It was 7:40 am on the south-east ridge, a little above the Balcony. The summit was three hours away and the sky was the clearest of the whole season. My client was strong, well acclimatised, and moving — slowly.
Slowly: that is the word that matters. Our turnaround time was 11 am, decided at base camp in April and written in marker on the back of both our gloves. At the pace we were going, we would reach the South Summit at 10:30, and the top sometime after noon.
The number you set while you are still warm
A turnaround time is a decision made by the person you are at base camp — rested, fed, clear-headed — on behalf of the person you will be at 8,500 metres, who is none of those things any more. All of its value lies in this: it is not renegotiated on the day.
"The summit is always optional. Coming down is not."
We turned around. She cried on the ridge, and again on the South Col, and three days later at base camp she asked me when we could come back.
She summited the following May, at 8:15 am, well inside her time.
What I tell every client
- The mountain will still be there next year. Your fingers might not be.
- A turnaround time is a promise you make to yourself while you are still thinking clearly.
- Coming down is not failing. It is the part of the climb that decides whether there will be another one.