Everest 2025: Lhotse Summits, Everest Soon & Anticipation

Big Picture

With 107 foreign members having Lhotse permits, we expect to see summits over the next few days. However, linking an Everest summit with a Lhotse summit is now fashionable, thus claiming both in the same push. Personally, I think the Lhotse summit should be considered separate only when starting from EBC or at least Camp 2, not the South Col, but that’s just me.

The Everest rope team stopped at the South Summit on May 8^th after one of the team members became ill. They will return and finish fixing the ropes to the summit tomorrow, May 9^th.

The 8K rope team for Lhotse and Everest is comprised of Ashok Lama, Karma Gyaljen Sherpa, Pem Nurbu Sherpa, Ming Dawa Sherpa, Tashi Sherpa, Pasang Rinjee Sherpa, Pashtanjen Sherpa, and Tashi Nurbu Sherpa.

Most teams are still in base camp or Advanced Base Camp, waiting for the ropes to reach the summit. If the forecasts hold, Sunday could be the first of a handful of days where manageable winds open the door for the first few waves of teams to make their summit attempts. Look for member or client summits to begin on May 10^th.

If history holds, another weather front will move in and stop the activity before another window emerges. Everyone hopes there will be multiple windows to spread out the climbers this year, especially on the Nepal side. Remember, it’s still early with at least three full weeks to go before the end of the season in late May, so as I addressed in the previous post, it’s critical to have a summit strategy and be ready to go at any moment.

This could be problematic for the climbers who dropped back to “touch grass” in Namche or even Kathmandu. While this is popular given the extensive use of helicopters as taxis, I think the risk of catching a bug when interacting with new people is too risky to offset the benefit of being in thinner air for a few days.

Stocking the South Col

Adventure Consultants gave an update on what many teams are also doing, stocking the South Col with summit supplies, now that the fixed lines are there.

Another beautiful day at Camp 2. Boiling hot and a little flurry of snow in the afternoon into a star studded evening. The team set out on a little leg stretch out of camp. Returning to a full camp with all our climbing Sherpa back from their first carry to camp 4. Its busy up on the mountain as teams prepare the upper camps for summit bid. We often see headtorches in the icefall from base camp. But last night they watched the line of head torches ascend the Lhotse face. Still some important steps ahead for our climbers, but the excitement is definitely building! Kim, from base camp for the AC team

Government Regulations Enforced

I often decry the lack of enforcement of rules on the Nepal side of Everest, but now I want to applaud and thank them for enforcing the trash regulation that each climber must bring down their trash and solid waste. The paragraph from the excellent blog of Len Forkas made me smile:

As we neared Base Camp, the increasing ice melt around noon presented slippery rock, ice and SCREE, demanding our full attention. At the exit of the Icefall, a government official weighed our waste—both garbage and human—to ensure compliance with Nepal’s environmental regulations. This initiative aims to preserve the mountain’s pristine condition, and we were proud to contribute our poop to the effort.

Drone Update

Long-time follower and now Everest climber, Robert Alt, sent me a link to his excellent blog and a picture of “Drone Down” in the Icefall. It went down in high winds on April 22. I said it crashed, but other sources said it had a gentle landing after a parachute deployed to save the $70,000 flying machine. Well, Robert chats about crash vs “emergency landings” in this post, along with a great video of it flying above EBC. He likes the way they sound! 🙂

Robert is with the team Climbing the Seven Summits and with 27-time Everest summiter, Pasang Dawa Sherpa, aka “PaDawa“, the second most after Kami Rita Sherpa at 31.

Other Peaks

There is always climbing somewhere in the world! While our attention is focused on Nepal’s Himalayan peak, Denali and Rainier seasons have begun with teams and climbers on both.

The Anticipation of Summiting – A Narrative

You have been hearing about the infamous summit window for years. It seems like that is all you’ve talked about over the last few days. At breakfast this morning, the table talk went like this. “So, do you believe the forecast?” you throw out to the table at large. “You mean the one that said we would have clear skies and no winds the day the cyclone hit us? The skeptic in the group responded. “Yeah, that one.” You continue undeterred. “You know, if it’s right, then we leave tomorrow or the day after for our summit push.” The table gets quiet as each person looks into their soupy porridge. No need for a lot of words. This is why you are here. Each person is lost in their private world for the next few bites.

You’ve heard the talk from the lead guide about being ready at a moment’s notice, as the weather forecast changes quickly. She took joy in telling the story of a few years ago when they got an update from the States at 9:00 pm Everest time, which was 11:45 minutes earlier. What’s up with the 15-minute thing? Anyway, the story goes that everyone had gone to their tents after being told the weather was horrible up high and there would be no summit push for at least a week.

Each climber had done their nightly routine and crawled into their sleeping bags, their toes warmed by a Nalgene filled with hot water. They had completed their last crocodile roll in their sleeping bag around 10 when, like Paul Revere, the lead guide came urgently to the member tent area shouting. “Hey, everyone, if you want to go to the summit, this is your chance. Pack your summit pack and be ready to leave base camp at 2.” Wow, talk about whiplash!

