Philippe Gatta summits Mount Everest

From April 17 to May 28, 2007, I climbed Mount Everest via the northeast ridge on the Tibetan side of the mountain. Below is short summary of the final few hundred meters to the summit.

May 23, 2007
Mt. Everest Camp 2 - 7,700 meters (25,262 feet)

The wind had been blowing hard throughout the night. We had "slept" with all of our clothes on and kept all of our supplies in our rucksacks, fearing that our tents would blow away in the fierce winds. In the early morning, we received our last weather forecast from Base Camp over the radio. The forecast was not good - the winds would be stronger than expected, increasing from an already harsh 40 km/h (25 mph) to an unbearable 80 km/h (50 mph). On top of that, the temperature was expected to drop to around -30º C (-22º F), with a brutal wind chill making it feel ever colder. After a long discussion with my team, we decided to go for it anyway, knowing that we might have to turn back on the summit's ridge if it the temperature got too cold for us to safely continue.

A few hours later, we reached Camp 3, which was a bit more sheltered from the wind than the previous camp. I always thought that calling this place a "camp" was a bit of an exaggeration, as the tents are pitched on a 30º slope that stretches down about 3,000 meters (9,842 feet) onto the Rongbuk glacier. This camp was like no other I had ever experienced. At an elevation of 8,300 meters (27,200 feet), only five mountains in the world were higher than where I was perched. Needless to say, I had an absolutely breathtaking view.

I was looking at my Suunto Observer Titanium constantly throughout the ascent, hoping that the pressure would not drop too much while we were climbing. We arrived at Camp 3 around noon and, after a much needed rest, started our ascent to the summit at 11:30pm.

May 24, 2007
Camp 3 - 8,300 meters (27,200 feet) to
Summit, 8,850 meters (29,035 feet) to
North Col, 7,050 meters (23,000 feet)

The first part of our climb up the Exit Cracks (8,500 meters/28,000 feet) was steeper and more technical than I had previously thought. The snow was soft, coming up to our calves as we climbed, and though the wind was lighter than expected, it was still extremely cold.

It was a relief to reach the first ridge, where we were happy to welcome the improving snow conditions. However, these lighter conditions ultimately left us more exposed to the harsh winds. In any case, we kept going up the long ridge, eventually climbing to the three famous steps.

The First Step is a short climb up several large boulders (PD, II). The traverse then continues to the right, on a narrow ridge. The Second Step (8610 meters/28,250 feet) is the hardest section of the route to navigate through. The lower part consists of several more large boulders (PD, III) that I was forced to climb in a very unorthodox style - using my knees, elbows, and everything else I could to make my way up. Above that, a steep snow gully then leads to the bottom of the famous ladder that rests near the top of the summit. This ladder was placed on the ridge by a Chinese expedition in 1960, in order to ease the vertical slab (V+). Climbing the ladder was easy, but the traverse from its top was very exposed and technically difficult.

Passing the Second Step was a mental achievement, as we then knew that we had only two hours left until we reached the summit. We quickly passed the Third Step, which was much easier (PD, II) and much shorter (10 meters/32 feet) than the previous steps.

As dawn approached, the sky became orange as the sun rose above the horizon. We left the ridge and went right up to the impressive North Face, which we then followed for a few pitches. We exited the North Face onto the summit's ridge, continuing up to the top of Mount Everest. We reached the summit at 5:45am.

Maybe it was the tiredness, anxiousness, or sheer exhaustion that I was feeling, but in any case, I had forgotten to start the logbook function of my Suunto Observer when I left Camp 3. I had recorded most of the days that we climbed on my wristop, but unfortunately did not record the day that we reached the summit.

Maybe next time...

Text by Philippe Gatta