A huge wave of climbers on both sides of Everest have moved to their respective Advanced Base Camps. Many have declared a summit day of May 22nd but are monitoring the weather closely. This season is beginning to look identical to 2009 when bad weather basically shut Everest down around May 23rd and eventually delayed departures from base camps by almost week due to the heavy snow. Leaders who were there last year want to avoid a repeat, especially on summit night. Mountain Trip, led by Scott Woolums with climbers Cindy Abbott and Paul & Denise Fejtek are looking at [continue reading]
Weather
May 192010
May 132010
More teams have made the decision for a summit bid this weekend. The latest include the Malta Everest team, half of Peak Freaks and a two person team from First Ascent. They are now at camp 2. Why are these climbers going to the top in marginal weather? Well maybe the weather will not be marginal – at least according to some weather forecasts. Before looking at the weather, an quick update on the teams. There is movement on the north perhaps to fix the rope to the summit. On the south, the vast majority of the teams have chosen to wait for a longer weather window and the teams at C2 are resting up and waiting for the winds to calm before going higher. Most top teams pay for a professional weather forecast. These are teams of meteorologists who not only look at the data but also interpret it and then communicate the forecast and recommendations to their clients. Climbers pay for these services and keep them private since it is a value to their team members and a safety issue.
May 092010
Teams on Everest seem to be taking the day off and sending best wishes to all their mom’s back home. Most teams are down valley looking to stay for at least 3 nights. But Peak Freaks has issued a call for their climbers to return to base camp by May 11th thus portending the start of a summit bid. However more than likely we will see the next wave of summits around the 19th.
May 082010
This was a busy week on Everest with the first summits for the 2010 season along with a risky gamble. And several accidents and, sadly, a reported death on nearby Lhotse. A team of nine Sherpas fixed the ropes to the summit on the south side. They included Sherpas from IMG, Alpine Ascents and Himex. One western guide who was doing route work high on the mountain also joined them to the summit. Over on the north, it is an entirely different story. According to teams, the ropes are currently fixed only to camp 3 or about 27,300′, far short of the summit and thus stopping most summit attempts. The weather has been difficult this year. As usual, the north receives more snow and wind than the south and increases the difficultly of climbing on that side. It appears no summits attempts until May 11th when the winds could begin to ease but more likely it will be a few days later than that.
The Weather Game
Everest 2010, Weather
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May 042010
Once again we find teams all over the Khumbu. Many are down valley in the village of Periche enjoying some time at the teahouses and the richer oxygen environment but others are still high on the mountain. The weather continues to play havoc with those climbers. AAI reported an aborted attempt to reach camp 3 on the Lhotse Face due to high winds. They will try again on Tuesday, Nepal time. But as usual, the Sherpas rarely get a day off as described by Phil Crampton of Altitude Junkies: Our Sherpas have been doing a fantastic job of getting the [continue reading]
May 022010
Well, right on schedule a somewhat unexpected snowstorm, complete with lightening and thunder, rolled into the Everest camps. Climbers stopped in their tracks, literally, to wait it out. Needless to say, this put a bit of a chill on talks of an early summit. But we will see. As I had mentioned before, it uncanny how the weather is excellent in April then turns ugly on May 1st almost every year – happy May Day!
Predicting Everest Weather: Art or Science?
Everest 2010, Weather
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Apr 052010
As regular followers of Everest climbs know, the weather is the make/break factor for all expeditions. And the forecasts are critical for the safety of teams. While it may seem straightforward given the success rate we see in modern times, predicting the weather is far from a science as this interview with Michale Fagin shows.
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