 Hi everybody, this is Alan. Hey, my last gear video in Okancagua was well received So I thought I'd do a similar one for Everest You know Everest is a whole lot different animal than any of the other seven summits Especially with respect to gear. The biggest difference is that in addition to the week-long trek into base camp You have a lot of time spent at base camp in down time So it's important to bring stuff to make you feel comfortable But also be prepared for a higher up on the mountain and obviously this time around is totally different Gonna be using the full down suit plus a lot of technical gears in terms things like figure eights for repelling and ascenders for going up So let's go through the four stages of the climb starting with the trek in and then I'm gonna talk a little bit about Life at base camp with respect to gear and then as we go up and down the mountain to get a climatized What type of clothing and gear I'll be using there and finally for the summit push We're gonna talk a little bit more about this good old down suit and what it takes to get to the top of the world So here we go Everest base camp at about seventeen thousand five hundred feet Obviously the reason that you take it so long is let your body get used to the altitude This is an absolute Beautiful part of the climb and if you never go to go climb Everest If you get a chance to go do the trek in the Coomboot Take it it will change your life the culture the people the surroundings are just astounding in terms of the gear required You know, it's not that complicated what I always done. I've been there now What six or seven times on this trek? So I always take a really good pair of High-top hiking boots because the trail can be it can be rough, but some people do it in tennis shoes I always have a nice pair of nylon pants that can drive very quickly But then on my top is really where I regulate for temperature because starting off in early April I can be extremely cold and starting in the mornings, but then it gets really warm in the afternoon So as always in the mountains the key is to layer. So here are my layers I start off with a real simple very lightweight top which is can be which has zippers on it And so that allows me to vent so I can actually you know control my body temperature also I really like to have collars so to keep the Sun off the back of my neck and also if it gets really cold I can zip up and then protect my neck one the other important parts is always to have my buff So this is a nice little lightweight buff I can put it over my mouth and my nose to protect myself from inhaling a lot of the dust along the way because the trail Can be very dusty This is the hoodie. This is made by Patagonia. It's one of my favorite pieces of all time I like this because it's extremely lightweight It's got a really nice long zipper that allows me to vent and also by the name it has a hood So I can pull up the hood over my ball cap and provide the even extra insulation if I need it I pull this thing all the way up and I am really protected in case it does turn cold without having to carry a very heavy jacket Sunglasses are absolutely required like on all these climbs They go on almost the minute I leave home until I come back home And I use basically the same pair of sunglasses throughout the entire trip I also have back up here in case these get damaged or lost Now also, I have a pair of lightweight gloves because I kind of like to travel with up here gloves It helps protect my my hands from sunburn But also it helped provide a little bit of extra insulation in case things get cold I always have some stacks with me Sunscreen is absolutely critically important on all these climbs. I've got my trekking poles, which always are with me I really enjoy those if the wind picks up or gets a little bit chilly The first layer at the fence is a very lightweight wind shirt this thing only weighs a few ounces and Tucks very nicely into my pack. The next thing I always have in case it gets even colder is by nice little Skull cap that goes on and I protect my ears in the top of my head a little bit heavier Pair of gloves again in case it gets even colder and then if it starts to rain or it starts to snow If I have any wet snow, which is a high probability in the late spring in the Coomboo I've got this nice soft shell or hard shell depending upon what you want to look at it But this will absolutely keep me dry it folds into the hood and goes all into the pack in terms of water I like to carry a hydration system With me the entire way trekking in it doesn't get cold enough for the tube to freeze So I think I'm good to go with this so all in all it's a pretty lightweight system Remember we're going from from tea house to tea house So really all we have to carry is just enough to get us to that next tea house It's probably three to five hours a day of walking So if whole idea at this point is that to take care of yourself to stay hydrated Don't get sunburned don't get sick by inhaling some of the dust or Some of the other problems that may come in trekking through the Coomboo health wise Take care of yourself get to the tea house safely at each night get a good night's sleep The yaks are bringing in the sleeping bags and you eat really well in those