A Conversation with Lara Sergovich, Base Camp Manager for STEPonline.com's "Everyone has an Everest' Expedition 2001.
We've all seen amazing photos and movies of people climbing the world's highest peaks. But few of us know very much about the day to day life of climbers before they make a summit attempt. That's why we talked with Lara Sergovich, Base Camp Manager for STEPonline.com's "Everyone has an Everest" Expedition 2001. Lara spent last spring managing Base Camp for Ben Webster's Canadian Everest 2000 Expedition, so she knows exactly what it's like to live for two months at 17,700 feet while the climbing team prepares to meet the challenge of Mt.Everest.
STEPonline.com: Since everyone is interested in food, let's start with that subject. What kind of cooking facilities do you set up at Base Camp? I'm sure 'refrigeration' isn't a problem, but you do bring a stove with you, right?
Lara: There will be a kitchen tent and kitchen staff. It won't be like going camping as we're hiring people to do all of the cooking for us. I think I've heard the words "propane stove" and "dutch oven" thrown around.
STEPonline.com: And what is a 'typical' hot meal consist of? What is considered a 'special' meal?
Lara: I wouldn't differentiate between "typical" and "special" really; if we feel like something in particular, we can just request it. Breakfast could consist of some of: toast, porridge (oatmeal or rice), eggs (hardboiled, fried), pancakes, cereal (like Corn Flakes or muesli), etc. Lunch: baked beans, weiners, french fries, fried Spam, cole slaw, potatoes, cheese, salami... Supper: always starts with soup, then could be: pasta, noodle dishes, momo's (Nepal's version of a stuffed dumpling, as perogies are to Poland), cauliflower, carrots, onions, potatos, rice, dal bhat (check spelling, rice and lentils), stew (chicken, yak, veg)...Dessert: canned fruit, pudding, Jello, sometimes cake... We often snack on cookies, chocolate, popcorn.
STEPonline.com: Sounds good!
Lara: Also, there is an unending supply of tea, coffee, hot milk, hot juice. (all liquids must be boiled)
I've heard of cooks in other camps making muffins everyday, but I'm not sure if he used a dutch oven or how it was done.
Ben's hired a different cook this year, so meals will depend on his specialties, the food we've brought, and what is available to him. You can buy a lot of good (western) food in Kathmandu, and we're planning on bringing a lot of food from here but we have to weigh the quality from here against cargo costs to get it to Nepal.
I will likely bring snack food like licorice, chocolate, trial mix, dried fruit & nuts...?
STEPonline.com: Are there any special 'high altitude' food you're planning to bring?
STEPonline.com: Is there any cooking done above Base Camp?
Lara: I don't think they get too fancy up high. There is a kitchen tent with a cook at Camp 2, but not the others.
STEPonline.com: I noticed on the equipment list that there's a 'toilet' tent set up at Base Camp. Obviously there is no plumbing, so, what do you use as a toilet?
Lara: Toilets in Nepal are squat toilets. Last year at base camp we used a big barrel that had rocks built up around it, and had a tent for privacy. I heard that some other camps placed a toilet seat on the barrel so that one could sit instead of squat. Or, one could just go behind a rock.
STEPonline.com: How about keeping clean? Is being on an Everest Expedition being without a shower/shampoo for 2 months?
Lara: We had a shower tent and a portable shower (basically a bucket with a hand pump attached to a shower head). Often, my personal preference was to bring a big bowl of warm water to my tent and wash with soap and a cloth.
STEPonline.com Since we're talking about food and keeping clean and being as comfortable as possible, how about the temperature on Everest? How cold does it get at night? How hot does it get during the day (when the sun is out?)
Lara: We didn't have a thermometer last year, so it's really anybody's guess [what the temperature was]! The average estimate of nighttime lows were somewhere between -10 to -15 degrees C (14 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit) near the beginning of the expedition, to around 0 deg.C (32 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end. I'm trying to guess daytime highs by what I would wear. In the beginning, maybe the highs were between 0 to 10 deg.C, (32 to then maybe 10 to 20 deg.C (50 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit) toward the end of the expedition.
STEPonline.com: 68 degrees Fahrenheit is really pretty warm… especially for Mount Everest!
Lara: [The] Absence [or presence] of the sun would make an overwhelming difference. The sun would also heat up the tents quite a bit.
STEPonline.com: I'll bet! So how large is base camp anyway? And about how many other expeditions/people/tents are likely to be there (based on your experience from lats year)?
Lara: I am completely incapable of judging area. [I can say that].. it took me about 30 minutes to walk from one end of camp to the other last year, but keep in mind it was walking around on rocks instead of flat ground. Last year, I think there was between 12 to 20 camps set up at base camp (different expeditions often share facilities, and I never counted), but climbing in "The Year 2000" might have brought a special motivation for people. Various outfitters only guide trips on alternating years, [so] … my guess for this year would be 50% to 75% of last year's number of people/expeditions. Our camp had 20-25 tents last year (10 personal, 2 equipment, 1 dining, 1 kitchen, 1 communications, 5-10 personal tents for the Sherpas). We're bringing an excessive number of people this year as well, but if you try to extrapolate the numbers, keep in mind that few teams (if any) will have all of the support staff that we have.
STEPonline.com: Based on what you learned from your experience from last year, what are you doing differently this year in your preparations for the trip?
Lara: We're putting more thought into food... Ben's hired (hopefully) a better cook. [Other than that]…not much different, really. Maybe a few little extras to make things more comfortable. Maybe a propane heater or two.
STEPonline.com: We know you're busy getting everything ready before your March 25th flight to Kathmandu, so thanks very much for taking the time to talk with us. We appreciate it.
