{"id":23717,"date":"2016-05-31T20:46:15","date_gmt":"2016-06-01T02:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/?p=23717"},"modified":"2018-04-20T15:30:40","modified_gmt":"2018-04-20T21:30:40","slug":"everest-2016-normal-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2016\/05\/31\/everest-2016-normal-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Everest 2016: Season Summary – A Normal Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everest 2016 was a success by many\u00a0measures. Climbers achieved life long dreams and a country got a break. It was a \u2018normal\u2019 season with around\u00a0600 summits but sadly there were\u00a0five\u00a0deaths plus one on Lhotse. However in stark contrast to the previous four years on Everest, 2016 lacked large scale tragedy or\u00a0extreme drama.<\/span><\/p>\n

If ever a poor country needed a break, it was Nepal in early 2016. The \u2018business\u2019 of Mount Everest means more than foreigners trying to summit the world\u2019s highest mountain. It means pride, jobs, a future for the next generation and obviously, money.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is my annual season summary that includes my own reporting while\u00a0I was attempting Lhotse this year, excerpts from climber\u2019s and guide\u2019s blogs, my own interviews at base camp and after their climbs. Plus I add my own personal opinions on some topics. Visit this page<\/a> to see the results of all the team I could track. This is a long post, so get your favorite beverage and let it all sink in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tough Few Years<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

By now the last two years of Everest, and Nepal, is well known. In 2014 an ice serac released off the West Shoulder of Everest killing 16 Sherpas in the Khumbu Icefall, 19 in total that year. The season ended immediately with no legitimate summits on the South side.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2015 a huge earthquake struck near Kathmandu and killed 9,000 Nepalis, mostly in the poorest rural areas. 19 lives were lost after the earthquake triggered an avalanche onto Everest Base Camp. The season ended immediately on both sides with zero summits – not that it mattered in the grand scheme.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the world was eager to help Nepal rebuild, an inept government was trying to establish a constitution and failed to give aid those citizens who needed it the most.\u00a0<\/span>But those in the Solo Khumbu area of Nepal, mostly ethnic Sherpas, rebuilt their teahouses and homes and called for the world to return.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trekkers Stay Away, Climbers Take the Deal<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

As the Everest climbing season approached, early reports showed\u00a0that permit numbers were down, and down a lot. At the last minute Nepal’s Ministry of Tourism approved an extension of the climbing permits ($11,000 for Everest) that were issued in 2015. They would be good for 2016 and 2017. <\/span><\/p>\n

This was a late attempt to keep the business of Everest alive. They made a similar decision for the 2014 permits, also at the last minute in 2015 but extended those for five years, thru 2019, similar to what China had already approved for both years. 265 Everest climbers just from 2015 on the Nepal side now had their permits extended.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure these measures mattered as Everest seems to attract more climbers after a tragic year. The years following the largest death tolls to date in 1996, 2006 and 2014\/15 were followed by a record number of climbers. The more Everest takes lives, the more people come.<\/span><\/p>\n

But in any event, Climbers reacted quickly in 2016. By early April there were 34 teams at Everest Base Camp with 289 Everest permits issued, compared to\u00a0319 in 2015 or down about 10%. Even with the last minute approval, 69 climbers were reported to have used their previous permits. 500 High Altitude Workers were shown on permits to support the foreign climbers or almost 1.7 for each member.<\/span><\/p>\n

78\u00a0permits were issued for Lhotse and 44\u00a0for Nuptse permits. The non-Everest permits are a bit misleading as anyone who wants to enter the Icefall or just go to Camp 2 needs a permit for that maximum altitude but may have no intention of trying to climb that mountain. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Everest business is estimated to generate about $15 million for the Nepal economy and in 2015 with the permit extensions royalties were reduced\u00a0to $1.6m.\u00a0In 2014, tourism accounted for 8.9 percent of Nepal\u2019s GDP and 7.5 percent of its total employment.<\/span><\/p>\n

