Crucial amenities at Everest base camp: tools for highly placed people

Whole Earth, Winter, 2001

DIAMOX

The brand name for acetazolimide, the drug that transforms periodic breathing into periodic peeing. Get the 250 mg tablets; see your doctor for a prescription. Prices vary.

SMARTWOOL SOCKS

Unlike polypro, wool doesn't stink after the first good sweat. I wore these socks exclusively and sometimes kept the same pair on, day and night, for a week (laundry is a luxury). They felt great--and didn't smell for at least four days. The heavy duty Mountaineering style are $19.50 a pair and worth every dime. REI.

POLYPRO UNDERPANTS

Notwithstanding the comments above, polypro underwear dries quickly, even while you're wearing it, doesn't soil easily and will stink less than cotton. I wore the same underwear for four or five days. $15 at REI.

LOZENGES FOR THE KHUMBU COUGH

The air is so dry on Everest that everyone gets a cough that lasts pretty much as long as they're there. I tore chest muscles coughing; broken ribs are common. Suck on something to lubricate your throat. Almost anything will work, including hard candies. I like Ricola cough drops, available at any drug store.

PRINCETON TEC HEADLAMP

Princeton Tec has set a new standard for headlamps. Theirs are waterproof far below any depth you'll ever dive; the four-battery version I took to Everest will light up a mountain; they're guaranteed for life; they fit comfortably on your head; and you can pop out the incandescent bulb for a long-lasting LED bulb module good for scores of hours of nighttime reading. The four-battery Princeton Tec Vortec, with one high-output halogen bulb and one long-term bulb is $36 at REI. The Matrix LED lamp (with interchangeable incandescent bulb) is $39.95 at REI.

A REALLY GOOD SLEEPING BAG

Rated to at least zero degrees F. I took a zero-degree Marmot Couloir, extra long. From Marmot, www.marmot.com, for $439.

BABY WIPES

For the same reason you need ciprofloxacin. At Rite-Aid drugs for $2.99.

TREKKING POLES

I used to scoff at people who used these things, but the trail to Everest made me a believer. They're invaluable on steep terrain, like acquiring an extra set of legs. The best poles, hands down, are made by Leki; they're adjustable, spring-loaded, lightweight and exemplify German engineering. $89.95 to $119.95 at REI.

A PERSONAL WATER FILTER

I like the HealthShield Safe Water antimicrobial water bottle which you can dip into any stream and then instantly suck clean water through a protected rubber spout. It's 99.98 percent safe for giardia, cryptosporidium, and all other nasties except viruses. For that you can drop in some iodine, and the filter will remove the taste. 25 oz. bottle $39.95 at REI.

A PEE BOTTLE

It's 3 A.M. and you're awake for the third time having to pee. It's two degrees outside, with six inches of snow on your tent. What to do? Keep a Nalgene, wide-mouth water bottle in your tent. Women can buy anatomically fitted funnels to improve their aim. Everyone has a pee bottle & Don't go to Everest without one. At any outdoor supply store. 32 oz. HDPE wide-mouth loop-top bottle, $5.75.

A FRISBEE

For the same reasons you take a Frisbee anywhere. Available just about anywhere for a couple of bucks

CIPROFLOXACIN

Cipro is the drug of choice to nuke the microorganisms that cause diarrhea and other inevitable intestinal ailments in an environment where hygiene is more a loose concept than a reality. Of course, when you come back from Everest your intestines will be a dead zone where no friendly flora survive. Available by prescription. Prices vary.

ZITHROMAX

This miracle antibiotic will knock out the chronic bronchitis you get from coughing twenty-four hours a day. Its five-day, single-pill regime is the equivalent of the traditional two-week multi-pill dose and you'll feel a lot better by day three. Available by prescription. Expensive; typically $50 or more for one five-day treatment.

A CAMP CHAIR

I've been carrying Crazy Creek chairs all over the world for about twenty years, and I wouldn't want to go to Everest without one. Their foam construction is good insulation for sitting on a glacier, you can stuff one in your backpack or lay it flat for extra comfort under your sleeping pad. $38.50 at most outdoor stores.

A LARGE STASH OF EMERGENCY FOOD

(For when you can't survive another meal of yak steak and boiled potatoes.)

I like Balance Bars, but they don't travel very well. For a real meal I'll take Alpineaire freeze-dried gourmet meals, which offer the best taste and variety of any camping meals and which are even available in a self-heating pouch. (They're used by Navy SEALS and US Forest Service fire crews.) Full meals vary from about $5.25 to $7.50 from www.alpineaire.com/or at many outdoor stores.

GOOD SUNGLASSES ARE ESSENTIAL

I used Julbo wrap-around glacier glasses, from REI at $59. An altimeter is essential. I used the Suunto Vector altimeter watch with built-in compass, thermometer, and barometer, available at almost any outdoor store for $199. Also, a hat (mine is a polypro skull cap from North Face, www.thenorthface.com, for $19, along with a variety of baseball caps) and a good knife or multi-tool (I carry a Kershaw Blizzard spring-loaded folding knife, $69.95 at REI, and a Leatherman, $59).