Everest Summit Day

Traversing the North Ridge of Everest at about 8700m on the way to the summit.  Photo by Jamling Bhote.

The previous summit day of May 26th had been perfect, clear skies with hardly any wind, and quite a few climbers had topped out successfully.  Our own little expedition thus far had been meticulously planned, and our five members were feeling strong and well acclimatized, primed for our own summit attempt.  And that’s when things started to go wrong for us…

Jamling traversing the North Ridge of Everest with the summit in the back.

We arrived at Camp 3 (8300m) the day before at about 3pm.  Although the morning had been hot and still, by afternoon, the skies had darkened and snow had begun to fall thickly.  That snow would make the going more difficult during our push for the summit.  After setting up the tents, sorting out our oxygen, and getting some dinner, there was just enough time to grab a 2-hour nap before waking up for our summit push.

The weather forecast for May 27th predicted little to no wind, unfortunately, this turned out not to be the case.  Stepping out of the tent, the wind was a rude shock.  It was like a punch that took the breath out of you and made you want to immediately seek shelter. Unfortunately, there was no hiding from it, and we would find the wind to be unrelenting.  I headed upwards into the darkness.

There are a number of dead bodies along the way up Everest. Their presence are a stark reminder of how fragile human life is at this extreme altitude.  ‘Green Boots’ is the name given to the first corpse climbers would encounter at the end of the section known as the Exit Cracks.  The trail is narrow and climbers have to either step over him or gingerly around him.  He was reputedly a sherpa from Darjeeling who died on descent.  To survive, I would need to be smarter than him, or stronger, or just plain luckier.

Climbers tackling the challenging First Step (8500m) at sunrise. Photo © Jamling Bhote.

It felt windiest and coldest on the ridge just before dawn.  A few teams were huddled on the ridge just before the technically challenging First Step, trying to find some shelter from the wind, but there was none to be found and we moved on.  As we tackled the First Step, the sun was rising.  Once the sun was up, we felt better, but the wind remained the same cold, unrelenting force.

Jamling waiting our turn at the Chinese ladder of the second Step (8600m).  The wind ripping it up at the top of the step.  

We cleared the infamous Second Step at 8600m with surprising ease, and continued our traverse of the North Ridge to Mushroom Rock where we stopped to take our first break in 10 hours for something to eat and a quick drink.  It was here that we learned that only Esther, myself, and our little group of Sherpas remained.  All the others in our expedition had turned back.  We called up expedition leader, Jamie McGuiness, who said that if we were feeling ok, we could continue. 

Jamling (6-time Everest summiter and my personal Sherpa) and I had a quick discussion and agreed we were good to go on.  We got our ass in gear and reached to summit 1 1/2 hours later (27^th May, 2pm Chinese time).  What followed though, would turn into quite an epic.

On the fixed ropes of the final snow slope near the summit with Pujung and Tawa behind.  Photo © Jamling Bhote.

It turns out that I was the only member to reach the summit that day with my sherpas, Jamling, Pujung, and Tawa (who wanted to summit and joined us from Esther’s group when Esther was forced to turn back just 1 1/2 hours from the summit).  The wind, consistently fierce throughout the climb, had burned my eyes when I needed to remove my iced-up goggles to climb the technical sections.  Sitting on the windy summit, they had deteriorated, and I could barely see the ground to descend.

What followed was a series of complicated tandem rappels with the 3 sherpas assisting to get me down.  They are my heroes.  Fortunately, I got my vision back after descending a bit, and was able to make my own way down slowly.  We got back to Camp 3 by sunset.

Jamling and I on the summit of Everest, 27th May 2011, 1:55pm Chinese time.  The wind is a little too strong to remove our goggles and oxygen masks. Photo © Jamling Bhote.

30 Days of CrossFit

I've just concluded a month of CrossFit (well, four weeks to be exact), and well, I'm sold on the whole concept - CrossFit workouts and a Paleo (well... Paleo-ish) diet.  You may have seen my earlier post on CrossFit.  It kind of goes hand in hand with The Paleo Diet concept.