But trekkers stayed away, there were 40% less trekkers than in the previous year hurting hotels, restaurants, and taxis in Kathmandu. The teahouses, guides and porters throughout the trekking areas of Nepal also saw a dramatic decline in business. Trekking brings more money to Nepal than climbing, so the backlash from bad publicity around the earthquake and embargo was\u00a0hurting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unusually Warm <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The climbing season began with a mixture of optimism and apprehension. The impact of the earthquake was an unknown on the upper part of Everest. Only one climber attempted it in the autumn of 2015 and climbed a bit above Camp 3 on the Lhotse Face. He said the route was the same as in previous years.<\/span><\/p>\n

As climbers trekked to the Nepal Everest Base Camp (EBC), they noticed the teahouses were almost empty, the temperatures were warm. I was there.\u00a0I was part of the migration to EBC aiming to summit Lhotse, thwarted by the earthquake last year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those focusing on climbing from the Tibet side were met with the usual unexplained delays by the Chinese government, knowing they would eventually get to enter but just not sure when they would arrive at the Chinese Base Camp (CBC).<\/span><\/p>\n

On the South, EBC spread out for over a mile at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall, some camps were in the exact same position as the ones destroyed by the avalanche only 12 months earlier. Climbers spoke in hushed voices about the warm temperatures and the risk of another avalanche. Guides assured their members that everything was fine.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the time Everest Base Camp began to fill up, it was obvious that something was quite different, at least at this altitude. In early April, EBC is usually frozen solid, but in 2016 it was already melting like it was late May or even early June. A river of running water flowed freely thru base camp. The only ones who benefited were the water crews.<\/span><\/p>\n

The big question was the condition of the upper mountain – Lhotse Face, Triangular Face and the route from the South Summit to the summit itself – all speculation until humans set foot on those areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Khumbu<\/a>
Khumbu Icefall 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Khumbu Icefall<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

With warm temperatures, the Icefall Doctors worked hard to set the route to Camp 2 but were delayed by difficulties in Icefall.\u00a0 <\/span>The instability encouraged them to go slowly, carefully trying to avoid the tragedies of the past few years. <\/span><\/p>\n

They found a creative route and instead of the normal 20 ladders in the Icefall, 2016 only had about 7 in the beginning. Sections of the route were challenging, more so than in any of my five previous climbs. <\/span><\/p>\n

At the top of the Icefall was a near vertical 100 foot\/30m ice and snow wall that served as the final gateway into the Western Cwm. Early in the season there was no ladder so both Sherpas and members got backed up, many struggeling to get off the ground and began climbing. For some, they simply gave up and said they couldn’t do it until helpful hands gave them a fanny push to start their climb.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over on the North, the Chinese\/Tibetan team responsible for fixing the ropes were slowed by high winds. It seemed there was a tale of two mountain – warm down low, and windy and cold up high. In fact this would be how the season unfolded.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the Nepal side, commercial teams finally entered the Icefall on April 11, actually about normal for Everest. And on the North, climbers finally started arriving at CBC around April 17, again about normal for Everest.<\/span><\/p>\n

Always Connected<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

On the Nepal side, EverestLink provided fairly reliable Internet connection throughout the entire season. Over on the North, China Mobile offered 4G. And satellite connection using Thuraya or Iridium competed the ability for anyone, almost anywhere to post their latest selfie, Snapchat clips, tweets, posts and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Multiple virtual reality or 360 degree camera set-ups caught almost every moment and there were nine camera crews just on the south side and several on the north to capture sponsored and hi-profile teams. Mamut<\/a> already posted their video from EBC to the summit.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the south, the film crews were invasive and honestly, a pain. They felt like ambulance chasers showing up at the moment a climber had a problem, camera in their face, release in hand hoping to capture \u201creality\u201d for the next series on Discovery or the Travel Channel.\u00a0<\/span>Climbers wanting to go low profile had to turn away to avoid the spotlight, others relished being on camera and readily told their story.<\/span><\/p>\n

