It’s exactly one more month before we leave for Tibet to climb Cho Oyu (8,201m) on 16 Aug !

Standing at 8,201m (roughly the height of 70 HDB blocks stacked one on top of the other), this will be our final training climb and ‘full dress rehearsal’ before we attempt Everest next year in March. How time flies. I still remember how was it like back in 2004 when we just formed the team. At that time, I couldnt even have imagined ourselves climbing a 7000m mountain. And now, we’re entering into our final preparation phase to climb Cho Oyu and Everest. As usual, I really can’t wait to escape from this urban jungle and head back to the mountains again. We will be there for almost 2 months and climbing Cho Oyu will be a true physical and psychological test of endurance, determination and mental strength. Just as climbing Mustagh Ata last year was a milestone for the team, this 8000m mountain and the testing out of our supplemental oxygen systems will definitely be a watershed experience for all of us.

I remember puking when I smelled the instant noodles Jane was cooking at Camp 1 on Third Sister Peak located in Sichuan, China in Dec last year. As it is now, the very sight of our grey expedition cooking pot already can send waves of nausuea up my throat so I simply cannot imagine how I would be able to stand eating instant noodles throughout our Cho Oyu climb. Thus, I will definitely be looking into alternative food sources like freeze dried food, fried noodles (instead of the soupy kind) etc. Without a doubt, nutrition plays a very important role in our expedition and preparations actually start locally by making sure we fuel ourselves with enough carbo, protein and fats to provide us with energy especially pre and post training. In fact, i’m hoping to put on about 2kg before we leave for the climb so that my body will have enough ‘reserve’ to battle the tough conditions, though Jane has repeatedly cautioned me to make sure its not 2kg of fats that i put on! I certainly don’t need anymore to contribute to my already ’round’ figure! On top of eating well, we have also been religiously popping supplements such as glucosamine and CENTRUM (multi-vitamin) pills to keep ourselves in good health. Especially up on the mountains when nutrition in food may be compromised, such multi-vits will ensure we get our balance of nutrients… Falling sick on the mountains is really the last thing that we would want, so every step of preparation begins now!