Location: Everest Base Camp
Time: 7pm Thursday May 6th
Conditions: the sun was out for a bit this morning and it was really nice before the clouds returned this afternoon.

Namaste my friends it's Pat here. I hope you're all well. This is another update coming to you from BC, where tonight we have a very quiet camp with just Rabin and myself in town. I'm sitting in the dining tent with a cup of hot massala tea and the gas heater's on, so I can't complain - it's snowing outside but nice and warm in here!

Summits!

The big news from yesterday was the group of nine sherpas and HimEx guide Adrian Ballinger who all summited after securng the fixed lines from the South Col. They were the first summits of the season. A great effort by all of them and now that the route is in, expect everyone to be watching the weather forecasts closely.

Yesterday's Action

With Kerry and Triinu in camp Sumit and I decided to take them for a tour of the icefall, and they both really enjoyed it. Kerry was here to acclimatise prior to climbing a trekking peak down the valley, so she was used to all of the gear but it was all new for Triinu, especially wearing crampons, but she picked it up very quickly. Although the crampons may have been new to her, the conditions weren't - the snowfall and cold reminded her of a normal Estonian winter!

We passed through the inert lower part of the icefall before Kerry and Sumit turned back, Kerry unfortunately with a persistant headache. Triinu was keen to go a bit higher, having seen of the footage from my helmet-cam of the higher parts of the icefall, and so we went as far as the first ladders where the danger begins; we didn't have harnesses on so it wasn't safe to go any higher. I really enjoyed playing the role of mountain guide and it was great to be in the icefall and feel comfortable and at ease, and to be able to pass on my knowledge and skills to somebody else. I know Triinu really enjoyed it and was pretty blown away to be climbing through the Khumbu Icefall on Everest, just like a real Everest climber!

Simone!

After lunch our new friend Simone Moro visited again, and we all talked and laughed for hours. Simone's wealthy Italian client had to return home due to illness, and now he and his climbing partner Denis Ubreko are free to tackle a new route on Lhotse. They'll do this without bottled oxygen, and as such they headed up today for a four night rotation which will see them sleep at Camp 4 at the South Col.

As always with Simone, the conversation turned to helicopters, and Sumit and I had a good laugh when we realised that the helicopter that had been circling us and generally being flown a little bit more 'playfully' than normal over Dingboche a few days ago had none other than Simone at the controls.

Simone is the kind of Italian who is super friendly, warm and cheeky, and it's impossible not to get caught up in his infectious attitude towards life. As I think I said before he's also one of if not the leading alpinists in the world, and he's planning on making the first winter ascent of a Pakistani 8000m peak (he tried twice before and got very close). He undertakes his climbs with a minimum of suppport - two years ago in the Karakorum he was climbing alone and his only suppport and company was a local cook and cook boy - for three whole months in the dead of a Himalayan winter! His telling of how his two pakistani staff were in tears when he announced to them that he was extending the expedition into a third and even colder month had us in stitches of laughter.

Pushka!

Just as Simone left we went outside and saw that Pushka had some friends and film crew in camp and that they had planted all 150 flags on the ice fin next to our puja stone and so we went and joined in - I quickly found the Aussie flag and made sure I was in the background of their official photos and video, and shortly after Triinu managed to locate the Estonian flag and did the same. Estonia was actually the last of the 150 countries that Pushka rode through.

Ankaji and Jangbu had also descended from the South Col, and so we all had a great night in the dining tent, listening to Sumit's music collection and eating dahl baht. All up, it was a sensational day which left me realising just how much I love being here and sharing this experience with good friends from all over the world.

Today's Action - Departures

Kerry left this morning, headed down-valley for Lobuche. Kerry's had an ongoing headache for the past few days which has been a slight concern - the doctor in BC even prescribed her viagra (to help with circulation)! Hopefully a night or two in Lobuche will see her improve before she tackles the 6200m peak of Lobuche East - just to be sure Sumit is staying with her tonight in Lobuche.

