The biggest news from Everest is the lack of news. Typhone-force winds strafed the mountain like a summer hail storm in Colorado. Reports of forty or more tents were damaged at Camp 2. Despite this, a few teams continued their rotations, and more made plans as hopes increased the fixed ropes would reach the summit next week. The high winds of last week have calmed, and there is no typhoon activity of substance in the Bay of Bengal. Let’s hope for a May of long weather windows!

Each weekend during the season, I’ll post a “Weekend Update” summarizing the main stories from the past week and what to expect next.

Big Picture

The high winds knocked down some antennas around the base camp, causing havoc with internet signals. Yeah, this is a real problem in 2024, unlike in 1953! The damaging high winds are fairly common in the Western Cwm and don’t indicate anything of great concern. What is of concern are the reports of the huge dome tents being destroyed. They are usually for client dining.

In my opinion, they should only be used at Base Camp. There is no need for tables and chairs at Camp 2 on Everest or huge dome dining tents. These luxuries require multiple carries by sherpas, thus increasing their exposure to dangerous areas. On Denali, climbers regularly spend three, five, or even eight days at the 17,000’ camp, sleeping four to a tent and eating out of a simple cup and bowl while sitting on the ground. Why is Everest held to a different standard?

This is a very dry year in the Himalayas. Combined with high winds, the Lhotse Face has concrete-hard blue ice. This means it will be crucial for climbers to stay clipped into the fixed line at all times. One slip, and you’ll have a deadly slide to the bottom and into the bergshrund.

China is expected to open its border with Nepal on May 7. The few teams that enter Tibet will absorb this delay. The good news is that instead of having teams leave the mountain at the end of May, the season will end on June 11th. Look will have around 100 people on that side, substantially less than forecasted earlier.

By the way, the internet provider, EverestLink, has a live stream from EverestBase Camp on YouTube. If you look at it around 3 to 4 AM, you will see headlamps going through the Icefall, most likely Sherpas ferrying gear to the upper camps.

Last Week

The rope-fixing team from Seven Summits Treks retreated to ECB after fixing the route to the South Col, or 8000 meters, so there was no progress on the route for much of last week. The good news was that ropes anchors and other materials used to fix the route from C2 to the summit were delivered to Camp 2 by helicopter, thus saving time but, more importantly, reducing the number of trips through the Khumbu Icefall for the Sherpas.

While tents were being blown around at Camp 2, the Nepal Supreme Court issued well-intended yet vague rules that might join a long list of ignored rules. The largest and most well-connected operators have long learned that doing whatever they want has no consequences.

I applaud the authorities for the WAG bag experiment this season and their RECCO program, even if they did not think through it. The Supreme Court ruling effort is well-intended and may be the start of meaningful changes to enhance safety and environmental protection. I outlined the rules in this post.

In a Facebook video from Migmar Dhondup Sherpa, I noted the rope team using a battery-powered drill to drill holes to anchor the fixed line on the Lhotse Face. He thanked Conrad Anker for the drill, the first time one was used to fix the ropes. Drills were also used to establish a belay anchor on the Hillary Step before the 2015 earthquake destroyed it.

At 1:09 in the clip, I noticed the use of a “V-Thread,” also known as an Abalakov thread, A-thread, or 0-thread (zero thread.) This is a technique where two holes are drilled, usually using a long ice screw, at 60-degree angles allowing a rope to be threaded through, thus creating an anchor that does not use any materials. It’s amazingly strong.

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Using a Drill on the Lhotse Face. Courtesy of Migmar Dhondup Sherpa

Next Week

With the winds calm, many teams, mostly Western Commerical ones like CTSS, AAI, Adventure Consultants, and Maddison, will return to the Western Cwm for their final rotations before the summit push. Many Nepali teams pushed the envelope, completed their rotations in high winds, and are ready for the summit push. 8k Expeditions noted, “Nearly all team members have completed their climbing rotations and are currently resting at Base Camp. Our top Sherpa crew will soon begin setting up the higher camps.”

The rope-fixing team should finish the job to the summit. For reference, the latest the ropes reached the summit since 2010 was in 2012 when they made it on May 18th.

