Summit to say
Ricky talks about Everest bid
Everest continues to elude mountaineer Ricky Munday after he was forced out of a summit bid this week.
The Bothwell adventure-explorer says a mixture of ill health and poor weather forecasts convinced him that it wasn’t in his best interests to attempt the task, and Munday also felt he would only hold the team back.
Munday, who has always said a safe descent from the highest peak in the world was his priority, had hoped to make his summit bid on Tuesday after reaching 7900m of the 8848m mountain, but instead headed back down to ABC (advanced base camp).
In a Facebook post, Ricky said: “As I lay awake last night (Monday) in my suit, inside my -40C sleeping bag, and with my oxygen mask strapped to my face, I came to realise that my low energy levels put me at serious risk of an emergency situation if I pushed further up the mountain the following day.
“My appetite was severely affected by the altitude.
“After a big 10-hour, 900m climb from the North Col to Camp 2 (7900m), all I was able to eat was a handful of peanuts, a protein bar and two mini Babybel cheeses. I could smell a freezedried meal and I almost vomited. This lack of calorie intake was completely unsustainable.
“I made the difficult decision not to continue with the team, and to descend. I was unwilling to put my life at risk or to become a burden to the team.
“We heard on the radio that a climber had passed away on the south side yesterday (Monday) and we send our condolences to their family.
“This morning there was another conversation at camp about weather, as the Dutch forecast showed unacceptable wind speeds on May 23, so a decision was taken to stay a second night at 7900m, move up tomorrow (Tuesday) to 8300m and try to summit on Wednesday.
“I would just have become weaker and weaker. I descended without regret, sure in the knowledge that coming home alive and with all digits intact is far more important than any summit.
“I dropped down to the North Col on unsteady legs, but with oxygen. I then continued slowly down to ABC where I will wait for the team.
“I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated, sponsored or otherwise supported me, and I’m incredibly grateful for your support.
“Thank you also for joining me on this journey – I’ve seen and experienced things that I will never forget, and it has been a privilege to share these with you. I hope I haven’t let you down.”
Munday said in an update on Monday that he had only reached Camp 2 by increasing oxygen intake to 21 a minute.
An update on Wednesday suggested that weather conditions would make it treacherous for the team to continue their summit bid, with winds of between 80mph and 100mph experienced by members of the team.
It might not be possible for them to try for the peak in the time-frame they have left.
As of Wednesday, Ricky had made his way down to advanced base camp, but was still very high on the mountain.
The 40-year-old made the attempt to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Care, in memory of his twin uncles Michael and Patrick Mcgowan, who were treated by Macmillan Nurses.