Everest 2012: Season Recap: A Study in Risk Management
If there was one phrase to sum up this season where over 500 people summited Everest, it might be: risk management. There were signs from the beginning that the Everest 2012 season would be different when Sherpas establishing base camp at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall reported that the upper mountain looked “dry”. Once climbers started moving up higher, urgent requests were made to the Icefall Doctors to move the route in the upper Icefall away from Everest’s West Shoulder where a huge snow and ice serac sat waiting to drop, search potentially killing climbers and Sherpas making their way to the Western Cwm. Thus the tone was set. The risks were abundant, more so than in other recent years. As teams discovered them, they evaluated each according to their own limits, some choose to leave, others to change, some pushed on. Similarly individuals saw the risks up close and some choose to leave, other modified their approach and, sadly, some simply refused to acknowledge the obvious and paid a heavy price. Everest attracts attention only when there is drama and there was plenty this season but what was not reported were the huge successes, the joys and satisfaction felt by hundreds who accomplished their dream or successfully worked another season to provide a better life for their families. Setting the Stage On the cusp of the season, two big public announcements were made by world-class companies. They focused on the 1963 climb of the West Ridge of Everest that served as a milestone in mountaineering and remains a benchmark for ambition today. That 1963 expedition saw two teams aiming to meet on the summit with one climbing the dangerous West Ridge and the other climbing the Southeast Ridge. It was an epic of success and danger if there ever was one. Perhaps an omen for 2012. The plan was to recreate the summit dual climb event. One team was sponsored by National Geographic and The North Face and another separate effort through Eddie Bauer, all with ties to the original effort. They made their announcement and invited people to follow along with special websites and applications. I joined the excitement of following world-class climbers striving to accomplish something special. Even with this special event, 2012 looked to be a “normal” Everest season coming off a relatively quiet 2011 season with over 500 summits. Everyone settled in for the next two months. The Early Signs The season got underway as every season does with the Sherpas arriving in mid March to establish base camps, climbers finishing training at home, saying goodbye to families and left for the annual migration through the life-changing Khumbu. One by one, team after team arrived at the base camp on the South or by Land Rover at the Chinese Base Camp on the North. The new climbers simply stared in awe, in anticipation; the veterans smiled inside; their stomachs churned. The teams on both side held their pujas with local Lama’s reading from 300 year-old Tibetan prayer books asking the mountain Gods for permission to climb Chomolungma. They asked for forgiveness for the damage to the sacred mountain from the climber’s sharp spikes and tools and finally for their safety that they might return home to their families; Sherpas, porters, cooks, climbers – everyone. As usual, the North was quiet as the standard communications difficulties prevented frequent updates but we followed their progression to Advanced Base Camp and on to the North Col. The winds kicked in early and never let up. It was cold. It was the North side of Everest. Nothing unusual However, something was different on the South. It was windy, very windy, but also there were rocks falling down the Lhotse Face and the upper Icefall was a jumbled mass of house sized ice blocks, organized so that if one fell, they all might fall. The Sherpas, always the first to see the real Everest, began to talk. They didn’t like what they saw. Their decades of experience spoke to them in the night. The dangers were real, their tones were hushed. But the progress continued. Camps were established in the Western Cwm. Thousands of pounds of tents, stoves, fuel, and food were carried on the backs of the Sherpas. Stepping back, this demonstration of human strength stands as an annual proof that anything can be done in this modern age without technology. Rockfall And then it began, the rockfall hit the Sherpas first. Reports emerged of broken arms, concussions, near misses. The expedition organizers grew increasingly concerned as the realization sunk in that Everest was not normal. Long time Everest climbers and observers let out the call that climate changes had finally taken place, melting the massive mountain, receding the glaciers; others simply said it was a low snow winter preventing the normal snow amounts that keep the loose rocks in their place. Objective observers noted that low snow winters are not uncommon, most recently occurring in 2008 when rock fall was also common above the South Col. Regardless of the explanations, the high winds combined with little snow allowed rocks, small and large, to become deadly missiles on the Lhotse Face. Leaders stayed up at night wondering what the upper mountain must be like and the dangers for their teams – if they made it that far. Sherpa Deaths But something else was happening, Sherpas were dying. First was long time Sherpa, Karsang Namgyal Sherpa who died at base camp. Then Namgyal Tshering Sherpa fell from a ladder crossing a crevasse near Camp 1 into the abyss. As many Sherpas do, for many reasons, he choose not to clip into the safety lines and it cost him his life. And the third Sherpa death over several days occurred when Dawa Tenzing suffered a stroke in the Icefall. He was rushed to Katmandu but later died. The Sherpa community felt something was amiss on Sagarmatha. A New Route As the anxiety increased, the Sherpas continued carrying loads higher
Everest 2012 Team Locations
