This morning Ngima and I started getting up at 5 AM. We went through the slow process of getting our boots on and down suits. By the time we had our hot drinks and started packing our bags Kame, Mingmar and Pemba showed up. We were on our way up the fixed lines at 7 AM. Basically we fell in line with the many climbers on their way up to camp four.

After leaving the tent we had a steep ice section that rises about 80 feet. Then we continued up a steep snow face until there was an angled traverse to the yellow band. Here we climbed mixed snow, ice and rock to gain several hundred feet. At that point there was another ascending traverse. After the traverse there was another angled climb up rock. This section angles left and ends on a ridge crest nearly at the elevation of the South Col. At this point was another traverse on a fairly steep rock slope to the South Col.