Weather continues to frustrate departure

We reached the airport at the allotted hour today and passed through all security and waited to leave. There have been no scheduled flights to or from Lukla since the team came down last week! We waited for 4 hours but to no avail. The weather remains very bad in Lukla with visibility less than 1500m. The helicopter pilot informed us that, understandably, they will not fly until they are totally certain they can land and get back. The accident last week has certainly meant significantly increased safety procedures for all aircraft, which is good. We are now back in the hotel but have left all our bags in the helicopter ready to go. We will be there at the airport at 06.15 so we can fly as soon as the weather clears even a little in Lukla and we get the thumbs up to land and for them to be able to take off.

We have pared down our kit to almost Alpine style travel so we can move fast and light with the Sherpas. Whilst we will not compromise on the rest days going up - so as to ensure Mark Kelly and I (both of whom have not been up to Everest Base Camp already) can acclimatise properly.

We have decided to go slowly but to do long days on the way up to get us as high as we can without the danger of altitude sickness kicking in. We will have to come down fast and with long days to ensure we can return to Lukla to get a flight back in time to get back to the UK!

Inevitably there is a concern that we can not get back from Lukla in 10 days time but the weather is improving slowly and the view is that we should be able to get down OK according to the locals who have never had such a prolonged period of bad weather like this ever before they say.

We remain determined to go through with the expedition and are also looking at delaying our departure back to the UK by a day to increase the 'slack' in the system and increase the margin of safety and decrease the time pressure.

We are dealing with the extremes of Mother Nature here and she is not in a good mood in the Everest range right now! Extreme adventure always has its price and whilst we push ourselves from a physical perspective there is little we can do when nature takes over. Mountains are dangerous places at the best of times and whilst we are trained and experienced in them nothing can be more top of mind than safety. we all want to live to tell the tale!

For now it is more sitting in the hotel, drinking coffee in the Mandela Street coffee and smoothy bar and eating steak!

We will see what Mother Nature thinks about us flying tomorrow.

Kathmandu and problem solving

Kathmandu is a weird and wonderful place at the best of times and this early morning scene is the calm before the storm of traffic which fills every street to bursting by 10.00 when the shops reopen after a late close at 10.00pm. The rubbish in the streets remains as a stinking and rotting mass until someone decides to burn it. There is the acrid smoke of smouldering remains of everything from dead animals to plastic bottles and general paper waste. The heavy humidity means things burn slowly and badly. Even the burning of the dead along the rushing tributary of the Ganges which runs through the city is a slow and ponderous affair. Set amongst this backdrop of decay it is amazing that the people remain broadly good humoured and even generally optimistic.

We have spent a day of frustration working with doctors and the bureaucracy of both insurance companies and airline officialdom. In all instances you learn from bitter experience that process is everything and trying to speed up procedure and system never does more than frustrate you and cause further antipathy and delay. We now await final confirmation of the insurance company's final decision about the flights for the client.

The helicopter is ours and booked so we have a good deal of flexibility for our flights tomorrow and we are very hopeful of departure for all concerned during the day tomorrow.

We have all had to draw on our reserves of patience, resourcefulness and problem solving over the past few days but we remain focused on our goal and are keeping the trip timing under constant review. We remain confident of our achieving all goals.

Still in Kathmandu!

We are still in Kathmandu. We have had to postpone our helicopter flight until tomorrow. One of the last remaining people leaving last night unfortunately fainted in the airport just before checking in and hit their head. As a result they were refused access to the aircraft and to fly out! We had a panic phone call at 19.30 and sent one of the team to collect them from the airport and take them to hospital.

We have now had to rearrange everything and assist the client, deal with the local hospital doctors and get a discharge and 'fit to fly' certificate. This has to be sent to the insurers for confirmation that the client can be repatriated to the UK on the next available flight.

We will not leave until we are sure that the client is well and confirmed on a flight.

We have, however, decided that three of us will take the helicopter tomorrow in any event and one will stay behind to ensure the client leaves OK.

Following a review of the arrangements myself, Mark Kelly and Pete Bradley (medic) will fly out in the helicopter at 08.30 tomorrow. Mark Wood will stay with the client if necessary and return to the UK. If all goes well Mark will be on the flight tomorrow with us.

Fingers crossed!

Helicopter transfer to the mountains tomorrow

We had a very frustrating wait at KMD airport for our flight to Lukla this morning. After a very early start getting up at 03.45 we were finally told that all flights for today to Lukla were cancelled but not until 11.30am! By this time we had formulated several plans for alternative schedules depending on the weather for tomorrow. We really have to leave for the mountains tomorrow but the weather forecast is poor for aircraft. We have now hired a helicopter which gives us a much better chance of getting to Lukla due to the ability to grab a clear weather window. We now have a flight ready for us in a 5 seater helicopter with local pilots which will allow the 4 of us as well as all our kit to take off and land safely. In true British style and resourcefulness we have overcome the problem and are really looking forward to a sensible and timely start tomorrow.

