To the Top of the World

If you click on the above image of Everest, you will see the route Kyle will be taking to the top. The red dots indicate the camps with the lowest one being the North Col, the next one up being Camp 2 and the third red dot being Camp 3 just below the Northeast Ridge that Kyle will follow to the summit. The last dot is the summit and the yellow line is the border between Nepal and Tibet. You can also get a good idea of the sheer drop of the North face to the Rongbuk Glacier below and on the other side there is an equally steep drop 11,000ft to the bottom of the Kangshung or East face of Everest.

Kyle is just waiting for the ropes to be fixed to the summit and then he'll be headed for the top.


Kyle will leave the North Col and start climbing the snow slope to Camp 2. From this point he will be wearing his down suit non-stop and has to take anything he wants at the last two camps in his pack. He is probably hauling a bunch of energy gels like GU and cliff bars, snicker bars, etc. to eat for the next 3 days. Above the North Col your appetite almost becomes non-existent. For 3 days I lived off of energy gels and candy bars because I couldn't force myself to put down a boil in the bag type meal.

The view from Camp 2 at 25,000 feet


The complete loss of appetite really starts to wear on you at this point because you are burning thousands of calories per day between climbing and your body burning calories just trying to stay warm and not replacing those calories. You're running a constant calorie deficit and the battle to stay hydrated becomes more difficult each hour. Keeping hydrated is super vital at extreme altitude because it does a number of things including keeping your blood thin, helping your body stay warm, and keeping your body functioning properly. Despite knowing that not being hydrated could cause me to lose the chance to summit, there were plenty of times I could not force myself to light up the stove and melt snow and ice just because of the monumental physical effort it takes at such a high altitude.

Kyle will be on oxygen at Camp 2 and hopefully it will give him a boost of energy and leave him feeling a little better. It will certainly help him sleep because sleep above 25,000 ft is virtually impossible without oxygen and even with oxygen it is a struggle. The tents at Camp 2 are put on platforms that are built up with small rocks to make a somewhat flat area on an otherwise steep and jagged slope. There is no protection from the wind and there are remains of tents from past years that have been ripped to shreds and left destroyed.

Melting snow for water at Camp 2



After spending a frigid night at Camp 2, Kyle will wake up and try to put down some food and/or energy gels before putting his triple layered boots on and heading upward to Camp 3. The route to Camp 3 is steep with much of it consisting of exposed rock which makes for unsure footing with crampons. Any snow or ice is very welcome, providing a solid footing that the steel points of crampons can bite into. About 3/4 of the way to Camp 3, Kyle will hit the 8,000m mark. Only 14 mountains in the world are higher than 8,000m or roughly 26,000ft. Any point above this altitude is aptly referred to as the "Death Zone". The human body is not made to survive at such extreme altitudes and climbers try to spend as little time as possible here. The body can't acclimatize and it uses up its store of oxygen much faster than it can be replaced. Bodily functions deteriorate and non-essential functions such as digestion are heavily suppressed as the body focuses on using what little oxygen it has for its essential to life functions.

Making my way to Camp 3 with the summit in view



A high percentage of the deaths that occur on Mt. Everest and the 13 other 8000 meter peaks of the world are either directly (loss of vital functions, High Altitude Pulmonary Edema HAPE, and High Altitude Cerebral Edema HACE) or indirectly (poor decision making and judgment due to lack of oxygen to the brain, accidents caused by extreme fatigue) caused by the debilitating effects of the extreme altitude of the "Death Zone". The key to minimizing these risks is to get in and get out fast. Kyle should be spending about 24 hours above 26,000ft and hopefully he will be able to descend to the relative safety of Camp 2 at around 25,000ft after his summit attempt.

After arriving at Camp 3 at 27,000ft with the summit in view

Kyle should arrive to Camp 3 in the early afternoon on Sunday and will retreat to his tent where he will start melting snow for water like a mad man for hours. The more hydrated he can get before leaving later in the night for the summit, the better. Keeping any liquid from freezing on the way to the summit is almost impossible and the intense focus on the task at hand means he probably won't be stopping to drink anyway. The tents at Camp 3 are terribly uncomfortable because they sit on the steep North Face of Everest. The hours Kyle spends at Camp 3 will go by very slowly with all the anticipation of what he's about to undertake. I doubt he will be able to get any sleep but with all the adrenaline he won't need it. When the time comes that evening around 10pm he and the other climbers at Camp 3 will be filling their down suits with everything they will need for the next 24 hours.

The third step and the summit pyramid, 3 hours from the top


The cold will be unimaginable, each step higher will be exponentially harder than the last. There is 1/3 the oxygen at sea level available to breathe. Kyle's lungs will be burning and his body will be screaming at him to turn around.

