The Mount Everest Foundation (£850), British Mountaineering Council (£400) and Alpine Club (£500) all provided funds to make the trip happen. They also provided us with enthusiasm, helpful ideas and, in some cases, resources to support us in our plans. We encourage any othe prospective expeditions to apply for a grant from any of these bodies.

As winners of the Berghaus Live for Adventure competition at the Keswick Mountain Festival, we received £1000 of financial support, along with £1000 of kit from Berghaus. We also had the opportunity to try out their new Hydrophobic Down jacket which is due to be launched in Autumn Winter 2012. A fuller write up of how we found some of the kit is to follow.

We've owned and used Alpkit kit for years, so when we were looking for a suitable communal basecamp tent for the trip we contacted them regarding their 3-4 person Zhota tent. To our delight, they loaned us one free of charge, and it turned out to be every bit as good as we'd hoped. Review to follow.