Updated for Everest 2008

Q: How did you get 2 months off for two years in a row and still keep your job?
A: Twenty-plus years with the same company is the short answer. There is an short story about "Time & Money", but I am very happy that I stayed with the same company for over 20 years thus earning significant vacation time. I put 100% into my work and cared passionately about our success, so I think I earned the trust and respect of my bosses. Work ethics and loyalty is quite different in 2008 than during my career so staying with a company your entire career is rare. But with careful choices you can create a work and lifestyle that will allow you to be successful in both. The bottom line for me is that while my work was very important, it was not my entire life.

Q: Have you've become one of these people obsessed with Everest?
A: I don't think so. I get tremendous satisfaction and enjoyment just being in the mountains. I actually like living in a tent for weeks on end! I enjoy the relationships I build with my teammates on a long climb. I always leave the Khumbu for the better from my interaction with the Sherpa people and their culture. The dangers are real and always present but it keeps me sharp. A common theme you will read on this site is that my goal is to do my best. I said prior to the 2003 climb that if I turn around at the same big rock or higher or lower without the summit, it will be OK if I did my best. Who knew that the altitude would get me that time. All I know is that when windows open in your life you have to take advantage of them.

Q: What about the Sherpas, what role do they play?
A: The Sherpas are incredible allies in climbing these big mountains. They fixed ropes, carry heavy loads and generally do the hard work. The cooks kept us fed at most of the Camps. They melted snow and hauled ice to the stoves at BC, C2 and C4. The dug out tent platforms and set up tents as well as took them down and off the mountain. It was summit night, however, where they really shined. They basically took over and made sure we were properly equipped for the summit bid. They checked our crampons and harnesses. They helped with our oxygen and made sure the regulators were set correctly. And of course, they watched over each climber during the summit bid and helped when there were problems. I saw this with all Sherpas for all expeditions all the way from Base Camp up. If you climb Everest without Sherpa assistance, my hat is off to you

Q: Do I really need to use a guide or Sherpas for Everest?
A: It depends on your skills and experience but I would almost always recommend some kind of guide or logistics help on Everest. Long expeditions are a maze of details. You would be absolutely amazed at the amount of gear, food and supplies it takes to climb a big hill. On Everest, there are literally tons of gear. It is a pity to stop your summit bid because you ran out of fuel for your stove or did not bring enough rope. I have much more on guides on my guide page. It is common to hear someone say that a climber was "drug to the summit by a Sherpa". This is unfair to both parties. Sherpas are amazing and do a phenomenal amount of hard work. But they do not force climbers to climb. Climbers put one foot in front of the other and move up under their own power. Sherpas are a partner on a climb.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: A car. The Nepal Ministry of Tourism will charge $10,000 per climber. There is a rumor that Nepal will reduce the Everest permit fee in 2008. The permit is about $5,000 on the north. There are three options for a climb: 1) organize your own expedition, 2) an 'unguided' commercial expedition and 3) a guided commercial expedition. The one on your on is obvious: you do everything including lining up Sherpas. There are companies in Katmandu that will help you. An unguided expedition is one where a company organizes all the logistics: food, group gear, transportation but does not provide guides. More guide are offering these type trips to cater to the price sensitive or experienced climbers. The guided expedition is all of the previous but with full Sherpa support and usually Western Guides. These are 'full service' trips and are most appropriate for first time Everest climbers. The cost vary widely. On your own can be as low as $20K if you really skimp, unguided around $35K and guided from $50 to $65K. Then there are custom trips where you have your own western guide plus your own Sherpas. Expect to pay $100K for this trip.

Q: What is the difference between an Everest expedition for $65K and one for $20K?
A: Often it is simply how much is bundled into one single price versus services offered as options. Sometimes it is the availability of resources: western guides, back up supplies (ropes, oxygen bottles, etc) medical facilities, communications and profit for the operator. But this is difficult to compare. When you look at the "what's included and what's not included on a companies' web site they read almost identical. This is why you must do more research. As for price, the best advice is to shop around. Prices range widely but be very careful when comparing services. The larger companies include everything in one fee. On low cost offers understand if oxygen and food is included. Ask about in-country flights and meals. Understand tips and how much is expected. You will get what you pay for but be careful not to pay too much!

Q: How long does it take to climb Everest? And why so long?
A: The entire climb takes between six and seven weeks. The first week is used to arrive at base camp with a trek from Lukla for the south or a drive from Kathmandu or Lhasa on the north. Next you spend three to four weeks going up and down the mountain to establish camps with food, fuel and oxygen. On most climbs it is the Sherpas who are doing the heavy carrying so you are acclimatizing your body to the high altitude. However you are still carrying a 20lb to 30lb pack with personal gear. The acclimatization process cannot be rushed.