Well, you were ready. Hell, you’ve been ready for the past three years as you saved money, put off big purchases, trained on lesser peaks, and pushed hard to get your body in shape. The last few weeks, it has all come together. Yeah, the first climb to Camp 1 was slow. You thought you weren’t up for this a few times, but you pushed on. The next trip up to Camp 2 was better, but then that damned Lhotse Face. Lucky you, it was hard blue ice this year, and there was no snow for steps to be kicked into. It seems like it took forever to get to lower C3. But you did it. Your team didn’t sleep there like others before you. The new thinking is you don’t have to punish your body with that horrible night at 23,000 feet to acclimatize; you only need to get to 7,000 meters, have a snack, and return to C2. Good God, you hope they are right.

Leaving breakfast early, you skipped the regular chat group for some alone time. Sitting cross-legged in your tent, you look at your summit gear spread out on the tent floor. You get that 1,000-yard stare in your eyes as you begin to visualize the next few days. The last climb through the creaky Khumbu Icefall, the hot Western Cwm, up the steep Lhotse Face, then … well, you don’t know. You only know what you’ve read and been told.

Leave C3 before dawn, continue up the Face, and turn left towards the Yellow Band. Clipped into the fixed ropes, scale the limestone rock and then to the base of the Geneva Spur and scramble over exposed rock to the South Col. Spend a few hours resting on Os, then leave just after dark. Up the pyramid to the Balcony, the Southeast Ridge and South Summit, the Traverse, and then whatever is left of the Hillary Step and on, and on to the top of the world. You know the music, but do you know the words? Can you sing the song? Can you keep up with the band? Can you …

Suddenly, your frozen stare locks onto a picture you placed in the tent mesh pocket three weeks ago when you arrived. You focus carefully on the faces. You look into their eyes, half expecting them to say something. You listen carefully, and then you hear a voice. “I love you. We believe in you. We will be with you each step. You are where you should be. I believe.” Locked into the moment, you give yourself permission to go somewhere else. The change of scenery feels good. Your breathing is calm and controlled. You are at peace.

Each item on the tent floor has its own place in your pack. You slowly and methodically organize your kit. There is something comforting about the familiarity of this routine. You’ve done this many times as you trained for Everest. Some of the gear, you pick up and cradle in your palms. Yes, this will keep me safe. And you put it in the same place as before. Eventually, the floor is clear and the pack is full.

Rolling over onto your unzipped down sleeping bag you lie down and look at the ceiling. Closing your eyes, you hear the sounds of Everest Base Camp. The hiss of a gas stove, the chatter of teammates still talking trash, Sherpa or Nepalese language, you still have a hard time telling the difference, but enjoy the cadence, the strength and confidence in their conversation. Off in the distance, the gentle tone of a yak bell. You know the huge furry beast is probably nodding off. The sounds of camp act like a soft sleeping pill as you go to that place between sleep and awake.

Knowing your time will come soon, you take one more breath and go to that place of sleep. Soon you will be climbing Mount Everest.

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

A Podcast of Today’s Post

The Podcast on alanarnette.com

You can listen to #everest2025 podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Anchor, and more. Just search for “alan arnette” on your favorite podcast platform.

Previous Everest 2025 Season Coverage Posts

• Everest 2025: Lhotse Summits, Everest Soon & Anticipation
• Everest 2025: Managing the Crowds for a “Summit Weekend”
• Everest 2025: Pumori Avalanche, Makalu Death
• Everest 2025: Weekend Update May  4–Waiting on the Ropes
• Everest 2025: Climbers to Watch and a Death on Ama Dablam
• Everest 2025: Weekend Update May  4–On the Move!
• Everest 2025: Climbers to Watch and a Death on Ama Dablam
• Everest 2025: Weekend Update April 27–On the Move!
• Everest 2025: Remembering The Day Nepal Shook–10 Years Later
• Everest 2025: When Will They Summit?
• Everest 2025: Weekend Update April 20–Base Camp Sprawl
• Everest 2025: April 18, A Day to Remember
• Annapurna 2025: Podcast with John Black on Sherpa Deaths
• Everest 2025: Weekend Update April 11
• Annapurna 2025: Summit and Missing Sherpas
• Everest 2025: Weekend Update April 6
• Annapurna 2025: Risky Decisions – April 5 Update
• Everest 2025: Weekend Update March 30
• Everest 2025: Weekend Update March 23
• Everest 2025: Welcome to Everest 2025 Coverage – an introduction to the Everest 2025 Spring season

Background

• Everest by the Numbers: 2025 Edition – A deep dive into Everest statistics as compiled by the Himalayan Database
• Comparing the Routes of Everest: 2025 Edition – A detailed look at Everest’s routes, commercial, standard and non-standard
• How Much Does it Cost to Climb Everest: 2025 Edition – My annual review of what it costs to climb Everest solo, unsupported, and guided

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