Training Day – April 29th
After two days of steady snow in the Khumbu Valley, today brought clear skies and a chance to get out on the ice. The snowfall has been a welcome sight for guides and Sherpas hauling loads through the Khumbu Icefall. It’s been a dry winter, leaving the route icier than usual, so even a few inches of fresh snow makes conditions safer and more manageable.
We focused on essential mountaineering skills near the base of the Icefall—ascending and rappelling fixed ropes and practicing ladder crossings for the crevasse sections ahead. Some of the gaps we’ll encounter are over 12 feet wide, requiring three metal ladders lashed together to form a bridge. It’s humbling and thrilling to prepare for what lies above.
After two and a half hours of training in the sunshine, we returned to camp for a hot lunch—chicken burgers and fries. Dinner topped that with pasta, steak, and banana pie. The food here has been so good I joked with Tsering, our camp manager, about staying a few extra days post-summit just for the food.
Training Day - April 30th
Today, April 30th, we spent another day honing our skills on the icy walls of the Khumbu. Ryan and our Nepali guide, Finjo, set up a challenging rope course filled with obstacles that we climbed up, over, around, and down using our ascenders (aka "jumars") and belay devices.
The course consisted of a wall of solid ice, over 40 feet tall, and we completed five circuits. We practiced with different gear configurations: first with light gloves, then heavy gloves, and finally heavy mittens and loaded packs. This comprehensive training is preparing us for our ascent of the infamous Khumbu Icefall, which we'll tackle in the next 48 hours en route to Camp One.
Dinner was a welcome treat: fried chicken, baked beans, and egg rolls. The winds have died down for tonight, though this means temperatures will only reach zero degrees.
We dedicated our climb to Hopecam child Arya. Arya’s favorite activity with her Hopecam is connecting with her class and seeing her classmates. “The fact that Arya can now see, hear, and talk to her classmates and friends—and be very close to what a real class experience looks like through Hopecam—is absolutely priceless. The smile this brings to her face, despite the very hard chemo days, is every parent's dream. We are so blessed to have stumbled upon Hopecam.”