Welcome to Alan Arnette’s Everest 2012 coverage Last 2012 Everest News – 31 May 2012 A sincere and deep thank you to everyone who made a donation to one of the Alzheimer’s non-profits. That is why I do this. Very rough, check unconfirmed estimates: Total at base camps: 446 westerners plus 500 Sherpas totaling 946. 548 combined summits from both sides 57.93% summit to attempt rate. 10 total deaths. If you have a general Everest question, please post here as a comment and I will try to address it. Start or stop email notifications of new posts using the form in the lower right corner of this page. This table is my estimate each team’s location based on public information. Please refer to each expedition’s site for current information. South Col Route (map) TEAMS(members/guides) 32 teams, 337 climbers, 400+ Sherpas BC C1 C2 C3 C4/SC Summit (climbers/Sherpas) 395 est. Adventure Consultants (8/4) e 9/13 Alpine Ascents Int. (9/6) e 8/6 Asian Trekking Eco/Peace/Youth (26) e 30/35 Chile e 10/10 Dream Guides e 2/1 Bill Burke (2/2) e High Adventure Expeditions (2) ? Himex (24/9 plus: 7 Lhotse, 4 Nuptse) e IMG Classic (20?/7) e 12/14 IMG Hybrid (8/2) e 11/11 Jagged Globe(7/1) e 6/4 Mountain Trip (5/2) e 5/10 WMS Everest Experience (5/2) e 1/3 Patagonia Brothers (4/2) e 4/2 Peak Freaks (12/3) e 8/9 Project Himalaya (Cris Klinke) (3/1) e 1/1 Sierra Mountaineering (2) e 2 Pune (13) e 8/8? Summit Climb (8/1) e 3/3 others X+ 137+ est Northeast Ridge Route (map) TEAMS (members/guides) 13 teams, 109 climbers, 100+ Sherpas/Tibetans BC ABC C1/NC C2 C3 Summit 153 est. Asian Trekking Polish/Japanese (10) e 3/4 Andrew Lock e Adventure Peaks (8/1) e 4/4 Altitude Junkies (7/1) e 6/5 Bill Burke (1/2) e Summit Climb (4/1) e 2/4 Project Himalaya (Tom Kowpak) (1/1) e 2/2 7 Summits Club (16/4) e 15/13 others 90++ est West Ridge Route/Southeast ridge Eddie Bauer West Ridge (Jake Norton) e T Eddie Bauer Southeast Ridge (Dave Hahn) e 2+/? NatGeo West Ridge (Conrad Anker) e T NatGeo Southeast Ridge (Sam Elias) e 6/? e= climb ended, x=last reported location, x+ = on summit bid, -x = descending h=high sleep point, T=touched not slept. Summit number = member/sherpa Locations are estimates derived from public websites Welcome to Alan Arnette’s Everest 2012 coverage. My coverage is based on my own experiences, research, sources, and public information. I try to provide insight and interpretation of the activities ranging from routes to weather to the challenge of climbing Everest. I did similar coverage of the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 seasons. I summited Everest on May 21, 2011 and climbed Everest four times – 2002, 2003, 2008 and 2011. If you have received value from my work during this 2012 Everest season, please consider a donation to one of these Alzheimer’s nonprofits, 100% for Alzheimer’s, none for me. Thank You 10 Confirmed deaths 40 year-old Karsang Namgyal Sherpa climbing with Prestige Adventures related to alcohol at base camp Peak Freaks’ Namgyal Tshering Sherpa fell from a ladder into a crevasse near C1 Dawa Tenzing with Himex from stroke in the Khumbu Icefall and died in Kathmandu 33 year-old Indian, Ramesh Gulve, climbing with the Pune team suffered a stroke around Camp2 and died back in India. Dr Ebehard Schaaf with Asian Trekking of HACE near South Summit after his summit Shriya Shah-Klorfine, 33, a Nepali-born Canadian climbing with Utmost Adventures died below the Balcony after her summit Won-Bin Song from South Korea climbing with the Korean Everest & Lhotse Expedition died after a fall at the Hillary Step and then at the Balcony after his summit Chinese climber, Ha Wenyi climbing with Mountain Experience died just below the Balcony Juan José Polo Carbayo, 43, climbing with Himalayan Guides, died May 20 after summiting from the north, probably of exhaustion. Dr. Polo had been living in the Canary Islands, Spain. Climbing with Monterosa, a German climber, Ralf D. Arnold, broke his leg at the 2nd step and has died after his summit 69 year old Italian Luigi Rampini, climbing on a Monterosa permit and logistics, spent 4 nights at 8300 meters without oxygen. He refused to descend a few days ago but was rescued per this report He was attempting the summit.
Everest 2012: Weekend Update May 27
The final week in May is always special in the Khumbu – the end of the Everest climbing season. Sherpa families anxiously awaiting their loved ones to return from the time honored role of leading Westerners to the top of the world. Many Westerners are reflecting on what happened to them over the previous 7 weeks and a few hardy ones waited anxiously for their chance; perhaps the last of the spring season. With this back drop, on a normal year climbers would confidently began the climb towards the South Col and North Col. But this has not been a normal year. Only 7 days ago, one of the worst nights in Everest history took 6 lives combined on both sides. It shook the Everest community to it’s core but also took center stage on the world press. Story after story warned of another death climb this weekend. Headlines lead with the story of over crowding, bad weather and unnecessary risks. The teams left their base camps taking it all in stride and focused on their task at hand. With all the weather services aligning around May 23-25 as a low wind period, Thursday and Friday emerged as the next, and potentially, last window of the spring 2012 season. The teams set out with determination and an increased sense of safety. The most experienced commercial teams positioned extra Sherpas at the High Camps with emergency oxygen and stood ready to lend assistance to their climbers. Summits! The first wave of the period arrived early, lead by Kenton Cool with the Olympic Medal – he was taking it the summit and hopefully sending a live video to the BBC once there. He reached the summit but the computer froze – Kenton did not. He was followed by scores of climbers with about 90 reaching the summit Friday morning in good conditions. No lines were reported at the usual suspects. This was not reported widely by the press. On Friday night it was round two and these climbers enjoyed perhaps the weather of the entire season – no winds, clear skies, mild temps – for climbing Everest that is. The meteorologists should be proud of this prediction;they were spot on. Another estimated 100 made the top on Saturday morning with some arriving well before sunrise – a testament to their strength and the conditions. This was also not reported widely by the press, I think I see a pattern 🙂 These are some of teams who enjoyed success over the weekend: Kenton Cool: with 2 climbers and 1 Sherpa Adventure Consultants: 2 climbers, 4 Sherpas Peak Freaks: 5 climbers, 6 Sherpas Jagged Globe: 6 climbers, 4 Sherpas Benegas Brothers: 4 climbers, 2 Sherpas International Mountain Guides Classic team: 12 climber, 14 Sherpas Mountain Trip: 5 climber, 10 Sherpas SummitClimb: 3 climber, 3 Sherpas Asian Trekking Eco Everest and Everest Youth: 12 climbers, 12 Sherpas Indian Army: 3 climbers, ? Sherpas RMI (Dave Hahn): 2+ climbers, ? Sherpas NatGeo: 6 climbers, ? Sherpas The Indian Army enjoyed success with several “lady officers” reaching the summit and the first Indian Everest summit without supplemental oxygen. Also, Bangladeshi Wasfia Nazreen summited. Mike Moniz went on to summit Lhotse within 24 hours of his Everest summit. IMG Sherpa Chewang joined him. They made the summit 3:15! Chad Kellogg, who was trying to climb from base camp to summit and back in under 36 hours or so, did not summit according to the SPOT GPS tracker he was carrying and a Tweet from his sponsor. Over on the North, another disappointment was when Hungary’s Dave Klein turned back on his no O’s north side attempt early Saturday morning. 