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Mailed the 1st of April
The Himalayan Experience Everest expedition to the North Ridge got underway last Saturday with the arrival of team leader Russell Brice to Kathmandu. The equipment and food has been checked and packed, ready for departure to Tibet, hopefully on 04 April. There has been considerable amounts of snow on the Tibet Plateau, so our team will not leave Kathmandu until we know that the road is clear all the way to BC.

Mailed the 8th of April
There has been considerable bad weather in the lower mountains of Nepal, and more than 1m of snow fell on the road between Nylam and the boarder town of Zangmu. It has taken a week to have the road cleared, so our team is still in Kathmandu waiting. However we will depart early tomorrow the 9th April, with the hope of reaching Nylam in one day. I have heard that only one of the 18 teams that are on the North side of Everest, has in fact reached BC, so there are many teams between Kathmandu and BC at the moment.

Mailed the 19th of April
The Himalayan Experience Everest Expedition has had several set backs over the last few weeks, with the delayed start from Kathmandu as the road was covered in snow, then we had to porter our equipment around a land slide, but eventually we reached Base Camp at 5200m on 15 April. We were to depart for ABC with our yaks today, however one of our members had not arrived from Zegar where he had spent an extra day acclimatising, so it was our prioritry to locate where he was. In fact he was in Lhasa and has decided to withdraw from the expedition. After re-sorting our loads we will now leave for thye ABC tomorrow 20 April. There is very little snow on the mountain and there is quite good progress by other teams who we have agreed to work together with in fixing rope and the route.

Mailed the 1st of May
I have been busy during the last few days, the weather has been good and so progress has been great. We moved up to ABC 6400m on the 21st April and then established C I on the North Col 7000m on the 24th. This camp is now fully stocked with all the equipment required for the rest of the climb, and on the 29th wew established C II at 7500m.
Today is a rest day at ABC before we go back and establish C III (7900m) & C IV at 8300m over the next 3 days.
If the weather and conditions stay as they are, we should be looking for a summit attempt about the 20th.

Mailed the 12th of May
We have made very good and fast progress over the last few weeks. Having established our C I at the North Col 7000m on 24 April, Lopsang, Karsang my two climbing Sherpas and myself then carried loads to C I on 25, 26 and 28th. We then established C II, 7500m on 29th and carried a load there on 30th returning to ABC for a rest.
Again we carried loads to C I on 02 May, and went to C II the following day, and on to establish C III, 7900m on 04 May. All members and Sherpas slept at this camp for the night, so we are all well prepared for the summit attempt now.
On 05 May, Lopsang, Karsang and myself carried loads to C IV , 8300m and established this top camp, returning to ABC the same day.
With all camps ready, and oxygen already at the North Col, we are ready for a summit attempt after a rest at BC. As it turned out, the jet stream winds arrived on the mountain on 07 May, the day that we were heading down to BC for 4 days rest.
It is now the 12th and the winds have continued to blow, and there has been no progress by any team on the hill. The jet stream has moved from the North and is now South of us, which should give a couple of days of less wind, but must again pass over us to the North before we will have summit attempt conditions.
In the meanwhile I hear that my mess tent at ABC has been destroyed by the wind, and we will now have to see how all the upper camps have fared.
We can see through the scope that our top camp at 8300m is still intact, so hope that the other camps are OK.
Tomorrow we will all leave BC for ABC along with a new mess tent and spare poles etc for the upper camps, so the next message will come from ABC in a few days time.

Mailed the 30th of May
At 10.15 on 25 May, Sumiyo Tsuzuki, Karsang Sherpa and I reached the summit of Everest.
We are all now back at the Base Camp in good health and with no injuries. Sumiyo becomes the third Japanese woman (second surviving) to summit Everest, and the first via the North Ridge. There have been 4 deaths on the North Ridge this season, but none of these have anything to do with my team, although I have been involved with the removal of two of these bodies.

- Russell