Everest 2024: Summit Tsunamis and Puddles. An unconfirmed Death

Sherpas on the Lhotse Face

I used to call the weather windows “Summit Waves,” but they are more like Tsunamis with the occasional puddles this year. Usually, we see hundreds of summits each day, but this year, it can be as few as two people for the entire day. The summit winds continue to be fickle this spring. May 21, 2024, was a huge day for Everest summits, with an estimated 160 summits, and tomorrow may exceed it, with some estimates of over 300 climbers positioned at the South Col. One death was reported, but I have not been able to confirm it. #everest2024

Everest 2024: Missing Everest Climbers Confirmed Dead, More Summits

Leaving Camp 3 for the summit in 2013. ©alanarnette

Expedition operator 8k Expeditions found the bodies of their clients Usukhjargal Tsedendamba, 31, near the South Summit, around 8,550m and his climbing partner, Purevsuren Lkhagvajav, 53, near the Balcony at 8400 meters. More climbers summited on May 13th and 15th, taking the total to 97 Everest summits from the Nepal side and the Tibetan rope team on the Tibet side.  #everest2024

Everest 2024: Everest Climbers Missing on Summit Push

Multiple media outlets report that two Mongolian climbers are missing. Usukhjargal Tsedendamba, 31 and Purevsuren Lkhagvajav, 53, were using base camp-only services from 8K Expeditions and climbing together without supplemental oxygen or Sherpa support. They left for the summit from the South Col at 8:45 a.m. on May 13 and haven’t been heard from since. High winds were reported at 70-80 kmh/45-50 mph. A search team has been dispatched by 8K. #everest2024

Everest 2024: Weekend Update May 13: First Summits

The first summiteers on Everest marked the beginning of the climbing rush. The rope fixers summited a few days ago, and over thirty-five climbers summited today.  Two climbers added to their summit collections to extend their records. Teams arrived at up base camp on the Tibet side, while a respected Sherpa sadly lost his life on Makalu. We’re now entering the summit phase of the spring climbing season. #everest2024