For all the many people asking about the Official Rules for the Guinness World Record attempt, we invite you to...
As our departure for Tibet draws ever closer, the team decided to take one last opportunity to get into the hills; this time in a full dress-rehearsal for the main event, on one of Europe’s most iconic mountains – Mt Blanc.
Having done as much physical training as we could squeeze into our daily schedules, we knew that we still needed to refine the practice and logistics of setting up a dinner party at altitude, and with all the conditions that go with it and make it challenging – cold, ice, snow, napkins being blown over, that sort of thing. So we set off on a short weekend to get high on a ridge just below the Aguille Du Midi at 3500 meters. Along with our usual gear of tents, camping stoves and sleeping bags, we stepped off the cable car with our tables and chairs, our candelabras, and vacuum-packed, two-star-Michelin-Chef-prepared beef cheek. We set up our rope teams and made our way down the ridge, waving goodbye to the tourists in the view-top café. Past the skiers and boarders past the paragliders we climbed as we navigated some crevasses, steep drop offs, a couple of glacier lakes for good measure and eventually came to a spot that looked perfect. Our camp drills kicked in a we busied ourselves with pitching tents, setting up the cooking area and preparing the dinner table, complete with dinner cloth, cutlery and crockery as befits a fine dining experience. With the wheat soup starter gradually warming on the multi-fuel stove, the focus turned to getting ourselves prepared for dinner. Our down jackets were to be replaced with Thomas Pink DJs, our buffs with bow-ties. I’d never had to tie a bow-tie with mitts on before but I can assure you it is not easy. With everyone suited and booted, we sat down to a delicious meal prepared by Sat Bains, the very same that we will be eating on Everest. The Mumm’s Champagne flowed, as did the conversation as we discussed the remarkable challenge we were about to undertake. I’d like to say that after coffee we spent a leisurely evening discussing predictions for the upcoming General Election. In reality however, day turned to night rather rapidly and the cold set in so we focused on packing up the dinner kit before it blew away and retired to our tents. An old climbing guide of mine once remarked that the Everest challenge trip reminded him of a book called the Ascent of Rum Doodle, about an eclectic group of friends who set out to climb Rum Doodle, the highest mountain on Earth. It’s a great book, and I can see many similarities, but their mistake was that they never did a trial run, and after the practice on Mt Blanc, I am brimming with confidence that our team is fully prepared for the adventure that lies ahead. We would like to thank all our sponsors who have contributed to this expedition so far. We are extremely grateful for all your support and we will be flying your flags on the North Col in only a few short weeks. Blog by: Adam Mason |
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June 2015
AuthorThis blog is written by members of the Summit and Dinner Team |