Q: How do the traditional routes compare on Everest: North Ridge or Side Col?
A: Neither is easy, just different. The south has the dangers of the Khumbu Icefall where most deaths have occurred since 2000. And there is the Hillary Step on the south which is challenging for some. The north is a little more technically difficult with rock climbing around the two steps on the ridge - even with the ladder on the 2nd Step. The camps on the north are 1,000-2,000' higher than similar camps on the south thus making summit day shorter. But your body degrades faster at higher altitude so there is a tradeoff. The north can be colder and get more snow than the south. Finally the ladders in the Khumbu Icefall are only maintained through the end of May thus giving a definite end date to the season. There is no such deadline on the north and climbers can stay as long as the weather holds for a summit bid. See my pages on routes for a more complete description of the routes: North and South.

Q: How do you communicate back home and updates?
Satellite phones are the most common method. I use Thuraya which transmits both voice and data (including email) from anywhere within their coverage area. Some tea house offer satellite or wired phone service but these cannot be depended on. Expedition companies charge anywhere from $3 to $7 USD per minute so charges can rack up quickly. The Hughes phone for Thuraya cost about $800 US and $1 a minute or less. If you will use more than 800 minutes and go on multiple expeditions, buying a phone makes a lot of sense. The Thuraya satellites only covers Europe and Asia and not the US or South America. Iridium is the other option but it does not perform as reliably in my experience. See the technology section on my gear page for details. For all my climbs I posted almost daily dispatches on this site at Everest Dispatches 2003 and Everest Dispatches 2002 and did again for 2008.

Q: What about web site coverage for climbs?
A: Almost all large guide companies post updates on their commercial sites but it is more PR than real updates. The most candid and honest dispatches come from individuals who do their own postings. David Tait and Bill Burke were great examples in 2007. A few commercial sites repost expedition dispatches in summary manner but offer little to no insight into what is really happening. I was disappointed how one well known site heavily edited my 2002 dispatches thus proving that you cannot rely on this one for accuracy and objectivity.

Q: I read that Everest is a "cake-walk" these days and anyone can summit. Exactly how hard is it?
A: It is tough. I submit that anyone who calls it a 'cake-walk' has never been there. The Khumbu Icefall is dangerous and challenging. It is a long climb in the beginning but becomes easier as you get acclimatized. The Lhotse Face is steep with hard ice and a long climb with loads. The traverse from C3 to C4 and the South Col was my biggest surprises. The Yellow Band was moderate rock climbing (at 24,000') and the Geneva Spur was much higher and steeper than I thought. The last section was 50' of 5.4 rock. Everest itself starts with a 20-40 degree slope with fixed lines. In bad weather, this would be difficult. Above the balcony, I am told, it was long and tiring but not very hard. Bottom line is that Everest is one tough mountain with the length of time it takes, the logistics and the altitude.

Q: Did you use bottled oxygen?
A: Yes on all climbs. Bottled supplemental oxygen is common on Everest but interestingly not on most other 8,000M peaks. The extra oxygen makes you warmer but only reduces the impact of the altitude by 3,000 feet. So at 27,000' your body stills feels like it is at 24,000'. The oxygen tanks look very similar to what you see scuba divers using in the ocean. Bottles are measured by how much oxygen they hold, usually 3 or 4 liters. A 3 liter bottle weighs about 5.7 pounds each. You use a oxygen mask and a regulator. The mask covers most of your face from your nose down. Climbers usually run the flow at 2 liters per minute meaning a 3 liter bottle will last about 6 hours. The flow can run up to 4 liters per minute thus lasting only 3 hours. Most climbers will need at least 4 bottles or maybe 19 hours of supplemental oxygen because sometime they will run the flow at 3 or 4 l/m. This does not including bottles for sleeping at C4 and spares. Almost everyone uses oxygen above 7,700M or 25,500 feet. I used O's on Everest and Cho Oyu. It simply makes sense not to take any chances. At base camp on Everest there is 50% of the oxygen at sea level. At Camp 3, about 40% and at the summit, there is only 33% - it is like climbing stairs and holding two out of every three breaths. Everyone on our expedition, as well as most of the others I observed, used bottled oxygen including climbers, guides AND Sherpas.

Q: How much supplemental oxygen did you use on Everest?
A: This is how it broke down using 3l bottles: 1 bottle shared with my partner at C3. 1 to climb to C4. I shared 1 at C4, the South Col during rest times. While I did not summit, I used 1 bottle going to the Balcony and back. If I had summited, I would have used another to the South Summit. then 1 to the summit and back to the South Summit. And finally, another back to the South Col. That makes 7 total: 1 to C4, 4 on the summit bid, 2 shared at camps.

