Month: March 2022

Leaving home to climb Mt. Everest is no simple task. It’s not a business trip; it’s not a vacation; it’s something entirely different. While it may be your dream, it can be something altogether different for those left behind. As we approach the end of March, scores of climbers are going through this process for Everest 2022.

It’s time for Everest climbers to get focused and serious about the last-minute preparations. Since their dream began, they wondered how this period would feel. They saved money, bought the gear, and trained their bodies for months or even years, but a few crucial steps remain before boarding that plane for Kathmandu.

A longtime reader and climber preparing for Everest sent me this question last week: “How do you keep sleeping and maintain mental focus 20 days before leaving for Everest without stressing yourself out?’ My answer was:

Focus on “leaving nothing unsaid” with those who matter most in your life. Visualize being on the mountain with a positive outcome, review your gear using a mental walk-thru of the climb to ensure you have everything you need and want. Finally, surround yourself with positive people who have fun, laugh, and support you.

For this last step of prep, let’s take a closer look at three areas: Physical, Mental, and Emotional. #everest2022

While Everest gets a lot of attention each spring season, Nepal has seven other 8000-meter peaks that deserve coverage. In some cases, they are more interesting from a pure climbing perspective than the Big E, Makalu, for example.

Big Picture

Climbers are streaming into Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport from all over the world. Many are trekking, not climbing, but most climbers will attempt Everest.

Of the fourteen peaks higher than 26,000-feet or 8,000-meters, seven are entirely in Nepal or straddle the border with either India or Tibet: Cho Oyu, Annapurna, Manaslu, Dhaulagiri, Makalu, Lhotse, and Kanchenjunga. Of the remaining giants, five are in Pakistan: K2, Broad Peak, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum, and Gasherbrum II, while Shishapangma stands alone with the Tibetan borders.

China has closed Tibet to foreigners for the third straight year due to COVID, and the climbing season in Pakistan usually, but not always, starts in June; thus, Nepal has the focus for now.

#everest2022

As we say hello to mid-March, climbers worldwide are making their last-minute preparations to travel to Nepal following their dream to summit Everest. However, similar to the past few years, they will be in an uncertain environment once again.

In 2020 Nepal and China closed Everest due to COVID. And China kept it closed to foreigners again in 2021 and this year, 2022. While Nepal opened Everest last year, 2021, it was a debacle with COVID infections running rampant in many teams, causing over 150 clients to leave early and probably that many Sherpas who got COVID then or later.