After something of a frenetic day yesterday we were actually a little relieved not to get out today as no one really had a decent night last night having managed to get all of the Everest Base Camp expedition sorted with flights out today.

Our expedition will be 12 days of trekking which will, all being well, include the ascent of Island Peak at 6189m and we are all looking forward to the off!

Everest Base Camp Expedition team members leaving KMD

Now working with Snowball Expeditions to help team members return to the UK. The weather and air crash at Lukla earlier in the week have played havoc with flight arrangements and bookings. Mark Wood and his team are doing a great job to help people get out and back to the UK. Their safe return home is our first priority. we will deal with the planning for the Island Peak climb once all the Everest Base Camp Expedition team members have left.
Our current plan is to head out on Sunday but this could well change. At present we are obtaining the relevant documents for our entry to the National Park and Everest region. In the midst of everything else we still have to stay focused on sorting personal kit and arranging our own transport back into the mountains.

Everest team arrive back KMD

Good news an hour ago - as the team walked into the hotel in KMD! Good to see my son and to hear of their adventures stuck in Lukla with food getting in shorter supply! The whole region is totally reliant on the daily flights to replenish supplies and the delays caused by the recentpoor weather have created quite a strain on the local hotels, shops and other supply systems.

Back in KMD the team is full of enthusism and broadly very happy! Now only need to sort their flights back! We can then start planning for our own trip!

Everest Base Camp Expedition back in Lukla

I have just heard from the team recently at Everest base camp that they are safe and sound in Lukla. The bad weather has meant that they are unable to fly out of the airport and an incident there has closed the airstrip temporarily. They are all fine and glad of the hot food, drinkls and showers they can enjoy whilst they wait to leave for Katmandu. I am flying to Delhi later today and will then repack all my kit for the transition from traininer to treker and climber!

Delhi and Mumbai - preparation continues

Sitting now in a hotel in Mumbai having just run a training session for a business here. The hot and humid conditions will be a far cry from the snows of Nepal in a few days time. The team on the base camp challenge run by Snowball Expeditions have made it to base camp and their progress can be read by logging on to markwoodexplorer.com where the regular updates have been posted.

It will be good to team up with Mark who will be leading the Island Peak Expedition. Also will be great to see my son Tom who has been on the trip and who has been testing some of the kit I'll be using on the climb.

Finding time to do some gentle training in the hotel but this is not the time for too much vigour as the last thing I need is an injury right now!

India and the Himalayas

Sitting here at Heathrow about to board a flight to Delhi. Spending a couple of days in Delhi and Mumbai doing some work then fly to Kathandhu on Wednesday to start the preparations for the trek to the base of Island peak and then up it!

Regular blog updates can be found both here at at markwoodexplorer.com

Hot weather training in Turkey

Whilst running up and down Turkish mountains in up to 45 degrees of heat might not seem the best way to train for the Himalayas it certainly improves your fitness! With only 10 days to go before I start up the Nepalese hills for Island Peak I used a short break to pack in some additional training on steep ground.

The concentration required in the heat of recent days in Southern Turkey was significant. There are is also always real danger from sun stroke with sun this hot so diverting to the shade regularly and staying hydrated is essential!

The Lycian Way is a 509 km long distance footpath across Southern Turkey along the beautiful coastal regions from Fethiye in the West to Antalya in the East. The best site to review this amazing route is at www.lycianway.com and I was using the section around Kalkan which I have come to know reasonably well over the last 8 years of visiting the region.

As you can see from the photographs this route requires a combination of good climbing and decent skills coupled with a head for heights and determined navigation skills to follow the distinctive (but sometimes obscured) paint markers which denote the route through sometimes very dense undergrowth.

6 days of 2 - 3 hours a day left me fitter and stronger and ready for the challenge ahead which starts next week with a flight to Kathmandu.

Fun though!

Training in Turkey

Setting off tomorrow for Turkey for a week in the Southern region. 'Holiday' is the theory but I will be training in the local mountains to build the final fitness needed for the Island peak expedition.

Check out the attached link to a recent Island Peak expedition to get a perspective on the challenge.

Really looking forward to this - the next big challenge!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcsR2nWmWhU

Planning for Island peak and Everest base camp

Just back from a hectic week in Chicago, Singapore and Kuala Lumpar! The work front severely hampered training this week so have had a strong gym session to make up for it today! The kit list has been checked for my son who is out on the Everest base Camp expedition from next Monday (9th August) He will be celebrating his 21st birthday in Katmandu before setting off with Mark from Snowball Expeditions and a team of 20 others to trek to base camp before returning in time for me to meet him as I set off from Katmandu on 27th.

The outdoors in certainly getting to be a family affair at present though I think the spell in the village in the Himalayas earlier this year gave him a taste for the high peaks in the region.

Kit list complete and a new set of crampons purchased today make me even more enthusiastic about the climb.