Not a great night of sleep too tight in the tent. I am squashed between Xavier and Marc, the snow under us is at an angle and Marc slides to my side, it sounds ridiculous but its unbearable after hours trying to sleep.

7 hours of climbing round trip from Camp 3 to the ridge and back.

Marc gives up at the base of the fix lines. Xav and I push with Kai and Eric. Fix lines are icy 50-60 degree incline. This is where I fell into a crevasse / bergschrund 2 years ago so I am super vigilant. The ascent of the lines is definitely a technically challenging section. One wrong step is an immediate slip down the slope. Of course we are roped in and clipped onto the fixed lines with double redundancy (ascender + cow tail) it is an excellent safety system, but the fixed ropes always remain a challenge. We reach the ridge and the landscape opens up to the immensity of the landscape, glaciers followed very quickly by the tundra. It’s majestic. We keep climbing and start navigating the ridge, rocks, ice and steep climbs. We reach our goal, dig a hole and cache our gear and some food for the summit push days.

NOTES

Cold feet for the first 2 hours. Trying Wim Hof breathing but it’s difficult while moving and with altitude. I try to meditate while walking and focus on my feet getting more blood flow. It’s -25 so in a way it’s not unexpected but painful and very uncomfortable.

Communication is paramount in an expedition team. We finally discuss with Kai the options in case Marc is not able to push for the summit. Marc has still not shared a word about his condition. Different personality that we have to respect but it’s difficult for Xav and I who would rather talk about the issues & find ways to deal with them.