Clothing
| Down Suit | One of our most important pieces of equipment, these single piece Eider Articheski down suits provide good protection from cold. We will be using them above camp 2. They have full side and rear zips, and plenty of internal pockets for keeping batteries and drinks warm. High wear points on the shoulders, arms and legs are reinforced with Kevlar. There is an internal polar fleece jacket and hood sewn into the suit, which adds warmth and helps keep it sitting on your upper body without compressing the down. Weight is about 2 Kg. |  |
| Down Jackets and Vests | For when it’s slightly less cold, we both have Mont high altitude down jackets and vests as well. These are extremely lightweight and compress into tiny bags |   |
| Gortex Over-pants | Until we’re wearing the down suits, we’ll be wearing our Macpac Mountain Bibs when climbing. Ours are an overall style, helping to keep you warm around the mid-section |  |
| Gortex Jackets | For rain while we’re trekking in and snow protection up higher when we’re not wearing our down suits |  |
| Fleece Jackets | For warmth up to base camp and will be used under down suits. We each have a couple of these |  |
| Fleece Pants | Worn on their own down low, and under other garments up high |  |
| Thermals | Lots of under-layers ranging in thickness |  |
| Synthetic Walking Pants | For hiking into base camp, these dry fast if they get wet. Some also have zip off sections, allowing them to be worn as shorts |  |
| Synthetic T-Shirts | Again, fast-drying fabrics are essential (otherwise the sweat from your body quickly gets very cold as soon as you stop) |  |
| Jett Heat Vests | Jett have supplied Paul and Fiona with batter-powered heat vests to use on their 2007 Expedition. Paul will wear it under his down suit above C3. This product has won many awards, but it hasn’t been tested in the extreme cold of high altitude mountaineering, so we are interested to see how it performs. |  |
Footwear
| High Altitude Climbing Boots | Boots like these eliminate the need for gaiters, and are said to provide the best protection from the cold. Fiona has the Everest One Sports which she used on Khan Tengri with good success and Paul has Millet Everest 3 boots. These will be used from base camp onwards. |   |
| Crampons | These are essential for walking on steep snow or any ice. We’ll have them on from base camp onwards. |  |
| Hiking Boots | To hike from Lukla to base camp we’ll use our regular hiking boots. |  |
| Sandals | For using around base camp and during the trek in to base – most probably will be achieving that ever so stylish look of wearing them with thick socks underneath |  |
| Thick Socks | Most of the time we will be using normal hiking, explorer type socks |  |
| High-tech Socks | We will also have a couple of pairs of super-expensive Lorpen TEPA Polar-Stretch socks for using very high up. These are made from a fleece like fabric and we could only purchase them from Europe |  |
| Thin Socks | To use in combination with the thick or high-tech socks, these help with warmth and comfort |  |
| Electric Foot Warmers | Since experiencing frostbite, we are taking no chances with our feet and have invested in a set of Hotronic battery operated foot warmers. These are like a mini-electric blanket with heat coming through an element mounted in a custom insole. The battery can either clip onto the back of your boot, or using special extension leads which run up your legs inside your down suit, they can sit in your chest pockets. This is also where you control the heat setting. There are 3 settings – the lowest has a temperature of 32 degrees C and battery life of 17 hours and the highest is 72 degrees. We should be able to recharge the batteries at base camp and have purchased additional batteries for when we’re away from base camp for a long time |   |
| Chemical Toe Warmers | We have plenty of these which warm when they are opened from their packaging and stick onto your toes. They go between the liner sock and the outer sock. |  |
| Plastic Freezer Bags | That’s right. This household item will be used between our thin socks and thick socks to provide a water-proof barrier, keeping our warm perspiration close to our feet and not into our outer socks. This helps keep your feet warmer |  |
Head and Hand Wear
| Fleece Hats | For warmth in tent, while walking, etc |  |
| Neck Warmers | Better than scarves because they don’t come off – keep your ears warm too |  |
| Balaclavas | For use up high |  |
| Ski Goggles | For use when its cold – provide warmth and protect the eyes from the very harsh UV which can cause snow-blindness |  |
| Glacier Sun Glasses | When its a bit warmer, we’ll be using something like these to protect from UV |  |
| Sun Hats | During the trek in and on some sections of the climb, its likely to be warm with harsh UV. A sun hat with a neck covering is essential |  |
| Fleece Gloves | Around camp and on lower parts of the trek we’ll generally be wearing fleece gloves |  |
| Inner Gloves | We’ll be using polar tech OR gloves underneath our down mitts when climbing high |  |
| Down Mitts | We have new OR Alti Mitts which we’ll wear while climbing most of the time. These are regarded as the best mittens available |  |
