Updated for new weather: 5″ snow at south BC and C2. teams evaluating.
There are good weeks and bad weeks on Everest, a bad week is when someone dies. On Monday, April 26, Hungarian climber Laszlo Varkonyi was swept into a crevasse by an avalanche on the North Col. A desperate search ensued, however, by Thursday, the search was called off.
The entire north side was shaken by not only the death but also the instability of the ice on that side. The Tibetans who maintain the fixed lines, re-routed it quickly to a safer area.
Teams on the south, while aware of the north side events, continued their acclimatization rotations with many climbers spending the uncomfortable night at camp 3. The weather continued to play nice and Sherpas took the fixed line all the way to the South Col on the south and to camp 3 on the north. They are now being supplied with oxygen bottles, stoves, fuel, tents and other suppliers needed to launch summit bids. Both camps are roughly at 8000m. As of today, the ropes are not fixed to the summit from either side.
Our young climber, Jordan Romero, tagged camp 2 or about 24750′, his personal on Saturday, Tibet time.
The weather is not too bad this year, albeit very dry – a low snow year. High winds above 7000m have been a continual issue for the Sherpas fixing rope and ferrying supplies to the highest camps. Even today, AAI reports in
Today there were several big lenticular clouds over the higher mountains. Lenticular clouds are lens shaped clouds formed by high winds, and we are hoping we won’t see any of them tomorrow. If the winds are blowing the team can always wait another day at Camp 2 before going up.
However, weather is very difficult to predict on Everest and lenticular clouds is indicative of high winds and perhaps changing weather. Traditionally, on May 1, the weather shifts from great to bad. On Sunday morning, right on que, 5″ of snow hit both Base Camp and camp 2 on the south causing teams to evaluate going higher. Apa Sherpa’s team reports:
We woke up this morning to 5 inches of snow at base camp and the same amount at Camp 2. The weather forecasts have just upped the amount of snow for the rest of the week. Apa and everyone else at Camp 2 is coming down as soon as possible.
But looking back on the week, Patrick Hollingworth, climbing independent and only with his Sherpa support from Himalayan Ascent, filed an interesting dispatch on his climb to camp 3. It is the Blog of the Day. Patrick comments on rock fall on the Face, while not common, may be the norm in this low snow year.
Our initiation to the face was quite quick as a few moments after crossing the ‘schrund a rock came flying down the face from above and slammed into Jangbu’s chest. He wasn’t hurt but if it had been 20cm higher it would have collected him in the face and the outcome would have been entirely different.
Traditionally, climbers have not used helmets on Everest’s South Col route but is almost mandatory these days. In 2008, a huge rock almost took out an entire line of climbers just below the Balcony. Patrick goes on, in this must read, to describe what might be called an international incident between the Aussie and a Russian climber resulting is the line of the season:
“I could keel you whenever I want. I could keel you now, or I could keel you later”.
Speaking of must reads, anything by Leif Whittaker falls into this category this season. He touches on a point that I believe is hitting every single climber on Everest right now – missing home.
It’s been over a month since I said goodbye to the comforts of home and embarked on this expedition and, to be honest, I’m starting to miss some things. Staying focused on the mountain is important, but during the fat part of the trip, when our team is resting and recuperating at base camp, waiting for our next rotation up the Icefall, it’s hard not to think of my own bed, my own town, and the loved ones whom I left behind. I find a passage in my father’s journal that sums up my feelings exactly. This from April 4, 1963: “Would love to lay on a beach somewhere and not freeze and gasp for breath.”
Finally, another nice account of climbing to camp 3 is from Bonita Norris with Dream Guides. She describes a moment of drama with another climber who was in fear of her life. Nice job Bonita.
The tough period is about to begin. Many climbers have completed their climb to camp 3 or camp 2 on the north and have now reed to lower camps or even local villages to rest up for the summit bid. This can last anywhere from one to three weeks! However …
Now unlikely with the change in forecast, however if the weather continues to hold, we may see summit attempts as early as may 6th. We know that Simone Moro, who is also climbing Lhotse, is targeting an early May summit. A few of the north teams have left base camp with the intent of pushing to the summit already. Plus there are several ‘under the radar’ teams who are not depending on the fixed ropes and may make a quick push in that direction. Ah, the mysteries of Everest!
But for those in waiting, there is not a lot to do, you have already told everyone you meet, every joke and story you can remember. You can only write on the blog about eating and sleeping so much.There is quiet discussion with experienced climbers and guides about the route above C3. “Just how tough is it? It didn’t look that bad from C3. How am I doing, you know, relative to the other climbers? Can we review the oxygen regulator one more time?”
Mental toughness starts at sea level.
Climb On!
Alan
Alzheimer’s Note
I want to thank everyone who voted for The Cure Alzheimer’s Fund in the Pepsi Refresh challenge. They did not win the $250K but hopefully received some publicity about their important work. You can always make a donation that goes 100% to research anytime. On a personal note, a dear friend told her her friend was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s this week – she is 53 years -old.
This week a report from the National Institute of Health issued a report on Alzheimer’s saying there was no discernible methods of preventing the disease and more research is needed to avoid a national catastrophe.
“Alzheimer’s disease is a feared and heart-breaking disease,” said Dr. Martha L. Daviglus, conference panel chair and professor of preventive medicine and medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago. “We wish we could tell people that taking a pill or doing a puzzle every day would prevent this terrible disease, but current evidence doesn’t support this.”
They also recommended the establishment of registries for Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline, modeled on existing registries for cancer.
