{"id":49323,"date":"2026-05-10T13:25:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T19:25:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/?p=49323"},"modified":"2026-05-10T15:33:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T21:33:55","slug":"everest-2026-may-10-weekend-update-ropes-to-south-col-everest-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2026\/05\/10\/everest-2026-may-10-weekend-update-ropes-to-south-col-everest-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Everest 2026: May 10 Weekend Update – Ropes to South Col, Everest Death"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The rope fixers got the fixed line to the South Col on Friday, May 8, 2026 and are on track to reach the summit by the 13th or earlier. As predicted, some Nepali teams have already positioned members at the Col to attempt the summit as the lines get there. Nepal has issued 492 Everest permits, surpassing the 2024 record of 479. A Sherpa died in the Icefall. There is climbing on the Tibet side of Everest.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Big Picture<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

With the route to the Col, Sherpas will begin stocking it with oxygen bottles and other supplies. With members acclimatizing, there are teams spread from EBC to Camps 1 and 2. A few slept at C3, primarily those hoping to summit without supplemental oxygen. Also, there are still a few teams acclimatizing on trekking peaks like Mera.<\/p>\n

This past week was marked by heavy snow and high winds that kept climbers in place, many at Camp 2. Adventure Consultants posited this picture of C2:<\/p>\n

\"Adventures<\/a>
Adventures Consultants Camp 2 May 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Summit Window Squeeze?<\/h3>\n

Meteorologist Chris Tomer of Tomer Weather Solutions<\/a>\u00a0told me on Thursday, May 7, 2026:<\/p>\n

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Really tough road ahead. The serac delay has put them between a rock and a hard place. Storm system slides across Everest 5\/9-5\/10 with up to a foot of snow accumulation.Brief summit window thereafter. Then the jet stream sits on the summit 5\/14-5\/18. If they can\u2019t get the summit open by 5\/13, then you can see what happens.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So here’s the deal I’ve been discussing for the past several weeks. With the Icefall delays, followed by a few days of high winds and heavy snow, the traditional acclimatization process has been delayed. However, smart teams have acclimated on trekking peaks, as I outlined in last week’s Weekend Update<\/a>, so they are ready to head to the summit as soon as a weather window emerges… and there’s the rub.<\/p>\n

If Tomer is correct and I’ve verified the Jet Stream’s presence at other sites<\/a>, the ropes need to be in by the 13th. If the monsoons arrive on schedule (who knows?), around the end of May, that leaves 18 days for about 875 people (500 members, each supported by 1.5 Sherpas, minus a 30% attrition rate) to summit.<\/p>\n

The majority will follow the rope team, which is ill-advised since the Jet hits the day after the 13th. If they do, expect tragic deaths, massive unreported frostbite, and rescues. So we will see summit pushes from May 14 through May 18. Then the “wait-and-see” teams will go from May 20 to the 25th, assuming good weather; this includes the no-Os and runners.<\/p>\n

Another development is that it appears teams are becoming frustrated with the goverment beauracity, \u00a0Icefall Doctors and rope fixing teams, despite the ropes already being to the Col. Imagine Nepal<\/a> put it this way:<\/p>\n

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Everest 2026 is becoming a roller-coaster ride for my team. The route through the icefalls was delayed, and we provided a solution. The icefall doctors almost stopped responding to my team along the way, and many complained that we took too much risk and put everyone in danger. That said, most of the Sherpas and climbers are now happy with the route still, please be very careful in those dangerous sections.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
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Finally, the route to Camp 2 was opened but we had to deal with permit and delays in transferring rope and climbing equipment to Camp 2. This caused us to miss some really good weather. However, I am super impressed with the rope-fixing team. Their work from Camp 2 to Camp 4 was excellent, and we are very grateful to them. They spent several days above 6,000m, and obviously they are tired. Base camp is the best place for them to rest and recover, and they are there now recuperating, so we have no complaints at all. Also, many thanks to Dawa Dai for his amazing efforts from base camp.<\/div>\n
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We are considering several weather reports, and May 12th and 13th still look like the best weather window to open the route to the summit. If we miss this window, we will need to use the next available one for opening the summit route. This year, the Nepal government issued a record number of permits \u2014 492 in total. I am surprised and hope our government becomes more responsible. But someone has to take responsibility, and we are taking that responsibility to ensure there isn\u2019t too much traffic, and that our foreign climbers can enjoy more flexible summit dates.<\/div>\n
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Considering all aspects, we plan to open the summit route on May 13th by ourselves. If the weather favors us, we will fix the Everest summit route on May 13th.<\/strong> We are capable of doing that, and we will be provided support on summit day because we have a backup plan and supporters in place which we will announce on the summit day thanking them.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Sherpa Death on Everest<\/h2>\n