Q: Isn't Everest dangerous?
A: Yes. There were deaths during our '02 expedition when a climber from another team fell down the Lhotse Face and another in '03. Fortunately, nobody from our team suffered any serious injuries either trip. In 2002, I twisted my knee coming down the icefall, fell into a deep crevasse and contracted a severe lung infection that stopped my summit bid, so yes it can be dangerous! Climbing any mountain even if it is 10,000 feet. You can be effected by factors out of your control such as weather or avalanches.

Q: What kind of gear do you take?
A: Mostly I use the same gear I use on other big mountains. Usually it takes two 50lb duffle bags. The technical equipment includes my long handle ice axe, harness, carabineers and crampons. The clothing consist of wool base layers, Gortex for wind protection and down for warmth. It is critical to protect my toes, fingers and face since these are most susceptible to frost bite. I have a gear page for reference. I am very pleased with all my gear but have a few standouts I note on the gear page. Over the years, I have slowly replaced worn out items with much lighter weight gear. For example, my newest sleeping bag is under 2lbs and good to below 0F

The 2008 Climb

Q: I understand the Chinese closed the North side just before you were to leave. Was that true and how did it affect you?
A: On March 10th the Chinese sent a fax to all expeditions who already had been issued permits asking them to not arrive on Cho Oyu or Everest - North until May 10th. The leaders of my expedition moved quickly and obtained south side permits and logistics support so we switched to the South Col Route on the Nepal side. The reason for the Chinese actions were to prevent any protest on Everest while they were taking the Olympic torch to the summit and doing a nationwide television broadcast. Pure propaganda.

Q: What was the impact of all this during the actual climb?
A: Significant. You can read all the details in an extensive 2008 recap but the summary is the Chinese controlled the Nepal Government to such an extent that the Icefall ladders went in late, climbing restrictions were in place that prevented a normal year for acclimatization schedules, communications and censorship rules limited dispatches and climbers were threatened at gunpoint to comply with rules. It was frightening at times, disturbing at other and annoying at a minimum. I will never trust the Nepal Ministry of tourism like I have in the past.

Q: Why did you go back when you did not summit in 2002 and 2003?
A: Two reasons: 1) raise awareness and money for Alzheimer's research and 2) I wanted to. Now that I am retired different factors enter into my decisions but two are still critical: support from my family and a deep personal desire. My 82 year-old Mother has Alzheimer's and is in a full time care facility. I dedicated that year of my life to The Road Back to Mt. Everest: Memories are Everything. It was a 5 climb plan plus fund raising and public speaking. You can read more about it through this link. I know from my previous climbs that Everest draws much more interest than say Denali, for example, so it was the best climb for my Alzheimer's objective of awareness and donations. I usually get over 100,000 hits a day on my website during my big climbs. But also, I really want to stand on top of the world!

Q: Tell me more about Alzheimer's.
A: Alzheimer's, is the most common cause of dementia, afflicting 24 million people worldwide. It is a progressive and terminal disease for which there is currently no cure. In its most common form, it occurs in people over 65 years old (although a less-prevalent early onset form also exists). It usually begins many years before it is eventually diagnosed. In its early stages, short-term memory loss is the clearest symptom: this leads to confusion, anger, mood swings, language breakdown, long-term memory loss, and the general 'withdrawal' of the sufferer as his or her senses decline. Gradually the sufferer loses minor, and then major bodily functions, until death occurs. Although the symptoms are common, people commonly experience them in a unique way. The duration of the disease is estimated between 5 and 20 years

Q: Tell me more about the fund raising and your Mom.
A: It is horrifying to see all her life memories just slip away. But it is even more disturbing knowing that her disease is incurable and it is almost certain that she will have a painful death when her brain "forgets' how to swallow. While there is excellent research underway it is to late for my Mom. Funding is the key to research and that is why I am trying to raise $100,000 with the Cure Alzheimer's Fund - a non profit where 100% of ALL donations go directly to research and zero to their overhead or to my climbing expenses.

Q: Why didn't you donate the money you spent on climbing instead of on your climbs?
A: I discussed this at length with the Cure Alzheimer's Fund. We both agreed that awareness was equally important as money at this point. I hoped that by having 100,000 hits a day to my website during the climbs that the awareness of Alzheimer's is increased and that will lead to donations now or in the future. By the way, my climbing expenses were much, much less than my fund raising goal :)

Q: What did your family think about you going back a 3rd time?
A: Fully supportive. Everyone understand that this climb was more than just climbing a mountain. When I told my Mom, she kind of understood but not really. She just said to be careful and dress warmly. Once a Mom, always a Mom!

