Altitude: from 4300 to 4900 / Weather: very cold, cloudy As a team-member of this expedition, I have been spared the back and forth discussion between lead guide Kai Girard and second in command Scott – Patch. It does not mean, however, that I do not know what is going on and that I have […]

(Click the picture to play video blog) Keep in mind that this happens only at high altitude after being bored out of our minds playing the waiting game for summit attempt…why team Shrimp? well actually we needed to find a name to yell ‘Anchor’ and ‘Climbing’ for the fixed ropes section the next day. So […]

May 18 / Weather: storm on mountain top / Altitude: 4300m / Temperature: -15 We are stuck in the tent at camp 3 to wait for better weather. We are getting bored and trying to keep busy by reading our kindles, chatting and listening to music and spending a lot of time in the kitchen […]

May 17 / Weather: cloudy and snowy / Altitude: 4300 -> 4900 -> 4300 We can’t make the summit push for now so instead of staying in camp we have decided to head back up to the col at 4900m where the cache is so we can train and keep in shape and acclimatized. On […]

(Featured picture: large expedition with sleds arriving at Camp 3, Mount Foraker in the background) May 16 / Weather: high pressure but storm coming   The forecast announces a low pressure system and snowstorm from Wednesday so guides decide to change plans, we won’t go up to high camp today. We are going to wait […]

(Featured picture: Xavier going up the fixed lines) May 15 / Weather: bluebird, -38C morning / Climbing: 6h30 / Altitude: 4300 to 4900 to 4300   (below: morning temperature inside the tent at 9am) Our first technical climbing day of the trip, it’s very exciting, we are all gearing up for a 11am departure. It’s […]

May 14 Weather: phenomenal ‘bluebird’ Altitude: 4300 (stationary at Camp 3, Basin camp) The day starts on a roll. Its 1 am, I wake up to the wind blowing the tent around. I immediately wake up Xavier the ask him if he and Pat tied their backpacks down in the snow. There is not enough […]

(featured photo: one of the many meals in the Kitchen tent, dug right into the snow, with snow/ice benches, snow/ice counter, snow/ice cooking surface) May 13, Altitude 4300 -> 4000 -> 4300 Weather: sunny, around -20 morning, prob -15 afternoon   The night at camp 3 was incredibly cold, it went down to -32 degrees. […]

May 12 Weather: sun and clouds Altitude: 3300 to 4300 Time climbing: 6h13 (Pix of Xavier holding my monster pack before a 6 hour climb) Most brutal day so far. Carrying everything up to camp 3, Basin Camp in monster sized backpacks. This is the gateway to the high part of the mountain through a […]

Video Blog, daily debrief, May 11 2017