원정 개요

Britons to Everest, led by Kenton Cool - 30 May 2008

After the government lifted its ban on climbing above BC from 1 May until the Chinese Olympic torch had reached the summit on the north side, Cool and Fiennes went upto C3 to acclimatize on 12 May but went back to BC the same day.

Their summit push was made by both members and both Sherpas. They left BC on 20 May and climbed to C2 that day and stayed there for an extra day. On the 22nd they went to C3. They made C4 on the afternoon of the 23rd, and at 8:30 pm the four men went for the top.

Fiennes turned back at 8300m at midnight of the 23rd/24th because he was too tired to continue his ascent. He and his Sherpa, Lhakpa Thundu, returned to C4, stayed there for six hours and then descended all the way to BC, arriiving there in the late afternoon. He was described by Henry Todd, who met him there, as being "sprightly" on his arrival.

Cool had continued towards the summit and reached it at 6:30 am on the 24th with Lhakpa Wangchu Sherpa. They returned to C4 at 10:00 am and to BC on the 25th.

Fiennes used oxygen when sleeping in BC from early May, and whenever he was above C1 he used it while climbing and sleeping until he returned to C1 until 24 May, when he slept on it in BC that night. Cool used it from C3 to summit to C3. Both Sherpas used it in C4 to their high points to C4.

Fiennes and Cool left BC on the 26th and went to Pheriche for the helicopter which picked them up there on the 27th and flew them to Kathmandu. Fiennes caught a plane out of Nepal the same night while Cool stayed in Kathmandu until 1 June.

Sherpas:
Lhakpa Thundu/Thudu, 20/5/70, Pangboche, Everest X6, Annapurna X1, Cho Oyu X1
Lhakpa Wangchu, 20/10/86 (6/7/2043), Pangboche, Everest 17/5 and 24/5/07