Tick tock tick tock ... 3 weeks and counting

Departing for Everest 3 weeks today! Yip yip.

Lots to fit in between now and then - whether it be planning, purchasing and training or catching up with my family and making sure that everything is place for the B&B to run smoothly whilst I am away. We're delighted to have been able to appoint Suzanna as a member of staff to run the B&B in my absence.

This has been a week of meetings and liaising with people. Have had chats with other Everest summiteers and leaders asking for top tips and handy hints and thankfully no advice has come to light that hasn't really been covered or thought of already (apart from a tip about the oxygen system. One of my friends had a client who had a freak occurrence that compromised his O2 supply so we've got the preventative measure for that in place).

The team now comprises myself and 5 for the Big E along with our trusty Base Camp manager. Her boyfriend is accompanying us trekking for 4 weeks, 2 friends of one of the climbing team are trekking for 2 weeks and then there are 3 folk for Island Peak as well. So 13 of us in total.

Meanwhile the preparation for the November Ama Dablam expedition is also underway with 5 people signed up for that trip and 4 for Island Peak as well.

And then there are the usual array of guests booked in to the B&B and a smattering of climbing days in the diary for summer as well. Looks like it's going to be a busy year again.

I wonder whether I'll be to knackered to have another go at The Bob Graham Round ...

Advertising on the Internet

Well it's that time of year when the phone starts ringing for the dreaded advertising sales pitch. For some reason there's a lady working for a company who just won't take no for an answer. But thankfully today may have been the nail in the coffin.

'Hi can I speak to Tim please?'

'Speaking.'

'Hi it's Tina from xxxxxxx.co.uk and I was wondering if you'd managed to have a look a the e mails I've sent you recently?'

(I've had 4 e mails most of which had spelling mistakes in them, the hyperlinks don't work or they lead to a page where the video won't load - and they want to take control of my website??!!)

'Yes, thanks. But we are fine. We are on page 1 or high on page 2 of Google for most keyword combinations. We're also generally on page 1 of Yahoo and Bing as well. If not then high on page 2.'

'But most people don't go to page 2.'

'Well I do seem to be getting plenty of hits and our analytics page is returning plenty of positive feedback that we are getting viewed for a whole variety of search terms.'

'But people don't go to page 2. You need to be on page 1.'

'We are on page 1 or high on page 2 of Google for most keyword combinations and as I said we do seem to be getting hits even when we are on pages 2 and 3. I guess that people are willing to shop around a little to find a site they like the look of. It's a very personal time staying at a B&B. It's not like buying white goods or a phone. And in the summer months we'd struggle to accept any more bookings anyway so we are fine for advertising thanks.'

'Well I couldn't find you on Page 1 of Google.'

'It depends on the search terms obviously. What did you type in?'

'I searched for "Bed and breakfast in Ambleside" and you don't appear even on page 4 or 5.'

'We're in Keswick. But thanks for your time.'

'Oh!'

Hadrian's Wall (V,5) on The Ben

Looking up at Hadrian's Wall and Point 5 Gully

Well what a great day out we had on Thursday. Checked the forecast on Tuesday, texted a few folk and the next afternoon 4 of us were northwards bound. Arrived at The North Face car park, set up the tent, slept and woke at 5 to be on the trail for 6.

Now it's obviously been a while since I was last on The Ben because I'd never used the new direct path to the dam and the much improved path across the Allt a'Mhuillin. We got to the CIC hut in an unbelievable 1 hour 20 mins (as opposed to the 1hr 40 to 1hr 50 it used to take). We were maybe the 3rd or 4th team in and mooched over to Observatory Gully to find that it was empty. Stu and I had both done Point 5 already (which looked great and from the styrofoam snow we were walking on was probably in better than perfect condition).

Stu leading the first pitch

Had a look around the corner at Indicator Wall but everything there had been stripped by the extensive thaw so we dropped back down to Hadrian's Wall. On first sight it looked like it may be a bit thin on the middle slab of the first pitch and the corner pitch looked blank but, as is often the case with winter, it's only when you are there that you realise what it's actually like.

Basically the ice was in great condition (most screws up to the hilt) and the neve and snow ice was perfect. 3 pitches of graded climbing, a couple of pitches of easy going neve and then a further 2 pitches of graded stuff to finish on - both of which were absolutely awesome.

Reached the summit by about 1.30 and sat around for a while enjoying the spectacular views from Skye and Rhum all the way across to The Cairngorms. Looking south most of the peaks were shrouded in clouds or just sticking out above them, and looking east, west and northwards there wasn't a cloud in sight - The Ben was almost the dividing line between cloud and clear.

Mooched over to No4 gully and were back down at the car park by 5 and home for 10.30. A fantastic and unforgettable 30 hours. A real opportunistic grab.