At the end of three weeks, I put on 2.1kg of muscle.  I  went from 63.5kg to 65.6kg while my body fat stayed the same.  That's pretty impressive results for me, as I'm a pretty hard gainer/loser.

Even more impressive is this other guy who started out at about the same time as me.  He started out weighing 130kg, and he's lost 10 kg after three weeks.  So the CrossFit/Paleo concept seems to work the body towards a caveman hunter/gatherer ideal: lean, strong, and durable.

Like all intense workouts, it's strong medicine, and I'm glad to be taking a break and heading off to climb Mt. Everest in just a couple of days.  This will be my last post for a couple of months as I won't be able to update the blog from China.  Sorry about that.  But if you'd like to follow the progress of the climb, I should be able to make updates via Twitter.

Supplements For High altitude Mountaineering

UPDATE: With the exception of the liver tablets, I no longer take or recommend these supplements.  Please standby for an updated post to find out what's working better for me in 2014.

Since my earlier post: Nutritional Supplements For Climbing Mt. Everest, I've learned a lot, and what I now take is significantly different, hence the need for this update.  I under-dosed a lot of the supplements in my previous post, and they didn't have the desired results.  Here's what I'm taking each day and am bringing to Everest.  As lunch is usually on-the-go, I take these in divided doses during breakfast and dinner:

Yum! Goes well with Argentinian steak. Photo by Jamie McGuiness

Mutivitamin x 2 - Now Adam (I've tried a lot of multis.  These are cheap, simple and work well for me)
Fish Oil x 4 - Controlled Labs OxiMega (double strength fish oil, reduces inflammation, 'thins' the blood, and serves as fuel)
Probiotics x 1 - Now Stabilized Acidophilus (needs no refrigeration)
Antioxidants x 2 - Now Super Antioxidants (phytoflavonoid formula.  Sometimes I don't get enough fruit and veggies)
Liver Tablets x 4 - Beverly Ultra 40 (for red blood cell production, boosts amino acid profile, and can serve as fuel.  I'll carry some extra (up to 12 per day) of these as well)
Vitamin C x 1 - Now Vitamin C-1000 (antioxidant, and reduces cortisol at night)
Mitochondria Energizer x 1 - Jarrow MityQondria CoQ10 (keeps the mitochondria fired up and become more efficient at producing energy)
Glucosamine x 1 - GNC TriFlex (joint care)

I also carry some digestive enzymes and use as required (if I have to eat a lot of carbo (rice, pasta, breads), I get gas, and the digestive enzymes help with that): Now Super Enzymes (the tablets work better than the capsules).

Specically for Everest, I'm also taking these adaptogens to help with better oxygen utilization and performance:
Garlic x 1 - GNC Triple Garlic
Ginkgo/Eleuthero x 1 - GNC Gingko Biloba Plus
Optygen HP x 4 - on climbing days

Fuel and Recovery:

• While climbing, I use Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem, which uses soy protein instead of whey, and does not contribute to ammonia load.  Perpetuem comes in both solids and powder.  I prefer the powder which dissolves into my water bottles.  If I need solid food, I use Hammer Bars.
• Post climb, I recover with Hammer Nutrition Recoverite.
• I'll also bring some MRP (Meal Replacement Powder), to help maintain my bodyweight while on the mountain.

I buy most of my stuff from iHerb, and if you are a new customer, make use of this discount coupon for $5 off: KOH756

Peak Training for Mt. Everest

It seems there is no one 'best' way to train for climbing the big E.  With less than a month to go, Esther Tan, my team mate for Everest and fellow North Face athlete, took part in the Aviva Ironman 70.3 last weekend here in Singapore and placed 1st in her age group; also on our expedition is Grant Rawlinson, who is newly married (congrats dude!) and wakes up at 5am to  get in some quality training time; two-time Everest summiter and fellow Singaporean Khoo Swee Chiow, who will also be climbing the North Ridge of Everest on a separate expedition this Spring, is busy with his family and only has time for the treadmill at his gym; our guide, Jamie McGuiness, who is amazing at altitude anyway, is doing no training whatsoever.

