Rest day! The team enjoyed a leisurely day today, resting their bodies and building up a bit more acclimatization before making the big push to High Camp. Brian Kramp called in with an update from Camp 3, where it was sunny and warm today.
The team will pack up camp tomorrow (weather permitting) and climb up the fixed lines to gain a ridge that leads to a small plateau at 17,200′ (5242m), the site of high Camp on the West Buttress. It’s a big day, with exposed, fun climbing as they weave in and out of rocks and along knife-edged ridgelines. Once they arrive at High Camp, they’ll still have a lot of work to do – you can’t hit your sleeping bag until camp is well fortified with walls built from blocks of snow blocks carved from the firm surface of camp.
Here’s Brian –