tea houses That sets you up nicely to arrive at base camp. We're gonna talk about that next Well, welcome there for space camp. Well, at least my version of it here at home You know if I could take anything to keep it more comfortable there One of the things I would bring would be max, but you know what? I don't think he would do too well with all the yaks and everything. So we're gonna go ahead and let him go you know one of the keys of a successful expedition whether it's on Mount Rainier Colorado 14 or Mount Everest is to be comfortable and to take care of yourself especially during the down times and ever space camp you actually spend a lot of time there after the acclimatization rotations You spend a lot of time in your tent a lot of time in the dining tents talking to other people But you know you actually spend a fair amount of time alone So it's pretty important to have your creature conference with you But all starts off with a great sleeping environment. So for me that means having a very nice pad You know, I typically use my heavier sleeping bag. This is a minus 20 down sleeping bag Keep me toasty. I may swap this out for my zero-degree bag as this one goes up higher in the mountain and also It gets warmer as we go into from April into May, you know one of the things that I've done for years is to use my my Down jackets to stuff into a little simple pillow case to have a nice comfortable pillow That is one of the keys of having a successful night sleep in my mind You know, I have these nice pair of extra thick wool socks Moreno wool socks that I like to change into in my tent to get out of the boots You know down booties are incredibly important. Also, you know, if you get told at night It's nice to slip these things. I don't have to worry about You know having cold feet at night, you know during the daytime often I'll put on a lightweight top Well, sometimes it's the moreno wall other times Cotton because at base camp you really don't have to worry about wicking and things like that One of my favorite tops to wear is this nice little Soft weave jersey style that I use it to kind of, you know pop around base camp in another thing I really like especially at night are these are these insulated Primaloft down pants. They actually are very lightweight and they're extremely comfortable Especially when the sun goes down you're in the dining tent or those rare days where it's extremely cold at base camp a few other things To make life a little bit more comfortable One is that I carry this this VHF radio so I can listen to the BBC It's one of the best ways of keeping track of what's going on in the world And also it's pretty entertaining. You don't get a lot of music on this That's why I have my iPod and other music devices But it's really good to kind of stay up on what's happening in the world another thing that's really important are pictures from home I've got pictures of family friends Max and Mimi You know the whole gang in here that I can look at My satellite phone is something that's critically important and staying in touch not only for posting dispatches But also for calling Kathy and just staying in touch with what's going on. This is non-negotiable A couple of other things Magazines are very nice one of the magazines I really like to take with me on these climbs is the economist believe it or not Lots very few advertisements but lots of interesting information to read other people will take other things Books paperback books. It's very popular now to bring your iPad or your Kindle to read the electronic books And finally the most important thing is always to have some water with you in your tent 24 by 7 in order to stay hydrated probably need to be drinking somewhere between three to five liters a day Minimum even while you're at base camp in order to stay hydrated Couple other things I may throw into the mix would be a lightweight down jacket again for when it's cold Always wearing my sunscreen even at base camp and even inside the tent because he can go right through the tent Sunglasses again a necessary part. I always have with me the hoodie is a great thing to have on You know you throw it on throw it off as you walk around base camp visiting with other people in other camps that way You don't have to fool around a big old heavy jacket But the key at Everest base camp are the creature comforts taking care of yourself Taking care of yourself health-wise and also up here Okay, it's time to climb In order to climb Everest you have to go up and down the mountain multiple times if not through the Coombu ice fall over on nearby lobe shea peak Which is what we're going to be doing with the ING group for a couple of rotations there to get up to about 20,000 feet in order to get our bodies used to the altitude and build those red blood cells But in all cases what the next step here in climbing is to be in a technical environment So by technical this means now that we've gone over to our 8,000 meter boots These are double insulated boots with inner liners to them 12-point crampons ice axe and then various types of technical gear Including the mechanical ascender which allows you to attach to the fixed rope So if you fall this clips in you don't go down any further and belay devices so that you can do