- \n
- Nepal Tourism announced on 9 June 2017 that the Nepal side had 455 summits: 190 foreigners, 32 fee-paying Nepalis, 233 Sherpas and 375 climbing permits were issued to foreigners. the summit rate for foreigners was 50%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
However – a Toxic Mix Awaits<\/h3>\n
As I am in Kathmandu for a speaking engagement on behalf of Nepal tourism, I must begin this summary with my concern that the climbing on Everest continues to be threatened by inexperienced climbers\u00a0and unqualified guides – on both sides.<\/p>\n
In speaking with multiple climbers, Sherpas and guides they all make the same points:<\/p>\n
- \n
- there are too many people\u00a0on Everest who lack the basic mountaineering skills\u00a0to survive a major weather event or their own misstep when it will undoubtedly occur.<\/li>\n
- There are too many “Sherpa Guides” who simply don’t have the experience or skills to be of aid to those inexperienced climbers when the inevitable occurs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This toxic mix of inexperienced climbers\u00a0with unqualified\u00a0guides will result in a tragic event that will make 1996, 2006, 2014 and 2015\u00a0look minor. And the young climbers, dreaming of leveraging\u00a0an Everest summit into fame and fortune will never come home.<\/p>\n
Perhaps I am whispering in the wind, but I will continue to raise these issues, along with my suggestions, to anyone in authority who will listen.<\/p>\n
More on this in future posts.<\/p>\n
Banner Year?<\/h3>\n
As we entered 2017, it was clear that the south side would see record permits issued by the Nepal government. Permits that were extended after the truncated 2014 and 2015 season were expiring.<\/p>\n
A very successful 2016 season convinced many that Everest was back in business and an aggressive campaign by new companies courting the Indian and Chinese markets were seeing success.<\/p>\n
It stood to reason that some spillover might occur onto the north side for climbers fearing the crowds and those believing the constant doom and gloom spouted by the PR machines of a few that it was immoral to climb on the south side.<\/p>\n
So as late March neared, many held their breath not sure what this Spring would bring. And now that we are into early June, the answer is simple, and complex – Everest 2017 was a fairly normal season.<\/p>\n
No villains, victims or conspiracy plots. Not a bad or good year, \u00a0just a bunch of people climbing a mountain.<\/p>\n
Sit back, grab a beverage and let’s review what happened on Everest in the spring of 2017.<\/p>\n
Permit Fever<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2017-Spring-Nepal-Climbing-Permits-e1492354771253-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>In late March, Kathmandu filled up with aspiring climbers. The Nepal government issued 371 permits for Everest. 70 used their prior permits, saving $11,000 on the cost of this year\u2019s climb. Some spent all of that at the Kathmandu bars before they left for Lukla.<\/p>\nThese days you can count on at least one Sherpa for every foreigner so that meant the south side was looking at least 750 humans going up and down, probably closer to 800.<\/p>\n
Over on the Tibet side, figures are always hard to get. I was chastised by one western guide for using the wrong numbers (he read my post incorrectly) so he gave me the ‘right’ figures which I used only to come back and tell me\u00a0I posted the wrong numbers (his numbers) and gave me newer ones.<\/p>\n
Sigh, see I told you getting accurate\u00a0numbers from the north is as easy as understanding Presidential Tweets \u2026 covfefe<\/p>\n
Anyway, I digress. The north seemed to have about 136 foreigners and 170 support staff. Not nearly as many as I had thought.<\/p>\n
It would be interesting to understand why the north side never regained the strong momentum it had back in 2006 and 2007. I have my theories and a lot has to do with if you are spending tens of thousands of dollars, you want\u00a0some kind of assurance you will get to climb.<\/p>\n
The big growth in climbers on the Tibet side\u00a0was stopped cold when the Chinese effectively closed their side to take the Olympic torch to the summit in 2008. It has never reached the pre-2008 figures\u00a0even with fights, serac releases and earthquakes on the south.<\/p>\n
Perhaps with the Mountaineering\u00a0Center<\/a>\u00a0under development in Tingre and helicopter\u00a0rescue to be offered\u00a0in 2018 for Everest north for the first time, the north will again\u00a0see big numbers.<\/p>\n
100 permits were issued for Lhotse, a stone\u2019s throw from Everest. A few were looking to bag both peaks while above 8000 meters making Lhotse significantly easier – if you had any strength left from summiting Everest!<\/p>\n
