Everest 2021: Team Locations and Headlines

LATEST HEADLINE June 2, 2021:

SEASON OVER

472 summtis

Welcome to the 2021 edition of Alan Arnette’s annual coverage of the Everest climbing season. I try to provide insight and interpretation of the activities ranging from routes to weather to the challenge and reward of climbing Everest. It’s based on my three Everest attempts and my 2011 summit plus my climbing experiences of a K2 summit in 2014, Manaslu in 2013, and 30+ more peaks around the world. My reporting uses my own research, sources, and public information.

New! The Podcast on alanarnette.com

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Click for the complete Everest 2021 coverage

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Current Headlines

• 41 people (22 members with 19 Sherpa) summited on Tuesday, June 1
• Season Over

Previous Headlines

• SECOND Cyclone anticipated for May 25 – more snow than wind
• 100 people aiming for 24
• 110+ Summits on Sunday, May 23
• Cyclone will impact May 19-21 Window! Climbers Advised to “STAND DOWN”
• Sherpa death between C2 and C1, assumed crevasse fall.
• Many teams now targeting May 25-27 for summit
• Furtenbach Cancel Expedition Citing COVID at EBC
• Jet moves in for the next week. Time to isolate and relax
• 150 for the first two summit waves of commercial clients.
• 300 clients with their Sherpas yet to make a summit attempt.
• Next summit window after May 20
• The US asks its citizens not to travel to Nepal. source
• Two climbers using Seven Summits Treks have died both during their descent from the summit
  • Abdul Waraich (Switzerland), passed away near the South Summit after summiting, He was exhausted.
  • Puwei Liu (USA) reached the Hillary Step but retreated with snow blindness and exhaustion. He died at the South Col
• No summits on Thursday, May 13. Teams didn’t climb due to high winds starting Wednesday night, May 12
• Oxygen bottles, full or empty, are desperately needed in Kathmandu hospitals.
• At least 50 people summited on Tuesday morning, May 12, 2021.
• Crazy silly client to Sherpa ratio this year by Seven Summits Treks. The 12 member Bahrain team had 26 Sherpas in support
• The jet stream is moving back towards Everest and could arrive as soon as May 14 and leave around the 20th.
• Nepal extends ban on international flights until May 31
• 101+ summits in Wave 1
• First Summits of Wave 1 by Bahrain team and Ma Sha Allah Shehroze
• Kenton Cool gets his UK record of 15 Everest summits, tying him with American Dave Hahn for most non-Sherpa summits
• Ropes to Lhotse’s summit
• Maybe ~150 Everest summits May 11/12
• Dhaulagiri summit bids stalled by avi danger
• Makalu summit pushes underway
• Low winds until May 13 then picking back up.
• First Everest summits by rope team
• 3-9 inches of snow in the Cwm in the last 24 hours
• 20+ Dhaulagiri climbers/Sherpas evacuated with COVID symptoms
• Climbers find themselves stranded in Kathmandu with no flight departures
• Nepal suspends all domestic and international flights until May 15 due to the COVID spike
• A collapse in the upper Icefall reported Sunday morning with 2 injured.
• Client summits the second week of May?
• A collapse in the upper Icefall reported Sunday morning with 2 injured.
• New visitors to Nepal must have a negative PCR test and quarantine for 10 days.
• Summit Climb member evac’d by chopper from C2 with altitude issues.
• Lhotse Face reported dry with hard blue ice
• Sherpas stocking Camp 3
• “Maybe their Basecamp is a “shitshow”, ours is not.”
• “The Covid situation at EBC is a total shitstorm. I had no clue what I was flying into.”
• Daily COVID evacs from EBC
• Ropes to South Col
• Icefall route blocked by small fall. Should be a quick repair
• Dhaulagiri summit bid stopped by deep snow
• A record 408 and 123 permits on Lhotse.
• Hoping for a long summit weather window to spread everyone out.
• Nepal reportedly going into lock-down this week due to a spike in COVID
• Jet Stream seems to be missing this season
• Look for the ropes to reach the summit this upcoming week
• Many teams are now at Camp 1 and 2 on their first rotation
• Teams are letting a foot of fresh snow settle before climbing again
• Climbers returning from one climb need to be tested for Covid and be negative to get permitted for another climb.
• Nepal is limiting summit pushes to 170 climbers
• 4-6 ladders reported in Icefall
• Longline rescue for an injured Sherpa (broken leg) in upper Khumbu Icefall
• Progress stalled on Monday, April 19 due to an incident in Icefall
• Annapurna climbers found safe between C3 and 4
• Annapurna: Russian trio of Sergey, Dmitry, and Alexander are missing. A helicopter search is planning for Monday morning. No further information.
• Ropes fixed to Yellow Band
• Internet at EBC is sketchy
• COVID from climber at EBC? Mixed results
• Annapurna record 67 summits
• Very few trekkers in Nepal this spring
• A Chinese team of 21 climbers reported on the Tibet side establishing base camp
• Sherpas are reported “nervous” about the condition of the Icefall
• A Very Happy New Year 2078 (Bikram Samvat) to Nepal!
• Everest ER setup at EBC and already treating patients
• Multiple teams begin their trek from Lukla to Everest Base Camp
• Icefall Doctors have the route to C2
• Commercial teams are establishing C1 and C2 sites
• Fires across Nepal are delaying flights to Lukla
• teams starting the trek to EBC
• Everest 2021 Teams Arriving in Kathmandu

Permits – Record!!