I personally believe that what it takes to reach the summit of Everest is an iron will and the ability to ignore the pain your mind is projecting on your body.

There are 3 technical objectives on the Northeast Ridge that Kyle will follow to the summit. The first, second and third steps are all very steep rock formations that can be seen along the skyline from as far away as Base Camp. A better description of the 3 steps and my summit day experience can be found in this summary from my blog. I think it's worth the read to better grasp what Kyle is about to embark on. Keep in mind this was my experience and depending on a number of factors, Kyle's could be very different but I imagine much of it will be the same-

My summit day started at 10pm on May 22nd Nepal Time from camp at 8300m or about 27,300ft. Getting out of the tent was a huge effort and it took 20 minutes to get my equipment on and my oxygen flowing before actually setting off. I was one of the last ones to start but slowly picked up my pace and started to pass other climbers until only two of my teammates, Brandon and Pete, were in front of me. The weather couldn't have been better with clear skies and no wind. The stars from that altitude were amazing and off in the far distance there were lightning storms that would light up the clouds. Everything was quiet and the only thing I could hear was my breathing in my oxygen mask. It was a very surreal experience and almost felt like it could have been a dream. Slowly plodding along the Northeast Ridge, I could see the headlamps of other climbers farther up the route bobbing in the dark.

Not long after moving on the ridge did I see my first body, which I knew was somewhere close but actually coming up on it and seeing a pair of neon green boots sticking out of a small cave was something I couldn't have prepared myself for. "Green Boots" as he's known to the climbers of Everest, crawled into that cave and never got back up. His body is curled up like he could be lying in a bed, and his down jacket still has loft to it. Two oxygen cylinders lie next to him and his crampons are still attached to his boots. I can't really describe the feeling but it put things into perspective- I'm in a place where there is a fine line between living and dying. This isn't a place for humans and if you aren't quick and mistake-free during your time in the "Death Zone" (above 26,000ft) you are really pushing your luck. You read stories about people dying in the mountains all the time and even as a climber I never thought twice about it. But this made it real to me. After stopping for a minute or two at that cave I continued onward and it wasn't long before meeting the first really technical challenge of summit day, the first step. There are three steps which are basically nearly vertical sections of rock that you have to ascend to complete the climb. They are what make the ascent from the North side of Everest so difficult. The combination of the extreme altitude, exhaustion and lack of concentration makes these steps difficult obstacles. The first step did not have any ladders and I don't really have any recollection about climbing it and because it was still dark it was hard to really have a good idea of what exactly you were climbing. On the way back down I descended the first step in daylight and was surprised at how steep it was, but because you can only see as far as your headlamp shines, sections like that often seem a lot smaller because you can't see that whole picture.

Shortly after ascending the first step came the second step which is fixed with two ladders to help you climb the vertical rock. It was starting to get a little lighter out now that it was closing in on 3am but still dark enough that you could only make out the outlines of the rock overhead. I was behind Pete and watched and waited for him to ascend before it was my turn. The first ladder is shorter than the second and is suspended in the air by rope tied to the top. The wobbling of it when I stepped on was a bit unnerving at first but the faster I got up the sooner I got off. Now the second ladder to the top of the second step was maybe a 20 ft ladder again hanging from ropes. Now it was light enough that I could see off the right side of the ridge. If you fell at that point and weren't clipped into the fixed lines, you would have gone about 8,000-9,000ft down the mountain. It was extremely exposed and when I stepped on that ladder my legs were actually shaking so much that I had trouble placing my feet. I've never gripped anything as tight as I gripped that ladder and even when you got to the top the exposed climbing wasn't over. You climb out onto a small flat spot in the rock and from there it is straight down to the bottom of the mountain. My heart was pounding out of my chest when I finally got to the top of the second step and I don't know if I've ever experienced an adrenaline rush like that in my life. It's one of those moments where being exposed to the chance of death makes you feel so alive. Hard to explain but an addicting part of climbing.