1963 Reenactment Effort Ends Remaining a mystery to track, the NatGeo team did summit but their overall leader, Conrad Anker, said he was too tired to go with his team after helping fix lines but then changed his mind and summited without supplemental O’s on his own. Similarly, the Eddie Bauer/First Ascent team provided little updates but Dave Hahn, leading the South Col climb, did. RMI reported, he and fellow guide Melissa Arnot did summit “with the team” but no other names were mentioned including Sherpas. Both of their respective West Ridge efforts were canceled due to icy conditions. Finally, Simone Moro, said he would go home and not attempt his No O’s climb or his Everest Lhotse Traverse. Body Recovery One final note on the deaths for this update. According to Ganesh Thakuri, managing director of Utmost Adventure Trekking and Shriya Shah-Klorfine’s guide service, efforts to return the climber’s body who who died last weekend just below the Balcony came to a halt on Saturday as high winds stopped the team of 6 Sherpas from taking her further down than the South Col. It is uncertain they will be able to remove her body this season. My understanding is that the full recovery would cost about USD$25,000 and was helped by insurance. The End? Thus far there have no reports of incidents as climbers work their way back through the Icefall to base camp. This was a huge concern throughout this particular season. There are reports of the normal end of May slush, water run-off and melting but thus far the teams, including the Sherpas breaking down the high camps, are safely making their way through. So we might see a few more attempts until the Icefall Doctors remove the ladders on the South on May 31, but I doubt it. Similarly there could be a few more efforts on the North. That said, I have learned to never say never on Everest! My annuals season summary will be posted in a few days. Lot’s to talk about from rockfall to new routes to huge res, deaths and of course, many many summits. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything If you have received value from my work during this 2012 Everest season, please consider a donation to one of these Alzheimer’s nonprofits, 100% for Alzheimer’s, none for
Everest 2012: Summit Wave 5 Recap
Friday night, May 25 into Saturday morning, mind May 26 could have been the night of the Everest 2012 season. Almost 100 climbers summited as early as 3:30AM in conditions rarely seen on Everest – clear skies, no winds and mild (for 29,000′) temperatures. Incredibly some even missed the sunrise from the summit by arriving a bit too early! These teams had waited ly through more drama than any climber should endure but choose to take the last summit window of the season. There was a constant risk it would not emerge, especially as the monsoons started on schedule in Southern India. They knew the clock was winding down. But their patience paid off as my estimate of around 100 summited on the South. There were summits on the North but I cannot confirm any total numbers. These teams reported in: International Mountain Guides Classic team: 12 climber, 14 Sherpas Mountain Trip: 5 climber, 10 Sherpas SummitClimb: 3 climber, 3 Sherpas Asian Trekking Eco Everest and Everest Youth: 12 climbers, 12 Sherpas Indian Army: 3 climbers, ? Sherpas RMI (Dave Hahn): 2+ climbers, ? Sherpas NatGeo: 6 Climbers, ? Sherpas Of note, Rajendra Singh with the Eco Everest team reportedly became the first Indian to summit without supplemental oxygen. He has four previous no O’s 8000m summits. For those following Chad Kellogg, his SPOT tracker indicates he did not summit and turned around just below the South Summit. He was climbing without supplemental oxygen but did have a Sherpa in support with oxygen trailing him. These are my interpretations and there is no further information I could find. Update: Very strange that Outdoor Research used Twitter to update his attempt instead of the websites people were used to following. In any event, they posted this today: “8600m. Things werent going well. Chad made tough decision to turn back. Is at S Col now. Kudos on great effort & a brave decision.” David Klein climbing the north without supplemental oxygen did not summit last night according to his site. Everest and Lhotse within 24 hours Mike Moniz who summited this morning with IMG is now on his attempt to summit nearby Lhotse. Eric Simonson reports in on Mike: Mike is heading over to Lhotse Camp 4, with Chewang (6-time Lhotse summiter). We set the Lhotse Camp 4 a couple days ago, and we have additional oxygen and gear all ready to go over there. The plan is for Mike and Chewang to head to the summit of Lhotse in the early morning, and we have two more sherpas moving up to Lhotse Camp 4 in the morning to support their bid. This was successfully accomplished last year by AAI Guide Michael Horst summited both within 21 hours, an assumed record being the first time two 8000m mountains have been summit so quickly. It is an incredibly difficult physical feat. It took them a couple of hours to descend to the midway point between the top of the Geneva Spur and Camp 3 where they began to regain altitude towards the summit of Lhotse. There at the IMG Lhotse High Camp they should have taken a healthy food and water break before climbing to the rock gully to the summit. There have been multiple summits of Lhotse already this year so the fixed line is in place. There have been no reports of rock fall more than normal. Cleaning the Mountain Teams will now begin