{"id":49224,"date":"2026-04-12T17:31:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T23:31:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/?p=49224"},"modified":"2026-04-12T17:34:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T23:34:55","slug":"everest-2026-april-12-weekend-update-the-khumbu-is-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2026\/04\/12\/everest-2026-april-12-weekend-update-the-khumbu-is-alive\/","title":{"rendered":"Everest 2026: April 12 Weekend Update – The Khumbu is Alive!"},"content":{"rendered":"
Teahouses are buzzing, the trails are full, the yaks are loaded\u2013as are the porters bearing unbelievable loads. Yes, the Khumbu is alive. But the weather is poor for some of the 8000ers.<\/div>\n
\n

Big Picture<\/h2>\n
\n

Light rain and the occasional snow flurry are keeping trekkers and climbers cool as they make the walk from Lukla to Everest Base Camp. Team after team reports their location: Packding, Namche Bazar, Thame, Tengboche, Periche, Lobuje, Gorak Shep, and the goal\u2014Everest Base Camp! Oh my!<\/p>\n

We are seeing summits of the so-called trekking peaks: Lobuche East, Island Peak, and Mera Peak\u2014for acclimatization before arriving at base camp for the real deal. Even Ama Dablam saw a few first summits of the season this week.<\/p>\n

If there is an emerging problem, it’s the high winds that are keeping the Icefall doctors from setting the route (i.e., fixed ropes) through the Khumbu Icefall. But it’s still early, so as my mom used to say, let’s not borrow trouble.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

This and That<\/h2>\n

No Plastic Water Bottles<\/h3>\n

Kristin Harli reports good environmental news. Check out the video on her IG<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

At Panorama Lodge in Namche, they\u2019ve installed a water filtration system that lets us refill our bottles directly with clean drinking water. In a good season, this saves around 35,000 single-use plastic bottles<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Jim Wittaker Passing<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\n

The climbing community is mourning the loss of Jim Whittaker, who passed away\u00a0on April 7, 2026, at age 97. In 1963, he became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest, a decade after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s historic first ascent.<\/p>\n

His accomplishments, including summiting Mount Everest and leading the first American K2 expedition (though not summiting) in 1978, earned him a place in the record books. Whittaker ascended Mount Rainier more than 100 times, beginning in 1945 with his brother at age 16.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jim, the first full-time employee of Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), later became the co-op\u2019s president and CEO (1971-1979), helping grow it into a national outdoor retail leader.<\/p>\n

He shared the status of a world-class climber with his identical twin, Lou, who led the first American expedition to climb the north face of Mount Everest but didn’t summit. Phil Ershler summited alone. Lou\u00a0summited Rainier over 250 times.\u00a0Lou died on March 24, 2024, at age 95.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 1968, Lou partnered with Jerry Lynch to form Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. (RMI). In 1975, the NPS awarded RMI its first multi-year (five-year) guiding concession contract following a bidding and prospectus process. This made RMI the primary, and eventually the de facto sole, authorized commercial guiding service on the mountain. In 2006, the NPS added two more concessionaires: Alpine Ascents International and International Mountain Guides (IMG).<\/p>\n

Adventure Consultants Celebrate an Anniversary<\/h3>\n

AC posted that 2026 was their 30th Everest \u00a0expedition:<\/p>\n

\n
\n
It’s our 30th expedition on Mount Everest!<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
Three decades of standing on the shoulders of giants. Thirty expeditions. Countless lessons learned in thin air. A team that has grown stronger, safer, and more experienced with every season. We don’t take that lightly. This spring, we’re back on the mountain we know better than any other, with a team we’re proud to stand alongside. Here’s to the climbers, the guides, the Sherpa team, the base camp crew, and everyone who makes an Everest expedition so much more than a summit bid.\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n
\n
The mountain is waiting. So are we.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Ryan Mitchell Update<\/h2>\n
\n

Ryan Mitchell, 21, and Justin Sacket, 28, will attempt a no-O’s climb with limited Sherpa support (a couple carrying emergency oxygen) on Nepal’s Southeast Ridge normal route. Ryan summited Everest with Madison Mountaineering in 2024 and was unsuccessful on K2 last year due to treacherous rockfall that resulted in the death of one climber. Justin, a professional mountain guide and founder of Skyline Mountain Guides, has a personal altitude of 6,812 meters (22,349 ft) on Nepal’s Ama Dablam.<\/p>\n

They continue to acclimate for their no-O’s Everest\/Lhotse attempt. They just summited Lobuche East, a common step for nearly all Everest climbers nowadays. Now they are biding their time around EBC, waiting for the route to the Western Cwm.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
You callow them on the social media at:<\/div>\n