Summits, queues & rescues

The weather has been so bad that today was the first possible Summit day and our only chance.

When we set off at 3.30am from our tent the last thing we expected was to be waiting in the bitter cold wind for 60 people to climb the rock wall on the one fixed rope. For two hours.

Then began the slow, snow slog to the summit... which finally came at 1.15pm.

Out of oxygen, Squash could barely breathe or walk. With stunning views of Everest (just 600m higher than us) it took 40mins for Squash to change her oxygen tank and Suzy to put her skis on.

Rather emotional we descended, Suzy Britain's first female 8000m skier and Squash World's highest ever bum boarder.

We were whizzing down until the abseil, where we watched a Chinese woman who had apparently never seen a figure of eight before, just throw it away. A three hour wait and rescue ensued.

Fairly cold by now, during her abseil, Squash caught her crampon in old rope and flipped upside down, passing out and losing her oxygen mask.... not good.... A knife wielding Sherpa reached her first but fortuitously Dan Mazur, Summit Climb leader, suggested cutting the rope wouldn't be the best plan and rescued her.

Freezing cold by now, as if there hadn't been enough drama, we then came across a snow blind man. It was dark, he was hallucinating. "I'm waiting to be rescued by my team," he said. "How do they know you're in trouble?" We asked. "Because I'm calling them with my flashing headlamp."

Camp was miles away. So, we half crawled, half dragged him down, otherwise he would have died there. What should have taken us half an hour took three.

It was a 20hour Summit day, we bloody made it!

Summit Pants

Text book Summit attempt; one night at Camp 1, one night at Camp 2, one night at Camp 3 and Summit.

Squash & Suzy's Summit; one night at Camp 1, storm (some of team retreat), two more nights at Camp 1. One night at Camp 2 (7,100m), storm, storm, storm, storm, three more nights at Camp 2 (most of team now retreated).

Suzy has forgotten her Summit pants (matching black frilly with skull and cross bones), which has upset Squash... we're barely talking.

Our patience/survial at this altitude is now being rewarded, this afternoon we will head to Camp 3 (7,550m) and tonight we will make our Summit bid.