Triinu also left this morning, slightly reluctantly I think, as she was starting to really enjoy this bohemian base camp existance - she'll stay with everyone in Lobuche tonight before she heads for Lukla and then the Annapurna Sanctuary - I hope the leaches arent too bad Triinu!

Ankaji and Jangbu also headed down today - Pheriche is their destination for some thoroughly well deserved rest. They'll be back in two days time.

Lakpa headed up from Namche today and is probably with everyone in Lobuche tonight (he'll come back up to BC with Sumit tomorrow), while Mingma has gone AWOL and hooked up with Satish's Pacharmo group (but I think he'll be back early next week).

Finally, Angalgen headed up to Camp 2 a few days ago, and despite the fact that he was due back in BC today, we can't get him on the radio and Rabin suspects he has headed for the South Col - naughty Angalgen! I didn't really introduce Angalagen before - he has come straight from the Annapurnas where he was guiding some French on a 6500m peak, and hence he is already partly acclimatised. He does seem a bit wayward though as not meeting a scheduled radio call is a definite no-no.

Phew, I think that's everyone accounted for!

Strikes in Kathmandu

We have heard about the Maoist strikes in Kathmandu - as far as we know, the Maoist Party are demanding that the current President resigns, and that the Maoists are conducting strikes in the city which has effectively shut the whole city down. I'm a little confused because it was only a year or two ago that the Maoists forfeited their government so I'm not sure what they want - I assume their demand is somehow related to the new constitution which is due in a week's time. Anyway I've never been able to understand Nepalese politics so I won't try to now.

A Mobile Phone Tower on Kala Pattar?

A few days ago a mobile phone tower was installed and activated on Kala Pattar - ensuring you can get mobile coverage in Everest Base Camp! For all of the Sherpas and Nepalis this is awesome - they can keep in touch with friends and family with significantly greater ease. But don't bother calling my Austrialian mobile because I trod on it when it was in my backpack...oooops.

Forecasts and Plans

We have a forecast which predicts the bad weather of the past week or so to continue for a few more days, with the possibility of a good weather window with light winds around the 14th of May. Thus, we are tentatively working towards this date, with the current plan being that we head up to C2 on Monday 10th May, rest there on the 11th, go to C3 on the 12th and C4 on the 13th, meaning our summit attempt would begin late in the eveniing of the 13th.
However given that I have just committed this to paper (so to speak), I have effecticvely guaranteed that the forecast will change and along with it our plans. Let's just wait and see. I know a few smaller groups will also be angling for around these dates, but as far as I know the larger groups are looking at a week or so later.

Me

Ok, so you might be wondering how I'm going - in short I can say pretty good. After months and months of preparation I arrived in Nepal feeling tired and stressed, but that has subsided and at this point in time I can say that I am the most relaxed I have been in a long, long time. I enjoy the simplicity of our existence in base camp, and since we came down from our last rotation I haven't been worrying too much about our upcoming summit attempt. Sumit and the guys have played a big part in this - how can I get stressed out when they're so relaxed and enjoying every day?! After seeing Triinu and Kerry off this morning (I walked down with them for an hour or so), I walked back through camp and ran into a few people I have met and I felt like I was walking down my local street saying hello to neighbours - it just feels like home. I know that in a month's time it will be a different story as everybody packs up but right now I'm loving it.

Music

This may or may not interest you but I thought I'd let you know what music I've been listening to whilst here. Michael Jackson is rocking my socks, Human Nature is my absoulte favourite and I play it over and over again, really loudly, followed by Thriller. In case you have forgotten just how good he was, watch the movie of his rehearsals just before he died and you'll realise how great he was. I wish he was still alive. I've also been listening to The Triffids, the great Perth band from the 1980's. Wide Open Road gets a regular workout, as does Stolen Property, I just love this song. You can get it on bigpond music or itunes. Jeff Buckley and the Soundtrack from Lord of the Rings are regulars too, just to name a few.

Music tips from me? It's time to end this update. Thanks again for all of the messages, all your questions and more answered next update...