Teams began to enter the Western Cwm and Advanced Base Camp on the North for their acclimatization rotations. Some broadcasted their every move via social media including real time interviews and chats.\u00a0<\/span>While new for many,\u00a0this \u2018real-time\u2019 coverage was pioneered in the 1990’s on the site, MountainZone<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Widespread Illness<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Everest Base Camp began to feel more like an airport than a climbing base. With clear skies, every morning brought a flock of choppers to EBC, many to pick up climbers and a few trekkers with health issues. It felt early to be having so many evacuations but this was the tip of the iceberg.<\/span><\/p>\n

From my perspective, there seemed to be many cases of upper repository infections that simply wouldn’t go away – I know I was one of\u00a0them! Several people developed HAPE early on their rotations.<\/p>\n

A \u2018Normal Season\u2019 Develops<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

With teams now in place\u00a0on both sides of the mountain, the season progressed with little to no problems. I wrote on April 26 that it was looking like a normal season:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cSo just would a normal season look like at this point? Well, based on history we will get a few days of bad weather – snow and wind – that will shut down the mountain.\u00a0 <\/span>Everyone will hunker down in their tents and wait for it to pass.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ropes will reach the summit around May 10th thus opening the flood gates for the aggressive teams to make their summit pushes. Most will have issues due to cold temps and high winds but we will see early summits. There may be a death.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the time the summit attempts begin in earnest, the 287 people with Everest permits will have attrited by 20% making about 230 people on the mountain with an equal number of Sherpas.<\/span><\/p>\n

The majority of the Everest summits will occur after the first push. The largest teams, IMG, Seven Summits Treks and the Indian Army will spread out their attempts. The smaller teams will weave into the mix.<\/span><\/p>\n

If this warm weather and high pressure remains in place, there should be between 8 and 12 suitable summit days with low enough winds to summit. Spreading the remaining climbers out across these days will mean little if any crowding or bottlenecks at the usual suspects – Lhotse Face, Yellow Band, Southeast Ridge, Hillary Step, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

The season will wind down around May 25 on the south while going strong on the North into early June.<\/span><\/p>\n

If all this happens, it will be a quiet season and one many have longed for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I was close on almost all my predictions but the North side started late and ended early. But overall, the normal season continued.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where are the Ropes?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s climbers and guides have become accustomed to having a fixed rope from base camp to summit not only to mark the route but also to provide a safety net in case of a fall. <\/span><\/p>\n

Many teams will not climb where there are no fixed ropes thus the climbing schedules are driven by how quickly the ropes get \u201cfixed\u201d. Setting these lines is dangerous, difficult and physically demanding work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Almost every commercial team and independent climber depends on other people to set the fixed ropes. On the North, it is done by the Chinese run CTMA (China Tibet Mountaineering Association) who go to the summit and on the Nepal side by the Nepal run SPCC (Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee) aka the Icefall Doctors; but they only work to Camp 2 and at that point a loose collation of commercial guide companies pay their Sherpas to continue to set the line to the summit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Teams on the South began to get anxious as the ropes were only set to Camp 2 by mid April, and over on the North, climbers began voicing their complaints. But long time climbers\u00a0and operators called for calm as\u00a0patience is required to climb these big beasts.<\/p>\n

Sherpa Safety Progress<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

With EBC filled with new Nepali based guide companies, and the long time western ones, the traditional leaders on the South – Himex, IMG and others did their usual task of coordinating the fixed line from Camp 2 to the summit but after years of lobbying, something dramatic changed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Nepal government finally gave permission to use helicopters to ferry the summit ropes and gear from Gorak Shep to Camp 1 in the Western Cwm thereby eliminating 88 Sherpa loads thru the Icefall – a genuine sign that the Nepal government cared about the lives of the Sherpas. One individual deserved credit for this, Damber Parajuli,<\/i><\/b> leader of the Expedition Operators Association.<\/span><\/p>\n

