RHYS Jones' hopes of becoming the youngest Briton to conquer Mt Everest could be short-lived.

The 19-year-old from Bartley is gearing up for a week-long summit attempt, which could start tomorrow if a predicted weather window emerges.

If successful then Rhys could reach the 29,035ft (8,850m) peak on Tuesday the day before his 20th birthday setting a new British record.

However, that could yet be broken by two young climbers Rob Gauntlett from West Sussex and James Hooper from Somerset, who are both aged 19 and also plan to summit the world's tallest mountain this spring.

The duo, however, would not be able to take away Rhys' potential record as the world's youngest person to conquer the Seven Summits - the seven highest peaks on the world's seven continents.

Rhys has been enjoying a week's rest and stocking up supplies after an unnerving experience while crossing the Khumbu icefall.

In his dispatches from the Himalayas Rhys said: "Progress through the ice fall was as rapid as safety allowed, each moment spent there is a risk. The previous day an Italian climber slipped and crashed his head on his ice axe and had to be rescued by teams from Base Camp. He was eventually airlifted by helicopter the following day after a snow storm cleared.

"We experienced once again the dangers as an ice tower they were climbing around, cracked and threatened to bring down a wall of ice on them. It was a heart-stopping moment that none of them want to repeat."

It has been a dramatic ascent so far for Rhys whose six-man team has so far reached Camp 3 at 23,500ft. He has survived an avalanche, treacherous weather which snowed them in at Camp One with very little food for three nights, sunburn on the tongue, rescued a dangling climber and been shaken by the deaths of three sherpas on the ice fall.

Another sobering moment came when Rhys passed the memorial to Lymington businessman Peter Legate four years to the day since he died on the mountain.

Now Rhys and his team are playing the waiting game looking for a seven-day weather window, which forecasters predict could open up this weekend.

Rhys added: "The longer it takes to happen, the narrower the margin for success. In three weeks' time powerful winds of the jet stream return to scour the mountain top and that is quickly followed by the monsoon."