taking every single item brought up to the High Camps back down including all the trash. Each team puts up a $12,000 trash deposit that is not returned unless they prove they brought everything down including every single oxygen bottle. Jagged Globe cleared their Camp 4 and 3 and are down to the Western Cwm One of the regular concerns is the state of the Icefall as we enter late May and the temperatures increase. Adventure Consultants reported an avalanche but no injures in the Icefall: Meanwhile, for those of us waiting expectantly at Base Camp a large ice avalanche crashed it’s way into the icefall ripping ladders apart and wreaking havoc. Fortunately, the ‘Ice Fall Doctors’ were quickly on the case in making repairs. Victor and Jacob were forced to find at alternative route at one damaged section and at another waited for half an hour as repairs were done. Our Sherpas ‘cruised through’, as they do with their ‘super-human genes’ derived from centuries of living in the Khumbu. Carrying huge loads, some as big as quadruple normal loads, our Sherpas were able to get the mountain cleared today. There is a huge incentive for them to do this; it means they do not need to go back up the icefall again. For me as expedition leader this is a huge relief. We are done with the Icefall, and this in itself symbolizes the expedition is over. Our prayers are answered; we have all returned safely from this most intimidating and dangerous section of the route. The dragon breathed fire, moved angrily and was ready to pounce but ultimately we walked free. Next I am not aware of any more summit attempts but am always surprised by last minute pushes on both sides – more often on the North so will keep you informed. This far we have 389 summits on the South and 148 on the North for a total of 537 on the north using my very unscientific estimates. It will take many months to get the correct final numbers. According to research, the record year was in 2007 with 633 total summits. My next post will be the weekend update looking at this week and then my annual summary of the entire season including my thoughts on the Himex pullout, the deaths and more. Thanks for following and a sincere thank you for everyone who made a donation to Alzheimer’s – there is still time if you appreciated all my updates over this season. 100% for Alzheimer’s Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Everest 2012: Summit Wave 5 – Update 3
Update 3 The SummitClimb team that turned back last week made it this morning in outstanding time. This from Arnold Coster: This morning Jangbu Sherpa and John reached the summit of Everest at around 3:30am. Sandra, Richie, Steve, Chauwang, Lakpha and passing followed at around 5:30 am. The weather was beautiful and quiet. No winds and not too much people. They are all back at the Southcol taking a rest, before they will descent further. Depending how tired they are; some will continue to camp 2 others will decide to descent only to camp 3. Of note with this team, Jon Kedrowski summited this morning. He helped many people last weekend and returned this week to summit. Mike Moniz who summited Everest this morning with IMG is now taking a brief rest before going over to attempt Lhotse. That will be two 8000m climbs in 24 hours. After that he is off to Cho Oyu for his third 8000m. There has been no update on Chad Kellogg. This is not unusual as in previous attempts he was very slow in updating his site. Also no update on Dave Hahn and the RMI team but I assume they summited and are headed back down tot he South Col. I will update int he Wave 5 Wrap-Up tomorrow. Update 2 RMI’s Dave Hahn reported in at the Balcony at 4:30AM Nepal time, right on schedule for a midnight departure from the South Col for them. Look for their summit in about 3 hours or around 8 Nepal time. Mountain Trip’s Scott Woolums led team reported 5 climbers plus 5 or more Sherpas on the summit at 6:55AM. They left the South Col at 10:50PM last night. Eric Simonson let me know that some of the IMG climbers summited as early as 4:00AM – an incredible time indicating climbing conditions were about as good as they ever get on Everest. IMG just posted their summit list – an impressive showing of 12 climbers and 14 Sherpas. This list included Mike Moniz and my very own Ang Chhiring (Kami) Sherpa, Pangboche whom I summited Everest with last year. I believe this is his 14th summit. Thanks to Joel Norvell for letting us know that Hungarian mountaineer, David Klein – climbing without supplementary O2 – is headed toward the summit on the North. He had planned to leave from Camp 3 last night, Friday at 10pm Nepal time. Congratulations to all tonight. Update 1 IMG reported the first summits of Saturday, May 25, as early as 4:00AM in what Eric Simonson called “excellent conditions”: The first IMG climbers are reaching the summit now, and the rest are not too far back. Conditions are excellent. The eastern sky is just starting to get some color. It’s going to be a fantastic sunrise up there this morning. We’ll post the complete summit list once everyone gets up there, and we have a chance to send the list to the Ministry of Tourism (which gets notified first, per the regulations). For perhaps the last time in the spring of 2012, the upper slopes of Everest are filled with climbers trying to fulfill their dreams. Leaving around 9:00PM on Friday, May 25, teams left the South Col and maybe the High Camps on the North. They should summit early Saturday, May 26. Dave Hahn, RMI, reported their plans but no further word as of 3:00AM Nepal time. Dave is known for leaving very late and climbing fast to avoid the initial crowds – that is how a 13 time summiter from the West does it!: We are going to go for it tonight. We’ve got the forecast in our favor, the winds are supposed to drop down. There are other people going for it tonight but manageable numbers and we feel pretty good about it. It’s a sunny day up here at 26,000’ and we are hanging out, making plans taking care of our selves, getting ready because tonight we want to start up for the roof of the world. IMG‘s Classic team climbing with personal Sherpas are also on their way: IMG guides Max Bunce and Eric Remza report that the Classic climbers left the South Col about 8:30 PM and are now climbing towards the Balcony. Each climber is accompanied by a personal Sherpa, and we also have some bottled-oxygen carrier sherpas going up too. Weather is