Everest 2012: Confirmed – Himex Cancels all Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse Climbs Fearing Dangerous Conditions – Update 2
Himex – update 2 Himex posted on May 7, discount 2012, the official announcement of their climbs cancellation today, Monday May 7. Many other teams and climbers are talking about their pullout and report that the Himex Camp 2 is being taken down. The update mentions they are offering Camp 2 supplies to other teams to minimize Sherpa travel through the Icefall. Climbers note that while they respect Brice’s decision and acknowledge the difficulty, they remain fully committed to a safe and hopefully successful summit attempt. Of note, Himex stated they will return to the Himalaya in the Fall of 2013 (Manaslu?) and Everest in spring 2013. On May 9, Himex posted an update on their website citing the reasons Brice felt it was too dangerous for Himex to continue and addresses their future on Everest. Read it here. ————— Russell Brice’s Himalayan Experience (Himex) 2012 expedition is officially over. He announced on Saturday to all of his member climbers including Everest, Lhotse and Nutpse. At the root of the cancellation was the danger in the Khumbu Icefall. Some of his western members had posted the news starting with a short note from Joe Martinet’s home team saying the expedition was over. Today further details were posted on Greg Paul blog with these details. I encourage you to read his entire post. Russell laid out all the reasons for his decision….many of which we were already aware of from past discussions. However, we thought time would cure the problems on the mountain. The summit window usually does not open until May 20th so we had time on our side. Knowing this we were all wondering why Russell pulled the plug so soon. He explained that never in his life as an Everest operator had he seen worse conditions than this year. It was not just the dry windy upper mountain but especially the Khumba Icefall. The clincher for Russ was the fact that his experienced Sherpas were scared to death of the Icefall. In fact, in a rare display from folks that don’t talk much and usually just follow instructions, three head Sherpas spoke up and expressed the concern about the mountain and how dangerous it is this year. They were truly concerned about exposing their Sherpa team to further danger that taking more loads up the mountain would do. One of the most experienced Sherpas on Everest broke down in tears apologizing to us but at the same time not backing off one iota from his concerns. Russell expects an accident of catastrophic proportions to possible hit the icefall. Even if it is a remote possibility our safety not our summiting is his primary concern. It is still very hard to hear this and swallow it. This year’s Himex members included the well publicized Walking with the Wounded, a team of disabled UK war veterans. In addition to the cancellation, one of Himex’s Sherpas, Dawa Tensing Sherpa, suffered a stroke and is not expected to live. Now the team is retrieving gear, breaking down tents and preparing to return home. A few might try to tag one of the trekking peaks. As for the impact on the other teams, reports today, Sunday, came in that climbers safely climbed the Lhotse Face and slept at Camp 3. No other team has announced plans to cancel as of now. I will post more details tomorrow. As you can imagine, this is the most difficult decision an expedition operator has to make. He has the expectations of his members – their investments in time, money, training, support from family; for many this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. However, it is what you agree to when you sign up – you abide by the decisions made. I hope no one second guesses Russell. I know this man personally and can only imagine that he has not slept for days. Spending his free time pouring over weather maps, reviewing logistics, talking to his Sherpas and other team’s leaders; calling trusted advisors. But in the end, he is responsible for almost 100 lives on Everest- a responsibility he takes personally. Is his decision correct? This is not for anyone other than Russell and his team to answer regardless of the outcome of Everest 2012. For now, I wish them all safe travels home. Climb On! Alan Memories are everything
Everest 2012: Weekend Update May 6