It has become almost universal on the south side to descend down valley for a few nights of R&R before the summit bid. Anatoli Bourkreev coined the phrase “touch grass before the summit”. Some climbers will fly to Namache or even Kathmandu to “rest” before their summit pushes. This may be a risky and expensive move since Lukla has experinced significant weather dealys, so expensive helicopters may be the only option and fly directly from Kathmandu to EBC.a

Other 800ers

The season of “Other 800ers” finally picked up. After getting the ropes to Makalu’s summit almost two weeks ago, Nima Rinji Sherpa, 18, summited with three other people. He aims to be the youngest to get all fourteen 8000ers and has twelve, leaving only Kanchanjunga and Shishapangma. He’s headed to Kanch now but will have to wait until China opens Shish for foreigners, and who knows when they might be.

We may see summits on Dhaulagiri and more on Makalu next week.

The mammoth Nepali operator, Seven Summits Treks, runs commercial tours on all fourteen 8000-meter peaks and puts the ropes to most summits. They gave these updates:

Seven Summit Treks’ 8000ers Updates on Season 2024 (May 2024)>Makalu – 4 May 2024 ; Four (4) climbers successfully summited Makalu this morning, marking the first success after the rope fixing team. Nima Rinji Sherpa, who is on a mission to climb all 14 8000ers, completed his 12th climb along with Pasang Nurbu. Similarly, Korean climber Cheol Hee Cho with his Sherpa Pemba, also made a successful summit bid. Pemba made a successful ascent of Makalu earlier this season while fixing the rope. Despite high winds, we are firmly established on Makalu, and other climbers shall attempt the summit in a few days.
Everest and Lhotse – Fixed ropes have been laid up to Camp 4, and our team is strong, well-shaped, and acclimatized at base camp. We are currently awaiting supplies and favorable weather for the summit. Camps 1 and 2 have reported high winds causing minor damages; however, all are intact. Kangchenjunga – Ropes fixed up to Camp 4. Our team is on rotation, and all are safe and strong. Dhaulagiri– Weather disturbances reported. The team is at base camp, waiting for a window to begin the climb. All is going well so far. Our climbers and crew members are in perfect health and fitness for the climbs. With the onset of favorable weather, we will begin summit bids on the giants.

While not 8000ers, there were summits on the beautiful and popular Ama Dablam and a stalled attempt on Pumori due to an avalanche. Look for an attempt on Nuptse this coming week.

Say It’s Not So!

In the “REALLY?” department, Mt. Everest Today reports that there will be bungy jumping off the historic swinging bridge at the base of Namche Hill.

Swinging Bridge at then base of the Namche Hill — Swinging Bridge at the base of the Namche Hill

Bola Shrestha, the bungy master at Last Resort, an adventure resort in Nepal that already offers jumps, received approval from the local and national authorities. The premise is this will bring more tourists to the area and, of course, more money. It’s scheduled to begin in September 2024.

Nepal Permit Update

The Ministry of Tourism removed the permit data from their website. I assume they don’t want to reveal lower-than-expected numbers. As of April 29, 2024, Nepal has issued climbing permits to 95 teams for 27 peaks. This is the last 2024 tally for the 8000ers we saw posted:

8000er	Teams	Male Clients	Female Clients	Total
Annapurna I	3	14	11	25
Cho Oyu	1	1	0	1
Dhaulagiri	2	20	8	28
Everest	37	320	70	390
Kanchenjunga	3	20	11	31
Lhotse	12	107	23	130
Makalu	4	40	17	57
Manaslu	1	2	0	2
TOTALS	62	522	140	662

Lhotse Face

With teams on their last rotations or even following the rope team to the summit, let’s take a deep look at climbing the Lhotse Face.

The last rotation is, in many ways, your last chance. If you don’t accomplish the objective of reaching at least Camp 3 on the Lhotse Face or to the North Col, your chances of making the summit are reduced. I was told one year, “This is your ticket to the top.”

There is no Easter Bunny, no Santa Claus; the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales are dark and scary, and magic is real. Today, everyone on Everest believes in magic.

Sitting in your tent at Camp 2, 21,500 feet, you rub the sleep out of your eyes. Your headlamp betrays your cold breath at 3:00 AM. Today, you climb the Lhotse Face.

