Cho Oyu Update: 3 steps backward

Today the team arrive at Advanced Base Camp (ABC) at 5,700m. Sadly I haven’t joined them.

After a six hour walk we got to an intermediate camp at 5,400m yesterday, which breaks up the big height jump from Chinese Base Camp at 4,900 metres, and I woke up today feeling awful with a splitting headache, nausea and loss of appetite. My oxygen saturation was tested to be worryingly low below 60% and my heart rate very high over 115 (both an indication of how well I’m acclimatising) so Rolfe and Henry quickly made the decision to send me down to Chinese BC at 4,900 metres in a truck. I’m now here with Henry who will monitor me whilst I take it easy. Either today or tomorrow one of our teammates Dr Rob Casserley (qualified doctor and 8-time Everest summiter) is due to arrive and can further advise on my condition. So I’m in the best hands. Hopefully I will recover and can head up to ABC in a few days, albeit behind schedule with the others.

For some reason I always struggle to acclimatise and I’m always the slowest on the team to do so, despite the old adage of going slowly and drinking plenty. I may be 21 with a V02 max of 60 and resting heart rate of 38… annoyingly, out here that means absolutely nothing.

It’s not a good start, but it’s not over yet. Hopefully just another hurdle, I’m pretty used to them by now. More updates to follow.

I’d feel better if you could kindly donate a few pounds on my fundraising page www.justgiving.com/climbtheuk