Well done us!

Busy busy

4 enquiries, 2 phone calls and 2 deposits for Ama Dablam 2011, a deposit for Island Peak this Spring, 2 enquiries about Island Peak for Nov this year, 2 calls about Everest (which is now 10 weeks and 2 hours away) and a B&B reservation.

And then another booking for Ama, another enquiry for Ama November 2012 (that now makes 10 on next year's mailing list already), another 2 rooms booked at the B&B, another Island Peak / Ama enquiry and arranged a meeting for another Ama client next week.

Various e mails and calls about gear / logistics / medicines / itineraries for Everest / Island Peak and Ama Dablam.

Booked our hotel in Kathmandu for the beginning of April as well as our teahouse accommodation for when we start the trek in to Everest.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining. But with my 2 finger typing what a day.

Camp 2.9 on Ama. All the 2 finger typing seems worth it when you get to camp up here.

Everest Training

Everest Training in Scotland

Just had the most amazing week in Scotland with my team for Everest. We had fantastic weather, awesome snow and ice conditions and a great group. Mountain days, climbing days, crampon and ice axe work, jumaring, ladder training and walking around with masks on - not to mention generally getting to know one another and building the all important team dynamics.

Topping out on the first day

The essence of the Scottish training week was to be far better prepared as a group, and as individuals, for the forthcoming expedition. We achieved far more than we could have hoped for - partly due to the most amazing snow and ice conditions.

Kicking steps up solid neve

Smiles all round

Doesn't look as cold and windy as it was - MWIS reckoned on -25 windchill

Thankfully we had reasonably knarly weather when we were on mountain days and excellent conditions on the climbing days.

Sun and fat ice on Lurchers

Lurchers was a particularly great day with big fat ice and sunshine for the whole of the ascent followed by a great descent back down to the car. When we were on the Mess of Pottage (on quite a busy day (well it was a Saturday)) we managed to avoid the crowds by picking our way up between Hidden Chimney and Jacob's Left Edge.

Awesome neve and rime in Sneacdha

Towards the end of the week we changed the emphasis entirely to Everest specific training (although everything we did throughout the week was essential training for the job) and transferred our thoughts to jumaring up ropes, crossing ladders and wearing gas masks. I'd realised that whilst it was good to have the group analyse the Top Out masks we will be using (identifying pros and cons and suggesting modifications) that unless they are attached to the oxygen supply they don't really offer the feeling of restricted airflow and noise that we will be experiencing. So ... I managed to procure 8 army respirators from eBay and other sources and we donned them, under the cover of darkness, to wander around in the snow at night. Thankfully we weren't seen by anyone on the hill otherwise we might have sparked some kind of security scare - mind you the people just settling down to sleep in their car at The Sugar Bowl car park did give us some very strange looks.

Jumar practice with big gloves on

Ladder work - a very useful session

Walking round with army gas masks on.

Slightly bizarre but perhaps the best bit of the week for

taking away yet another unknown factor of the expedition.

All in all a week that far surpassed everyone's expectations and has undoubtedly made us a better prepared and far more professional looking outfit.

Meanwhile I also received 9 bookings for the B&B, 2 deposits for Ama Dablam 2011, 3 enquiries for Ama Dablam 2012, a summer climbing booking, 2 deposits for Island Peak in Spring and 2 enquiries for Island Peak in autumn.

Here's to a busy year,

Scotland

Having an absolutely awesome time in Scotland training my team for our forthcoming Everest expedition. Conditions are brilliant and the team are great.

Our extended family

I forgot to mention - on the way in and out to and from Ama Dablam my friend Tashi at Ama Dablam Lodge had mentioned that a friend of hers had lost her husband in the 2006 avalanche on Ama. Anyway I agreed to meet Sheeta Putti and she is just such a delightful lady. She has 3 children and the youngest is 4 - so has grown up without a father. The older 2 are 12 and 15 and are at boarding school in Kathmandu.

Anyway it turns out that the company that Mingma Nuru Sherpa had been working for gave a one off payment of Rs40,0000 (around £3,000) as compensation and she hasn't heard from them since. Mingma was obviously the wage earner and guess what, they don't have life assurance policies out there.

So the long and the short of it is that we are now sponsoring her 4 year old. It's pretty cool as I'd been racking my brain trying to think of a scheme or charity to get involved with - particularly something in The Khumbu. But everything is so well set up there already and I don't just want to end up giving a bunch of money to an organisation that is actually doing alright anyway.

Sheeta, Tashi and Tashi's sister.

So there you have it - some proceeds from all future Ama Dablam Expeditions will be going to help and support a family who have lost their husband and father. It so happens that Mingma was also a cousin and brother of Nyamgal and Germi who I have worked with many times on Ama. So it's quite poignant really.