Stuarts Route

Stuarts journey to the Himalayas will be a long one. The expedition group will fly to Kathmandu, then after a days rest, drive through Eastern Nepal onwards to Friendship Bridge where they will cross the Nepal/Chinese border.

Once across the border the long arduous journey of crossing the Tibetan Plateau by 4x4 will begin. The team will drive along the Friendship highway and stop at famous Tibetan towns such as Old Tingri and then head onto Rongbuk and Everest BC where the climb will begin.

North ridge route
Climbers of 41 different nations have reached Mount Everest’s summit by following 12 different routes. Stuart’s expedition will follow the north ridge route, one of the two most common routes up the mountain. Some call it ‘a climb for climbers’, as it isn’t easy.

Advanced Base Camp (ABC)
(21,000 feet / 6,400 meters)
From Mount Everest Base Camp (at 5,050 meters) there is about 12 miles of rugged hiking over boulders, ice and snow alongside the Rongbuk and Changtse Glaciers before Stuart will reach the Advanced Base Camp. This camp is on the north western side of the East Rongbuk Glacier’s moraines, under the slopes of Changtse. Here, the wind gusts, ripping down off the North Col, can destroy anything in their way – so Stuart will have to be careful to tie his tent down firmly.

North Col Camp 1
(23,200 feet / 7,100 meters)
The camp at North Col is extremely windy. A pronounced ridge stretches up from the North Col towards the Northeast Ridge, 8,383 meters above. Stuart should be able to pitch a tent here, but this will depend on the amount of space available and exposure to the winds.

High Camps 2-4
As with most expeditions, the higher camps are used for further acclimatisation.

Camp 2
(24,600 feet / 7,500 meters)
This is the first of three high camps. Sherpa's will help Stuart’s team by setting up camp ahead of time, including tents, stoves, gas, sleeping pads, and food. The route to Camp 3 is mainly snow, until around 25,000 feet. From that point on, the team will have to trudge through thick snow and rocks. Yet the real problem here is the wind. Fixed ropes will help guide Stuart, but a slip on this route could mean death, plummeting down the steep slope towards the Rongbuk Glacier.

Camp 3
(25,600 feet / 7,800 meters)
This is the first really hard climb. At this height, Stuart may require oxygen, even during sleep. He must carry all his own personal equipment and will have to tie his tent to anything he can find – including debris left by other expeditions – anchoring it with nets and ropes. At this stage the roar of the wind will be deafening. Stuart may need to wear earplugs or listen to music to drown out the noise. The wind often diminishes above Camp 3, where the North Ridge merges with the North Face.

Camp 4
(27,231 feet / 8,300 meters)
Oxygen becomes a requirement at Camp 4. This camp is comparatively small, and finding something with which to anchor the tents will be hard. Stuart’s journey to the summit will start in the early morning hours. Those who have reached the Northeast Ridge say the views are spectacular.

Summit
(29,035 feet / 8,850 meters)
IWhen he reaches the summit, Stuart will only be able to stay there for a few minutes. The climate is too severe, and he will have to start descending back down to Camp 4 if he is to reach it again before dark. But once there, Stuart will be on top of the world – psychologically and physically. This is the climax point... at 29,035 feet, at 23 times the height of the Empire State Building, at the typical cruising altitude of a jet, five miles above his everyday life back in Dorset, Stuart will have done it – he will have conquered his two mountains.

But he will still need to keep his wits about him, as the decent can be as difficult as the ascent. After all, more people die on the way down, than on the way up...

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