The 2024 Everest season ended well for the Alpenglow group, but sadly, there was another death on the Nepal side. 2024 was a challenging year that may change the trajectory of climbing Everest, especially on the Nepal side. The Icefall Doctors are removing all the ladders in the Western Cwm and Khumbu Icefall, thus officially closing the season on that side. I’ll do my annual season summary in a few days.
In windy conditions, on May 30, Alpenglow Expeditions took all of their clients who arrived at base camp to the summit: six clients with five guides and twelve Sherpas or 1:2.8. They reached the summit in about 22 days from leaving home. Only a few teams were climbing on the Tibet side this year, and Alpenglow was the last team to top out. Adrian Ballinger posted:
After 5 years of waiting, we’re finally back to standing on the roof of the world. Our entire 23-person 2024 Everest North Side Rapid Ascent Expedition team summited Mount Everest on May 28th and May 29th. We reached the summit of Everest a mere 22 days after our expedition started. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without the support of our entire sherpa and high altitude worker teams, base camp and office staff, and guides. Thank you all. The team is now back in ABC and we’ve cleaned the entire upper mountain of our tents, trash, and waste. We couldn’t be more pleased with our season and our return to Everest North Side!
CLIENTS
- Myra Beaudoin Bertrand 🇺🇸
- Graham Cooper🇺🇸
- Bruce Chapman 🇬🇧
- Matthew Greving 🇺🇸
- John Carney🇺🇸
- Christopher Salomon🇺🇸
GUIDES
- Adrian Ballinger 🇬🇧 🇺🇸
- Carla Perez 🇪🇨
- Chad Peele🇺🇸
- Sid Pattison🇺🇸
- David Morton🇺🇸
SHERPAS
- Chhewang Lendu Sherpa🇳🇵
- Dorji Sonam Sherpa🇳🇵
- Gandarva Rai🇳🇵
- Kancha Nuru Sherpa🇳🇵
- Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa🇳🇵
- Ngawang Tenjing Sherpa🇳🇵
- Ngima Tenjing Sherpa🇳🇵
- Palden Namgye Sherpa🇳🇵
- Pasang “Pso” Sona Sherpa🇳🇵
- Pema Chhepal Sherpa🇳🇵
- Phura Tenzing Sherpa🇳🇵
- Tenzing Tashi Sherpa 🇳🇵
Some of the team sizes this year were beyond belief. I’ll cover more in the season summary, but on the Nepal side, 8K Expeditions had 74 summits: 27 clients with 47 Sherpas or 1:1.74.
Eight Everest Death
On May 28, Indian Banshi Lal, 46, died in a Kathmandu hospital after being evacuated from Everest with AMS, but the precise cause of death was not disclosed. He was climbing with 8K Expeditions. This is the fifth death for the Nepali operator this season.
Other 8000ers
Polish climbers Bartek Ziemski and Oswald Pereira went against the odds and the crowd mentality to summit Kangchenjunga. There was one initial attempt back in early May. I’m receiving some reports of discontent with the teamwork around fixing the ropes on Kang this year. Mountain drama never ends. 14 Peaks notes that Eduard Kubatov from Kyrgyz Republic and Dawa Chhiring summited Makalu on May 30.
Pot Pourri
In other news that’s not really newsworthy, that gaudy sign at Everest Basecamp has been removed. Word had it: it was placed on the moving glacier and fell over. How did that happen?
As expected, Elite Exped denied he falsely represented that Everest fixed ropes were cut and produced a retort video. There has not been a public reaction to the investigation by the Department of Tourism on the case.
Death and Missing Totals
Everest–Eight Deaths
- May 28 – Indian Banshi Lal, 46, died in a Kathmandu hospital after being evacuated from Everest with AMS. He was climbing with 8K Expeditions.
- 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 and presumed dead near Hillary Step after summiting and climbing with 8K Expeditions.
- May 22 – Pastenji Sherpa, 23, is missing and presumed dead near Hillary Step after summiting with Paterson 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 and presumed dead above the Hillary Step, supporting Kirui and 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. Climbing with Makalu Adventure.
Nepal Permit Update
The Ministry of Tourism collected USD$5.1 million in royalties, with Everest accounting for USD$4.5 million. This is the 2024 tally for the 8000ers the MoT posted through May 22.:
8000er | Teams | Male Clients | Female Clients | Total |
Annapurna I | 3 | 14 | 11 | 25 |
Cho Oyu | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Dhaulagiri | 3 | 22 | 8 | 30 |
Everest | 45 | 345 | 76 | 421 |
Kanchenjunga | 5 | 21 | 14 | 35 |
Lhotse | 16 | 128 | 28 | 156 |
Makalu | 7 | 43 | 21 | 64 |
Manaslu | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
TOTALS | 80 | 574 | 158 | 732 |
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
Here’s the video podcast version of this weekend’s update:
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
- Everest 2024: Last Summits of the Season and Another Death
- Everest 2024: Sabotage or Self-Promotion – Cut Ropes?
