The team’s summit attempts have been postponed, due to weather changes. The weather window we were aiming for on the 11th and 12th of May got smaller, due to winds picking up as jet stream passed over the top of Mt. Everest. As stronger winds picked up in both the east and the west, the team and the rest of the IMG climbers (climbers with the mountaineering agency we’re partnering with) who were aiming for the same summit window decided to postpone the summit attempt and come back to base camp to wait for a more favourable weather window.
We took this opportunity to stay at Camp 2 (6,500m) for a couple of nights to optimize our acclimatization, and we’ll be keeping active at base camp with hikes to nearby mountains to stay fitting fit for the summit push. Word has it that there may be a weather window towards the end of May, we’ll keeping our eyes open for that.
Sure, it was a disappointment for the team that our first summit attempt has been foiled, but to put things in perspective, this expedition has been 5 years in the making – what is waiting for a few more days for the summit push?
The Singapore Women’s Everest Team formed in 2004 and aimed to send the first team of Singaporean women to the world’s highest peak. Following a rigorous 5 year training schedule, we successfully reached the summit of Mt. Everest in May 2009, placing 5 Singapore women on the top of the world.