When you add all this up, there was over 1,000 people on and around Everest in 2017 – and that was a record. UPDATE<\/strong>: but the summits from Nepal was the second highest, not a record.<\/p>\n
Trek and Drive<\/h3>\n
![\"Paved](\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Paved-road-to-Everest-Base-Camp-in-China.-courtsey-of-Advetnure-Paks-267x225.jpg\")
<\/a>Paved road to Everest Base Camp in China. courtesy of Adventure Peaks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The usual trek and travel to base camp on both sides went smoothly. The Chinese played their usual games with permits delaying a few teams but those who climb regularly in Tibet know the drill well by now.<\/p>\n
The dirt trails were filled with Zos, yaks, school kids, porters, locals – oh and climbers and trekkers – great news for the Khumbu teahouses.<\/p>\n
The normal complaints emerged about crowded wifi access and difficulty in charging batteries – first world problems \u2026<\/p>\n
But by April 15, Everest Base Camp on the Nepal side and Base Camp on the rocky moraine at the foot of Everest\u2019s impressive North Face filled up.<\/p>\n
Early Icefall Route<\/h3>\n
![\"Khumbu](\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Khumbu-Icefall-2017.-courtesy-of-Ben-Jones-300x187.jpg\")
<\/a>Khumbu Icefall 2017. courtesy of Ben Jones<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The Icefall Doctors had worked hard to get the route thru the Khumbu Icefall in early this year – meeting a request from long time guides that an early open would help spread out the teams thus reducing any crowding.<\/p>\n
So it began. Those on the north trudged up to Interim Camp for a night or two then onto Advanced Base Camp where they settled in for a bit.<\/p>\n
Some teams like Himex and IMG on the Nepal side eschewed the Icefall to acclimatize on the 20,000 foot \u201ctrekking peak\u201d Lobuche. This strategy eliminates at least one rotation through the Icefall but more importantly, reduces the time Sherpas and members spend there as did ferrying loads to Camp2 by helicopter this year.<\/p>\n
Not usual, but still garnering publicity, a few seracs collapsed within the Icefall, covering ropes and knocking ladders back into the crevasses\u00a0they crossed. Climbing paused while the Docs did their work and then climbing continued.<\/p>\n
The Icefall was reported in good condition in 2017. This does not mean there were no collapses and some teams didn’t experienced delays but overall, it acted like a normal glacier.<\/p>\n
But to be clear, climate change is impacting all the world\u2019s highest mountains – and both sides of Everest. I assume one day many of the routes used today will become unclimbable on the 8000ers , thus providing an opportunity for a new generation of climbers to find new, safer routes.<\/p>\n
Wind and Ropes<\/h3>\n
![\"Wind](\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Wind-on-Everest-by-Jim-Davidson-for-alan-300x169.jpg\")
<\/a>Wind on Everest\/Lhotse Face by Jim Davidson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n All was going well for the 2017 teams until the wind picked up in late April. Talk of an early summit – an annual tradition by those eager to get on top and out – was quelled.<\/p>\n
The commercial expeditions, with responsibility to fix the ropes to the summit on the Nepal side seemed to stall out. They were stopped by the wind and there is a limit to how much a handful of people can do – even Sherpas..<\/p>\n
Inexplicability a similar scenario was occurring on the north side. The Chinese Mountaineering Association, who has responsibility to fix from ABC to the summit, asked for help but\u00a0said they would stop at 8300 meters, Camp 3. Teams huddled and the Indian team, Transcend Adventures, supported by Arun Sherpas took over. And did they ever.<\/p>\n
Summits and A Record<\/h3>\n
On May 11\u00a0the Arun experts summited. They were the first of the season. Now with fixed the ropes set to the summit, a day later several Indian teenagers achieved their dreams with summits on the world\u2019s highest peak.<\/p>\n
In that push was a 47 year-old Sherpa woman, Lhapka Sherpa, who happened to summit for the 8th time – a female record. She reported a brisk breeze with frost nip on her cheek but the Transcend team said the wind gusted for a couple of hours but not a big deal.<\/p>\n
And this set the tone for the next month on Everest.<\/p>\n
Nepal Summit Ropes but Disappointments<\/h3>\n
![\"Setting](\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/everest_2003_174-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>Back on the Nepal side, the Gurkha team saw a small window to summit but the Sherpas who had gotten\u00a0the ropes to the Balcony, needed time to renew.<\/p>\nThe Gurkhas with their Sherpas\u00a0along with a couple of Sherpas from other teams fixed the route to the summit along the Southeast Ridge, thus declaring both sides open.<\/p>\n
