Everest 2012
mag 17
#12: FW: everest summit bid
Published at 15:16
Just had a very quick and really clear satellite phone call from a very excited Becky from Camp 3 (7200m) on Mt. Everest. Hoping the ropes will finally be fixed in time, they are aiming to begin their summit bid tomorrow night, Friday 18th, leaving about 9pm from Camp 4 (8000m). The climb to the top is expected to take 10-12 hours, to summit 7-9am local time (about 2-4am UK time!!). I'm hoping to be woken up in the early hours of Saturday 19th May with great news!!
At 20, Becky will be the youngest British female to summit Everest, if she makes it, although Leanna Shuttleworth is just behind her on the mountain and is still only 18! This has been a challenging year on Everest with the weather being unusually warm and windy, so the Khumbu icefall and Base Camp have been on the move more than usual and the weather window has arrived later than usual, meaning the ropes are only now being secured. Last year most of the summits were between 12 and 20 May.
At last the Jetsteam seems to have shifted, allowing a brief spell of winds below the critical 30km/hr on the summit. The next window seems to be 25th, so hope she makes it tomorrow. There are about 200-300 other climbers with the same aim!! Becky's dream to climb Everest has been over 2 years in the making, starting with a tourist flight around Everest when she was in Nepal in October 2009, on her Gold Duke of Edinburgh trek!
So, Good Luck to Becky and her team-Rob the guide, Matt, Mollie, Valerie and Richie. Wishing them a safe final step to the Top of the World (and back down again!!). Thank you for all your support and interest in Becky's Everest Dream. I can't wait to have her home but I know there will always be another adventure-she's planning on swimming the Channel next! (She's already done it in a swimming pool!) Apparently, Everest and the Channel have only been done 3 times before and never by a woman!
At 20, Becky will be the youngest British female to summit Everest, if she makes it, although Leanna Shuttleworth is just behind her on the mountain and is still only 18! This has been a challenging year on Everest with the weather being unusually warm and windy, so the Khumbu icefall and Base Camp have been on the move more than usual and the weather window has arrived later than usual, meaning the ropes are only now being secured. Last year most of the summits were between 12 and 20 May.
At last the Jetsteam seems to have shifted, allowing a brief spell of winds below the critical 30km/hr on the summit. The next window seems to be 25th, so hope she makes it tomorrow. There are about 200-300 other climbers with the same aim!! Becky's dream to climb Everest has been over 2 years in the making, starting with a tourist flight around Everest when she was in Nepal in October 2009, on her Gold Duke of Edinburgh trek!
So, Good Luck to Becky and her team-Rob the guide, Matt, Mollie, Valerie and Richie. Wishing them a safe final step to the Top of the World (and back down again!!). Thank you for all your support and interest in Becky's Everest Dream. I can't wait to have her home but I know there will always be another adventure-she's planning on swimming the Channel next! (She's already done it in a swimming pool!) Apparently, Everest and the Channel have only been done 3 times before and never by a woman!
- Name: Everest Camp 3
- Elevation: 7200 m
- Latitude: 27° 58’ 7” North
- Longitude: 86° 55’ 7” East
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