"I was now truly here, at the base of the highest mountain in the world soaking in the surroundings. I looked up at the icefall, then closed my eyes and retraced my steps, every step of the way"
- Byron Smith, April 1, 2000

By the time a team reaches the 5,350 m height of Basecamp, the members have climbed roughly 2,500 metres in 10 or so days. Each gain in altitude forces the trekkers to stop and rest, giving their bodies time to adjust to the physical differences in the environment - the decreased pressure and reduced oxygen. At Basecamp there is only half the oxygen available at sea level. So, when climbers first arrive they breathe hard even when resting. The final 400 or so metres of the trek to the isolated tent city takes its toll on the climbers' bodies, forcing a couple days' rest before the team can venture further up the mountain.

"Three days after our arrival in Base Camp, we headed out on our first acclimatization sortie, a one-day round-trip to Camp One, perched at the upper lip of the Icefall, 2,000 vertical feet above. No part of the South Col route is more feared than the Icefall, a slowly moving jumble of huge, unstable ice blocks: We were all well aware that it had already killed 19 climbers"
- Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air

Camp I, 6,000m

On expeditions that can afford strong Sherpa support, Camp I is stocked and set up in advance, before the climbers even enter the icefall. On other expeditions, the climbers stock the camp as they ascend and descend through the icefall. The camp also serves as a drop off point for equipment that will be carried up to Camp II.

"Eleven of our twelve Sherpas made carries up to Camp I and II today. Those that dropped equipment off at Camp I will make a carry to Camp II tomorrow, then come down to Camp I and carry the previous day's load back up to Camp II before coming down"
- Byron Smith, April 10, 2000

Questions Kids Ask
What is the distance between the various camps on the mountain?
Answer: Approximate distances between camps are...
Basecamp and Camp 1: 2 km and 3 hours
Camp 1 and Camp 2: 4 km and 3 hours
Camp 2 and Camp 3: 1 km and 4 hours
Camp 3 and Camp 4: 1.5 km and 4 hours
Camp 4 and the summit: 1.5 km and 9 hours.
As you climb higher it takes much longer to cover even short distances because of the altitude and the steepness.
More questions