The mood in camp that night was quiet and subdued. I still wanted to climb - especially after all the work to get here. If I chickened out without even trying, I'd never forgive myself. I took the next day off to rest and pack for Khan Tengri. We had saved our freeze-dried food for this climb because lightweight food is unavailable in the Soviet Union.
Soviet climbers carry potatoes and even whole frozen fish strapped to their packs.
Yesterday's avalanche had convinced Mark and I to climb the face of the satellite peak instead of following the normal route which traverses around the toe of the ridge into the amphitheater. We went directly up the shallow trench in the snow made by the Japanese climber's body as it was lowered down the mountain. Five hundred meters up, we traversed over to the ridge crest and clipped onto the first fixed ropes. Tom, Yann, and Frith caught up with us when we stopped to rest and eat. The climbing was boring, but nerve-wracking.