This was a classic example of mutual respect and teamwork across many teams.<\/p>\n
A handful of aggressive climbers followed on their heels and were staged at Camp 2 and even Camp 3 ready to finish their climb early but the wind once again started to play an unforgiving game of serious chess.<\/p>\n
David Tait and Kenton Cool with Himex literally begged the Big Boss to let them go for the top all the while knowing it was foolhardy at best. They relented when \u00a0Brice said\u00a0no and somewhat gracefully left the mountain, Nepal and went home.<\/p>\n
Seriously is it there or not? – the Hillary Step<\/h3>\n
![\"Hillary](\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Hillary-Step-by-Jamie-McGuiness-and-Tim-Mosedale-225x225.jpg\")
<\/a>Hillary Step by Jamie McGuiness and Tim Mosedale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n A few days after these summits, the same discussion from a year ago started back up: had the Hillary Step collapsed or was it just covered in snow?<\/p>\n
The photos taken by early climbers this year were posted on social media. They went viral and the headlines screamed once again that the Hillary Step was gone!<\/p>\n
Since 1953 climbers have climbed the Step almost every year and certainly since the early 1990\u2019s. It is reasonable to think that during\u00a0the last 64 years, heavy snowfall would have covered it up recreating a similar scenario. But it has never been reported to have “disappeared”.<\/p>\n
Many long time Everest climbers seemed to agree that a few of the large boulders to the climber\u2019s left had fallen – somewhere. This changed the snow loading characteristics thus creating a snow ramp where the famous offwidth rock crack once existed.<\/div>\n![\"MOT](\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/18698065_1353610411355423_5808779486889415883_n-211x225.jpg\")
<\/a>MoT statement on\u00a0the Hillary Step<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n But after a couple of weeks of the Hillary Step gaining global headlines (why newspapers around the world are intrigued by a mountain changing shape is beyond me), the Nepal authorities issued a strongly worded press release declaring the Step was fine, just covered in snow and would be back soon. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
Actually, I do understand the upheaval as the Hillary Step is a piece of history on perhaps the most famous mountain route in the world.<\/p>\n
I know that when I climbed House Chimney on K2 and the Hillary Step on Everest, I felt a bit of a tingle knowing I was walking in the footsteps of firsts. So I get it.<\/p>\n
And, mountains move, change, eroded, collapse, grow – that’s what they do. So if it’s gone, thanks for the memories. But let\u2019s wait to see what next year brings!<\/p>\n
In general, the presence or absence of the Step seemed to have little impact on climbers this season. Some noted it was an easy snow ramp, other’s described\u00a0it as a near vertical snow ramp – thus the reports\u00a0we get from Everest climbers\u00a0each year – but I never heard or read that it was easier or harder\u00a0than in years past.<\/p>\n
Weather Keyholes<\/h3>\n
The weather forecasters became more frustrated than a Brexit pollster. Their models were changing every 12 hours making the predictions out of date before they reached the mountain.<\/p>\n
Instead of talking about weather windows of days, they talked about keyholes and openings of hours. Long time expedition leaders sat back and asked their members for trust and patience.<\/p>\n
But not everyone was willing to wait. For some reason a few teams on the Nepal side wanted to summit in the second week of May, not the traditional third or even fourth. They risked the narrow keyholes and some summited, albeit with frostbite that was never reported on their websites.<\/p>\n
One Mountain, Two Sides<\/h3>\n
Meanwhile those on the north were on a different mountain. The wind and snow stopped by an invisible wall of high pressure kept the north side downright balmy – at times.<\/p>\n
Occasionally the winds would pick up and kiss the cheeks of a team or two but for the most part, they enjoyed finishing their rotations to the North Col, and many a tick higher, before returning to relax in the hot springs of the Tibet villages before their summit pushes.<\/p>\n
Soon both sides were logging summit after summit, not the big numbers we are used to but a few here and there navigating the most fickle weather Everest veterans had experienced in years.<\/p>\n
Khumbu Flu<\/h3>\n
![\"EverestER](\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/17800251_10155364069490757_5549170951364536256_n-300x169.jpg\")
