An interview with Ian Woodall, 50, made a record-breaking attempt to become the oldest person to climb Everest without oxygen. He was unsuccessful in his attempt, but we quizzed the man on what it takes to conquer Everest.

What is your staple diet whilst on the trek?

At base camp and advanced base camp breakfast is normally toast and eggs. Dinner consists of rice or noodles, with mixed vegetables, using things that will keep well - which tends to be cabbage, onion, garlic. Popcorn and poppadoms make good snack food. At the two camps on the mountain the team will be eating dehydrated mountaineering meals.

Does your drinking water freeze whilst on Everest?

Yes, all water left out will freeze overnight. I normally fill a water bottle with boiling water at bedtime, and sleep with it inside my sleeping bag. It serves a dual purpose - as a hot water bottle, and as a source of water to drink through the night. Once we get above around 24000 feet, water will freeze during the day as well, and must be carried in thermos flasks. At base camp (17,000 feet) it is still possible to find running water. Higher than that water must be melted from chips of ice or bags of snow, using the camping stoves. To combat altitude sickness and the dehydration caused by the very dry air, each team member is trying to drink in excess of four litres of water a day.
That amounts to a lot of time spent melting ice, and a lot of cooking fuel used. Water is a precious and limited resource on Everest.

Do the Nepali sherpas have any special techniques for dealing with the altitude?

They don't have any special techniques, and their advantage over Westerners tends to run out around 24,000 feet. Most Sherpas, like most Westerners, use supplementary oxygen in the 'death zone' (above 26,500 feet). However, they do have two important natural advantages. They generally grow up at high altitudes, around 10,000 feet. And they grow up in a rural mountain environment and so are far fitter and physically stronger than most foreigners.

Is it the emotional drive that keeps you going on something as harrowing as this?

There is a strong emotional component. But there is also a duty and a discipline that help to keep you focused.

What do you think about when you want to give up?

The reason why I chose to put the expedition together in the first place, all the work I and all my team-mates have put in already, the many people who are supporting our endevour.

Do you have a specific ritual when you get to the top of Everest?

I stop.

How long do people usually stay at the top of Everest for?

It depends on the weather conditions. A windy day will be far colder than a still one. On my first summit in 1996 I spent 20 minutes on top, the second time I spent about 30 minutes up there. The summit is only half-way and a disproportionate number of accidents, and deaths, happen on the way down. I am always very concious that I need to set off down again as soon as possible.

How far away from basecamp is the top of Everest?

It is a vertical gain of 12,000 feet and a horizonal distance, following the north ridge route, of 14 miles.

How much oxygen does someone generally use a day when trying to climb Everest?

Supplementary oxygen is generally only used above 26,000 feet. The flow rate on a bottle can be adjusted. When sleeping with oxygen at the highest camp, we would normally set it at 1. When climbing we increase the flow to 2 or 3, pushing it up to 4 for a particuarly difficult section of climbing. The maximum rate of flow is 7.

How far away from where you are camping are the bodies?

We are currently camped at Advanced Base Camp, at 21,000 feet. The bodies lie at around 27,800 feet (at around the same height as the summit of the world's second highest mountain, K2.) Following the climbing route, the bodies are about 4 miles from where we currently are. We will be putting in two camps on the mountain - camp 1 at 23,000 feet and camp 2 at 25,000 feet. From that top camp we will do a big push through the night, leaving around 23:00, intending to reach the bodies at around 09:00, and then begin the work of burial.

How do you find rocks to bury the bodies? Is it a case of digging around in the snow? Do you worry about causing an avalanche doing this?

The bodies lie on the north-east ridge of Everest. This is a rock ridge, with very little snow. The jet stream winds which howl across the upper reaches of Everest for most of the year strip away the snow. (One of the reasons why May is the preferred month to climb to the top of Everest is that those winds generally lift above the summit.) The body of Francys Arsentiev lies on a sloping field of rock shards. We will wrap up the body and then cover it over with rock, creating a burial mound. We hope to be able to do the same thing with the body of the Indian climber.

Have you decided to organise anything differently on this expedition than you have on previous expeditions?

I have not made any major changes on this expedition, other than making use of the more modern equipment that has become available in the last five years. Our successful 1999 expedition to the north ridge was very well organised and I have followed the same model this time.

You have been to Everest 4 times and reached the top twice. Does it look the same each time you go - are there things you recognise or does the landscape completely change with every snow fall?

The mountain does look much the same each time. An eerie experience is looking at photographs of the base camp taken by George Mallory and his team in 1924 and being able to see exactly the same features over 80 years later. Details do change, especially on the glaciers, but during the spring season there is less heavy snowfall than people might expect.