Category: Everest 2011

Well here I am back in Singapore, back in the real world someone told me…! A statement which is making me quite confused.  Is this land of concrete buildings, shopping malls and air-conditioned comforts the real world? Or is the world I spent the last two months in, a world of rock, ice and snow…

Firstly a very big thank you to David Lim for posting dispatch’s on my behalf over the last few days while I have been high up on the mountain. If I had realised he had been re-printing my fumbled, hypoxic, freezing finger created text messages from my Sat phone word for word I would have…

May 29th was the date that Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary climbed Mt Everest in 1953. There have been no updates from Grant.  I assume he is packing up at ABC and taking the hike down to BC into warmer climes and thicker air. This should take a leisurely 6-8 hours for him in good…

Via Twitter feed: Kenneth Koh summitted everest on May 27th at 0940hrs. This makes him the 2nd Singaporean to do so from the North Ridge NB:Unknown: where he is exactly ( probably North Col) or about his condition and reported snowblindness From Grant: Came down today to ABC, exhausted. The mountain looks deserted. Rest of…

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE TOTALLY, PHYSICALLY WIPED OUT – READ ON 1215am, Singapore time, Just in from Grant on his satphone: ” Just got into North Col campsite with 3 other members.We are exhausted beyond words. Had to help a team member who was too exhausted to handle the fixed rope or abseil…

Some SMS exchanges Between  1059 am and 1241pm SIngapore time:  1329pm – 310pm Nepal time David: C3 is no place to rest unless you got enough spare 02 to rest on. Get down to ABC today unless u got gas to relax with at C2. Everyday up high,your body goes downhill Grant: Ken Koh is still…

From a few SMS from Grant this morning: ” Pulled out of summit bid at 1am due to the cold. Other team members still heading up in strong winds” Then another  shortly after ” All team members turned back from the summit in strong winds not forecast in the weather reports. Very cold here. Strong…

( through David Lim): Received this from Grant aroun 2100hrs Singapore time – which is about 2330hrs Nepal/Tibet time: “Arrived at Camp 3 ( 8300m) tired and cold. Will try for the summit in a few hours” David’s Note: My pal Jim WIlliams from Exploradus, has  a team going for the summit. The news from…

(via Thuraya SMS) Had diarrhea last night. Not nice getting out of tent to go into the darkness and -20 degree winds and snow outside for a freezing crap. No sleep at all last night. Felt very weak in the morning and got going at 830am – reached the campsite at 7600m on the top…

(from Grant’s Thuraya SATPHONE) Rest day here at North Col (tuesday) – sunny  mixed with snow showers. hard to have proper rest here, and dreading another restless night staying awake. Sittingout the bad winds , and hope to make the climb to 7600m tomorrow (wed). Note from david: For all you FB -addicted fans –…

( edited from a series of SMS message sent this evening to David Lim): Arrived at North Col from ABC after  a 4 hour climb. Feeling a bit tired . Wasted 3 hours finding my tent and getting the wjhole snow-melting process going. Very cold here. ” Resting” a day here tomorrow to let the…

arrived at ABC feeling good.Resting a day here before heading up for North Col. Summit news coming in – first teams from the North summit this morning. Death toll: 1 on the north side and 4 on the southside ( season total so far). I watched a nepalese paraglide from the summit thismorning. (from SMS…

Got into Intermediate Camp, feeling better than at any of the two previous occasions. My blood oxygen saturation is at about 86% ( at sea level , it would be 100%), and will take another reading tomorrow.  Off to ABC tomorrow. (relayed by SMS through David Lim)

Sorry for the repeat message however I left my Sat phone number off the last message by mistake. Small messages of positive support (I.e less than 120 characters) may be sent for free by SMS to my Thuruya Sat phone. By visiting the website: https://sms.thuraya.com/ My sat phone number is: +88 216 6809 0465 Please…

Training and preparing for months to play a huge rugby game, training and preparing for months for a boxing match, training for months to climb the highest mountain in the world… For 99% of the that time the reality of what I have been training for seems too distant to specifically focus on. Until suddenly…

Received an SMS from Grant from Intermediate Camp at 5700m. Apparently, he trekked up there in a quick time of 3 hours, and is feeling strong. He will push up to ABC tomorrow, May 17th. And then make a day hike up to North Col before coming down to ABC, or BC depending on how…

Well at this stage a possible weather window does not look like it will open up until at least the 26th May. Bearing in mind we need to leave a number of days before summit time to move up and get into position, this could potentially mean we would start around 21st May from basecamp…

“Well, your chest sounds clear and based on my experience you should be ok to try and re-ascend very carefully. However you have to listen to your body and at the first sign of trouble get down as quickly as possible and go home. If you do get HAPE again, it will come on stronger…

( from SMS messages as reported to David Lim) Heading for a night at North Col (7000m) from ABC this morning. Not bringing the Satphone. Hope my HAPE wont recur.. But so far, feeling strong and healthy. It’s hard work living above 6000m. David’s Note: From ABC, the path meanders up to 6500m whereupon the…

(from Grant’s SMSs through Thuraya – summarised by David Lim) Hi, moved up from IC from Basecamp yesterday. Feeling strong and hope this feeling stays. Today I’m moving to ABC at 6400m, and hope to then push up to NOrth Col. Then back to ABC for some rest and then up again to North Col…