<\/a>In the midst of uncertainty around ropes, weather and summit sorties\u2019, climbers on the south side were getting sick – the flu to be exact.<\/p>\nEverestEr was busy this year, treating well over 500 patients for the usual problems but reports started to come in about Everest and Lhotse climbers being seriously ill with the flu. The only cure was rest.<\/p>\n
Many went back down valley to recover, odd because the flu was rampant down valley. But the body recovers better at lower altitudes so they didn’t have many options if they wanted to recover and get a chance to summit.<\/p>\n
The weather and rope delays plus the flu started to have an impact on the numbers. Some teams went from nine to three members, other reported 20% attrition, some as high as 30% – and these were the big teams. Now instead of 800 humans on the Nepal side, it was more like 600 and history has shown that 20-30% of those will not summit.<\/p>\n
The record year was quickly becoming just either big year on\u00a0Sagarmatha.<\/p>\n
Bad Behavior<\/h3>\n
In the third week of May, word came of the monsoons building in India that would bring heavy snow the the Himalaya by early June marking the end of a normal season on Everest. Climbers\u00a0were eager to their summit bids in and tension\u00a0was growing.<\/p>\n
But something else was creating tension, perhaps more for the authorities\u00a0than for the regular climbers. At least two cases were made public and perhaps\u00a0there were more that stayed under the radar.<\/p>\n
We had the one who climbed without a permit, knowing he was breaking not only the rules but also showing serious disrespect to the Nepal authorities. His social media posts flaunting his need to climb but having no money. He was caught and deported unceremoniously.<\/p>\n
Another knew it was against the rules to traverse from one side to another, but declared that mountains have no borders. He also said he was climbing unsupported and without oxygen. He was wrong on all counts, caught and is currently being held in Kathmandu.<\/p>\n
And there were stolen bottles of oxygen at the Lhotse high camp and at the South Col. Somehow the tenet of mutual respect and the climber\u2019s code had take a hit by the actions of a few.<\/p>\n
Nepal authorities again talked big but let the offenders away with a wrist slap, thus not discouraging\u00a0future\u00a0antagonist from making their own rules.<\/p>\n
Spin<\/h3>\n
![\"Jon](\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/18582121_1662445280450638_5732304538671500593_n-1-300x199.jpg\")
<\/a>Jon Gupta, Mollie Hughes, Sherpas Lila and Lhakpa on the summit 16 May. courtesy of Jon Gupta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Some on the north told the world that conditions were perfect while others that same day posted clips of hurricane force winds.<\/p>\n
Others made short cryptic posts and then went silent after the weekend of deaths. Families were worried, watchers confused and future members warned.<\/p>\n
Social media has changed Everest climbing, and maybe climbing across the world.<\/p>\n
Those who embrace the medium have become Cecil B. DeMille just waiting for that closeup. They maintain an image, a public persona that meets their audience, and sponsors, expectations. Weakness, heroics? Reality doesn\u2019t matter in this reality show, just follow the script.<\/p>\n
On Makalu, climbers argued if anyone reached the true summit – all played out on social media.<\/p>\n
On Kangchenjunga, a lack of a few hundred meters of ropes stopped a summit bid. Blame was fast and furious on blogs.<\/p>\n
On Lhotse, a fiasco around rope fixing flustered many, leaving them feeling like second class citizens to the massive Everest Industrial Complex. Again, self control was minimal as frustrations were aired on the Internet.<\/p>\n
Those who did write honestly, openly and candidly; they helped bring a world that few experience to many who have a deep interest in Everest but will never step foot there.<\/p>\n
To be sure, we are deeply appreciative of hearing the real story with real emotions regardless of the outcome.<\/p>\n
Now or Whenever<\/h3>\n
Near the end of May, the winds finally decided the holiday was over in Tibet and hit that side hard. The SummitClimb team held on while their tents became shredded. They felt lucky to descend but then went right back up when the forecast called for a calm period. George Kashough <\/a>captured the key moment at Camp 2:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2017-Spring-Nepal-Climbing-Permits-e1492354771253.jpg\")
<\/a>In late March, Kathmandu filled up with aspiring climbers. The Nepal government issued 371 permits for Everest. 70 used their prior permits, saving $11,000 on the cost of this year\u2019s climb. Some spent all of that at the Kathmandu bars before they left for Lukla.<\/p>\n