This is an archived website. Visit the new Xtreme Everest website here

Mobile phone friendly galleries




BLOG : Kay Mitchell
6th May 2013

End of Trekker Testing at Everest Base Camp

Ali Cobb

Thursday was a momentous day for the Xtreme Everest 2 Everest base camp team. The 1st of May 2013 signified the last day of trekker testing at 5300m. After 49 days at Base Camp, 12 treks with 150 trekkers, thousands of tests and over 4000 samples of blood, spit and urine collected, our time at EBC is nearly coming to an end.

We ended with a bang with fantastic Trek K. Like all the treks prior to them, they worked tirelessly to complete our huge quantity of tests during their time at EBC. As is our tradition when each trek leaves, we celebrated the hard work of Trek K last night with cake and wine (what was left after the cook Sherpas had had their fill!).

Now that Trek K have departed EBC to make the journey back to Kathmandu, the work does not stop just yet for the team that remain here. Over the next few days the team will undergo muscle biopsies which will be analysed in real time by ‘Team Mitochondria’, James Horscroft and Aleks Kotwica.

Packing has well and truly begun in our main lab. Our 8 tonnes of equipment all has to be sent back down the mountain. With only the main laboratory Drash tent getting helicoptered out, the remainder of our kit has to be carried down the mountain on porters and yaks. It took 273 yaks to bring our gear up to Base Camp, hopefully we will need a few less on the way down.

Testing ourselves and the trekkers over the past 2 months at EBC has been extremely hard work but a fantastic experience. We have collected a vast amount of data that we hope will take us closer to answering the questions underlying the mysteries of hypoxia and the advantages the Sherpa population display. We are very much looking forward to catching up with the rest of the team in Kathmandu over an ‘Everest’ beer.

Ali Cobb
EBC Laboratory Manager

 Post a comment on this article...



Share this :