Everest- Changes in the wind

March 29,2013- Ministry Formalities, Mountain Works and team members arriving...... one by one members of the expedition are checking into our base hotel in Kathmandu. It's a fun time but also very tiring as we are all suffering from jet-lag.

There appears to be a few things shaking in changes with regards to way things are done here. Each climber is now required to carry and ID card that added an extra four hours to the paperwork formalities at the Ministry today. 

There has also been some changes in the way the mountain will be setup this season. One of them is an effort that is currently being put forth to fix the mountain ahead of it's typical schedule with the thought that more climbers can be pushed through earlier lessening the overcrowding situation of a small window. Interesting how this will play out considering the jet stream has more to do with the window of opportunity than rope. As part of this aggressive approach the ice-fall doctors have already completed fixing the ladders to Camp 1. The Lhotse face is slated to be fixed in just a couple days. 

There is a good amount of snow on Everest this year which is good to see in keeping things glued together up there from avalanches and rock fall. But when it starts to heat up we'll be back to the typical challenges of climbing this mountain and working around hazards as they present themselves.

Pillow time much needed, over and out.... Tim