The morning routine is annoyingly familiar. It takes ten times longer to put on your boots than at home. Breakfast is simple—toast, maybe an egg, perhaps hot cereal and coffee. The Sherpa cooks have been up since 1:00 AM heating water, so you eat with gratitude. But really, all you want to do is crawl back in your warm sleeping bag.

Sitting silently in the dining tent, you curse the tiny golf chairs for their instability, but then you consider where you are and are glad to have anything to sit on. Taking the last sip of coffee, you turn on your headlamp.

Stepping out of the tent, you kneel down to put on your crampons but then look up. The moon is lighting up the ‘Face’; it looks huge. Squinting, you look for Camp 3. Maybe you see it, but probably not. Finishing your crampon work, you take another deep breath.

The walk to the base of the Lhotse Face is familiar; you did this a few days ago to get some exercise. But that was in the daylight, now in the dark; it seems to go on forever. You don’t remember the elevation gain and find yourself breathing hard once again. The morning blues…

Approaching the base, you glance at your watch. It took an hour. Once again, you look up. Now, all you see is snow and ice. Bending over, you clip your carabiner and jumar onto the white nylon rope—that is your lifeline. With an ice axe in the other hand, you begin.

The first section seems steep, but you have read about the Lhotse Face, so this is not surprising. But it is steep, seriously steep; not quite what you were expecting. OK, it should ease shortly – you try to convince yourself. At least, that is how it looked from Camp 3.

Now, two hours in, your mind wanders. You hear the voices of those back home when you told them you were going to Everest. The negative surfaces: “Why, are you crazy, glory seeker, rich spoiled brat, peak bagger, selfish, …”

The naysayers were loud but not to your face. You heard them; you know what some people say about those who climb Everest. You fight to keep the voices from growing into doubts. You know why you are here, who believes in you, your belief in yourself.

Glancing up from your feet, you now see the Lhotse Face up close. The ice is hard, translucent, blue. You stare at your crampon front points. “Damn, I wish they were sharper,” you mumble out loud. The wind picks up, blowing a bit of snow in your face. Actually, you don’t mind; it takes you away from the dark thoughts.

Looking around, you see a few of your teammates. The Sherpas seem like they are everywhere. You are on the up rope. There is another rope to your left, the down rope. They seem to go on forever. You are careful not to put your weight on the rope; that is not the purpose. They are there to stop a fall, not to get you up the hill, but you cheat.

Once again, the voices are loud. But real this time. You step to your right to let a few faster climbers go by. Once again, a high-altitude ballet.

You are attached to the line by two thin strips of nylon webbing. They are attached to a carabiner and a jumar. The jumar has small teeth going in one direction that will catch if you fall in the opposite direction. A golden rule is always to stay attached to the rope.

You make eye contact with the other climber. No words are spoken, perhaps a nod is exchanged. She unclips her ‘biner while keeping the jumar attached. She reaches around you to clip the ‘biner back onto the rope ahead of you. You stand still, not wanting to make any movement that might throw both of you off balance.

She takes a few small steps around you and reaches back to unclip the jumar. Successfully past you, the slow obstacle, she reattaches the jumar and climbs higher. You stand staring, not sure to be impressed or depressed.

Once again focused on your own climb, you see the trail ahead, steps kicked into the hard face. You are grateful now for the traffic on the Lhotse Face. There are small buckets in the ice to plant your feet. Somehow, the steps provide a placebo that will make it easy to reach Camp 3, 23,500 feet. The steps are few and far between, loose and soft, and unreliable today; maybe they will be different next time up. You are on a steep, slick mountainside that requires constant concentration.

More steps, more clips. The fixed rope is attached to the earth every few hundred feet. Each anchor requires a series of actions. You are glad you spent the extra money on the good gloves.

Your down jacket has felt good, but now, with the sun rising over the summit of Lhotse, you begin to think about layers. Great, now you are getting a bit warm. OK, it feels good but not too much warmth. You are never satisfied, are you?

As usual, the tents ahead appear out of nowhere. The climb thus far has been a series of steep sections followed by a short flat spot—a cruel trick. You took your breaks, ate, and drank—you are actually doing well. But the tents are a welcome sight.

