Today has been a day of mixed fortunes. A bright start suggested that the longed for improvement in the weather had arrived. At the 7am radio call the teams at Camp 1 and Intermediate Camp announced that they had good visibility and little wind. The Sherpas at Camp 1 were already packing rucksacks in preparation for the load carry to the Intermediate Camp.

The early morning sun at Base Camp did not last long as cloud billowed up from further down the valley. However, we could still see the ridge and the summit of Makalu and therefore hoped that conditions were more stable higher up.
By 11am a chill wind was blowing and the cloud base had lowered dramatically, obscuring any views of activity on the ridge above. We had arranged a midday progress call on the radio and it was pleasing to hear that the front team was making some headway towards Camp 2. However, as expected, they were encountering hard going due to deep unconsolidated snow.

As the day progressed the weather deteriorated further and as I write this Base Camp is covered in a blanket of fresh snow. The 6pm radio call confirmed that the teams higher up have experienced similar conditions and the team members are ensconced in their tents. We have now experienced 6 days of continuous poor weather, somewhat unusual for the time of year. Movement on the route tomorrow will once again be dependant on the weather and snow conditions.

Colin Scott
Expedition Leader