Q: Seriously Alan, you did not summit before, why did you think you had a chance this time?
A: I didn't think that my chances were any better this time than before especially since I was five years older! However, this was my 6th expedition on an 8,000m mountain so I had a lot more experience. I trained dramatically different this time and arranged for more oxygen and on-mountain support even though it did not work out that way. So I thought I was doing everything I could. In the end, however, I approached the climb one step at a time. I did my best.

Q: Who did you go with?
A: Mountain Professionals led by Ryan Waters. The logistics were partly by Phil Crampton and Kathmandu based High Altitude Dreams (HAD). I wanted to go with a small team this time and with people I knew and trusted. I was on Broad Peak with Ryan in 2006 and found him to be an incredibly strong climber. We got along well. Phil has a reputation of running a great BC and is an experienced Everest guide as well. HAD is a well known smallish logistics operator and guide service similar to Asian Trekking. But they are smaller and give more personal support.This was Ryan's third Everest climb.

Q: How did they all perform?
A: Not bad and better than most. HAD's base camp services were excellent. Outstanding food and tents. Individual North Face 3 person VE-25 per person at BC and 2 per tent at C1, C2 and C3. Much better than the smaller Eureka or Mountain Hardware I saw with other teams. Their Sherpas were good. My Sherpa, Lam Babu was outstanding. And I think the other team members were pleased with their support as well. Ryan was more of a hands-off facilitator/leader. I was a little disappointed that my summit night plan did not work out per our discussion but it was slightly complicated by some of Ryan's equipment failure. Phil Crampton played a role in our expedition in transferring us from north to south. Without him, it would not have happened and I sincerely thank him for that. Phil's own expedition team was well run.

Q: Why did you consider the North side this time even though you ended up on the south?
A: I thought about returning to the south since I know it so well but I felt that my summit chances as well as my safety were better on the the north. The Khumbu Icefall has become so dangerous in recent years with falling seracs and deep crevasses. Another consideration was that it seems the Icefall Doctors who manage the ladders have become a little sloppy. The south has become extremely crowded with some large guided teams as big as 50 climbers -on ONE team! In 2008, the Chinese were taking the Olympic torch to the summit as part of their Beijing games and have scared a lot of people away fearing over-control. (They were right!!) The camps on the north are higher than on the south thus making the climbing days a little shorter. The North Col is at 23,000, the same as C3 on the south. You leave for the summit at 27,390'/8300m vs. 26,300'/8,000m on the south. See the page on the North Ridge Route for a concise series of pictures and route descriptions.

Q: How do you feel about the last minute change to the south side?
A: Well I was looking forward to climbing on the north for all the reasons just said. But I did know the south well and it was a homecoming of sorts. It was great to trek through the Khumbu and see all the kids again and of course going through my favorite - the IceFall!! It was OK.

Q: What else did you do different this time?
A: The plan was to have more bottled oxygen thus giving me the option of using it at a higher flow rate or from lower down. I had to be careful about this choice since either way it increases my risk if something goes wrong such as mask or regulator failure. By depending on supplemental oxygen too much my body will simply die without it above 8,000m if it is suddenly taken away and I cannot get down fast enough. Also,I had a personal Sherpa who helped me with the loads for example carrying my -40F sleeping bag to the north col. I still carried the majority of my own gear but he was there when I need additional help. Finally, in long conversations with Ryan about what went wrong before, I thought we were on the same page as to acclimatizion schedules and when to push hard an when to back off. All in all, I felt very confident about this overall plan

Q: How did you train this time versus in 2002 and 2003?
A: Since I retired and set the goal to return to Everest, I climbed on these mountains: Denali (20,320'), Shisha Pangma (26335'), Aconcagua (22,842') and Orizaba (18880') - all in the previous 6 months to Everest 2008. Each climb was designed to test me in a different way ranging from high altitude performance to pushing myself hard to understanding the team dynamics. In between these climbs, I climbed my Colorado 14ers, ran and lifted weights.

Q: So, how did you do in 2008?
A: I did not summit - again - I felt great the majority of the climb but felt it was too dangerous for me to continue and turned back at the Balcony or 27,500' (8300m) which was 1535 feet short of the highest point on earth. This was my highest altitude ever reached. In hindsight it was an easy decision but gut wrenching nonetheless.

Q: Any details on summit night?
A: It is all covered in the debrief but the headlines include that it was crowded - over 75 people on May 20/21. It was dangerous with large rocks being kicked by the conga line of people - we are lucky someone did not get killed that night. The weather was good - temps near 0F, clear sky and no winds. The masses moved pretty slow but faster than me!