Bijaya Ghimire<\/strong>, 35, the first Nepali Dalit climber to summit Mount Everest, died on Sunday while ascending from Base Camp to Camp I during an acclimatization rotation, according to Nepal Police. He was on his fourth expedition to the world\u2019s highest peak. Ghimire, 35, died at around 5 a.m. in the Khumbu Icefall area. Reports have him feeling unwell and having turned back to EBC when he died.<\/p>\n

Ghimire first summited Everest in 2016, a milestone with deep social significance in Nepal, where Dalits \u2014 historically considered the lowest caste in the Hindu hierarchy \u2014 have long faced discrimination and exclusion.<\/p>\n

His death marked the second fatality of Nepal\u2019s 2026 spring climbing season. On May 3, Lakpa Dendi Sherpa<\/strong>, 51, from Gudel village, died at about 5,200 meters on his way to Everest Base Camp.<\/p>\n

Serac Update<\/h2>\n
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It appears that the giant refrigerator-shaped serac was not hovering over the Icefall but rather within it. I’m told directly by climbers who passed by it, taking about one minute to get out of immediate danger, that it was huge\u00a0and that, when it fell, it left a massive debris field. This photo was posted by the SPCC<\/a>:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"2026<\/a>
2026 Serac blocking the Icefall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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No O’s Check In<\/h2>\n
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Checked in with Justin Sackett. He spent 2 nights at C3, around 7100m and hopes to do one more rotation before the end of the season summit push. He’s strong and healthy, making excellent climb times between camps.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Tibet Side Climbing<\/h2>\n

China closed its side of Everest, and Cho Oyu and Shishapangma to foreign climbers for reasons unknown. However, there are Chinese climbers, as noted on his excellent blog:<\/p>\n

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Mingma Sherpa<\/a>, the normal route is secured up to Camp 3 at 8,300 meters. The Director of the Nepalese expedition operator Climbalaya<\/a> has excellent connections in China and is always well-informed. From Camp 3, the rope-fixing team still has to install ropes along nearly the entire Northeast Ridge up to the summit.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

30-Year “Into Thin Air” Anniversary<\/h2>\n

Jon Krauker is currently promoting a new foreword for his bestselling account of the 1996 Everest tragedy. That spring climbing season saw a record 12 fatalities, which was about 3% of those who went above Base Camp, just below the historical average of 3.3% at that time. 398 climbers, members and Sherpas, summitted that spring.<\/p>\n

Rob Hall, co-founder of Adventure Consultants, died while trying to get client Doug Hansen to descend after their very late summit. And “Harold” Harris also died near them. Mountain Madness founder Scott Fischer also died; his body is reportedly visible to the climber’s right as they ascend from the South Col to the Balcony. I never saw him, but I also never tried to look.<\/p>\n

In this interview posted on AOL<\/a>, Krauker comments on climbing Everest today, and his decision to climb in 1996:<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s right. I\u2019m 72 now, mellowing. I\u2019m willing to say, sure, why not? If you\u2019re willing to take the risks and the moral hazard, go for it. I still don\u2019t think it\u2019s a good idea.\u00a0My PTSD is still there. Much better, but it\u2019s there, and the guilt is there. Every May 10 is a rough day. Doug and Andy were close friends. I still have their picture up above my desk. I\u2019m not over it. I don\u2019t think a lot of us in \u201996 are. I made a bad decision. I regret going. Having gone, I don\u2019t regret writing the book. But I wish I\u2019d never gone.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He also corrected the record on Sandy Hill (Pitman), whom he cited in the book for her use of an “espresso machine”:<\/p>\n