This was the week Everest fell apart – literary and figuratively. With concerns over the lack of snow surfacing back in late March, it was not until the Sherpas, store the tireless heroes of Everest, s started to establish Camp 3 on the Lhotse face that the danger became real. Multiple injuries from rock fall caused the commercial team leaders to meet trying to find a solution to a natural problem. The lack of snow , perhaps a recent earthquake, but certainly the extreme winds demanded a different route up the Lhotse Face, and even abandoning Everest entirely for spring 2012. As the week progressed we saw two approaches to the problem: attack and re – but both involved a wait and see attitude towards the future and an overriding concern for the safety of members, guides and Sherpas, with one startling exception. A new route on the Lhotse Face was established under the leadership of IMG, AAI and Patagonia Brothers and safely used by hundreds of Sherpas and over 50 climbers to either tag Camp 3 or sleep overnight, thus completing their acclimatization program before attempting the summit. Himex Cancels Season Several teams including Himex, that had waited out the drama at Camp 2 choose to withdraw to their base camps declaring they would not climb Everest until there was more snow, the winds calmed down and yet a different route was established on the Lhotse Face and above. On May 5th Joe Martinet’s home team posted that Russell Brice had canceled the entire Everest expedition. I assume this includes Lhotse but am not sure about their Nuptse effort given it does not require climbing on the Lhotse Face but the recent avalanche that hit Camp 1 came off Nuptse. I have not confirmed this but if true, a gutsy call by the veteran. Avalanche Survivor Report Hugo Searle posted a startling account of being hit by the avalanche from Nuptse. This is the one that essentially destroyed much of Camp 1 and swept his Sherpa cook into crevasse necessitating a dramatic rescue and evacuation: When the avalanche hit it blew me backwards, off my feet and slammed me to the tent floor. Avalanche powder was pouring into the tent with such force that I could not breathe. I opened my mouth and it filled with snow, I opened my eyes and everything was white. The noise was intense, a rushing, roaring, tearing loud, loud noise. I struggled to get myself up onto my hands and knees, still being pummelled. I thought “I’m going to die because I can’t breathe”. I was fighting to get to the back of the tent, because I thought if I got out I could roll into the crevasse behind my tent and take shelter. Please read the entire report on his site Goodbye Winds, Hello Snow On May 3, the winds relented allowing many teams to safely climb the Face, but it was cold. I read one report of severely frostbitten fingers, something that should not happen in this time of modern gear. In spite of improved conditions, some choose to simply tag the High Camp rather than sleeping. Time will tell if this has an impact on their overall acclimatization. Many of those spent almost a week at Camp 2 hoping their bodies achieved the necessary adjustment to the lack of oxygen. IMG, taking the lead in salvaging Everest 2012, had their large core of Sherpas bring more rope and anchors to Camp 3 planning to set the route to the summit. Greg and Ang Jangbu report that the IMG Hybrid and guided teams made it down to EBC, and the first Classic group went up to Camp 2. The fixing teams have 29 bags (200m each) of rope at Camp 2, and 4 more 200m bags on top of Yellow Band, along with screws and pickets, ready to move up the hill for further fixing of the route when the conditions improve. Then on May 5, the snow began, well at least at base camp. This lifted spirits on both sides of the mountain or the remaining teams. The Everest 2012 Experience I always enjoy reading posts from 18 year-old Leanna Shuttleworth climbing with AAI. She explains her climb to tag Camp 3 through her young eyes. However, she is now speaking like a high altitude veteran and becoming “blase” about crevasses. One thing I noticed today just before we got into the main section of the Ice Fall was just how blasé you become about crevasses; we would be walking over tiny snow bridges with a gaping crevasse going down 50m on each side of us, and no one blinks an eyelid, or more often just doesn’t even glance down. This isn’t usually a coping mechanism either; it’s just that you cross so many of them that they stop being of particular interest or awe. However, every time we pass it the place that the Sherpa fell still revives my fear of the crevasse crossings. An excellent read is from Paul Goughy on his experience on the Lhotse face with the rockfall. This provides some insight into what the Sherpas, guides and climbers are experiencing: This is the Blog of the Day: While this has kept some teams tent bound we decide to brave them. Secondly, after a drier than normal winter, a lot of rock on the upper slopes is exposed and susceptible to being dislodged by wind or climbers. As some of the first climbers to head up the Lhotse Face we didn’t fully appreciate at the time how big an issue/concern this would become. We donned our (optional) helmets and started to ascend the Lhotse Face. Almost immediately, we were showered with rocks and ice from above (mostly from climbers descending). I was hit several times in the helmet, back and once in the glasses (thankfully I brought a spare). People shout “rock/ice” from above, but even if you do hear them above the wind you
