This photo was taken by my teammate Simon Arnsby in 2011 as he summited\u00a0Lhotse and I summited\u00a0Everest. I am somewhere in the picture!<\/p>\n The section in focus is between the Balcony and the South Summit. It is an 800 foot, steep rock ridge line that can be seen as you leave Camp\u00a03 and above. \u00a0You have\u00a0no choice but to climb up and climb down this beast.<\/p>\n It is usually climbed in the dark of\u00a0dark at night, with oxygen flowing swift and freely from your bottle and, perhaps, with a\u00a0line of people in front and behind. While the westernly winds are somewhat blocked, a stiff breeze is more normal than not as are temperatures flirting with -20F\/-28C.<\/p>\n In other words, it cold, dark and windy, not a place where you want to linger.<\/p>\n Let’s take a close look at the sections using a\u00a0narrative from my 2011 summit climb.<\/p>\n I drink\u00a0half a liter of water and try\u00a0to force down an energy bar. Sitting on my pack at the Balcony represented a major milestone in my Everest history. I was higher than on any of my three previous attempts. I smiled to myself and looked up, to my right.<\/p>\n In all my research, the Southeast Ridge proper was rarely described or even mention. Most of the guide websites simply include it in the description of summit night as part of \u00a0a sentence like\u00a0” … leave the South Col before midnight and summit between 8:00 am and 9:00 am” Hmm, details matter.<\/p>\n To my eyes, the route looked straightforward, a simple\u00a0snow slope that was dimly lit by an\u00a0almost full moon and stars, but the headlamps of Mingma and\u00a0Mirjam, my teammates, lit up the route enough for me to have pause. In spite of all the talk of crowds, lines and slow climbers; Kami and I had left all that behind with our fast trip to the Balcony. My gratitude, and respect, continued to grow\u00a0for this 46 year-old Sherpa.<\/p>\n We left the Balcony around 1:30 am. It was dark. The wind was beginning to pick up. The air temp seemed to drop quickly. I was getting cold after sitting\u00a0at the Balcony but now that I was moving\u00a0again, I was heating up. Sweat was forming on my chest under the down suit.<\/p>\n I adjusted my goggles to keep the wind from hitting my eyes but not pushing against my oxygen mask. I slid my jumar up the fixed rope, preparing to advance\u00a0over the next\u00a0anchor. \u00a0I focused\u00a0on simple\u00a0mechanics. I looked ahead only to confirm that I was still close\u00a0to Kami.<\/p>\n About 10 to 20 minutes from the Balcony, the angle increased. I began\u00a0to struggle. My breathing picked\u00a0up. I felt tired. I stumbled. Doubts entered my consciousness. My steps shortened. And then I made a decision.<\/p>\n I would no longer fight the mountain. I would not compete with anyone else, past present or future. I began to accept the reality of where I was, what I was doing. I focused on climbing at my pace, my style. I relaxed.<\/p>\n As we left the balcony, I turned off my radio. It was being monitored by the IMG staff at base camp. If I got in trouble I could turn\u00a0it back on but the constant chatter was distracting. In 2011, this section was a dead zone and probably remains that way today. No radio signals came in or went out. The quiet was only disturbed by my own breathing. My steady inhale and exhale of the supplemental oxygen and the crunching\u00a0of my crampons on the snow.<\/p>\n I was climbing Mt. Everest.<\/p>\n I got into a rhythm of short, simple steps. Soon I was reducing the separation\u00a0with Kami, Mirjam and Mingma. I felt good, no I felt confident. But I also knew there was a long way to go … back to base camp and home … from the summit – if I got there.<\/p>\n All of a sudden, the terrain became steeper; the snow\u00a0disappeared. I was on rock. Another surprise. I felt like I was an astronaut enclosed in a life saving cocoon, breathing bottled oxygen. If I exposed my skin, it would freeze. I my oxygen ran out, I most likely would die. If I slipped off the edge, it was thousands of feet to level ground. If I …<\/p>\n A memory of climbing on Cho Oyu in 2000 came into my mind. I remember reaching the Yellow Band and struggling on the rocks. Making a huge step, took all my breath. I remember gasping for air and ripping off my oxygen mask, mistakenly\u00a0thinking it would get me more air. I remember calming myself\u00a0down, controlling my breathing, regaining control. This was not going to happen on Everest, I told myself.<\/p>\n Over my oxygen mask and thru my goggles, I used my headlamp to show the trail. I carefully placed my crampon points on the rocks, looking for any small depression, any crack to place\u00a0a point for better purchase. I kept my jumar taunt on the white nylon fixed rope.<\/p>\n I was steady, not fast, but moved with clear purpose. I thought of my purpose for climbing, Alzheiemr’s. \u00a0My intent was foremost on my mind. But then I thought of nothing but the mechanics of climbing.<\/p>\n I was climbing Mt. Everest.<\/p>\n After what seemed like hours, but was only two and half hours\u00a0of climbing\u00a0in the cold dark night, the steep terrain eased all of a sudden. Ah, we are at the South Summit, I rewarded myself with a sigh of relief. I took a few more steps and then drew in a deep, long breath. To my disappointment, I was not on the South Summit and the ridge became even more steep.<\/p>\n I looked up to see a slope of perhaps 55 degrees, not huge but now at 28,300 feet, with it being five days since I left base camp, I was tired. I was really tired.<\/p>\n I took a deep breath, plunged my ice axe into the snow and took a short, simple step. The fixed rope came up to me as Kami was pulling on it ahead. I followed his lead.<\/p>\n Finally the terrain eased. I had reached the South Summit. It was 3:00 am. The sun was hinting at rising over the eastern curved horizon, and I could see the route to the summit.<\/p>\n I sat heavily on my pack to take another short break. With the dawn teasing us, I could see\u00a0Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the world at 27,838\u2019 to the east. Lhotse, the fourth highest peak at 27,890\u2019 \u00a0was to the south. And Cho Oyu at 26,907\u2019, the sixth highest to the east. I was higher than any of those peaks.<\/p>\n I was climbing Mt. Everest.<\/p>\n My emotions began to increase. I had always understood that if can you reach the South Summit, then you should\u00a0reach the true summit. But I remember my attempt from 2008 when my teammates turned back at the South Summit due to high winds. I had turned back earlier that year, losing my mojo, a complete collapse of my self confidence and\u00a0accepting total defeat. But also I had learned.<\/p>\n With the flanks of Everest no longer blocking the Westernly winds, I felt strong\u00a0gusts. With the sunlight barely making it presence known, \u00a0it was cold – in this moment it was the coldest, windiest and darkest\u00a0time.<\/p>\n![\"Everest](\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/lhotseview-360x480.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Everest](\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Everest-SE-Ridge-from-Geneva-Spur-225x169.png\")
<\/a>Leaving the Balcony<\/h3>\n
![\"SE](\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/SE-Ridge-Full-Lower-640x419.jpeg\")
<\/a>The Steep Slabs<\/h3>\n
![\"SE-Ridge-Full-Mid\"](\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/SE-Ridge-Full-Mid-1.jpeg\")
<\/a>Almost to the South Summit<\/h3>\n
![\"SE](\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/SE-Ridge-South-Summit-640x461.jpg\")
<\/a>And to the Summit<\/h3>\n
![\"SE](\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/SE-Ridge-Top-608x480.jpeg\")
<\/a>