Nokia Maps Everest Test 2009

Day 12

Yesterday was game day and having been selected in the Tenzing starting 11 I woke excited and a little nervous. We lost the toss and were put into the field. I was thrown the new ball and as I marked out my run up from the Khumbu Icefall end, I was as nervous as I had been in my life. The day before we had a visit from Everest legend Russel Bryce and his expedition team. Russel presented the captains of the two teams with bottles of Scotch and presented Kirt with a challenge to play a match of cricket at camp 2 at 6400m! We were invited up to Russels camp at Base Camp, and a few of the Hillary boys made the trip. Unfortunately Tenzing were about to start our practise session so I couldn't go which was disappointing.

Anyone who knows of Russell Brice will understand what an honour this was. Standing at the top of my run looking out at the hundred or so people who were watching, I turned and loped in for the first delivery of the match. Unfortunately I was bowling to David Kirtley, the captain of Cardiff Cricket Club and I got smote all over Gorak Shep. After a hard day, team Hillary came out the victors in the match, but every player in each squad is now a world record holder, which is a pretty sweet feeling.

As a side note, this update is being brought to you from the hills above Pheriche, where we are spending the first night of our descent, As Pheriche is in a deep valley, we were unable to get satellite signal to make the update and so have walked 30 minutes uphill to a ridge with line of sight to the satellite. Its freezing cold and I have missed dinner to write this, so I hope you enjoy.

Day 10

Today was practise day and after breakfast i changed into my playing kit and the nerves started to kick in. Hillary had a practise session first and once they were done it was our turn.

We each had a bat and a bowl to try and get a feel for the match conditions the next day. Batting was quite difficult as the ball tended to keep quite low. Bowling i found even more difficult, not only because of the thin air, but also because th sandy surfce made me feel a bit unstable in my delivery stride

Overall the session was a success and we headed inside to relax for the afternoon. Later in the afternoon our captain Hadyn made the announcement that team selection was to take plac that night. There was a definite change in the mood as the lads started to think about whether they had done enough over t he last 12 months to secure a starting spot. We never fully expected everyone to make it to Gorak Shep so there were giong to be 4 very disappointed guys who missed out on a starting spot.

The selection process was horrific as each player was called in individually to speak with the captain and vice captain, to find out if they had made the team. The worst part was that this whole process was filmed. I myself was relatively confident that the work I had put into the website would secure me a starting spot, but I was still nervous stting in front of the camera waiting for Hadyn to tell me if I was in or not.

As each player was told their fate they were asked to wait in their rooms until the process was over. After the whole ordeal we were not sure who was in and who was out. As the team reassembled, it was pretty obvious on the faces of those who were not selected and it was a difficult time as we had been working together as a team for 12 months.

Pretty soon after the team announcement I headed to bed to try and get some sleep before the match

Day 9

We set off from Lobuche on the final leg of our trek to Gorak Shep. We were back in our team groups now and the focus strated to shift to the match.

After following the glacier for a few hours we reached Gorak Shep and finally saw our cricket venue. This was a pretty special moment and we all tried to take in the amazing views.

After lunch we set about clearing the playing area of rocks. This was hard work at altitude and several people were given a stern word by the medics for over exerting themselves. With the assistance of our guides and friendly locals we got most of the movable rocks off the surface in a couple of hours

Day 8

Today we headed up from Dingboche to Lobuche at 4900m. As the risk to our health above 4000m was extreme, it was decided that we would split our kit and carry 1 bag between 2, with porters carrying the extra bag. We carried the gear in shifts of about 30 minutes at a time and this made the day significantly easier on everyone.

From Dingboche we headed up and over the ridge from yesterday and up a long valley straddled either side by giant peaks. At the end of the valley we climbed slightly to our lunch stop at Duglha. Lunch was noodle soup which was a welcome change and the shop at Duglha was selling chocolate for 100 rupees - the equivalent of about £1. This was a bargain so we stocked up for the next few days.