| Outer Mitts | For when its very cold and/or windy, we’ll also use a outer mitt to provide a further level of insulation. These have been made by ourselves by cutting up a cheap synthetic sleeping bag (patent pending!) | |
| Chemical Hand Warmers | We have plenty of chemical hand warmers (the type that warm for about 8 hours when exposed to the air). We’ll be using them inside our mitts and especially making sure that we put them inside our thumb socket this time |  |
Climbing Gear
| Helmet | To protect from falling ice and rocks – especially when climbing in sections where other climbers are ahead of us |  |
| Climbing Harness | Used so that we can use ropes (rope to each other or clip into fixed ropes). Ours is a Black Diamond Alpine Bod that can be put on while standing up after your boots and crampons are already on. The leg loops are adjustable to take into account your thick down suit. |  |
| Ice Axe | These will be clipped into our harnesses at all times. On flatter sections, we’ll be using them like a walking stick for balance (holding on where the blade meets the handle) and on steep sections we’ll be holding the handle and swinging it above our heads to dig into the ice we’re climbing. However, the main purpose of the ice axe is that if you fall and are sliding down the slope, you “self-arrest” by digging the blade into the ice as a brake |  |
| Climbing Rope | For roping up to each other while climbing |  |
| Carabiners | For clipping into fixed ropes, and attaching ropes in general. We’ll have both locking and snap-lock versions |  |
| Figure 8 | For abseiling down steep sections |  |
| Ascender / Jumar | Used for climbing fixed rope – they slide upwards but not downwards, allowing you to pull yourself up on the rope |  |
| Head Lamp | For climbing at night, a strong head torch with a long-life battery will be used. |  |
| Oxygen Masks & Tanks | Once we’re up high, and especially on our summit push, we’ll be using supplemental oxygen. The system has been developed by International Mountain Guides. (Oxygen tanks also accompany the mask and regulator shown here.) |  |
Camping & Carrying Gear
| Climbing / Trekking Packs | We will be using normal hiking packs on the trek into base camp, and then smaller climbing packs as we go further up the mountain. Although we won’t need to carry everything as our tent, oxygen, etc will be carried in ahead of us, we’ll still be carrying our personal equipment, clothes, etc. On summit day, we’ll need the packs to carry our oxygen tanks |  |
| Tents | Tents like these will be used above base camp. At base camp they’ll probably be bigger, less robust versions |  |
| Stove | Above base camp, we’ll be using a stove like this to cook our dinner and importantly, to melt water |  |
| Walking Poles | We find them handy for trekking and walking in snow (in conjunction with our ice axe) |  |
| Huge Duffle Bags | These will contain all of our gear and will be flown into base camp |  |
Sleeping Gear
| Down Sleeping Bag – Heavy | These bags will be used for camps 2, 3 and 4. They are enormous!!! |  |
| Down Sleeping Bag – Light | These ones will be used at base camp and camp 1. These are similar to what many people would have for hiking in winter |  |
| Silk Sleeping Bag Liners | These are supposed to increase the body temperature by 5 degrees |  |
| Therm-a-Rests | These provide the most comfortable night’s sleep when camping – but can be a bit cold so will probably only be used at lower camps |  |
| Foam Mats | Not as comfortable but much warmer for high camps – will possibly use in combination with the therm-a-rests at lower camps for extra comfort |  |
| Pee Bottles | If its very cold or we’re camped on a steep site, the idea is not to leave your tent at night! |  |
Miscellaneous Items
| Nourishment | Although the food for our meals will be supplied by IMG, we are taking various snacks and supplements for use when climbing. A big part of this will be Gu Energy Gels and Gu Sports Drinks as they provide both fast and slow release energy, as well as replacing electrolytes to aid in hydration |   |
| Water Bottles | For the hike in and the climbing |  |
| Thermoses | For water up high – otherwise it freezes |  |
| Camel Back | System for having water inside a cask that you can suck from without having to worry about taking a pack off, undoing lids etc. Hydration is really important at altitude so this is a necessity |  |
| Altitude Watches | Shows how high we are using the air pressure. These also let us monitor our heart rates |  |
| Digital Cameras | We’ll be taking one each |  |
| Satellite Phone | We’ll be accessing a satellite phone to use the internet and communicate with home |  |
| PDA | The mini-computer we’ll be using to update this website. We’ll also be accessing email using this |  |
| MP3 Players | Can’t be without some tunes! |  |
| Pocket Knife | Miscellaneous uses |  |
| First Aid Kit | Blister tape, paracetamol, asprin, Ibuprofin (aches and pains), Imodium (diarrhea), anti-biotics, bandages, Iodine (for purifying water), sunscreen, lipbalm, etc |  |
| Spare Batteries | For everything – cameras, MP3 players, torches, etc |  |
| Books | We’ll be spending a fair bit of time at base camp so these will come in handy | |
| Toiletries | Wet ones, face wipes, toothbrushes, soap, hair brush, shavers, towels, etc |