PREACCLIMATE.com

Before starting on the adventure to climb Lhotse, I utilized a hypoxic training system by Hypoxico for about 8 weeks. This involved both sleeping and exercising in a simulated altitude environment in an effort to reduce the acclimatization time actually required in the mountains.  Although several external variables prevented me from moving up the mountain quickly, and I only reached the summit a few weeks after my goal, I learned a great deal of the benefits and effects of pre-acclimatization.

     The thorough pre-acclimatization allowed me to move quickly, comfortably, and most importantly safely to Everest Base Camp (BC). Combined with a smooth transition into BC life, I can confidently say I saved about 10 days early in my trip when comparing myself to others or considering my past personal experiences. 

     My initial goal was to pick-up where I left off at 22984 ft on Aconcagua and basically “touch” Camp 3 at 24000 ft very early in the expedition. This was unfortunately not possible until May 8, which left me asking myself what type of a long-term affect (3 plus weeks) would the previous hypoxic training play in my acclimatization. What affect would the“pre-acclimatization” have on my ability to cope with the extreme altitudes above 23000 ft without supplementary oxygen?

     With all the variables involved in expedition mountaineering, it would require an extremely complex study to determine this and so I can only theorize the extent of the impact.  However, I feel my previous expeditions give me a solid basis for comparison.

     For the second straight year I’ve decided to take on a Himalayan giant without the benefit of high altitude Sherpa support.

This translates into several more trips up and down the mountain, melting snow for hours at camps, chopping platforms for hours to erect tents, and generally working longer and harder than over 95% of the other foreign climbers. Because of the government restrictions on the mountain, the amount of time available to carry equipment to the upper camps was significantly decreased. Luckily, I teamed up with the famous Romanian Mountaineer, Constantin Lacatusu, who was a great pleasure to work with.

(Photo Taken by Josef at Namchee Bazaar Bakery w/ Will Cross & Constantin Lacatsu) 

     I was able to cope with these challenges at least partially due to the previous acclimatization. My recovery rate was phenomenal and I was able to move between camps on successive days whereas last year I had to rest between almost every camp. My overall energy level was noticeably stronger making it possible to make a second summit attempt after only one rest day. It’s still amazing to look back on this marathon especially because it continued for many days.

     My second summit attempt with one bottle of oxygen (5 is normal) went very smoothly. I felt tremendous and was able to reach the 4^th tallest point in the world in under 6 hours although I had to break through deep snow most of the way. After months of hard work it was a bit surreal to have had a comparatively painless summit day but yet complete my dream of climbing another 8000 m peak!!! 

Please check out www.preacclimate.com if you are interested in learning more about this expedition!!!

