Summits continue on Everest, but the season may end soon as cyclones build in the Bay of Bengal and the monsoon moves in. We saw thirty-five more summits and, sadly, yet another death on May 23rd. Only one team is going for the summit tonight.

Many of you who have followed me know I speak fondly of Kami Sherpa from Pangaboche. We summited Everest, K2 and Island Peak together. Well, his older brother Chhuldim Ang Dorjee Sherpa, the sidar for Adventure Consultants, summited Everest for the 23rd time, and his oldest son, Phinjo, guiding for Imagine Nepal, got his 18th tying his father’s Everest summits. Kami’s father was also an Everest guide.

Also, I’ve spoken often about Summit Coach client Ryan Mitchell; he summited as part of the Madison Mountaineering team along with Phurba Sherpa and Pemba Sherpa at 7:25 am on May 23, 2024. Garret Maddison got his 14th summit. Garret reported in:

We had a great day, a beautiful sunrise up on the Southeast Ridge! Not too many climbers on the route. It was very uncrowded, so we enjoyed the climb and the summit! We were all up there together to celebrate and savor the moment on top, and then of course made our way safely back down to Camp 4 by about midday here on May 23rd. Everyone’s just resting, rehydrating, eating some noodles and other food, and looking forward to a good night’s rest here on oxygen, then we’ll head down to Camp 2 (6500m/21,325ft) tomorrow!

May 23 Summits and Another Death

Nepali (not a Sherpa) Binod Babu Bastakoti, 37, died near the South Col after summiting and climbing with Yeti Adventure/Pioneer Adventure.

Teams reporting summits on Thursday morning, May 23, 2024, included

14 Peaks: 7 clients with 12 Sherpas – 1:1.7
Adventure Consultants: 6 clients, 13 Sherpas – 1:2.2
Alpine Ascents International (AAI): summits but no details
Ascent Himalaya: 3 clients with 5 Sherpas – 1:1.6
Maddison Mountaineering: 4 clients, one guide with nine Sherpas – 1:2.5
Climbalaya: North (Tibet) side – 1 client with 2 Sherpas – 1:2
Furtenbach Adventures: North (Tibet) side – summits but no Sherpa or member names.

Indian climber Skalzang Rigzin, 42, summited without supplemental oxygen. Nepali Phunjo Jhangmu Lama set a female FNT record with 14 hours and 31 minutes, leaving Everest Base Camp (Nepal) at 3:52 p.m. on May 22 and summiting at 6:26 a.m. on Thursday, May 23. Pakistani Sirbaz Khan became the only Pakistani to summit eleven of the 8000ers without supplemental Os. Pole Piotr Krzyżowski summited Everest and Lhotse as separate climbs, not going for Everest to Lhotse as most do, with no Os or Sherpa support. Of course, he used the ladders and fixed ropes.

Be wary of self-reported 100% success. There are different ways to calculate this, and every method has its defenders. The expedition company owners try to spin the number to get more business. Often, the owners count only the clients who left for the summit, not the entire team that intended to summit. In other words, if a team had 20 members and only 10 left the North or South Col for the summit and all ten summits, that’s not 100% but 50% success, in my opinion.

Tibet

On the Tibet side, Climbaya reports two summits; one client was supported by one Sherpa—Furtenbach’s five-client team, with 1:1 Sherpa support, also summitted.

May 24 Summits?

The only team I know of on their summit bid for Friday morning, May 24, is Summit Climb.

Totals

I estimate that through May 23, Everest has seen 409 summits, 235 of which were Sherpas, or 61% and 174 members or 42%. The largest summit days so far were May 19, with 100 summits, and May 21, with 104 summits. Nepal issued Everest permits to 421 foreigners, bringing USD$4.5 million to the government that will not be shared with the Sherpas or throughout Khumbu.

Tragically, the death and missing counts continue to rise:

Everest Four Deaths or Three Missing

May 23 – Nepali (not a Sherpa) Binod Babu Bastakoti, 37, died near the south Col after summiting and climbing with Yeti Adventure/Pioneer Adventure.
May 22 – British Daniel Paul Paterson, 40, is missing near Hillary Step after summiting and climbing with 8K Expeditions.
May 22 – Pastenji Sherpa, 23, is missing near Hillary Step after summiting and climbing with 8K Expeditions.
May 22 – Kenyan Cheruiyot Kirui, 40, died above the Hillary Step, climbing without Os with Seven Summits Treks.
May 22 – Nawang Sherpa,44, is missing above the Hillary Step, climbing with Seven Summits Treks.
May 13 – Mongolian Usukhjargal Tsedendamba, 53, died on the SE Ridge after summiting, climbing with 8K Expeditions.
May 13 – Mongolian Prevsuren Lkhagvajav, 31, died on the SE Ridge after summiting, climbing with 8K Expeditions.

Lhotse One Death

May 21 – Romanian Gabriel Tabara, 48, was found dead inside his tent at C3 attempting Lhotse. He was climbing with Makalu Adventure.

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

Podcasts

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.

Everyday Everest

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

Based on my Fictional 2020 Virtual Everest series, I posted a twenty-minute updated episode a few times a week throughout this season. Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home to 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

Preparing for Everest is more than Training

There are five Summit Coach clients on Everest in 2024

If you dream of climbing mountains but are unsure how to start or reach your next level, from a Colorado 14er to Rainier, Everest, or even K2, we can help. Summit Coach is a consulting service that helps aspiring climbers worldwide achieve their goals through a personalized set of consulting services based on Alan Arnette’s 30 years of high-altitude mountain experience and 30 years as a business executive. Please see our prices and services on the Summit Coach website.