[Camp IV Day 7] High winds started at around midnight last night and have been getting steadily stronger all day--supposedly the max wind speed here at Camp IV was 50 mph today. Several of our snow block walls fell over and our tent vestibule completely filled up with snow (as you can see from the photo of Dan--the vestibule is normally about 2 feet deep so that you can stand up in the vestibule). So we went and dug ourselves out and fortified our walls and sealed off our entryway from the wind. We also tightened the wind-raped tent flies.
The wind at Camp IV would come in huge gusts. It was so bad that I had to put on my goggles and balaclava to deal with it head on. During short respites, the sun would warm you up, and you could hear the wind scouring the mountain up higher--it sounded like a loud waterfall. The nearby slopes were turned into nearly naked and glaring ice above the bergschrunds--like big mirrors, they reflected the blue sky. The snow floor at Camp IV was scoured and drifted in interesting forms. The woman climber "scupture" that Wes made (Helga) had a nice drift around it, making it look more like a Virgin Mary. The penis sculpture was completely vaporized (go figure!).
We thought of the teams at High Camp at 17,000 ft that are locked down and in survival mode. These teams ignored all warnings--even the rangers left that camp. That should be a red flag for anyone! Winds up there are probably upwards of 70 mph today.
Above: Quick video of the gusty winds up above today!
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