- Everest 2024: Weekend Update May 25: Season nears the End with Summits and Death
- Everest 2024: More Summits and Deaths as Season Winds Down
- Everest 2024: More Summits and More Missing Climbers
- Everest 2024: Alan Remembers His 2011 Summit
- Everest 2024: Summit Tsunamis and Puddles. An unconfirmed Death
- Everest 2024: Crowds, Wind and Summits
- Everest 2024: Summit WEEK!
- Everest 2024: Missing Everest Climbers Confirmed Dead, More Summits
- Everest 2024: Risky Decision Making
- Everest 2024: Everest Climbers Missing on Summit Push
- Everest 2024: More Summits, More Death
- Everest 2024: Weekend Update May 13: First Summits
- Everest 2024: Rope Team Summits Nepal Side–Game On!
- Everest 2024: Interview with Uphill Athlete’s Founder Steve House
- Everest 2024: First 8000er Death
- Everest 2024: First Everest Summits
- Everest 2024: Normal Season with More 8000er Summits
- Everest 2024: Weekend Update May 5: Winds Calm, Climbing Continues
- Everest 2024: Nepal Supreme Court Passes Climbing Rules
- Everest 2024: High Winds
- Everest 2024: Weekend Update April 28: Teams Into the Western Cwm
- Everest 2024: Icefall Misery
- Everest 2024: Climb Here, But Not There!
- Everest 2024: Weekend Update April 21: Route to C2, Permits Catch Up
- Everest 2024: Route to Camp 2 & April 18–A Day of Remembrance
- Everest 2024: Tibet Climbs in Peril
- Everest 2024: Weekend Update April 14: Icefall Woes, Fewer Climbers
- Everest 2024: Will Cockrell interview on his new book–Everest, Inc.
- Everest 2024: First Days at Base Camp & 1st 8000er summit
- Everest 2024: Leaving Grass and the Trekker’s Summit
- Everest 2024: Weekend Update April 7: Climbers on the Trek
- Everest 2024: Snag in the Icefall Route
- Everest 2024: Blessings on the Trek to Tengboche Monastery
- Everest 2024: The Namche Hill
- Everest 2024: The Trek to EBC Begins
- Everest 2024: Weekend Update April 1: Season Underway, Lost Legends
- Everest 2024: Leaving Nothing Unsaid
- Everest 2024: Climbers to Watch
- Everest 2024: Who’s Climbing This Year?
- Everest 2024: Icefall Doctors Mark Season Start
- Everest 2024: Nepal’s “GPS Chip” Plan Has Major Problems
- Everest 2024 Coverage: Are Luxury Operators Being Targeted by Nepal?
- Everest 2024: Interview with Garrett Madison on his “Aconcagua Ambush” and the Upcoming Everest Season
- Everest 2024 Coverage: WAG Bags Finally Required on Everest
- Everest 2024: Welcome to Everest 2024 Coverage
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
- Everyday Everest Podcast Part 16–Home and The End
- Everyday Everest Podcast Part 15–Summit!!
- Everyday Everest Podcast Part 14–Summit Push
- Everyday Everest Podcast Part 13–Climbing Above Camp 3
- Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 12–Summit Plan for the Team
- Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 11–First Summits
- Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 10–Climbing the Lhotse Face
- Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 9–Summit Date Planned
- Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 8–Suffering at Camp 2
- Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 7–Into the Cwm
- Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 6–Into the Icefall
- Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 5–Arrival At Base Camp
- Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 4–Blessing in the Khumbu
- Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 3–The Trek Begins
- Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 2–Hello Kathmandu
- Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 1–Welcome and Part 1
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.
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.
6 thoughts on “Everest 2024: Last Summits of the Season and Another Death”
Ok
Wonderful information, I really appreciate it
Alan,
Greatly appreciate all you do. Our team was frequently monitoring your blog and you are a tremendous resource. Regarding Bastakoti, I think you should remove Pioneer’s name. I know he wasn’t part of our team (I climbed w/ Pioneer), and my understanding is that Pioneer only got involved at the very end in an attempted rescue.
Great coverage again this year alan. Always enjoy reading your posts. Ive been readinfg them
For god knows how many years. look forward to season summary and coverage from pakistan over the next couple of months great work and thanks for doing it.
Thanks Mark. I appreciate your comments.
I see a lot of deaths in the 8k Expeditions team.
Comments are closed.