This was a huge break thru that hopefully will continue in future years.<\/p>\n

Rescue<\/strong><\/p>\n

Only two of the 289 permits were for a route other\u00a0than the normal Southeast ridge on the Nepal side.\u00a0Slovak alpinists Vladim\u00edr \u0160trba and Zolt\u00e1n P\u00e1l were to attempt the rarely\u00a0climbed Southwest face via the British Route, without supplemental oxygen.<\/p>\n

As they were climbing after a few days of heavy snow, they got caught in an avalanche and became trapped on the Face and one of\u00a0the climbers had an eye injury.<\/p>\n

Four Sherpas from Seven Summits Treks conducted a rescue that involved setting a new fixed line 700 meters long above 7,000 meters that allowed the climbers to move to a safer location. Eventually\u00a0they were helicoptered out from camp 2.<\/p>\n

Summit Ropes and First 2016 Summits<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

On May 11, about on schedule for the Nepal side, a team of nine Sherpas made the climb from the South Col to the summit, fixing the rope along the way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then on May 12th, the UK\u2019s Kenton Cool got his 12th summit while guiding member Robert Richard Lucas. Sherpa Guides Pemba Bhote and Dorchi Gyalzen summited with them. 13 minutes later, Mexican climber David Liano Gonzalez and Pasang Rita Sherpa also summited. This was Liano\u2019s fifth summit.<\/span><\/p>\n

The next day, 13 May, targeting a very short weather window, climbers from Himalayan Experience (Himex), Jagged Globe and Asian Trekking pushed thru to put 25 people on the summit.<\/span><\/p>\n

The conditions were not ideal. Jagged Globe\u2018s David Hamilton, a very experienced Everest guide, posted an excellent recap of their summit on 13 May. This paragraph captures it all:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAt approximately 07.15 we reached the South Summit just as the winds rose to 30 knots plus. This was accompanied by blowing snow and visibility of less than 50m. I was strongly of the view that continuing to climb upwards in these conditions was unacceptably dangerous and aimed to cancel the ascent. I consulted with the two most experienced Sherpa guides with the team (Pem Chhiri and Nima Gyalzen) and they suggested resting in a small hollow just below the South Summit for a short while to see if conditions would improve. I was skeptical of this, as I feared that the wind strength would increase.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

For the next four days, someone summited Everest from the Nepal side – a record for consecutive summits days- six in all – however, none from\u00a0<\/span>the Tibet side, yet. But then the winds came for real.<\/span><\/p>\n

May 19 and 20 and Frostbite and\u00a0 <\/span>\u2026<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The winds blew and blew on both sides. Teams on the Nepal side pushed to the South Col understanding that the winds were forecasted\u00a0to 50 mph according to one veteran Everest weather forecaster. The teams wanted to beat the crowds but paid a price.<\/span><\/p>\n

When they arrived at the Col, tents were being ripped apart. The winds were so high, some teams could not even set up their tents. Wisely, everyone took shelter where they could and settled in for a long night and an unexpected extra day at almost 8000 meters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alpine Ascents posted this update. It is their standard program to spend a night at the South Col before heading to the summit.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201c climbers and sherpas team arrived south col 26000 feet at 2.00 pm. It was very challenging day for them with strong wind approximately 45 mile per hour, but ours team keep continues and and able to pulled thru.the challenging part was setting tent at 26000 feet with blowing hard. team did not gave up they wait several hours and able set tents, got hot fluid and foods. every one is doing well and in great spirit, they are all laying in their warm sleeping bags. The plane for tomorrow is rest day. Right know it starting to snowing and wind still blowing hard. hoping to calm down soon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Other climbers were not so optimistic. Robert Kay with Altitude Junkies sent out these messages:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n