Mt. Everest North Ridge Route

I climbed Everest three times- 2002, 2003 and 2008. My best was the Balcony at about 27,500' (8400 meters) before health, weather or my own judgment caused me to turn back. When not climbing, I cover the Everest season from my home in Colorado as I did for the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and now the 2010 Everest seasons. This page details the North ridge route from Tibet. I have marked the camps and routes we used in 2002, 2003 and 2008. Some of these pictures are courtesy of Big Green Everest's Northeast Ridge 2005 Expedition. Also see the South Col route map.

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Everest Northeast Ridge

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Elevations and Times Between Camps

base camp: 17000' - 5182m
Interim camp: 20300' - 6187m - 5 to 6 hours (first time)
Advanced base camp: 21300' - 6492m - 6 hours (first time)
North Col or C1: 23,000' - 7000m - 4 to 6 hours (first time)
camp 2: 24,750' - 7500m - 5 hours
camp 3: 27,390' - 8300m - 4 to 6 hours
Yellow Band
First Step: 27890' - 8500m
Mushroom Rock -28047' / 8549m - 2 hours from C3
Second Step: 28140' - 8577m - 1 hour or less
Third Step: 28500' - 8690m - 1 to 2 hours
Summit Pyramid - 2 hours
Summit: 29,035' / 8850m - 1 hour
Return to camp: 3 - 7 -8 hours
Return to ABC: 3 hours

Typical Climb Schedule

March 29 - Arrive Kathmandu, Nepal
March 30,31- Kathmandu
April 1 - Fly to Lhasa, Tibet (Elevation 12,000 ft)
April 6-7 - Lhasa sightseeing (Begin acclimatizion)
April 8 - Drive to Shigatse (12,500 ft)
April 9 - Drive to Tingri (Shegar) (13,800 ft)
April 10 - Drive to Everest base camp (BC) (17,000ft)
April 11-13 - Setup BC and acclimatize
April 14 - Trek to Interim camp (IC) (20,300 ft)
April 15 - Arrive at Advance base camp (21,300 ft)
Apr 16 - 27 May - Climbing Period (camps 2 & 3 Summit)
May 28 - Return to Advance base camp (ABC)
May 29 - Return to base camp (BC)
May 30 - Disassemble BC
May 31 - Drive to Nyalam Tibet
June 1 - Drive to Kathmandu
June 2,3,4 - Weather days or back in Kathmandu
June 5 - Depart for Home

Overview

The north side of Everest is steeped in history with multiple attempts throughout the 1920's and 1930's. The first attempt was by a British team in 1922. They reached 27,300' before turning back and was the first team to use supplemental oxygen. It was also on this expedition that the first deaths were reported when an avalanche killed seven Sherpas.

The 1924 British expedition with George Mallory and Andrew Irvine is most notable for the mystery of whether they summited or not. Mallory's body was found in 1999 but there no proof that he died going up or coming down.

It was a Chinese team who made the first summit from Tibet on May 25, 1960 by Nawang Gombu (Tibetan) and Chinese Chu Yin-Hau and Wang Fu-zhou who is said to have climbed the Second Step in his sock feet however without a summit photo, some doubt the summit claim. In 1975, a second summit was climbed by the Chinese and the ladder on the Second Step was installed.

Tibet was closed to foreigners from 1950 to 1980 preventing any further attempts until a Japanese team summited in 1980 via the Hornbein Couloir on the North Face. The north side started to attract more climbers in the mid 1990s and today is almost as popular as the South side when the Chinese allow permits. In 2008 and 2009, obtaining a permit was difficult thus preventing many expeditions from attempting any route from Tibet.

Base Camp (17,000/5666m) to Advanced Base Camp (ABC)(21,300'/6400m)

From BC to ABC it is about 12 miles (22km) of rugged hiking on boulders, ice and snow. The route follows the Rongbuk Glacier until it merges with the Eastern Rongbuk Glacier. ABC is on the northwestern side moraine of East Rongbuk Glacier, under the slopes of Changtse Mountain.

It normally takes 2 days for the first trip to ABC stopping at an intirem camp. Once acclimitized, the trek takes 1 day. ABC is the primary high camp home for Northeast Ridge climbers during the expedition. Climbers use the lower base camp for rest and preparation prior to their summit bid.

ABC to North Col (camp 1)

South Col, courtesy of Big Green Everest

(23,000'/7000m) The North Col camp is a 2,200' climb from ABC. The route starts on scree (loose rock) then moves to snow followed by increasingly steep slopes up to 60 degrees. Climbers use crampons and fixed ropes from now on. It takes between 4 to 7 hours to reach the North Col depending on acclimatizion and weather.

Camp 1 to Camp 2

Climb to C2, courtesy of Big Green Everest

(24,750'/7500m) C2 starts the "high camps". The route is usually pure snow but can be rock since this section is known for high winds.
It should take about 3 to 5 hours to reach C2.

Camp 2 to Camp 3 (25,600'/7900m)

CLimb to C3, courtesy of Big Green Everest Some expeditions do not use a camp 3 and go directly to 8300 m. At almost 8000m, most climbers now sleep on supplemental oxygen.

The climb is extremely windy and the tents are on small rock ledges since there is limited large and level areas. At camp 3, the wind is usually blocked by the North Face of Everest so sleeping is easier. Climbers will take 3 to 6 hours to reach C3.

Camp 3 to Camp 4 (27,390'/8300m)

Climb to C4, courtesy of Big Green Everest

Camp 4 (or camp 3 if the previous camp is skipped) is a short rest stop on the way to the summit for most climbers. At 27,390', you do not want to spend a lot of time here. Climbers will have some food and water, perhaps a short nap and start for the summit around 10:00PM. The Northeast Ridge is a few hundred feet above C4.

Camp 4 to 2nd Step

The Northeast Ridge represent the most difficult climbing on this route. There are three "steps" or rock climbs along
the way. The first Step is difficult at this altitude but the second step is the most difficult involving a 10 foot rock climb to a 30 foot vertical wall. This is where the famous Chinese ladder is located that helps climbers. However this often is the source of traffic jams that bring a summit bid to a compete stop.

Second Step to Summit

Summit Ridge, courtesy of Big Green Everest

The Third Step is another straight forward rock climb but challenging at this altitude (nothing is easy anymore). Climber now spend the next hour to climb the steep snowfields of the Summit Pyramid.

The Summit Ridge is short (500') but narrow with 10,000' drop-offs on both sides leading directly to the Everest Summit. At this point climbers have spent 8 to 10 hours to summit. It will take another 4 to 6 to return to C3.

For deep insight into an Everest expedition, download
Everest 2008: Mountain of Politics report of my 2008 south side climb. It is a free PDF.

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