good. We’ll keep you posted! Mike Moniz, with IMG is updating his home team often on their website. Mike had hoped to climb Lhotse immediately after Everest – while still on the upper flanks, and then move quickly to Cho Oyu in Tibet and climb with Charlie Mace. I hope these ambitious plans are still intact. Will keep everyone informed. The remaining climbers from SummitClimb are also on their way up including Coloradan Jon Kedrowski. Visit his site for some insight on assisting the climbers last weekend. They were one of the few teams that chose to turn back last weekend, thus avoiding the delays and weather. I am not aware of any North side attempts tonight but there are still independent teams on both sides that do not make their progress public. There are reports of melting in the Western Cwm and Icefall but this is quite normal for the end of May – even more reason to get off the mountain as quickly as possible. If everything goes as planned, the Sherpas will have cleared all the camps above the Icefall in a few more days. I will update this post as news develops, post a wrap-up tomorrow and then my season summary where I share my views on everything that transpired this season in the next few days. Meanwhile I am in full training for my next climb to Peru’s Alpaymayo in June. I’ll post dispatches directly from the climb so I hope you become a regular visitor once Everest 2012 is over. It appears Everest is closing out quietly, which is just fine with everyone this
Everest 2012: Summit Wave 4 Recap
We saw many successful summit climbs on Everest overnight, May 23/24. I estimate about 115 combined on both sides. This was a typical Everest summit day and more representative of how Everest is climbed in modern times. Teams carefully considered the winds as they arrived at the South Col, some choose to go up, hospital others to wait for the forecast of yet lower winds Friday night; neither decision was wrong. The dire predictions of crowds, death lines and a re-occurrence of last weekend didn’t materialize, thankfully. To be fair, the events of the last window had everyone on edge but this window had more experienced leaders who worked together to make the summit push work for everyone. The weather worked out fine, temps were called “warm”; there were high wind gusts but overall very acceptable conditions with no snowfall. Those teams that summit included: Kenton Cool: with 2 climbers and 1 Sherpa Adventure Consultants: 2 climbers, 4 Sherpas Peak Freaks: 5 climbers, 6 Sherpas Jagged Globe: 6 climbers, 4 Sherpas Benegas Brothers: 4 climbers, 2 Sherpas Of note this was Willie Benegas’s 11th summit and Kenton Cool’s 10th. Warner Rojas became the first Costa Rican national to reach the top of the world. Kenton Cool’s summit was a bit unique. He and cinematographer Keith Partridge and Dorge Sherpa, were the first on the summit and carried the 1924 Olympic medal given to the British team who attempted Everest in 1922. They had asked for it to be carried to the summit one day and Kenton fulfilled that request. Quite a story. He had wanted to do a live interview from the top of the world but his laptop succumbed to the cold. He was to do a live broadcast from the South Col upon his return. The Indian Army had a good day as well: “One male officer along with four women officers, three NCOs successfully summited the Everest in the morning. One of the Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) reached the summit without using oxygen cylinders,” Army officials said in New Delhi. On the North, Adventure Peaks was on their summit push but their home team reported their sat phone battery was low so we will not know the results until now but put 8 on the summit and are back safely at the High Camp. They reported low winds throughout the climb but they picked as they left the summit. There were also many summits on Lhotse that I will try to summarize on a later post. Tonight we will see another wave, perhaps the last of this season, with teams from IMG, Asian Trekking, RMI, SummitClimb and others. I will post another update later today. Climb On! Alan Memories are everything
Everest 2012: Summit Wave 4 – Summits!!! – Update 1
Update 1 – Summits Kenton Cool has reached the summit on Friday morning, May 25 abut 4:45 AM. He is preparing to send a live video update from the summit to the BBC. Check his Facebook page for more information. Update 1.5: I just spoke with Kenton Cool’s home team and the laptop went down due to the extreme cold so they will do an interview from C4 when the get down in a few hours. Kenton reported the winds were picking up bit overall a great day on Top of the World! Adventure Consultants summited at 5:10 AM as they passed the Hillary Step, medicine making excellent time, they reported the winds have picked up a bit, but again this is semi-normal as the sun rises. Also Peak Freaks reports their first summits at 5:15 with the rest of their entire team close behind. The fourth wave of summits is underway. Teams have cleared the Balcony and are currently climbing the Southeast Ridge on the south or just below the Steps on the North. Expect to read a lot of alarmist statement about crowds and more death (non reported) but let’s see how the evening plays out. I hope it will return to the Everest of recent years. There is a lot of mis-information, and hype that is serving purposes other than climbing mountains right now. (my opinion) The first wave was on May 16/17 when the ropes were fixed and the Chilean team summited. The second on 18/19, the third on 19/20 – these were just last weekend with the crowds and sadly 6 deaths between both the North (2) and South (4) sides. Today, May 24 the fourth has started with summits expected tomorrow morning, May 25. The last wave will occur over May 25/26 wrapping up the season for most teams. There may be some final small team efforts on the North but unlikely. High winds are expected to return on Sunday. For an overview of today, please visit my previous post I put up earlier today. General Updates During Summits: Please note I may update the site a few times a day during these summit pushes so you will receive several emails if you subscribed to receive updates. If you are wondering about a specific team or climber, please understand that I cannot follow everyone because most of the climbers and teams do not have websites or are not providing updates. The normal practice is once the