Camp 3 is where a lot of summit attempts either become structured or fall apart. The main question at Camp 3 is not whether you want the summit. It is whether your oxygen plan is strong enough for the route above and the descent after it.
What Camp 3 should answer
Camp 3 is where you confirm whether the climb is truly ready for the upper mountain. If your oxygen plan is still vague at Camp 3, the route above will punish that uncertainty quickly.
- Count reserve for ascent and descent.
- Check weather before committing upward.
- Make sure stamina and route confidence are still solid.
- If anything is already weak, the answer may be retreat.
Refill timing and reserve logic
The best refill plan is conservative. Do not think only about reaching the next point upward. Think about delays, route mistakes, traffic, and the time needed to come back down.
- Refill before the route becomes urgent.
- Leave Camp 3 with a full plan, not a partial guess.
- Protect one extra margin for mistakes.
- Do not spend reserve on avoidable waiting.
Signs you should not leave yet
Sometimes the safest Camp 3 decision is no decision at all. If visibility, oxygen confidence, or route control is not where it should be, waiting or descending is better than pretending the summit will somehow fix the climb.
- Do not leave with unclear weather.
- Do not leave if your route memory feels weak.
- Do not leave if you are already rationing oxygen in panic mode.