repelling Harnesses and of course very good gloves that stay intact to protect your hands from the cold But also to be still manipulative enough that you can clip in and out with the care of being yours on to the fixed rope a few other things We'll be climbing starting off at night. So headlamp is very important A lot of people now are using helmets which of course I'll be using as well on this climb one thing Never to forget the sunscreen always and always to have water with you staying hydrated is critically important In terms of what we're going to be carrying Another down sleeping bag this time a little bit lighter pads Insulate pad and then a z-pad to provide protection from the cold and the snow underneath all that goes into our pack Really not carrying very much up and down the mountain at this point Again, the Sherpas just do a phenomenal job of taking care of everybody and they are really doing the heavy work for many many Expeditions on Everest some people do all the climbing themselves and all the carry themselves my hats off to them But at 54. I'm gonna take all the help I can get in terms of my clothing I'm now switched over to a softshell pant. So this I've got on marina wool on anywhere underneath this This will protect me against the rain as well I'm sorry the snow as well as the wind if I need an extra layer I will have my Gore-Tex bibs thrown into my pack. I always have that with me in terms of my top Well, you know what the routine is by now. I've got my marina wool With a nice zip to it and a collar as the base layer I've got my hoodie, you know with the hood and again if the wind starts to pick up I've got my hardshell jacket that I'll throw over this and I always have my 800 filled down jacket into my pack In case it really is cold or I end up having to stop some place either For an unforeseen situation where I'm sitting still for a long period of time I need that extra layer in order to stay warm. Of course the hats always on and so are the sunglasses This blade jacket is another thing that's always with me in case I don't need the full 800 filled down It's a little bit too much but I need that extra little bit of warmth. This throws into my pack So a few layers that will always be with me almost from base camp to the summit And the whole idea is that I can I can be Situational because sometimes for example in the western coom. I will definitely not have on this jacket I won't have on the hoodie. I'll be simply in my merino top Could it be a hundred degrees Fahrenheit there even these pants sometimes will be too much But you know, there's a limit to what you can take off again. That's where the sunscreen comes in the play At other parts of the mountain as soon as that sun goes down like a camp to it gets Non-cold so that's where again having the layers and the ability to protect yourself is critically important So the next step at this point after going up and down the mountain for about two to three weeks Is the summit bid and at that point we're going to go through a few more layers and that's what's coming up next Okay We're going to the summit and as you can tell I'm in my full down suit here and other than having my oxygen mask on It's really this is going to be what I'll be wearing. So let me go ahead and take a few things off I've got the ice axe that will be part of me all the way from the top I've got my goggles on and also this ball of clava So wow, I got my helmet on I have my full down suit at this point crampons harness Ascender carabiner locking carabiner to clip into the fixed line with another Carabiner that goes off on a leash to the fixed line. I've got my down mittens and also Another pair of heavy gloves underneath in terms of everything else No, it's really not that much in terms of you look at the layers themselves I've got my hoodie, which is actually a really incredible important point apart to have But it adds a little bit of extra warmth with almost zero weight to it I've got now this polar tech fleece on which is a very heavy fleece And this is really my secret sauce for keeping warm on almost all the mountains And then I've got my standard moreno wool top and bottom on So really that's about it in terms of my boots. I've got all my 8,000 meter boots with my crampons And I'm pretty well good to go if you look at my pack. This is the same pack that I used to go up and down the mountain I'll have a 17 pound Oxygen bottle in there and that oxygen bottle running at three liters per minute will last last be for many many hours I will switch out one more oxygen bottle throughout the entire process So, you know, um, I've also got my sunglasses here because once the sun comes up I'm going to put those on a lot of people get snow blind this up there if they don't take care of their eyes And the goggles if it's really windy that'll be an important part So this is what it's going to be like on summit night and I can tell you right now standing here in colorado inside the house I'm burning up. I don't think I'll be burning up on the mountain There may be sections where I do and that's why it's important to be able to vent and to be able to Have the layers on but most of the time it's going to be pretty well zipped up Oxygen mask on sunglasses on and going up to the top of the world