team summits, they report the results to the Nepal Ministry of Tourism and they eventually publish a press release or report – this can take days or months for the official report. Hopefully the team you are interested in will publish something through their hometown press if/when they summit. Weather and Team Updates Higher than wanted winds hit the teams as they were leaving the South Col but still within some teams safety margins. Others felt it is too strong and will wait for Friday night. The reports are coming in of good progress thus far with good weather, clear skies and manageable winds. Adventures Consultants says they are at the Balcony in 4 hours which is excellent time and indicates no crowd issues for them. Kenton Cool reported in at the same spot a bit earlier. The Benegas Brothers reported in that their team of 10 are at the Balcony and this post as they left the South Col: The time has come! It is 8:45pm local time in Nepal and the BBE Everest Team of Willie Benegas, Hernan Carracedo, Pablo Betancourt, Fernando Grajales and Fernando Rodriguez de Hoz are soon to depart Camp 4 at the South Col of Everest. They are in the finest company of Climbing Sherpas Tendi Sherpa, Phurba Gyalgen Sherpa, Funuru Sherpa, Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa and Mingma Tenji Sherpa. Peak Freaks reported their team of 12 has passed the Balcony and this earlier: the forecasts looks really good. Climbers don’t like to climb in wind over 20k and 30k+ is pushing it but some still do. Our forecast is showing to be wavering around 5 to 10k on the 24th night, and the team is reporting that they feel it calming considerably tonight already. But Chris Klinke’s home team posted he will wait 24 hours and go tomorrow night: They are waiting one more day for a summit due to high winds (25 mph) and crowds. Winds at 25mph can really zap energy and put you at risk for frost bite, so they are going to hang out in their tents and attempt a summit early on Saturday morning (May 26th). Another factor is that there are about 140 people up at camp 4 (south col) and about 100 are attempting tonight. Hopefully tomorrow will be a bit less crowded. Mountain Trip also reported they will wait 24 hours for the same reasons. There seems to be a wide range being reported on the actual number of climbers on the route tonight. I have seen from 70 to 150. In any event, with several teams delaying by 24 hours to Friday night, the risk of crowds at the bottlenecks is quickly going down. Dave Hahn’s RMI team have also decided to wait it out at the South Col. IMG and Asian Trekking’s large Indian teams are at Camp 3 and will climb to the South Col tomorrow and begin their push Friday night with summits Saturday morning. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Everest 2012: The Final Push
Well Everest 2012 is coming to an end. Teams are now positioned at high camps twitching with anxiety for summit pushes starting in a few hours, Thursday night, check May 24 and again on Friday Night, May 25 Nepal time. Summits the following morning. Eric Simonson, IMG, provided this weather insight: The jet stream is still running parallel to the Himalayas, but the forecast has it moving to the north over the next couple days, with a drop in the winds. At the same time, moisture is starting to form to the south of the Indian subcontinent. As the jet moves north, the moisture (which represents the beginning of the monsoon) starts to move north too. This is the classic spring good weather window: when the jet finally moves north, but before the moisture hits. We’ll keep you posted! The weather forecast has changed slightly with higher winds but still calling for a good window of acceptable winds through this period but picking up sharply on Sunday. Climbers will want to be below the South Col by then. Manageable Crowd for This Wave Many teams are updating their blogs saying tonight, Thursday, is the night. On the north, this includes Adventure Peaks and the remaining independent teams plus Andrew Lock climbing without supplemental oxygen. Kenton Cool, making a film, was among the first on the South Col for this push. He reported high winds and said he was glad he had an extra day built in for weather. He is leaving in a few hours and hope to conduct a live interview with the BBC from the summit tomorrow (Friday Nepal time) morning. Not forgetting that climbers share much of the same route for Lhotse, Jagged Globe provided this update for the 4th highest mountain in the world: Adele Pennington made quick time to reach her camp 4 on Lhotse at 12 noon. She will be accompanied by about 40 other climbers hoping to reach the summit of Lhotse on 25 May. On the South, Dave Hahn’s home team posted yesterday that they will leave the South Col late Thursday May 24: The weather forecast is still looking good with winds decreasing over the next few days. You have to love that! The Sherpa team will get out of Camp 2 early tomorrow morning and the climbing team will try and have a seamless hand off of some gear to them from Camp 3, check out time should be around 6:00 am. Then the whole team should climb together up to high camp the South Col, getting there midday, that should allow enough time for rest and preparation for early departure toward the summit that night. Peak Freaks updated their site with some good info on the size of the crowds. They are at the South Col and will also go for the summit on the evening of May 24. This wave looks to be a quarter to half of what went up last weekend. We should NOT see the same long lines at the bottlenecks: While our team was climbing their way up today, Tashi sat at the Col counting climbers moving up to Camp 3. He counted around 40 people and he also did a head count at the Col and there are about 30 climbers there. On summit day (night of the 24th morning of the 25th) the maximum number we estimate is going to be around 70 people, half of what we saw on the 18th/19th and the forecasts looks really good. Climbers don’t like to climb in wind over 20k and 30k+ is pushing it but some still do. Our forecast is showing to be wavering around 5 to 10k on the 24th night, and the team is reporting that they feel it calming considerably tonight already. There are some conflicting numbers of climbers expected ranging from 70 to 150. I attribute this to the climbers heading up for Lhotse (40) and Everest (70) plus the Sherpa traffic taking loads