Initial Days at Base Camp

Everest Base Camp is a mini tent city of approximately 700 people, (around 300 climbers, 400 support), built on the Khumbu glacier at the base of the (in)famous Khumbu icefall. The tents are strung out along the glacier, with each expedition having its own specific area. It takes almost an hour to walk from the first cluster of tents at the bottom of camp to the last cluster of tents at the top. Our cluster is close to the top. Here is a photo taken from a ridge above base camp. If you look closely, you can see all the tents strung out along the glacier.

The physical location is spectacular: at the end of a deep valley surrounded by towering peaks; Pumori on one side, Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse on the other. You can’t see the upper part of Everest from basecamp, as it is hidden behind the so-called Western Shoulder, but if you hike up a ways behind camp the full mountain appears. What you absolutely can see from basecamp is the lower half of the Khumbu icefall; a jagged mass of ice blocks and crevasses, caused by the glacier being forced steeply downward between the lower flanks of Everest and Nuptse.

If you are a climber, or someone who likes reading about Everest, the Khumbu icefall has mythic stature. All climbers must pass through it on their way to the upper reaches of the mountain. There are a number of risks associated with this, which I will elaborate on in subsequent posts. The icefall is also an intensely powerful and beautiful sight. I wake up every day, look up at it, and can’t believe I am here.

Here is a photo of the lower icefall, with the Western Shoulder rising above it on the left. My tent is in the foreground.

As you can see, the tents are set up on rocky rubble which is the top layer of the glacier. Under the rubble is solid ice, and you hear occasional creaks and groans as the glacier shifts. Over the course of our two month climbing season, tents will need to be relocated occasionally as the glacier continues to move.

The other thing you hear frequently at base camp is avalanches. Some are relatively small and far away, and some are large and relatively close. When you hear a big one, you stop what you are doing and look up. The sight is simultaneously awe inspiring and unnerving. In 2014, an avalanche off the Western Shoulder tragically killed 14 Sherpas in the icefall. In 2015, an avalanche off the side of Pumori, caused by a major earthquake, wiped out a portion of base camp, killing 18 people. These risks are never far from your mind, especially as you lie in your sleeping bag at night and hear avalanches thundering down the surrounding peaks.

We have been here for over a week, getting our bodies used to the altitude before we ascend higher on the mountain. Part of this involves acclimatization hikes up the flanks of mountains behind camp. We have also been going into the initial portion of the icefall to practice the technical skills we will need above basecamp. These include ice climbing, pulling ourselves up vertical ropes using a handheld device called a jumar, rapelling, and crossing crevasses on horizontal ladders with our crampons and packs on.

Each day in base camp has a familiar rhythm. You wake up in your tent, reluctant to leave your sleeping bag’s warmth given that outside temperatures are in the low teens. Things warm up as the sun makes it above the surrounding peaks. It is pleasant sitting outside in the sun, and really pleasant to lie in your tent mid day when the sun is hitting it. But when the clouds roll in, as they usually do in the afternoon, temperatures drop quickly and it is time to pull on your down parka, down pants, and warm boots. Meals are served in our comfortable dining tent. The food, prepared by our Nepali expedition cook, is amazingly good, especially for 17,500 feet.

One of my favorite moments each day is when I leave the dining tent after dinner to head back to my tent. I climb up on some rocks, brush my teeth, and look around. On a clear night, the stars are incredible, and I can see white peaks outlined against the night sky. Some nights, I see a trail of headlamps picking their way through the icefall: teams of Sherpas climbing through the night to move loads to higher camps. Then I head to my tent and zip myself into my sleeping bag, making sure that at least one water bottle is zipped in with me so it doesn’t freeze overnight.

While everyone is eager to begin moving up the mountain, we know the importance of putting in time at basecamp. Above all, climbing Everest is about methodically preparing one’s body to survive and perform at progressively extreme altitudes. It is also about maintaining patience and inner calm over an extended period of time. It typically takes six to seven weeks between the time an expedition arrives at base camp and the time people are able to attempt the summit.

In climbing the mountain, we will follow the approach used by virtually all expeditions; ascending in stages called “rotations “. Here is a map of our route, showing the location of base camp and the four additional camps we will make higher on the mountain.

On our first rotation, which will start in around five days, we will climb up though the icefall to Camp 1, spend a couple of nights there acclimating, climb to Camp 2, spend a couple of night there, then descend back down through the icefall to base camp for some welcome thicker air and rest. On our second rotation, we will climb back up to Camps 1 and 2, then to Camp 3, before again returning all the way down to base camp. We will rest and wait at base camp until a weather window emerges that offers an opportunity to approach the summit. When we get that window, which will likely happen around the third or fourth week of May, we will climb back through the icefall and spend nights at Camps 2, 3, and 4, before launching a final climb to the summit. More on all of this later, but this gives you a rough idea of the plan.

Some notes on the above route photo: 1) It may be a helpful reference in the coming weeks as I describe our experiences at various stages on the mountain, 2) Many thanks to Alan Annette for letting me use it. In addition to having summited Everest and numerous other peaks, Alan is the preeminent chronicler of Everest climbing seasons. For those of you who over the coming weeks want to do a major deep dive on the Everest action, go to Alan’s website and click on “Everest 2021”, 3) Alan’s route photo appears to have been be taken from Camp 1 on Pumori , the destination of several of our acclimatization hikes. These are the views we have been looking at as we get our bodies ready to move up the mountain.

I am feeling good about things so far. Many people upon arriving at base camp experience altitude-related symptoms such as headache, loss of appetite, nausea, and difficulty sleeping. While this has been true for some of our team members, I have pretty much avoided it. My time will certainly come as we get higher on the mountain, but for now I am pleased.

At the same time, this is already a very different experience than our trek from Lukla to here. On our acclimatization hikes, while I am holding my own, every step is an effort. I am pushing my physical limits, and the experience is just plain hard work rather than something I am enjoying. During our technical skills sessions in the icefall, while I am doing fine, I am not yet executing certain basic moves as smoothly as I would like. While I have plenty of time to get in the groove, I wonder what things will be like when I am at higher altitude, in freezing cold conditions, when it really matters.

This is all an inherent part of climbing big mountains, especially mountains like Everest. I knew what I was getting into, and just hope that things continue to break my way as we get higher on the mountain.

As mentioned, we leave on our first rotation in five days. We then lose the luxury of internet access, so my posts will have to wait until I get back down to base camp. I will try to post once more in the next few days before we head into the icefall for real.

Ever upward!