"As I came down the last few hundred feet of the Icefall our faces burnt and blistered, our legs weak as boiled spaghetti, coughing still, eyes red-rimmed from the UV at 29,000 feet and still not really believing what we have just been through; I admit that tears blurred my vision". Gavin Bate

"I knew myself that I could do it if the weather was right. I felt very strong. On the summit day we set off at 9pm. It was very cloudy but as we walked through the night it cleared; then the storms came in. It was horrendous. Nobody was saying anything". Polly Murray

"We reached the Balcony at something like 27,500' and other people turned back. We literally carried on alone up the most incredible airy ridge. Our goggles and sunglasses are misting up, freezing; we cannot see anything. Thick gloves, trying to wipe ice from lenses. Can't see your feet, have to stretch your neck to look down to see where you're going, fumbling with the ropes, trying to get huge gloves round frozen karabiners, listening to your breath in the mask - loud and intrusive".
Gavin Bate

"If John Barry, who was our climbing leader and the most experienced member of the team, had said it was time to go back, we would have done. But he didn't say anything, and we all just stood there thinking to ourselves, is this wise? It was certainly strange watching the others go back and (us) continuing to the top" Polly Murray

"We hadn't eaten in two days, our liquid intake was minimal (everything was frozen), nobody had slept properly in perhaps four or five days but there was this tremendous enthusiasm to go for it. Despite the fact that so many people had failed, we tried to put it from our minds.

We took the last steps to the top of the South Summit. For a moment, it was hard to take in - the views in all directions seemed to encompass the whole world. I was the slowest because of this damned cough which doubled me over every ten minutes ... I stayed for a while on the South Summit and headed down. I feel a tremendous pride to have stood at such a place... and to have watched three such good friends make the final climb". Gavin Bate