iPad Elevates Mountain Expeditions
Despite what the name suggests, base camp is far from the base of the mountain. On a typical big climb, Ballinger and Harrington and their team will helicopter in at around 9000 feet — roughly the highest one can go without acclimatization. From there it’s a seven-to-eight-day trek to base camp at 15,000 feet. This is where they’ll spend several weeks letting their bodies build up red blood cells to adjust to the lower oxygen levels.
Base camp is also where Ballinger and Harrington use their iPad to start blogging, posting photos, and making updates on social media. In the past, recounting their story would have had to wait weeks until they returned to civilization, but now they can edit and upload photos and videos right from camp on the iPad.
Soon they begin a series of exploratory trips, establishing several progressively higher campsites in preparation for a big summit push. In these “rotations,” they return to base camp after climbing and spending nights at the higher camps. These preparatory climbs allow their bodies to adjust to the physical challenges of climbing while experiencing the punishing lack of oxygen.
