Yesterday the team left a cache at 16,200′ (4937m). The team climbed up from Camp 3 about 1,000′ (304m) or so to the bottom of the fixed lines. This usually takes a couple hours. From here the team clipped their ascenders into the fixed lines. An ascender is a progress capture device. It allows the climber to move up the rope, but if the climber pulls down the teeth of the ascender will bite into the rope and not allow you to descend. This protects climbers from having a fall as the climb the steep snow and ice slope (roughly 50*) for 600′ up to the ridge. The fixed lines are 600′ of rope, anchored into this slope every several meters with deep ice and snow anchors. There are two, one for ascending and one for descending. Once the team reaches there ridge, they walk a ways to the cache site to chip a hole into the windblown snow. The views from here are phenomenal, and the team probably enjoyed a snack in the sunshine while they took it all in. Soon the team will be able to move to High Camp and prepare for their summit bid.
Climbers from a Mountain Trip team in 2021 navigate the bergschrund and start oup the fixed lines.
