Because of the weather they ended up waiting 11 days before venturing up again. The stay at the lower altitude before a summit push gives climbers a final opportunity to recharge their bodies after a tough few weeks. When the weather finally seemed to settle, the team moved toward their goal, camp by camp, up to Camp IV on May 6, 2000. Camp IV is the highest camp on the south side. Here on the South Col, just a short stop on the way to the summit, the air pressure is one-third of that at sea level.
Teams try to spend as little time here as possible.
A team that spends too much time here could experience problems with eating, drinking, sleeping and orientation. It takes from 6 to 12 hours to climb from Camp IV to the summit, depending on conditions and fitness. They climbed at night so that the return trip, down the icy face, would be in daylight. The light provides some help to the climbers as they descend with tired bodies taxed by the time spent in high altitude. On the way up, as the team left the South Col, the climbers were equipped with bottled oxygen to help them breathe in the thin air.