down for completed expeditions. Jon Kedrowski, who has been on more television interviews than Oprah recently, is ready to make a swift summit push starting today. He was all the way to the South Col last weekend and turned back due to the dangerous conditions. Also a update on the Indian Women’s team: Two teams of climbers from the Indian Army women’s Everest expedition who were forced to delay their attempt at the summit of Everest due to unfavourable weather such as high winds are ready to renew their climb.The first team reaches Camp 3 on 23 May, the South Col on 24 May and a summit attempt early in the morning of Friday 25 May 2012. A second team will make their attempt the following day. Prepared I have spoken over the last several days about “support systems on Everest”. The major operators like Alpine Ascents, Himex, Jagged Globe, Adventure Consultants and IMG demonstrate this every season, This post from IMG is an example: Right now, we have 21 sherpas on the way to the South Col with additional oxygen and supplies for the next summit bid. Often climbing is about managing distractions. Not to put deaths of climbers into the category of a distraction but the press surrounding them creates havoc back home, causes individuals to question their purpose and can certainly create a potential loss of focus. Thus far it appears the remaining teams are fully committed to making a safe attempt. My feeling is this final wave represents some of the more experienced climbing teams on whole. I will post another update later today as the teams report in. Youngest Everest Female A notable record was set over the weekend with Ngim Chhamji Sherpa, born 11/14/95, now 16 being the youngest female to summit Everest around noon on May 19th. She made it with her dad, Dendi Sherpa (3X summiter) at her side. The other climbers in their group included Nepalese Ganesh Thakuri, Pem Lakpa Sherpa, Wangchhu Sherpa, Temba
Everest 2012: Preparing for the Summit
There is a distinct difference between going first and last on Everest. First opens the route, takes the chances, explores the unknowns. Last, leverages the route, risk the fickle weather and explores the unknowns. Either way, they deserve our respect. The last wave of summit climbers are making their way to the higher camps on Everest on both sides. On the South they are sleeping at Camp 3 on the Lhotse Face but this time with supplemental oxygen, a similar story on the North at ABC. Their leaders and home teams are glued to the weather forecasts assuming the predicted solid window holds true for another few days. And, I can say this with confidence, everyone wants this season of Everest to end soon and safely. With the climber death toll now at 10 on both sides, it has been season of historic events. A huge team calling it quits, unprecedented rockfall, too many high altitude helicopter rescues to count and too many deaths that could have been avoided. And yet it will happen again next year with even more fervent. History shows that after a difficult Everest year, 1996, 2006, that more people come to mountain than ever. Boredom to adventure, awareness of the challenge, awakened dreams, bugs to light? The Joy of Climbing Today, many people are asking the same question asked of George Mallory in 1924, “Why”. This video by Kenton Cool recorded yesterday at Camp 3 on the Lhotse Face shows the satisfaction, excitement and reward of climbing. His enthusiasm is real, it is child like and reveals the answer: He is now at the South Col, ahead of the main crowds in order to make a film. He is carrying an Olympic Medal to the summit. He reports high winds but they are forecasted to drop starting May 25. All the other teams are reporting in mostly from Camp 3 on the Lhotse Face with a few hanging back at Camp 2. A similar scenario on the North but we get less information from that side. By the way, the north side has experienced severe satellite communication problems this year mostly with their Bgan units thus the lack of regular news. To the Summit The reaction to my “Above the Death Zone” description was overwhelming and left many wondering what the actual summit experience was like so once again using my own personal experience of last year: The Final Steps Leaving the Hillary Step, you now know what you know – you are going to summit Mount Everest. As that thought sinks in, goose bumps appear on your down covered arms, not from the cold but in anticipation of those last five steps. All the thoughts of oxygen, bad food, stinky teammates, endless hours on a stair-master with a pack and stares from people – well, wondering; it has all come down to this. But you cannot let your mind loose focus so you look at your feet, avoiding a deadly tangle of crampons and rope. The route moves steady higher but at a manageable angle; finally. There are several smaller rock formations you cover, some small rock caves or holes sitting to your right. You know that is a fool’s trap because the transparent cornice is just a few feet away, a trap door to death. It takes longer than you thought. The “brochure” said it was a short walk, you joke with yourself, a sign that your anxiety is easing; but now it feels long; and then … You crest a small rise and see a long slope ahead, and prayer flags and people and nothing else. A sudden burst of energy, A sudden wave of emotion. A sudden feeling of – SUMMIT!!!! Of all things, a snow bench has been carved out a foot or so below the summit. It is crowded with people, more well behind. The wind is blowing the prayer flags like a wind sock at an airport. But the only airplanes are flying below you right now as your feet come to a halt. Feet shoulder width, arms limp by your side, your hear your breathing pause and then slow. Your body relaxes as you scan the horizon – the sunrise to the East casts a glow like you have never seen over eastern Nepal, to the South you look down on the tops of Lhotse, oh there is Makalu looking huge, independent, proud, off in the distance. Ama Dablam, which dominated the trek in is lost in the Himalayas. Off to the west is Cho Oyo, your landmark at Camp 3. You know there might be someone on that summit using the view of Everest as proof of their summit right now. And the shadow. A smile finally emerges on your face, starting with a small twitch on the left side. The shadow of Everest casts upon the the Himalaya. Confirmation you are standing in a place few have stood over the eons of time. Your Sherpa calls out your name again, you make eye contact and then hug one another, no you hold one another so tight that it hurts so good. Your Sherpa has been here before but his grin is now as big as yours. Don’t tell me this is just a job for them. Sitting on the snow bench, you pull out your satellite phone, call home – a private conversation that puts it all in perspective. You’ve done it, it’s time to go home. The View from the Top of the World I didn’t know that Panaru Sherpa who climbed with Karim Mella, the first Dominican to summit Everest was taking a video the day I summited with Kami Sherpa of International Mountain Guides (IMG). This video is at 5:00AM on May 21, 2011. The audio at 56 seconds in the video is my dispatch from the summit to this website dedicating the summit to all mom’s with Alzheimer’s. My mom, Ida, and two of my aunts, died from Alzheimer’s. This is
