British Duo prepare for Everest summit bid

9th May 2011

For Richard Parks and Steve Williams the realisation of a dream is just a few weeks away, and the clock is ticking.  The former Wales flanker and 2-times Olympic gold medallist rower stepped straight off the North Pole onto a flight to Kathmandu and have not stopped trekking and climbing since.  Now it’s crunch time.

Both have the goal of reaching the world’s highest summit.  For rowing hero Steve, climbing Mount Everest has been a childhood dream, for former rugby player Richard, Everest is another notch on his mammoth 9-leg world first bedpost.

Today they have climbed their way across a 5-ladder crevasse up to camp 2 on Everest at 6,400m knowing that time, weather, health and a little bit of luck are all going to play their part in their bid to reach the 8,850m/29,036ft summit.

For Richard Parks, time has always been the biggest issue since day one of his 7-month race to climb the highest mountain on each of the world’s continents and ski the last degree to both the North and South poles.

He’s been racing against the tick tock throughout his world first 737 Challenge ever since his 2-week delay in Antarctica due to fuel strikes.  The pair always knew that time would be tight and for every day they spent on the North Pole they were losing vital acclimatisation days on Everest.  Whilst Rich and Steve were standing on the Geographic North Pole taking memorable snaps, the 2011 Everest Jagged Globe team were already in Everest base camp stashing up on extra red blood cells.

Richard and Steve trekked in to Everest base camp for 10 days ensuring they didn’t miss any vital acclimatisation.  They’ve since tasted the dangers and unpredictability of the ever changing Khumbu Icefall, returning to base camp to frustratingly watch their Jagged Globe team mates prepare for their summit bid having done all their rotations up and down the mountain. 

After much thought, deliberation and discussions with all their team leaders, Richard and Steve have now cut short their summit strategy even further.

Richard stated; “Based on the llama (holy Nepalese) calendar - which suggests that after the 23rd there will be no weather window, we have revised our summit strategy to make it even more ambitiously short. Weather permitting we're hoping to be ready to summit on the 22nd May”.

Short, but very possible, as 737 Challenge logistical expert Simon Lowe, from Jagged Globe states; “Really it’s about doing whatever you need to do to build your confidence, it’s a mental game and I think the fact that Richard is calling the shots and making decisions is testament to how far he has come and also that he knows what he needs to do in order to give himself the best chance to summit”.

He added; “Summiting within 3 weeks from arriving at base camp is not impossible, look at adventurer Kenton Cool.  He arrived at base camp on the 19^th April and summited 17 days later on the 6^th May, and I’d put the edge on Rich physically, although Kenton is obviously used to being in the mountains”.

Last week Kenton became the first man to tweet from the top of Everest.  When Richard stands on the summit he will be ticking off his 3^rd pole and 5^th summit of the year and be on his way to also making history - to become the first man to stand on the continental summits and all 3 poles in the same calendar year.

After several outings on the savage Khumbu Icefall, Richard has decided to sleep higher up the mountain instead of the physically draining rotations through the icefall.  Steve will continue the traditional rotations up and down the mountain and on the 17^th they will join forces again for their summit bid.

Richard added; “For me the climb through the icefall is the biggest energy sapper, which is only going to get worse as it melts making the route more complicated.  With this in mind, knowing my own body at altitude and after 5 months of expeditions and having discussed it through thoroughly with the leaders, I've decided on less acclimatisation rotations up the mountain but to spend longer up there before my summit bid”.

Simon Lowe added; “This is a reasonable decision to make.  I have heard grown men cry in the icefall, it’s a dangerous place.  The great thing is here is that Rich knows how he wants to do it, and doing it his way will give him the confidence he needs, likewise so will it do with Steve.  When it comes to Everest, it’s more about making sure you have the confidence of how to do it, and if Richard’s way of building his confidence is sitting in the Western Cwm relaxing, coming down, eating some food and then bidding for the summit then so be it”.

“The risks are it’s harder to eat and drink at a higher altitude but he needs to do this as much as he can. It can also get extremely hot during the day so hydration can be a problem but chilling out until he gets used to that environment is fine.  One of the pitfalls in his strategy is that he may well get bad weather in the Western Cwm and not be able to get down at the time he wants but I think he’ll be fine”.

Richard will sleep for the next 6 nights at camp 2 in the Western Cwm staring up at the 1,125m (3,700 ft) wall of glacial blue ice – The Lhotse face. 

It’s ironic that the Welshman will spend most of his time on Everest in this undulating glacial valley which has a welsh name.  The Western Cwm (pronounced coom) is welsh for a bowl shaped valley.

Whilst Richard sleeps high, Steve will be working on rotations between camp 2 and base camp before climbing and sleeping at camp 3 at 7,400m.  Richard will climb to this height but will not sleep at camp 3 choosing not to sleep this high until summit bid.

Simon Lowe stated; “Even the sherpas don’t like sleeping at camp 3 so he’s right to say that it’s uncomfortable sleeping that high, why do that until the moment you have to.”  Lowe added; “What is good is that we (Jagged Globe) have the resources in the team to be able to accommodate these plans and that Richard and Steve have the support in place to run slightly different schedules and get the confidence they need for their summit bid together.  That is a really positive thing and will help them for sure”.

So, the summit bid…Richard and Steve aim to leave base camp on the 19^th May to reach the summit of Mount Everest on 22^nd May, almost 2 years since Richard was forced to retire from professional rugby.

Lowe summarises that crucial summit bid; “You need a weather window for sure.  Anyone can have a bad day; if that day is summit day you won’t make it.  You do need things to go your way on Everest and there’s a lot that needs to go right but I don’t see anything that’s going wrong, Richard and Steve have a well considered, good timetable and they have the mental strength to get them to the top”.

On May 26^th 2009 Richard’s life changed forever, by May 26^th May 2011, the same could happen all over again.

 

THE SUMMIT STRATEGY

8^th May - both Richard and Steve will climb to camp 1 for 1 night.

9^th May – Richard and Steve both climb to camp 2, 6400m

10^th May - rest day in camp 2 together

11th May - Steve climbs down to base camp. Richard stays at camp 2 and climbs to the foot of the Lhotse face and back to sleep at camp 2


12^th May – Richard rests at camp 2.  Steve rests at base camp
.

13^th May - Steve climbs direct from base camp to camp 2.  Richard climbs from camp 2 to above camp 3 up the Lhotse face taking him to 7300m without using supplementary o2 and back to sleep at camp 2.

14^th May - Steve will climb from camp 2 to camp 3 and stay the night there.  Richard will have a rest day in camp 2.


15^th May - Steve will climb down from camp 3 and rest in camp 2.  Richard will climb down from camp 2 direct to base camp.


16^th May -  Richard will rest in base camp.  Steve will climb down from camp 2 to base camp.


17^th May – Both Richard and Steve will rest in base camp


18^th May - Both will rest in base camp


19^th May - Both Richard and Steve together will leave base camp, for their summit bid, summit day forecasted at 22^nd May.