...Safely Back to Base...
Our Western Guided Team & Speed Ascent Climbers Akash & Francesco are safely back to Base Camp this morning after a solid, successful rotation. With a bit of rest, they are now ready for the summit bid to begin in earnest!
Guide Big Tendi and Mario, Francisco are at Camp 2 and are all well, they'll aim to tag Camp 3 tomorrow.
Guides Tomi & Ossy with Clayton, Malu & Vanessa all reached Camp 3 today in good time and are already back at Camp 2 resting. They'll drop back down to Base tomorrow.
Great job team! Here's a few pics from Guide Casey and Derek on the Western Guided Team.
Cheers
CTSS Team
...Quickly to Camp 3...
The Western Guided Team & Our Speed Ascent climbers Francisco & Akash tagged Camp 3 today in an excellent time of 4hours.
They're just rolling safely into Camp 2 where they'll spend tonight and drop back to Base in coming days fully prepared for their summit bid after a well deserved rest.
Big Tendi is at Camp 1 with Mario C & Francesco. They had a good night last night and slept well, and have made an acclimatisation foray toward Camp 2. They'll spend another night at Camp 1 before moving up tomorrow.
Guides Tomi & Ossy with Malu & Vanessa are at Camp 2 and will climb to tag Camp 3 tomorrow.
Climbing strong and moving toward that very real goal of the summit!
Cheers
CTSS Team
PS You can check out what climbing the Lhotse Face is like here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohxDKL2RNuk&list=PLMz_kRmPTvqWaiXsJ-OVFw-ViMzHAzyjW&index=4
Cheers
CTSS Team
...Snow Up High...
A bit of snow up high on the mountain, visibility cleared a bit this morning however which was nice.
Our Western Guided Team are staying a rest day at Camp 2 today to let the snow settle. They'll make their foray up the Lhotse Face to Camp 3 tomorrow before returning to Base Camp which will make their rotation a day longer. Casey has the team on camp chores today including rebuilding the toilet blocks to keep bodies moving.
Our climbers at Camp 1 will move to Camp 2 today to also continue their final long rotation.
The rest of the team, so our Sherpa Guided and our Private Climbers are all down low resting their bodies ahead of the summit bid.
Cheers
CTSS Team
PS Remember we have some route videos over on our Youtube which will help you picture the type of climbing and where the teams are at. Check it out HERE
...Second Rotations on Schedule...
Our Western Guided Team are doing great, after a good night at Camp 2. They took a hike this morning to the Base of Lhotse Face along with Speed Ascent Climber Akash and Guide Suman. Plan is to rest this afternoon and head up early tomorrow to tag Camp 3 before it gets too hot.
Meanwhile Clayton & Guide Tomi have arrived at Camp 2 and Guide Ossy, Vanessa, Malu & Mario are comfy at Camp 1 and may move up to Camp 2 tomorrow if they are feeling ready.
It's currently snowing up high at the moment.
Following these last longer rotations the entire CTSS Team will be well positioned to begin their summit bids.
Cheers
CTSS Team
...Rotations & Rest...
The Western Guided Team are safely into Camp 1 in just 6hrs which is great time. They are resting and will spend the night there, with a planned move to Camp 2 at 6am tomorrow morning.
Our Speed Ascent Climbers Akash & Francisco are also at Camp 1 and will move to C2 tomorrow if they sleep well at Camp 1 tonight.
Guides Tomi & Ossy will leave Base Camp at 3am with Clayton, Vanessa, Malu & Mario to start their long rotation, They plan to sleep 2 nights at Camp 1, 4 nights at Camp 2, touch 7000m and descend.
A warm welcome back to Base for our Sherpa Guided & IFMGA Sherpa Guided Team Climbers who are now fully acclimated and will now rest ahead of their summit bid.
Our incredible CTSS Sherpa Team are now preparing to carry supplies and oxygen to the South Col and set up Camp both at the Col & Camp 3 ready for summit bids!
Cheers
CTSS Team
...Back To Base...
All of our 1:1 Private Guided Climbers are safely back to Base Camp to rest after a very successful 5 night rotation with everyone climbing strong and moving well. They are now ready for their summit bid when the window and ropes allow.
