Location: Mount Everest Camp 2
Altitude: 6480m
Time: 5pm 12th May
Conditions: not a cloud in the sky but very cold with extremely stong jetstream winds.

Namaste from Camp 2 on Mount Everest - it's Pat here, resting after a 9 hour 1100m climb. I'm pretty tired after a long and hard day, but I'm pleased that after two weeks off the mountain, I haven't lost too much strength.

Today's Action

The 2.30am wake-up this morning was a little harsh but it's necessary when passage through the icefall is involved. Half an hour to get dressed, half an hour to eat some porridge and drink some tea, and half an hour kitting up with climbing boots, harnesses and crampons sees us leaving on the dot at 4am, but not before we circle our puja stone three times, asking for safe passage and return. The flaming juniper by the altar which Rabin has lit is quite a sight against the backdrop of the dark Himalayan night, and it never fails to move me - especially when you're leaving for the summit.

We make pretty good time and find ourselves climbing alongside Victor Saunders and his team of four maltese climbers. Every now and then we stop and look back as the first light of morning hits the top of Pumori.

At about 6am, just as the temperature is at its coldest, we are stopped dead in our tracks by a massive avalanche above and to our left which is moving downwards in what appears to be slow motion. We desperately clip into the ropes until we realise that it will bypass us by a distance of about 50m. We brace for the impact of the air blast, but it is aimed down-valley and it doesn't hit us - nor anybody else below. We stand in stunned silence for a few minutes, as streams of ice continue to poor down in the wake of the avalanche, making a steady hissing sound.

The avalanche really did look like it was moving in slow motion, as masses of ice and snow came pouring down from above. It actually reminded me of a really big wave - it was like we were in the channel as a 20ft clean-up set bore down, and we just snuck over the top of it, while 50m to the left was being decimated. The hissing of the ice afterwards was really similar to the sound of the bubbles after a big clean-up set has gone through. The sense of shock and then relief was also the same.

After a few week's absence, the changes to the route in the icefall are very noticeable. Fortunately one of my least favourite seracs has toppled, meaning we no longer need to walk on top of it and then climb down it, but this is counter-balanced by the ever-widening bottomless crevasses which are increasing in number at the top of the icefall. One dodgy crevasse has a 10m wedge of ice jammed in it which you have to walk over, and crossing it reminds me of the collapsing bridge in the Fellowship of the Ring movie, minus the firey monster and Gandalf of course.

Camp 1 was getting blasted by the cold and miserable wind when we arrived, so we snuck into an unoccupied cook tent and brewed up for an hour, before heading on to Camp 2.

These are some of the strongest winds I have experienced in the mountains - there is a massive and constant roar coming from Everest - the jetstream winds are in full flight! The winds were blowing snow UP the north face of Nuptse (like a reverse avalanche), and a few tents were destroyed here in C2 last night. C3 is uninhabitable at the moment because of the winds, as is C4 on the South Col. The winds are however forecast to drop in the coming days, and for now we're still looking at Sunday 16th for our summit attempt.

Tonight might be a little interesting with this wind - I hope we don't have to sit up all night and stop the tents from getting blown away. Tomorrow we will rest up in camp, and Angkaji and Jangbu will join us (they stayed in BC for one extra day).

Messages

I have just downloaded all of the messages from the past few days, and I am thrilled to bits to receive so many, including some from first-time posters. My birthday present treat is to now kick back and read them all - thanks in advance everyone!