Sibusiso Vilane Mount Everest Climbing Progress update.

Beginning of the end for this Everest Expedition, 2018

Today marks 30 days since I started the process of acclimatisation. This involved walking to Everest base camp which took nine days. Then the rotations began with the summit of Lobuje East Peak. This took five days from Base Camp back to base camp. The next rotation was overnight at camp 1, and then Camp 2, Sleepover and return back to base camp. A couple of rest days follow each rotation. The next and final rotation began on the 3rd of May, I climbed up to Camp 2, at 6500m, spent one cold night there.

The next morning I climbed I climbed up to camp 3 in 6 hours, this on the tough, hard and technical Lhotse Face, which I just call “The Face”. I spent one lonely, cold, windy and miserable night at 7000m, alone. The Reason I was alone up there is simply that the other climbers who are with me are climbing Everest with Oxygen and therefore didn’t feel the need to go camping 3, fair enough. I know what I am up against so I did the correct thing.

The next morning I climbed, on my own, 200 meters to 7200m, for some mind training and some altitude gain. Everest was raging with Jetstream winds, I could hear the roar of terror up there. The sound is like that of a raging river or waterfall. Others prefer to assimilate it to a big Jumbo jet taking off. Whichever way you put it, it is a very scary sound!

Now I am back at Basecamp. All rotations are done safely and wisely. Now, this next phase is the waiting game. Waiting for the game because we have no clue when the ideal weather will show up. Now, this is a big mind game yet at the same time, it is the ‘Beginning of the End’.

In three weeks time, we should know as to where we stand this Year. So far so great!

SSCNSibusisoVilaneEvetest2018
is in progress mode!
By. Sibusiso Vilane