Everest 2012: Above the Death Zone
As we ease closer to the next and final wave of Everest summits, advice the recent events of deaths on both sides of Everest have to be on the minds of the climbers. The South Experience A first hand report by Leanna Shuttleworth who summited with Alpine Ascents on May 20th, reveals just what they experienced. It is without a doubt the Blog of the day complete with startling images: Kami, my dad’s summit Sherpa, has now summitted Everest 18 times and said that it was the worst weather he’s ever been up in and that he didn’t think we were going to get up. My summit Sherpa, Mingma, who’s been up 15 times agreed, and Lakpa, who’s now been up 16 times has got frost nip/wind burn on his face for the first time ever. All in all, the weather was awful. The Next Wave IMG’s Eric Simonson reports in as they prepare for the next wave: IMG guides Max Bunce, Eric Remza, 13 Classic climbers, and their sherpas are heading up the Khumbu Icefall in the cold early morning hours tonight, shooting for the summit of Mt. Everest on May 26 (Nepal time). We are hoping that the weather forecasters are correct: they have predicted a weather window coming in a few days. It looks like Kenton Cool is the rabbit is this wave already at Camp 3. The RMI team of Dave Hahn also checked in with the home team saying: This really is the start of the Mt. Everest summit push in my eyes. How the next two days go, can have real impact on the summit day. It is so hard to try and maintain strength at these higher camps that you better hope the internal battery is charged, you will be drawing off of your reserves for sure. The team is focusing on eating and hydrating, keeping their bodies strong and ready. Four of our climbing Sherpa left Base Camp today and joined the climbers at ABC. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to the next few days. I know there is a lot of interest in the remaining Indian climbers with Asian Trekking so this is a list of who is climbing with Asian Trekking. Please understand this is all the information and I have no way of getting additional information now or over the next few days on these climbers. There are 18 Sherpas climbing with these teams and all are at Camp 2: Eco Everest Expedition 2nd Summit group: Rajendra Singh Pa, Meghlal Mahato, Lovraj Dharmashaktu, Binita Soren, Nandini Cholaraj, Lovraj Dharmashaktu who would be the first Indian to climb Everest without using supplemental oxygen. Lumbuni to Mt. Everest Youth Leaders Peace Expedition: Mr. Krishna Bahadur K.C., Mr. Sakar Dahal, Mr. Shiva Kumar Dangi, Ms. Beena Magar, Ms. Iswari Bhatt, Mr. Shiva Bahadur Sapkota, Mr. Maheswor Phuyal, Mr. Saral Sahayatri Paudel, M. Yubaraj Dulal, Mr. Madan Kumar Chudal The Death Zone As more information is made available on the weekend fatalities it appears that serious errors were made that contributed to the deaths. This was not a 1996 style disaster or a direct result of the 2012 weather. Yet, the risk of climbing where airplanes fly are real. There is a reason it is called the ‘Death Zone’. Popularized by Jon Krakauer in the book Into Thin Air, the term Death Zone has come to symbolize the risk of climbing Everest. It was first coined by the Swiss Doctor Edouard Wyss-Dunant who almost reached the summit of Everest during the 1952 Swiss Everest Expedition. He portrayed the effects of altitude on human physiology and defined a number of acclimatization zones in his book The Mountain World. The highest zone he called the Todeszone (German for Death Zone), defined as starting at 7,500 meter (24,606 feet) At this altitude and above, Wyss-Dunant stated, not only could normal human functions not be maintained, but they rapidly deteriorated – even with the use of supplemental oxygen. The level was later revised to be 8000m or 26,246 feet. Climbing in the Clouds So it is with great trepidation that climbers enter the Death Zone. Much attention is paid to the Khumbu Icefall and Lhotse Face, rightfully so, but little is said in detail about those hours above the South Col. So let’s take a very close look at the route above the South Col. If you will allow me, I’ll use my own personal experience of last year climbing the South Col route as the basis. The first few rotations to Camps 1 and 2 and especially Camp 3 feels devastating to most climbers. They struggle to breath, their legs cry out as muscles are deprived of red blood cells. They wonder why they are there and how they can ever go higher; but they do. For many, there is light at the end of the Everest tunnel the day they start using supplemental oxygen. All of sudden, the energy is back as well as the belief they can do this. However, below 8000m, it is just a placebo. The real test starts when you hear the wind drop on the South Col, the stars come out and the Sherpas hustling around your tent. You hear your name called out in that now so familiar Nepalese accent – it brings comfort in this strange place. You put your oxygen bottle or two into your pack along with a couple of liters of water, an energy bar, extra pair of gloves, sunglasses and not much more. You clip on your 12 point crampons, zip up the down suit, pull on the mask and look up. A stream of headlamps show the way. You start walking. South Col: 26,300?/8016m Welcome to the moon. This was home for a few hours as you recovered from your climb from Camp 3. More than likely the wind is blowing so hard you think this is the end of your journey. But usually with sunset, the winds follow the