Were are back at BC and it feels like heaven! Last night the winds at Advance Base Camp were crazy, and we’ve got snow as well, so right before breakfast we decided to abandon the idea of doing a a second rotation, we packed and ran away to the comfort of our palace at Base Camp.
Everybody left pretty quickly but I decided not to rush and pack wisely while our Sherpas were dismantling our tents. They wrapped each tent with the PVC sheets that are placed underneath them, leaving our duffle bags inside and covering everything with rocks. Lets hope this prevents the jet stream from taking our belongings away. We could see many teams abandoning the place as well.
I left about 30 mins after the last team member, and I passed three of them on my way to Base Camp. I stopped dozens of times to take photos and videos, and to talk to some people on the way, and still I managed to overtake my colleagues leaving a dusty cloud behind me 😛
I was quite motivated to get down to BC and I also love trail running, but the main reason why I managed to pass some of the people who left one hour before me, is because I am fully stocked with Gu Roctane 🙂 Seriously, this energetic products are amazing. I already mentioned on a previous post Gu Roctane is like rocket fuel. However today I learned how not to use it when you are climbing on high altitude. During breakfast I had a large cup of strong coffee, and then I filled two 1l Nalgene bottles with Gu Roctane brew. I was quite thirsty so I drunk a lot of it before leaving and I plugged my iPod with the music I normally use for training. I was running down the East Rongbok glacier quite fast with about 7kg on my backpack and my climbing boots. The terrain is not easy, with icy sections and tons of detritus from the moraine. With the strong coffee for breakfast, the caffeine + taurine shot from the Roctane, and my favorite music, I quickly noticed I was overexerting and loosing my breath. About one hour later I stopped the music, took some photos and videos on the glacier and I already was feeling very good. Then I’ve had one of the Gu gels and continued walking very fast, sometimes running down the hill. I did few more stops for photos and to socialize with the locals and other climbers, and I took two more Gels. My energy levels were high and I felt very focused on the tricky terrain, probably due to the effects of Taurine. Many athletes use Red Bull to gain the same effect, but that magic drink is very well know for upsetting almost any stomach, whereas Gu is scientifically designed to be quickly absorbed, and most of its ingredients are natural and easy to digest.
At the begging of the trip I found an young American dude, walking a very low pace, almost loosing balance. I asked him if he was doing fine and I offered water and gels, but he refused any help and I continued my way. I guess some people pushes too hard at ABC and above, and I’m afraid this guy will go through a nightmare today to make it safely to BC, considering the bad weather and his miserable condition just few km away from ABC…
Thirty minutes before getting to my destination, I offered my last Gu Roctane gel to one of my climbing partners who was walking slowly. I asked him to try it and give me his feedback, and when he arrived to BC he told the it really boosted him up! Some of our other team members asked me for some samples to use them on our second rotation and even the summit push 🙂
From the East Rongbuk Glacier, north gateway to the summit of Everest, I want to send very special thanks to Nicola Girot, Managing Director of Sport in Life distribution company, who believes on my Everest Dream and sponsors me with a full range of Gu Performance products for my Everest training and the Expedition. Sport in Life supports many other athletes in the Middle East, because Nicola and his team are very passionate about sports and bringing the best performance products to the UAE market, and I hope we can build a long term relationship and bringing the Sports in Life brand to many other extreme and beautiful places in The World 🙂
Once we all arrived to BC we’ve got together in the dining tent and we opened some beers and wine. I decided not to drink any alcohol today, but our teammate Chris opened a bottle of Cognac from 1975 that he had reserved to celebrate our Summit. I could not resist and I had a glass of this wonderful delicatessen. Most of my friends know how crazy I am for old brandies and whiskeys. For those who didn’t know yet, now you know what you can get me as Summit award once I get back home 😛
Feels so good being back to Base Camp! our very own palace at Everest. I can’t believe how good is going to feel once I’m back home celebrating with my friends and girlfriend, and the summit certificate hanging on my wall 😉
Unlimited Potential, Up to 8000m 