December 14, 2015
Paul came to North Conway on December 12 and 13 to work on skills he wanted to brush up on in preparation for his upcoming program which is the Camp 3 option on the Spring 2016 IMG Everest expedition. The weekend started with Paul and I meeting at the Nereledge Inn. The owners, Steve and Laura Hartman were gracious and accommodating and Steve made a great breakfast each morning that fueled us for the day.
Learning the ropes…
Paul’s goals for the weekend were to go over the skills needed to get to camp three on Everest. These include ascending and descending fixed ropes and crossing ladders. We set up a fixed line and Paul ascended the ropes and descended using a variety of techniques and devises including arm rappels, and using an ATC and figure 8. Having summited Denali, the Grand Teton, Rainier and many other peaks this was just a review for Paul that he aced. The next day we set up a  ladder and Paul worked on horizontal and vertical ladder crossings with the boots and crampons he’ll use on Everest.
Paul is coming back for a couple of weekends this winter to complete some long alpine ice routes in preparation for his upcoming trip to Everest. With all the training Paul is doing in the gym and in North Conway, he is going to arrive at Everest Base Camp ready to take on the challenges the mountain presents.
Craig John, IMG lead guide