Q: What was the climb schedule?
A: Obviously this can all change but here is a typical south side schedule:

• March 27 - Leave US
• March 29 - Arrive Kathmandu, Nepal
• March 30,31 - Kathmandu
• April 1 - Fly to Lukla(9200'/2804m)
• April 2-10 - Trek to Base Camp (17,500'/5334m)
• April 11-13 - Setup BC
• Apr 14 - 29 May - Climbing Period:
  • - C1 (19,500'/5943m)
  • - C2 (21,000'/6400m)
  • - C3 (23,500'/7162m)
  • - South Col (26,300'/8016m)
  • - Summit (29,035'/8850m)
• May 30 - Disassemble BC
• May 31 - Trek to Lukla
• June 1 - Fly to Kathmandu
• June 2,3,4 - Weather days or Kathmandu
• June 5 - Depart for US

Q: What are the elevations of the camps and time between them?
A: These are the approximate camps and key features of the South Col climb.

• Base Camp: 17,500'/5334m
• C1: 19,500'/5943m - 4-6 hours
• C2: 21,000'/6400m - 2-3 hours
• C3:23,500'/7162m - 3-6 hours
• Yellow Band - 3 hours
• Geneva Spur - 2 hours
• South Col: 26,300'/8016m - 1 hour or less
• Balcony: 4 - 5 hours
• South Summit : 28500' - 8690m - 1 to 2 hours
• Hillary Step - 1 hour or less
• Summit: 29,035' / 8850m - 1 hour or less
• Return to South Col: 6 -7 hours
• Return to C2: 3 hours
• Return to Base Camp: 4 hours

Q: Was there Internet coverage of the expedition?
A: I posted extensive dispatches on this site but it was interrupted for several weeks when the Nepal Army imposed a communication blackout and confiscated our satellite phones. The dispatches can be read on the dispatch page. This was the main page for all the dispatches for all my recent climbs.

Q: Are you still accepting donations for Alzheimer's fund raising?
A: Yes, thank you. You can make a donation on-line at Cure Alzheimer's Fund. All donations go to research - zero to the Fund's overhead or my climbing.

Q: Any regrets?
A: Not really. I trained hard, planned for most everything but in the end my body said no at the extreme altitude. I feel good about the awareness and money I raised but I feel better than I am back home with my family to write about this.

Everest Facts

Q: Exactly where is Mt. Everest?
A: On the border between Nepal and Tibet (China). It is in the Himalaya mountain range which stretches 1500 miles from Northeastern Pakistan to Bhutan. There are over thirty mountains higher than 25,000 feet. Of the fourteen 8,000 meter peaks, nine are located in the Himalayas making it clearly the top of the world.

Q: How do they know the altitude?
A: In 1841 a British surveyor named Sir George Everest identified the location of the mountain. Fifteen years later using trigonometry and measurements from 12 different survey stations around the mountain 'Peak XV' was surveyed as the world's highest mountain at 29,002 feet. In 1865 it was re-named Mt. Everest and is called Sagarmatha by the Nepalese and Chomolungma in Tibet. In 1955, the height was adjusted to 29,028'. On May 5,1999 a National Geographic Society Expedition put a GPS receiver on the summit. Using a second Trimble GPS receiver at the 26,000' South Col they could make an extremely accurate measurement by running the two receivers simultaneously. The new altitude was 29,035 feet or 8,850 meters. However, the Nepalese still use 29,028' as the official altitude.

Q: What were the standout climbs?
A: In 1924, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine made the first serious attempt. It is still unknown if they made the summit, but both died on the mountain. In 1953, Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary make the first successful summit. In 1975, Japanese Junko Tabei became the first woman to summit the hill. Austrian Peter Habeler and Italian Reinhold Messner were the first climbers to summit Everest without bottled oxygen. 1996 was probably the most controversial year with fifteen climbers dying on the mountain thus spawning worldwide debate and interest in alpine mountaineering.

Q: How many people have summited and how many people have died trying?
A: My best estimate is that as of 2008, there have been about 3,300 summits since 1922 with 200 deaths or a 6.3% fatality rate. Over 250 people made it from the south in 2008 and 30 some-odd Chinese on the north. 500 people summitted in 2007 evenly split between the north and south sides. Since 1990, the deaths have dropped to 4.4% due to better gear, weather forecasting and more people climbing with commerical operations. Annapurna is a much more deadly mountain than Everest with a summit to death ratio of 2:1 deaths for every summit (109:55). How's that for some confidence building!!