The permits for Everest surpassed the previous record of 382 foreign permits set in 2019. The Nepal Ministry of Tourism posted these foreign permit tally as of April 30.

• Everest: 408 on 43 teams
• Lhotse: 125 on 14 teams
• Nuptse: 38 on 4 teams
• Manaslu: 1 on 1 team (over)
• Annapurna: 44 on 4 teams (Over)
• Dhaulagiri: 33 on 5 teams
• Pumori: 9 on 2 teams
• Makalu: 20 on 2 teams
• Ama Dablam: 27 on 2 teams
• Tukuche: 1 on 1 team
• Tilichho: 8 on 1 team
• Tengkangpoche: 2 on 1 team
• Baruntse: 12 on 1 team

The Tibet side is closed to foreigners, but there are 40 Chinese nationals reported now at base camp.

Everest Deaths – 4

• Wong Dorchi Sherpa died near the South Col from unknown causes. He was with 7 Summits Club
• Pemba Tashi Sherpa apparently fell into a crevasse between C2 and C1. He was working for Climbing the Seven Summits.
• Abdul Waraich (Switzerland), passed away near the South Summit after summiting, He was exhausted.
• Puwei Liu (USA) reached the Hillary Step but retreated with snow blindness and exhaustion. He died at the South Col

Connect and Support

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• I do coverage for one reason only, raising awareness and funds to slow, stop or prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. If you visit often and appreciate this site, please consider a donation to an Alzheimer’s nonprofit. 100% goes to them, nothing ever to me. Click this link to understand my personal journey with AD that took Ida Arnette in 2009.
  

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South Col Route (map) locations are for the majority of each team, individuals may be higher or lower
	Everest only TEAMS (380 members/28 western guides)	EBC	C1	C2	C3	C4 S.Col	Summits (foreigners/Sherpas)
	Fixed Line Progress		X	X	X	X	12
	Alpine Ascents Int. (7/2)	e
	Altitude Junkies 7	e					2/3
	Asian Trekking: 18	e					6/6
	Climbing the Seven Summits (25+/4+)	e					10/14
	Furtenbach Adventures: 15/4	e		H
	Elite Expeditions (10)	e					6/10
	IMG 25+/5+	e					7/16
	Imagine Nepal 6	e					8/6
	Kobler & Partner	e					3/3+
	Madison Mountaineering (10/2)	e					17/25
	Mountain Professionals (7/3)	e					7/10?
	Mountain Trip (7/3)	e
	Summit Climb  (11/2)	e					5?/5?
	Seven Summits Treks International	e					45/63
	Seven Summits Treks: Bahrain (16)	e					12/26
	7 Summits Club (11/3)	e					7/11
	others (est)						60/72
	SOUTH TOTAL (est)						190/282
Northeast Ridge Route (map) locations are for the majority of each team, individuals may be higher or lower
	TEAMS	CBC	ABC	C1 N.Col	C2	C3	Summits (foreigners/Sherpas)
	Fixed Line Progress
LEGEND T/D=Trek/Driving to BC, K=Kathmandu, La=Lhasa, Lo=Lobuche, e=climb ended, x=last reported location, x+ =on summit bid, -x =descending h=high sleep point, t=touched not slept. Summit number=member/Sherpa. Locations estimated from public websites. Please refer to each expedition’s site for current information. Contact me to add/remove your team from my coverage.
Other Teams Not providing enough updates to track or comment
	TEAMS
	Alpine Sherpa Guide
	Climbalaya cancells due to avi danger
	Himalaya Expeditions
	Ascent Himalayas:  5 members/11 Sherpas – all summited
	Dreamers Destination: 1 member/3 Sherpa – all summited
	Everest Quest
	Happy Feet 3 summits
	Himalayan Guides  29
	Himex:
	Himalaya Expedition
	Himalaya Ascent 7 members
	Himalayan Traverse
	Kaitu Expedition 8 member plus 8 Sherpas summited
	Myrmidon Expeditions
	Glacier Himalaya 11 summits
	Peak Promotion: 2 members, 2 Sherpas summited
	Pioneer Adventure 24 summits
	Rolwaling (4/0)
	Satori Adventures 12
	Summit Nepal Treks

I did similar coverage for the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons. In 2020, I did a fictitious Virtual Everest series that’s available as an e-Book. I summited Everest on May 21, 2011, and have attempted Everest three other times –2002, 2003, 2008, and Lhotse in 2015 and 2016.

If you will forgive the self-promotion Outside Magazine posted an extensive interview with me and called me “one of the world’s most respected chronicler of Everest”

I do this coverage for one reason only, raising awareness and funds to find a way to slow, stop or prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. If you visit often and appreciate this site, please consider a donation to an Alzheimer’s nonprofit. 100% goes to them, nothing ever to me. Click this link to understand my personal journey with AD that took Ida Arnette in 2009.

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Everest Weather
Base Camp	Summit
not intended to replace professional forecasts or for critical decisions

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