CrossFit Prowler Push. Photo by Laura Liong.

As for me, the most of my long, hard training has been done.  After climbing Aconcagua last month, I promptly got the flu and was sick for a week.  When I was well enough to resume training, I was left with exactly one month before Everest.

It has always been part of my plan to 'peak' my training with some high-intensity work, and then taper off with some 'high-altitude' training.  With a month to go, I've combined the 'peak' and the 'taper' together.  I feel that CrossFit is the ideal training tool for this.  It's very high intensity, but also very short.  Which means that I'll reap the benefits of the high intensity work, but it won't leave me shattered and require a long recovery period. 

Training at '17,000 ft'.  Hypoxico generator and altitude tent on right. Photo by Laura Liong.

I've also bought a Hypoxico Altitude Tent and accessories which allow me to sleep and train at simulated altitude.  As time grows nearer to my departure, I'll gradually add in more 'high-altitude' training sessions, while reducing the CrossFit sessions.

So with less than two weeks to go, I hope I've got my bases covered between CrossFit and my 'High-Altitude' Training ;o)

The Cult of CrossFit

Pulling the sled around the block at CrossFit Singapore.  Photo by Laura Liong

Tucked away in a Kallang industrial estate amidst motorcycle workshops is a small, gritty gym.  It's called Crossfit Singapore and it's run by 32-year-old Kevin Lim, or 'Coach' as he is called by his 70+ members.  The gym has been running for two years, and its members pride themselves on having the most intense workout of any commercially available program.  "Your workout is my warmup", they like to say.  Indeed, having followed the program for just over three weeks, I can attest to it's intensity and it's effectiveness.

Coach Kevin cranking out some pull ups.  Photo by Laura Liong

Workouts range from gymnastic movements, olympic weightlifting and sprinting.  Among the more unusual tools used include sleds to pull loads around the block and monster truck tires.  Workouts are constantly varied, so the body doesn't get used to them, but they are also very short.  The longest workout is about 25 minutes, and a typical workout lasts around 15 minutes.  The key is the intensity, and Crossfit can really ramp it up!  For those 15 minutes, your heart will be working at near maximum capacity!  It's an intense blend of strength training and aerobic conditioning, and is definitely not for the faint of heart!

CrossFit Culture.  Photo by Laura Liong

CrossFit has its roots in founder Greg Glassman's garage about 40 years ago.  It has evolved to become the world's fastest growing fitness movement with a culture of its own.  Its gritty, no frills, take-no-prisoners style is not for everyone.  About 80% of new participants drop out.  Practitioners who stick with the program include not only elite armed forces all over the world, but also grandmothers looking for a way to boost functional strength and have a more active and productive life.

How can this be?  Can grandmothers really participate in workouts that "are universally regarded as being the toughest workouts in every athlete's experience."?  Coach Glassman says that "the needs of our grandparents and soldiers differ in degree, not kind.”  Those needs would be to build a broad and general functional competence, in such movements as squatting, picking things up off the ground, putting things overhead, pulling ourselves up, running, and jumping.  The key to the all-inclusive nature of CrossFit's training program is the ability to scale, or tune the workload to match each individual athlete's abilities.

Richard performing the Snatch, an Olympic weightlifting movement practiced in CrossFit.  Photo by Laura Liong

How does one get started in CrossFit?  The best way is to start is with an affiliate gym to learn the movements.  If there isn't an affiliate gym nearby, go to CrossFit.com.  The WODs or Workouts of the Day are posted online.  Instructions and videos are also available on the website to help learn the movements.  Most importantly, take the first few workouts easy.  Scale down the loads if you need to, and take the time to learn the mechanics of the movement.

One thing is for sure, CrossFit has changed the way I train.  Permanently.



CrossFit Defined:
CrossFit is a strength and conditioning system built on constantly varied functional movements executed at high intensity.  The aim of CrossFit is to develop total fitness as defined by these ten physical skills: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy.