{"id":8379,"date":"2012-01-09T07:00:05","date_gmt":"2012-01-09T13:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/?p=8379"},"modified":"2016-05-27T17:15:57","modified_gmt":"2016-05-27T23:15:57","slug":"everest-2012-the-summit-routes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/09\/everest-2012-the-summit-routes\/","title":{"rendered":"Everest 2012: The Summit Routes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Lobuche<\/a>
Lobuche Peak<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Along with my annual coverage of Everest, \u00a0 I always update information on the climbing routes on Everest. I am surprised that there is always something new. For Everest 2012 season, I want to discuss an acclimatization technique that is becoming more common on Nepal expeditions,\u00a0 the climb of nearby Lobuche Peak.<\/p>\n

Lobuche Acclimatization<\/h2>\n
\"Everest<\/a>
Everest from Lobuche<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lobuche is often classified as a Trekking peak due to the lack of technical difficulty and the relatively mild altitude;\u00a0 it is “only” 20,075ft\/6119m . Teams like to use Lobuche for\u00a0acclimatization because the summit is the same altitude as Camp 1 and it eliminates at least one trip through the dangerous Khumbu Icefall.<\/p>\n

In 2011, I knew of at least two teams that used it in some form: International Mountain Guides (IMG) which was my team, and Himalayan Experience (Himex). Peak Freaks used Kala Patar for a similar purpose. In the IMG case, we made the 8 day trek from Lukla to Everest Base Camp proper at 17,500′, spent a few days then backtracked a full day to Lobuche. I understand that IMG will go directly to Lobuche in 2012 before arriving at EBC.<\/p>\n

IMG and Himex had full Base Camps on opposite sides of Lobuche with IMG located at 15,740′. We stayed for one night before making a short two hour climb to our High Camp at 17,400′ We left that camp around 3:00 AM the following morning for our summit bid.<\/p>\n

\"Lobuche<\/a>
Lobuche West from Lobuche East<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The climb was straightforward following the edge of a rocky slope but staying on snow slopes the majority of the route (click to see the\u00a0 route<\/a>.) The route steadily gained altitude and got a bit steep towards the summit. We crested onto a flat area of the summit ridge and stopped at the named Lobuche East aka the fore-summit of Lobuche.\u00a0 The views of Everest, Lhotse and Nutpse were outstanding from this rare vantage point.<\/p>\n

There is another peak to Lobuche, West Summit which is substantially more difficult to reach as it is heavily corniced and requires rappelling down a steep notch then regaining altitude. Given we were acclimatizing, not peak bagging, we were pleased with the East.<\/p>\n

Lobuche provides Everest climbers with a good shake down before heading into the Icefall. There are fixed lines, traveling at night, steep angles requiring ice axe, crampons, harness – the same as on Everest. That said, I am not convinced it is a good use of valuable energy with all that trekking back and forth.<\/p>\n

Summit Statistics<\/h2>\n

The Grand Dame of all Everest statistics, Ms. Elizabeth Hawley reported a total 537 summits in 2011, 371 south 166 north by 525 different
\nclimbers.\u00a0 This brings the total number of people who have summited Mt. Everest to around 5651 by 3432 different climbers, meaning that 2,220 climbers, mostly Sherpas, have multiple summits. As for 2011,\u00a0 Apa Sherpa has the most summits of Everest with his record 21st summit in 2011 and claimed it would be his last and sadly, there were 4 deaths in 2011, 3 on the south.<\/p>\n

2011 was a good year for most teams. I want to applaud those commercial operators who are transparent with their summit statistics allowing prospective members to evaluate their success rate. The in class note their member numbers separately from their Sherpa numbers starting with their first Everest expedition. I think it is misleading to claim expedition summit success when it is only one or two out of many climbers; either guide, member or Sherpa.<\/p>\n

Of note only Himex post their results for all their Everest climbs including members, Sherpas and guides from the beginning in an easy to read table. For the others, I researched the 2011 numbers based on information in their public websites. Also of interest four companies: Adventure Consultants, Alpine Ascents, IMG and Himex represents 18% of the 5645 summits totaling combined 1042 summits.<\/p>\n

Listed summits with success rate<\/strong><\/p>\n

International Mountain Guides (IMG)<\/a> 2011: 17 of 28 members\/guides reached summit. 288 total summits (members, Sherpas, guides) since 1991. 66% from 2006<\/p>\n

Himalayan Experience (Himex)<\/a> 2011: 8 of 12 members summited, 3 of 4 guides and 15 of 13 Sherpas (2 with multiple summits). 338 total summits\u00a0 (members, Sherpas, guides) since 1994, 0 – 96% success<\/p>\n

Listed only summits from beginning, not % success rate (<\/strong>I found total 2011 members embedded on their site)<\/p>\n

Adventure Consultants<\/a> 2011: 6 of 6 members, 2 guides, 14 Sherpas. 203 total summits\u00a0 (members, Sherpas, guides) since 1990<\/p>\n

Alpine Ascents International<\/a> 2011: 7 of 7 members, 2 guides, 6 Sherpas. 213 total summits (members, Sherpas, guides) since 1992.<\/p>\n

Listed summits in Blogs, not showing overall success rate over time (<\/strong>I found total 2011 members embedded on their site):<\/p>\n

Peak Freaks<\/a> 2011: 3 of 13 members, 1 of 2 guide, 7 Sherpas.<\/p>\n

Jagged Globe<\/a>:2011: 1o of 10 members, 2 guides, 9 Sherpas<\/p>\n

Mountain Trip: 2011: 5 of 5 members, 3 guides, unknown number of Sherpas<\/p>\n

The Everest Routes<\/h2>\n

There are over 18 named routes on Everest and a couple that are still unclimbed. The vast majority of climbers use two routes: the Southeast Ridge aka South Col route or the Northeast Ridge Standard aka North Col route. Both the traditional north and south routes have their pros and cons. Up until 2007, the trend was for more climbers to choose the north due to lower costs. But with the Chinese restricting permits over the past few years, the south side has retained the lead as the preferred route primarily due to commercial operators wanting to reduce uncertainty and to limit their risks.<\/p>\n

In 2012, the Chinese have increased the permit costs<\/a> plus added more restrictions as to the use of Nepalese Sherpas and porters thus the cost is now about the same for a reputable commercial guided climb. That said, the north continues to attract climbers due to the history, less crowding and the appeal of Tibet. I know of north operators who have already sold out for 2012.<\/p>\n

Traverses are becoming popular these days so let’s review some history. According to research, there have been 4 North to South and 8 South to North traverses and 2 west ridge to south col journeys. A traverse is when the climber starts at one base camp and ends at another.<\/p>\n

With both sides once again attracting crowds for 2012, let\u2019s take a brief look at their pros and cons:<\/p>\n

South Col Route<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Pluses<\/strong><\/td>\nConcerns<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Beautiful trek to base camp in the Khumbu<\/td>\nKhumbu Icefall instability<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Easy access to villages for pre-summit recovery<\/td>\nCrowds, especially on summit night<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Helicopter rescue from base camp if necessary<\/td>\nCornice Traverse exposure, SE Ridge Slabs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Slightly warmer sometimes with less winds<\/td>\nSlightly longer summit night<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Northeast Ridge Route<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Pluses<\/strong><\/td>\nConcerns<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Less crowds<\/td>\nColder temps and harsher winds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Can drive to base camp<\/td>\nCamps at higher elevations<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Easier climbing to mid-level camps<\/td>\nA bit more difficult with smooth or loose rocks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Slightly shorter summit night<\/td>\nNo opportunity for helicopter rescue at any point<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n

An in-depth look at both sides of Everest<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

South Col Route<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Mt. Everest was first summited by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmond Hillary with a British expedition in 1953. They used the South Col route. At that time the route had only been attempted twice by Swiss teams in the spring and autumn of 1952. They reached 8500m well above the South Col. Of note, Norgay was with the Swiss thus giving him the experience he used on the British expedition. The Swiss returned in 1956 to make the second summit of Everest.<\/p>\n

Here is a typical south side climb schedule showing average time and the distance from the previous camp plus a brief description of each section. More details can be found on the South Col route page<\/a>.<\/p>\n