On the way to the third step the sun started to rise over the horizon. Without a doubt the most incredible sunrise I've ever seen. Looking down from the mountain as far as the eye could see it was still dark, but at this altitude I was in daylight. Approaching the third step I was trailing behind Pete and I swapped an oxygen cylinder before the final push. It looked so close from there, if at sea level I would guess 15-20 minutes but here at just under 29,000ft it took 3 full hours. At the bottom of the third step I saw another body. This climber was in a very similar position to "Green Boot", curled up like he laid down to take a nap. His hand was exposed and his flesh looked the same as if he was still alive but he had probably been there for a couple years. The fixed line to get up the third step was even attached to the harness that was still on his body. Again there was that realization of the situation I was in and what can happen no matter your skill or fitness level. I really started to push myself hard here knowing, or at least thinking I was so close. I must have been out of breath for close to 2 continuous hours but I just couldn't force myself to slow down. The overall exhaustion and fatigue at this point is too hard to describe. The only way to know is to experience it. There was quite a bit of climbing on windswept rock that had no snow on it, right below the final summit ridge. Climbing on rock like this with crampons is no easy task as the crampons tend to slip very easily on the rock. Again the climbing became completely exposed and it was a long way down. Reaching the final summit ridge was very exciting but I then saw the actual summit still another 100 yards off which was about another 30-40 minutes. Each step was a monumental effort and with each step I was realizing how much closer to reaching my dream I was. On the final 50ft our group leader Stu and teammate Brendon were coming down from the Summit. I got some high fives although I don't think I could muster any words at that point. The final steps to the top were the most relieving steps I have ever taken and I sat right down on the highest point on Earth. The view is absolutely incredible and the skies were perfectly clear. All of the hard work I put into this had finally paid off and I was on top of the world. I sat up there for a good 15 minutes soaking it all in. I was lucky to be up there when only 3 or so others were so that was really nice. The fixed ropes don't run to the very top so you have to unclip from the lines to actually stand on top of the world. This means you have to be very careful where you are stepping because if you slip there is nothing to stop you from falling thousands of feet. Prayer flags are staked into the ice all over and I tried very hard not to trip on any of those and decided sitting would be the safest option. I took some pictures and video and waited until Pete and his good friend Matt reached the top together. We congratulated each other and then I started to head down knowing that this was only going to be a success if I got back down safely.

It's easy to see why people think going down is easier than going up but that's not necessarily true. Mentally you have to be on top of things to avoid making a mistake or losing concentration. Physically your legs and entire body are so exhausted from the climb up that controlling your foot placement on the way down can be tricky. Instead of lifting your feet when you take steps I often dragged mine and caught my crampons on the side of my boots which are torn to shreds as a result. It's very easy to trip yourself up and I did that all to often. On the way back down the Northeast ridge I came across three more bodies. One person had fallen near the second step and lay about 15ft below. The other two had died along the route and one had died face up which was for me the worst one. The other bodies were just that, bodies. This man became a person when I saw his face, almost completely preserved, eyes and mouth open with a pained grimace. I stopped near him for a good 3-4 minutes just thinking about how this man died and why, what it must feel like to not be able to move another step, collapse and know you're going to die there. The encounters with the bodies was one of the parts of this trip that I will never forget. On the way back down I could now see what I had climbed on the way up and the 1st and 2nd step were much more impressive in the daylight. I carefully down climbed both and in about 3 1/2 hours from the summit I was back at camp at 27,000ft. I still had one full oxygen cylinder from my original 3 and I crawled into my tent to grab some things I had left before heading farther down the mountain. I put my head down and immediately fell asleep without my oxygen mask on and woke up an hour and a half later wondering how that happened. Because of all the time spent off the oxygen I was having trouble thinking clearly and was very clumsy with my motor skills. I knew I had to get back on the oxygen so I screwed my last cylinder onto my regulator and packed up my pack and with a huge effort, started heading to the next camp down which was at about 25,500ft.

At this point I knew I was going to try to descend all the way to Advanced Base Camp where I would get a good meal and sleep comfortably. At Camp 2 I passed a few teammates who had descended earlier in the day and asked if anyone wanted to continue down with me but nobody was up for it so I kept on going. I don't know how I was able to keep moving but it must have been the thought of eating some good food instead of a boil in the bag meal. At the top of the North Col I thought I might not make it all the way back to ABC but I was only 2 hours away and I slid down on my butt wherever I could wrapping the fixed lines around my arm to use as a brake. For the last time I crossed the ladders covering the crevasses and finally reached the bottom of the North Col and started to walk across the glacier that leads to ABC. When the glacier ends you start walking on a rock covered path and I didn't have the energy to even take my crampons off so I just walked over the rocks with them on. I was doing pretty good until I caught the front points under a rock and took a nasty head first spill. It took a few minutes to gather myself and get moving again and I still left my crampons on for the last 15 minutes. Coming into camp was such a relief and when our mess tent came into view I was the happiest person on the mountain. I walked into the door of the mess tent and collapsed while my teammates Heather and Josh helped me get my gear off and get me some food and what I was really craving most- a coke. The tastiest coke I've ever had and probably ever will have.