Wait, there are three Camp 3s! Another cruel trick. The Face is too steep to put all the tents needed in one spot. Yours is the highest. This irony is good news, bad news. Today, you suffer, but you will have an advantage on the summit push.

Passing other tents, you see fellow climbers in their tents. You smile at them and curse under your breath. Jealously fuels your steps higher. Actually no one is watching you but your vanity runs wild. You stiffen your back, You focus on your form. Step, plant the ice axe, step, move the ‘biner, step, move the jumar, stand up straight, look ahead, smile for the camera!

Passing the last of the tents, you only see a high bump in the ice. If you were home, where you trained, you would pass this in a matter of minutes, maybe seconds. But at 23,600 feet, you stop and stare once again. Breathing heavily, you muster whatever is left and take a few more steps. Higher, slower; the climb is taking a toll on your body. You no longer look anywhere but at your feet, interrupted by a short glance at the next anchor. Your style is zombiesque.

A familiar voice calls out your name. A Sherpa from your team. He waves you with enthusiasm towards the yellow tent. Stepping carefully through a maze of lines, you slowly move towards him. You have no choice but to move slowly. You are knackered.

Finally, reaching your tent, you collapse in a down-covered heap. The poor goose who made the donation would not be proud. Careful with your crampons; you finally swing around to see where you are. Your breathing continues to be heavy. You have the hundred-yard stare. A bit of water helps begin the recovery—your head bobs.

Slowly, you come around. Your mind thinks like you are texting with a simple OMG. It is justified. The scene before you defy words. OMG. Slowly, your eyes trace the perimeter: Nuptse to your left, The Western Cwm front and center, Everest to the right.

Are you really there? Again, you scan the view. Now you see Pumori. It looks tiny. It dominates your view at Base Camp. What happened – you are more than a mile higher, that’s what happened.

On the horizon, you spot Cho Oyu, the world’s 6th highest peak. You recognize the flat summit plateau. Maybe that will be next. You are thinking clearly now, or not.

More water. Your breathing is slow. Your heart is steady. You are in control.

Sitting there on the snow-covered Lhotse Face, it sinks in that you are climbing Everest, well, Lhotse, technically. But you glance over your right shoulder and see the massive shoulder of the world’s highest mountain.

This cannot be real. It must be magic.

CHo Oyu from Camp 3 on the Lhotse Face — Cho Oyu from Camp 3 on the Lhotse Face

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

Here’s the video podcast version of this weekend’s update:

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You can listen to #everest2024 podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Breaker, YouTube, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Anchor, and more. Just search for “alan arnette” on your favorite podcast platform.

Previous Everest 2024 Season Coverage Posts

Everyday Everest

Next drop on May 6, 2024

A new 16-part podcast series during the Everest 2024 climbing season.

Based on my Fictional 2020 Virtual Everest series, I’ll have a twenty-minute updated episode of the story a few times a week for the next two months. Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home, trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally, on their summit push. The story’s protagonist, Harper, sets the tone for the story when she tells her husband, Marc, “Honey, I’m going to climb Everest.”

You can listen to Everyday Everest on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Breaker, YouTube, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Anchor, and more. Just search for “alan arnette” on your favorite podcast platform.

Previous Everyday Everest Episodes

Why this coverage?

I like to use these weekend updates to remind my readers that I’m just one guy who loves climbing. With 38 serious climbing expeditions, including four Everest trips under my belt and a summit in 2011, I use my site to share those experiences, demystify Everest each year and bring awareness to Alzheimer’s Disease. My mom, Ida Arnette, died from this disease in 2009, as have four of my aunts. It was a heartbreaking experience that I hope no other family will go through; thus, I asked for donations to non-profits, which 100% goes to them and nothing ever to me.

Ida Arnette 1926-2009

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2 thoughts on “Everest 2024: Weekend Update May 5: Winds Calm, Climbing Continues”

Adina says:

May 4, 2024 at 8:20 pm

Has Nepal ever admitted that the Hillary Step is gone? Also, does the Hillary Step being gone make the climb in that area significantly better? Thanks for your wonderful work covering Everest! I look forward to it every year!

1. Alan Arnette says:
  
  May 4, 2024 at 8:28 pm
  
  Thanks! No but I have multiple before and after pictures at https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2018/05/15/everest-2018-hillary-step-or-slope/