Nawang is unconscious and has been transferred down to Kathmandu with Scott's base camp doctor, Ingrid Hunt. And Lobsang (Scott's lead climbing Sherpa) is with him.

The rest of the team hasn't been to Camp III yet. There are some reports that they have already made it to III, but they haven't.

None of the expeditions have made it any higher (than Camp II). It doesn't seem that any of the expeditions are cruising beyond them.

They've been up there four nights. They have to go up to Camp III and spend the night and then come down.

The climbers are realizing that this is an arduous ordeal and that this is a lot of work. A lot of people think it's easy because the ropes are fixed, but they have no idea how hard it is.

Scott and Anatoli and Neal (the leaders), they come down through the icefall in record time, but for the rest of them it's a physically and emotionally draining experience. Apparently Neal is doing great. For someone with no experience on Everest, he's doing great.

Some are just kind of hanging out in the tents. Actually I think it's been Sandy, Leena, and Dale. They are starting to feel the elevation, and some are terrified, frankly, when they're in the icefall.

Everything is in place coming through. You clip in. But if you fall you'll fall a long way in some points. It's not like being roped up in a climbing gym. It's a lot different. A lot is on the line when you're going through. There are a lot of demanding, arduous, difficult things to do.

Technically, this year is looking good but it's still scary as hell.

Scott feels like it's time to have a serious regrouping and take a look at where everyone is as a team. It's tough right now. It's the time when the pressure really increases, where the pressure is really on. If they want to climb they have to reach deep within, climb up there and make this major push to make it to Camp III and spend the night.

Scott has realized and explained that everyone has to assess and make a personal decision and determine where they are, physically. It's kind of the ultimate crunch time. It's just really tense now up there. Everybody wants to make it, but the hardest part is right now. If any of it is easy, which none of it is, the easy part has already happened going up to Camp II. It's not easy--none of it is--but compared with this next stage up to Camp III, they know it's turning really tough.

It's Scott's intention to treat them all as Everest climbers, that it's hard and they're not going to get their hands held. Most everyone will have to dig pretty deep physically and psychically. He doesn't treat them like they are climbing their first 8,000-meter peak.

The risks are there. Also, Anatoli has roped to the South Col. So they are all waiting at Camp II and will soon be figuring out who will be able to do what.

-- Jane Bromet