Our IFMGA Sherpa Guided Team Climbers are at Camp 2 with Guide Tenji and are likely to spend the next 2 nights there to continue their acclimatisation
All eyes on the weather to plan second rotations with some now ready to rest ahead of their summit bids.
Here's a few pics from yesterday of our Western Guided Team hiking and shaking out their systems and getting their downsuits dialled. Their plan is to head uphill tomorrow for their second rotation and spend 5 nights up high with the objective of tagging Camp 3.
Cheers
CTSS Team
...New High Points...
Just a recap on our teams new high points;
Our Lhotse climber Karel and his Guide hit a new high of 7000m, while Wolf (also climbing Lhotse) climbed alongside our Private Climbers up to 6,800m. They'll come back to Base today to rest up.
Meanwhile our IFMGA Sherpa Guided Team Climbers spent the day and night at Camp 2 and today they'll head up toward the Lhotse Face to tag a new high point before returning back to Base Camp.
Western Guided Team are resting in Base Camp (watching Mad Max) and they'll go for a hike today to keep their legs moving while awaiting a good weather window to set off on their next rotation. Our Speed Ascent climbers did some training, they'll take a rest day and are looking to move to Camp 1 in the next window.
In Base Camp we've had light snow all day yesterday and low visibility. Team are in great spirits.
Cheers
CTSS Team
...Tagging Camp 3 ...
Tagging C3! (over 7000m!) Our Sherpa Guided, Private teams, and IFMGA Sherpa team climbers are working their way up and down part of the Lhotse Face today.
The teams spent the night at camp 2 last night and are are working their way up the Lhotse face to touch a new high point of Camp 3 today and will return to C2, before heading back down to Basecamp over the next few days for some thicker air and well deserved rest. They've been climbing fast and strong.
Want to see what the route is like? Check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohxDKL2RNuk
As planned our Western Guided Team took an acclimatization hike to Kala Patar before descending back to basecamp. They are trying on down suits today and getting their summit gear dialled with a few games of cards and movies for good measure.
We're looking forward to more photos from our team at Camp 2 when they return to service at Basecamp!
Cheers,
CTSS Team
... Teams at EBC, C1 and C2...
Lots of movement on Everest over the last 24 hours, let's get all caught up!
Up at Camp 2, our Private Sherpa Guided teams moved in for the night last night, this will be their highest elevation for sleeping so far this expedition.
In Camp 1 is our IFMGA Sherpa Guided team, they hiked up to Camp 2 yesterday before returning to Camp 1 for the night.
Down in Basecamp, the Western Guided team has rested up a few days after spending 3 nights at Camp 1. Today they're planning on doing a short hike near Basecamp to keep the acclimation process going in preparation for their next rotation through the icefall, coming up in just a few days.
Even while relaxing around base camp, the eye is on the prize and our team keeps training to improve their efficiency. The teams have been refining their skills for ascending steep ice on fixed lines and are aiming to make each trip up the mountain more efficient. Not only does efficiency save energy for the summit bid, but it decreases the amount of time spent in the icefall and therefore increases the overall safety of the team. Strong work Team!
Cheers,
CTSS Team
...Camp 2 for Lunch...
The team on the mountain (so our Private IFMGA Sherpa Guided climbers & most of our Personal Sherpa Climbers) are having lunch in the stunning Western CWM today at Camp 2 before dropping back to Camp 1 to sleep, they'll move up to Camp 2 tomorrow for another night before returning to Base Camp.
Our IFMGA Sherpa Guided Team are currently at Camp 1.
You can an idea of what the climbing is like in the Western CWM check out our route overviews on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WTTGuUGT7A&list=PLMz_kRmPTvqWaiXsJ-OVFw-ViMzHAzyjW
Our Western Guided Climbers are having a full rest day today so hot showers, yummy food and afternoon naps!
Perfect weather both at Base Camp & on the mountain.
Lead Guide Casey reports a pretty normal route through the icefall, with only a few ladders but a more circuitous route from Camp 1 to 2 than in previous seasons.
Everyone moving strong.
Cheers
CTSS Team
