The team is positioned on the mountain for a summit attempt.  Three days on Broad Peak have gotten them two nights above 20,000 ft to acclimatize and an established Camp 3.  

 

The first day after they left base camp, they climbed to Camp 1 and took a long rest.  It was beautiful and sunny and they took off their boots and socks and relaxed in the sun for a while.  Then they continued on to Camp 2 to spend two nights above 7100 m.  

 

Chuck and Dave spent the first night at Camp 2 and then ferried gear to establish Camp 3 the following day. They spent a cold night at Camp 3 with minimal gear due to the weight and the lack of a high-altitude porter.   Andy was a day behind them because he didn’t feel well when they left, but they were really happy to see him when they returned to Camp 2.  He was feeling well again and had prepared food for them when they returned.   Dave stepped into his ski boots and skis and Andy lined up the camera for the ski descent from Camp 2 to advanced base camp (800 m of descent).   They all spent a night in Camp 2 and woke up to marginal weather.  Before they could have breakfast, it started to snow.  They gathered their ‘day’ gear and high-tailed it down the mountain.

 

They are back in base camp and it has been snowing.  The Austrian/Slovenian friends have left, and they managed to buy a battery and inverter from them hoping that they will be able to send some e-mail text and photos.  Chuck says they have some great pictures, but they haven’t been able to transmit them yet.