At 4.30am this morning, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Team Marie Curie emerged from their tents to begin their first climb up to Camp 1. The nightly boom of avalanches and the eerie cracks of the glacier were joined by the sound of tent zips opening and boots crunching on the glacial rubble as the team headed to the mess tent for breakfast before heading up the ‘hill’.

Expedition Leader, Kenton Cool said: “After three days of sitting at Base Camp the idea is to go up and sleep at Camp 1. It will take us roughly five to six hours, up through the Icefall. The camp has already been made up by the Sherpas and we will spend the night there at about 6,000 metres, roughly 700 metres higher than here.

“We will probably get there at about lunchtime tomorrow and then spend the afternoon hanging out, melting water and having something to eat. In the morning, depending on the weather, we’ll walk a little way to Camp 2, which is at 6,500 metres. We will then come all the way back down to Base Camp to rest for a couple of days.

“The whole idea is to get used to the altitude and used to the route we are climbing. It should be a good little adventure.”

The team set off at night so they can climb for a few hours before the debilitating sun rises.

Kenton said: “One of the really hard things about Everest is the Western Cwm – as soon as you get in there it is so hot and oppressive. Tomorrow, we will be in our tents with the sleeping bags draped over the top trying to keep the heat off. You think of Everest as being cold but a hot day in the Cwm is probably touching 40 degrees.”

Sir Ranulph Fiennes said: “I was beginning to think the Icefall was harmless having followed Kenton up twice but then yesterday a bloke got hit with a stray bit of ice – his ribs were broken.”

So far this season, two people have been evacuated from Base Camp. One Sherpa suffered a stroke and another climber had internal bleeding. They were both picked up by helicopter from Gorek Shep, about two hours walk down the valley.

This first trip to Camp 1 will be a good test for the rest of the ascent and acclimatisation process.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes said: “I was surprised by the heat, which drains what energy you have got in the most amazing way. And then at night it is very cold, which means a few extra clothes to cope with both extremes. I am very much hoping there will be clouds and a breeze.”

“I’m very self-doubting in terms of, ‘can I make the distance without getting exhausted?’ Therefore, to prove to myself that I can get to a certain point is always confidence-giving. At the moment we have only been three quarters up the Icefall and I’m a bit apprehensive of the next bit – but I won’t be when I have done it.”

by Marie Curie Cancer Care