Local time: 19:50 15 Nov 2007
Location: Island Peak BC
Altitude: 5110m
Weather:Briliant sunshine 10C during the day, but we all know it will be very cold once the sun is gone.

Hi, Cassra coming to you from Island Peak base camp.

Last night was very cold, but we were all prepared for it. A combination of clothes, hot water bottles, fleece liners and good sleeping bags allowed us all to have a reasonably comfortable night. But it was still -17 in the tents.

Gear Check
After breakfast we all got our climbing gear out, so that Paul A and Passang could run a final check. We fitted crampons and harnesses, then spent an hour or so making Y slings under Paul's instructions. (Some of us understood these better than others.) By the end we ended up with a contraption that holds our ascender at one end and a carabiner at the other, while the whole thing is attached to the harness. This will help us ascend the fixed ropes safely.

Test Climb
Our guides had prepared a 50 meter assault course up the side of a hill next to basecamp and we spent the next 2 hours, clipping onto fixed ropes and practicing going up the hill safely and without wasting too much energy. Once at the top we started descending back down using figure 8 descenders. This whole exercise went very well and we all had a lot of fun.

Scott Kressfrom Ama Dablam
We had just finished lunch when someone stuck there head into our mess tent and asked for Paul Adler. It's was Scott who is climbing Ama Dablam with his partner Angus. They had just climbed Island Peak as part of their preparation and reported very good conditions higher up. For those of you following his climb, he's been having some difficulties with his sat phone, but hopefully this will all be sorted in the next few days, so keep checking the site.

Our colds have as expected (at altitude) not got much better, but we all hope they won't get much worse before Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed.

So we are now ready to climb to high camp ( 5600m ) tomorrow and all being well try for the summit on Saturday 17th Nov ,leaving at about 4am Nepalese time.

I would like to write some more, but as I'm doing so the sun has just gone down, and its absolutely freezing in the tent.

So that is it for now...more news from high camp tomorrow.

Cheers Cas

Your Messages

Hi Marc
Postman last time, milkman this time, I wonder who it will be next time. Anyway thanks for your encouraging thoughts....and yes not having a shower for a week suits me. Oddly enough I still feel fresh.
Cas

Hi Boys
Was nice talking to u all earlier today. The beard won't come off before Kathmandu. I will try and bring something back from the summit. Also we won’t go for the summit for another 2 days..so don’t worry
Love and kisses
Daddy

It was too cold for anyone else to write messages tonight, but thanks for them all. Everyone enjoys receiving them a lot.