Everest/Lhotse 2016: Season Update

This is a summary of the Everest 2016 as of April 15, 2016 along with my own observations from Everest Base Camp as I am here climbing Lhotse with Kami Sherpa as part of the Altitude Junkies team. Please remember that I climb and do these dispatches all to raise awareness and research fund for Alzheimer’s. Please visit this page for more information.

It has been a week since we arrived at Everest Base Camp. Time actually flies by even though we have done very little! The idea is to rest and let your body adjust to new altitude – 17, 300 feet or 5273 meters by taking what are called ‘active rest days’. This way you can accelerate the process thus on different days we hiked up to 18,000’ and then to 18,700’ on the flanks of Pumori.We were rewarded with great views of both sides fo Everest as you can see in the following gallery.

 

 

The weather has been warm, almost like late May but there have been no reports of difficulties in the Icefall or in the western Cwm by the Sherpas. In fact some reports have Camp 2 at 21,500 feet quite cold at -4F/-20C.  In my tent it usually reaches about 17F at night, so I’m appreciating my down sleeping bag! Right now, I am in the Altitude Junkies dining tent in short sleeves, with a temp around 65F at EBC.

Base Camp has slowly filled up and is spread out like I have never seen, This my 6th time at EBC, not including a visit in 1997. There is one main path that serves as a main street for both people and pack animals. There are about 30 teams here that range from two people to over 100. Each camp is like an ink blot that spread onto the adjunct ones, it’s difficult to tell the difference given everyone uses the same yellow big tents and sleeping tents from the usual suspects of climbing gear: North Face, Mountain Hardwear, Ozark, etc.

 

The helicopter traffic has been slower than usual. Not sure if this is due to fewer people getting sick or limited budgets. But it is usual to have about ten helicopter landings a day. There are three pads built across EBC. Everyone stops and watches the choppers slowly fly by, make a lazy loop and gently land on the rock landing pad. They leave their rotors spinning as the loads and people get on and off.

We have a great view of the Icefall from base camp. It looks a bit less jumbled than last year. The Icefall Doctors reports about 20 crossings in the Icefall and only a couple in the Western Cwm. Some Sherpas are reporting the routes is bit more difficult than in 2015. Today, Friday April 15, there a lot of Sherpas from many teams in the Icefall. Our Altitude Junkies 14 Sherpas left camp at 2:00 am and made it to Camp 2. They will only make one more carry leveraging the gear left at Camp 2 in 2014 and 2015.

We will go half way up the Icefall tomorrow and all on our rotation to Camps 1 and 2 next week. More on that in a later post.

Like many teams, we had our Puja yesterday. A Lama walked in from Dengboche to conduct the ceremony. He chanted Tibet prayers for our permission to climb, safety for the climbers and forgiveness for damaging the mountain with our sharp crampons and ice axes. All our Sherpas and members joined the ceremony sitting quietly next to the Lama. We threw rice in the air, spread barley powder on one another’s face to symbolize old age (the Sherpas say 105 years-old!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About half way thru the ceremony, the Sherpas hung the prayer flags from a long pole attached to the Puja alter across put base camp. With each wisp of wind the prayers printed on the red, yellow, green, blue and white flags (that symbolize the elements of earth) are sent to the Mountain Gods.

At the end of the ceremony, the Sherpas break out the rum, beer and chang – a Sherpa moonshine. We all laugh with each sip of the ceremonial beverages and politely say no, no, no only to have your cup refilled. Everything comes to a fun end with Sherpa line dancing!

So, Everest 2016 is going well. We hear avalanches off Pumori and Nuptse each night. We look at the Icefall with awe and respect. We look at each other with dreams and confidence. As we were climbing up Pumori, a medium avalanche came off Nuptse, well away from any path or camp. It was quite the blow and a reminder that these are wild mountains that are never tamed or conquered.

Climb On!

Alan

Memories are Everything