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I finally made it back to the US and have been looking back on the expedition. With all the craziness of the year I have to say I was very happy to have reached the summit under any circumstance. In retrospect it’s easy to say it simply wasn’t the year to attempt an “accelerated ascent” of Lhotse but this was even uncertain while heading to Nepal. Nonetheless I can certainly say I learned a significant amount about acclimatization and the concept of pre-acclimatization, and that these lessons can no-doubt benefit those preparing to climb to the world’s highest elevations.I completed the Everest Base Camp Trek in less than 5 days with no acute mountain sickness (AMS) symptoms whatsoever. This is significant b/c the normal itinerary is about 9 days and I would roughly estimate 60% of the trekkers/climbers experience some degree of AMS along the way. On average, I would say I arrived in Lukla (airstrip at the beginning of the trek) 10 days after most climbers, and that I arrived at Base Camp (BC) about 5 days after most climbers. Upon my arrival at BC, I had significantly more energy, a much greater appetite than most, and slept great, which is more than most climbers could say. Luckily, our Puja ceremony was scheduled for the same day of my arrival, April 18th. My luck with logistics ran out at BC when food poisoning struck our camp. I was only intending to stay at BC for 2 nights, long enough to organize my equipment for my first trip through the Khumbu Icefall. Unfortunately, I left BC after my fourth night, which was probably a bad idea as I was still suffering from severe stomach problems. Generally, I would never ascend to a new higher elevation dehydrated and with such low energy levels, but with my thorough pre-acclimatization I was confident that AMS was not a likely threat at 19,500 ft (Camp 1). I was also pessimistic that I would ever get over the diarrhea, and so along with some other “victims” we decided to move up rather than remain sick at BC. My speed was painfully slow that day and it took me about 6 hours with a 40lb pack. Later in the trip I was able to cover the same distance comfortably in less than 3 hours.Once arriving at Camp 1 I actually felt great and was able to sink into the routine of the work around Camp without the benefit of Sherpa support, which most all Himalayan climbers become dependent upon. Other’s struggled terribly that day and arrived in dangerously exhausted states much later than myself. The following day I chose to rest at Camp 1 and interestingly enough I found that I even recovered at that elevation. In 2007, on the Tibetan side of Everest, we only stayed at 19500 ft. for one night and as a result I had a miserable first night of sleep at ABC (21500ft) and had to descend the following day. I believe most climbers have a certain elevation that is most difficult for them to acclimatize too, and that moving to 21500 is perhaps most difficult for me. This year I had no problems whatsoever, and moved quickly to Camp 2 before laboriously building a rock platform for my tent for about 3 hours. I slept and ate great for 2 nights before returning to BC. If the Nepalese military had not prevented us from going to Camp 3 at 23500 ft, I’m confident I would have been able to “touch” that Camp before returning to BC. If this had been possible, and I had initially chose to use oxygen, weather permitting; I could have reached the summit in about 12 days after having arrived at BC. In fact, a great majority of Everest/Lhotse climbers only “touch” Camp 3 before their rest at BC and ultimately their final push up the mountain. Another advantage for the fit climber that is able to pull such an itinerary is that they only have to go through the notoriously dangerous Khumbu Icefall twice vs. the normal three of four times.During the last few days of April I repeatedly heard rumors that we would be able to “touch” Camp 3. I acted on one of these rumors and impulsively went from BC to Camp 2 on April 29th. Unfortunately, the opposite was true and we were asked to leave Camp 2 and return to BC until the Chinese torchbearers had reached the summit. After this setback I decided to descend past BC from Camp 2 in order to breathe some thick oxygen and let the Chinese finish their mission before I wasted more energy. I descended the 22 miles to Namchee Bazaar to access the Internet and bakeries where I averaged about 7 pieces of pie a day, hahahaha.I returned to BC on May 5 to find a 5 de Mayo party in full swing hosted by David Liano from Mexico City. It was a great opportunity to meet members of a few other teams and of course discuss the latest gossip on the mountain.We had heard the Chinese would be trying to summit for a second time any day, and that the ropes would not be fixed to Camp 3 until the Chinese had reached the summit. Due to these rumors, I decided to wait another two days at BC and did not arrive back at Camp 2 until the 9th. In retrospect, I wish I had headed back up on the 6th as they did complete fixing the lines to Camp 3 on the 7th.On the 8th I ascended to Camp 2, and then in order to make up time I shuttled about 30 lbs to Camp 3 on the ninth. My energy levels were great all the way to 23,500 ft and I made excellent time and returned to Camp 2 by 10 am. Although the acclimatization itineraries were significantly different, I found I was much stronger this year than on Everest in 2007 on my first trip to the North Col at 23000 ft. I believe this was related to a few different variables but that the hypoxic training was impacting not only my first couple weeks with familiar altitudes on the mountain but also later weeks on the upper mountain.Because I felt great and still had the rest of the day to rest, I decided that I would return the following day to Camp 3 instead of taking an additional day of rest. My goal was to drop a small load (about 20lbs) at Camp 3 and continue all the way to the yellow band at about 25000 ft before returning and staying at Camp 3. Due to extreme winds I only made it to about 24500 ft, but I considered this a success due to my constant movement over the previous few days. I was pleasantly surprised to find Constantine arriving at Camp 3 just as I descended in. We remained in the Camp comfortably throughout the night before making an early departure the following day of May 11th. By 9 am, I finished my rapid descent into BC and just barely caught breakfast. It was a busy 4 days considering I had gone from BC to Camp 2, touched Camp 3 and the Yellow Band, slept at Camp 3, and descended to BC all in about 75 hours. I figured I might as well keep going and so I descended to the small teahouse town of Dughla at 15000 ft on the same day.My plan was to rest at lower altitudes before my final summit push. Another issue was that the ropes were not yet fixed on Lhotse or Everest, and that because Lhotse had significantly fewer climbers it was uncertain as to when it would be fixed. It is an expensive and labor-intensive task at extreme altitude and so a little bit of luck is also required with timing. Generally, large teams take responsibility for fixing but that’s not always the case if they’re not going for the summit early in the season. This year I was expecting the lines to be fixed around May 20, and so I was shooting for a summit attempt around that date depending on weather.After a few days of rest in Dingboche in Pangboche I returned to BC on May 17th. The weather forecast was calling for stable weather on the 22nd which Constantine and I both decided to aim for. On the same day I heard the great news that a large Korean team had reached the summit of Lhotse on the 17th and fixed the majority of the route. My good friend and famous Korean climber who recently began using Hypoxico’s technology for pre-acclimatization, Go Me Young, reached the summit that day and is attempting K2 this summer. The route was reportedly in good condition but the temperature was very cold and the wind severe.If a climber does not take a rest day at Camp 2, then from BC it generally takes 4 days from BC to the summit. I felt great throughout my moves to Camp 2 and then 3. I however underestimated the length of the day from Camp 3 to 4 and started off too late. This section of the mountain is usually climbed by Everest and Lhotse climbers with oxygen, and so my time estimate on the length of the day was a bit off.

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