Everest Quest Gang). Before supper we reviewed the oxygen system we will be using and high altitude medical conditions we should watch out for, note to self, frothy pink sputum is a bad thing!
Angus