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Yeah, I don\u2019t think she was the cause of the tragedy at all. She doesn\u2019t deserve to be the scapegoat. She was actually stronger than several clients on my team. She\u2019d been to altitude. She\u2019d been on two Everest expeditions. I\u2019d never been above 17,000 feet. Sandy liked being the main character, that\u2019s true. The shit she was doing was crazy, bringing copies of all these magazines, the Sherpas looking at the lingerie ads, going whoa.<\/em> But she didn\u2019t cause the disaster.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

However, this is how\u00a0Krauker characterized her in the book:<\/p>\n

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Pittman epitomized all that was reprehensible about . . . the debasement of the world’s highest mountain. Insulated by her money, a staff of attendants and unwavering self-absorption, Pittman was heedless of the resentment and scorn she inspired in others.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In a separate interview<\/a>, Hill, speaking publicly for the first time in 30 years, said Krauker’s comments ruined her marriage, and she became distant from her son.<\/p>\n

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‘My life was ravaged,’ is how she puts it today. ‘I lost my job . . . Professionally, I was trashed. Socially, I was ostracised.’<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As for the espresso machine:<\/p>\n

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Then there’s the notorious coffee machine. While she did indeed brew espresso on her way up Everest, Pittman says she used a tiny stove-top device. ‘It was portrayed in the movie as what they might have in a restaurant \u2013 a five-cup Gaggia, with a couple of Sherpas humping it up the mountain and the imperious character playing me saying: ‘No, no, not there!’<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Other 8000ers – Summits<\/h2>\n
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There were a few more summits by the Nepali operators of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Makalu, with scores of summits over the past few weeks.<\/div>\n
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A team of 8 Sherpas from 14 Peaks Expedition<\/a> fixed the route to the summit of Annapurna I<\/strong> on Friday, April 18, marking the first 8000er summit of this spring 2026 season. Two foreign climbers also summited after the Sherpas. Seven Summits Treks<\/a> noted 10 people summited, 5 Sherpas with 5 clients. Elite Expeditions<\/a> also claimed six clients summiting.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Teams summited Dhaulagiri,<\/strong> including Pioneer Adventure<\/a> with 9 Sherpas and 8 clients. Imagine Nepal<\/a> saw summits as well.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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On Manaslu<\/strong>, Ukrainian Alexandr Moroz<\/a> and Kyrgyz Mark Ablovacky<\/a> summitted. They were the only climbers on the peak this season.<\/div>\n
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And\u00a0on Makalu,<\/strong> Seven Summits Treks<\/a> reports their 6 Sherpa rope team also summited, as did an 8-person team from 14 Peaks.<\/a>\u00a0 8K Expeditons<\/a> saw more summits, including from Paul Clarke, who sent me this first-person summit report and astonishing summit video. He was coming off the summit Annapurna, and now is going to Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Hi Alan,<\/p>\n

Makalu delivered one of the hardest and most memorable climbs I\u2019ve ever experienced.<\/p>\n

We finally stood on the summit on May 3 at 09:15 after an enormous summit push from C3 that turned into a full-scale trail-breaking mission almost the entire way. I knew Makalu had a reputation, but it was far more difficult than I expected, nearly 12 hours of climbing from camp to summit, with every meter earned the hard way.<\/p>\n

The night climb itself was incredible. Under a bright full moon, the mountain almost glowed around us, and for a few hours it felt strangely calm and surreal for an 8,000m peak. But as dawn arrived, Makalu reminded us exactly where we were. The winds built steadily into the 50\u201360 km\/h range, and the final ridge became a cold, exhausting battle.<\/p>\n

The descent through the French Couloir went surprisingly smoothly at first, but the mountain had one more trick waiting. Conditions suddenly deteriorated into a complete whiteout, turning the final few hundred meters back into C3 into a genuine navigation challenge. At that altitude, exhausted and running on fumes, those last meters felt endless.<\/p>\n

Our original plan was to continue descending to C2 or even Base Camp, but the day took another turn when reports came in of a climber in trouble around 8,000m. My climbing partner, Sherpa Ashok Lama, immediately headed back up carrying extra oxygen to assist. By the time he returned, it was clear the safest decision was to spend another night at C3 before descending all the way to Base Camp the following day.<\/p>\n

For now, we\u2019re enjoying some very welcome recovery time in KTM before flying back to EBC on Tuesday. The body is tired, but the motivation is still very much alive. I\u2019m still aiming to complete the Everest Triple Crown this season.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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