After Duglha we headed up the steep terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. At the top of the moraine is a shrine to the Sherpa climbers who have died on Everest and we took time here to rest and reflect. We then headed up the side of the glacier towards Lobuche and after a while got our first glimbse of Kala Pathar - the hill below which our match would be played.

This was a pretty emotional time for me, as I had seen Kala Pathar many many times in Google Earth as I worked on the website and to actually see it for real after so many months was pretty special.

After a long afternoon we arrived in Lobuche exhausted, but happy in the knowledge that there was only one day of walking up to go.

Day 7

Today is was our second aclimitisation day and the day started with breakfast at 8.30 - the extra sleep was great. After breakfast we set off up the hill behind the village. I had emptied most of my kit out of my pack and just had warm clothes, food and water but the going was still tough.

Once we reached the top of the ridge above the village, we could see down the valley which we will be following tomorrow. The view of Ama Dablam from the ridge was amazing and after a few minutes rest we turned and zigzagged up another steep ridge. After about an hour further we stopped at just under 5000m.

The weather was noticibly colder up this high and I put on all my extra clothes. As we were planning on staying at this altitude for an hour or so I took the opportunity to have a little snooze. The weather was turning, and there were some light snow flurries so we packed up and headed back to Dingboche for lunch.

The afternoon was spent relaxing, playing cards and reading and for dinner we were given a real treat by our cooks - Yak steak! After a week and a half of no meat, this was just what I needed and I felt much stronger after this.

In the evening we held the Stand Up Dingboche comedy night, where everyone was required to tell a joke or story. This was genius and a great way to unwind. We truly have some classic comics in this group.

Day 6

I woke early to the sound of drums and horns as the monks prepared for the morning ceremony at Tengboche Monastery. After organising myself I headed to the Monastery with a few of the others. It was quite an amazing experience as the monks chanted and played horns and drums.

After the ceremony I packed my gear once again and headed off towards Dingboche. Today was one of the hardest days of the trip so far. The terrain was perhaps not as demanding as the walk to Namche, but the altitude left me exhausted at the end of the day. We are now at over 4400m and the lack of oxygen is plainly evident.

Tomorrow we have our second acclimatisation day which will see us walk to about 5000m and then return to Dingboche for another night

Day 5

After a solid 8 hours sleep I woke up still exhausted, despite a rest day yesterday. After breakfast we headed out towards Tengboch and as we left Khumjiung village we were treated to some amazing views of Ama Dablam. Todays walk was once again quite difficult, the lack of food making the last hour a real struggle. Once we arrived in Tengboche I got my first real views of Everest which was a pretty special moment.

Day 3

After 9 hours sleep I woke feeling much stronger than yesterday. After a breakfast of eggs and dry flat bread we headed up towards the Everest View Hotel on our way to Khumjung. The climb was steep and relentless but after rising 500m we were rewarded with our first views of Everest. Unfortunately the clouds closed in and our views were limited. After a cup of fantastic lemon tea we carried on towards Khumjung a further 45 minutes away.

Day 2

I woke this morning feeling a little unwell and struggled to get my breakfast down. We set off on what was expected to be one of the toughest days of the trek. After crossing the Dudh Khosi several times on increasinngly high suspension bridges we enteresd the Sagamartha National Park. After a final river crossing we headed steeply up towards Namche. I was still feeling ill and weak and the 600m we covered in 2 hours was physically and mentally draining. On arrival in Namche we were unable to locate all our tehnical gear and unfortunately were unable to make an update.

Day 1

The first day's trek was a fairly gentle 4 hours from Lukla to Phakding. Leaving Lukla at 2840m we headed downward towards Phakding at 2650m. The trail followed the Dudh Khosi river and included a couple of crossing s on suspension bridges. Once at Phakding we unloaded our gear and set up our mobile office to prepare our first update. Unfortunately due to the location of Phakding in a deep valley, we were unable to get a connection on our satellite modem. After some searching we managed to find an internet connection and were eventually able to make our update. Evreyone is exhasuted after a frantic 48 hours and looking forward to a decent nights sleep.