Everest 2012: Holding and Climbing
The Everest season has officially split on the South side. Over on the North, they continue their effort to reach the North Col and tag 7500m. On both sides, eyes are glued to weather forecasts wondering where they will be when the winds return. South Split As I have covered over the past few days, several teams are holding steady at base camp while others are taking advantage of the reduced winds to get their full acclimatization rotations in. Eric Simonson, IMG, reports that 50 climbers took the new route up the Lhotse Face on Friday without incident. Visit their site for the full update: Greg and Jangbu report from IMG Base Camp that the wind finally started dropping today, and there was some snowfall this afternoon. The chance of additional snow over the next couple days remains in the forecast. The Classic climbers up at Camp 2 with IMG guide Eric Remza are doing well. They report that about 50 people from other teams took the new (right hand) route today, up to Lower Camp 3, and that it went well for them. The Classic team plan for tomorrow is to climb up to Lower Camp 3 for acclimatization and then return to Camp 2. We are going to hold off sleeping people at Camp 3 for the time being. Bandar posted a long blog on his climb to Camp 2 and back. His experience is fairly typical of many Everest climbers ranging from illness to uncertainty to fear. A long but good read. The Blog of the Day An excerpt: During the night we were engulfed in a wind storm. Our tent walls were flapping strongly in the wind and sleep was very elusive. Waking up constantly, I would give a look at Atte and see his eyes open as well, unable to slumber with this constant freight train running over our heads. This also led to a draft inside our tent that allowed the cold to sneak in to each and every passage. Cold and wind led to a miserable night and we were ecstatic when the sun hit our tent to provide much needed relief. Only 1 more night in this place was a constant topic among the group. Several teams are now spending time touching the green grass of the lower Khumbu, enjoying the relative comforts of tea houses. This has become more common after a team completes their acclimatization program to go lower and enjoy the oxygen thick air. The benefits are obvious but many teams avoid this fearing exposure to new illness from strangers and not being able to react quickly to a weather change and missing a potential summit window. Last year for me, our opportunity to summit came two hours after after we crawled into our tents when a revised weather forecast arrived. Talk about a fire drill! North Push The usual sources for information on the north side are busy climbing but we know that many teams left base camp a few days ago with the intention of spending a night at the north Col plus climbing to 7500m to meet their acclimatization program. Some people have asked if the rock fall is as bad on the north as the south and the answer is I don’t know. Climbing to the North Col is more of a very steep ice and snow slope and the pictures I have seen suggest it is in good shape. However above the North Col, it is very rocky so they may experience similar issue as South side climbers once they get higher. Weather Watch Reports of low winds came across today allowing teams to climb. Other forecast suggest low winds through the weekend and then returning. But low winds are not enough to solve the rock fall issue. It will take some heavy snowfall to bond the rocks. So time will tell. But there is still 27 days left on the south, eternity in mountaineering, or a blink. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Everest 2012: Everest Leaders Make Tough Decisions
As Everest 2012 becomes more dangerous, there the commercial expeditions leaders are being forced into making difficult decisions. At the root of the dilemma are extremely dry conditions and rock fall. Some teams have declared a ground hold, others are reing back down valley, some are holding at their current camps and yet others are pushing higher. As I have said, there are no rules on Everest. Each team leader makes their own call based on their experience and available information. While the teams leaders met this week to sort out the dangers and route finding, clearly there was no consensus as the following shows. The Dilemma The Everest area has not had the same amount of snowfall over the preceding winter that it usually experiences. Snow is what holds loose rocks together and prevents them from falling down the steep slopes. The routes above Camp 2, starting at the Lhotse Face, become very steep ground with angles from 20 to 45 degrees. When a rock starts rolling, even a tiny one, it becomes a missile. While climbers wear helmets, they can still be hurt or killed depending on where they are hit by a rock and how large it is. At this point there have been numerous reports of Sherpas, no westerners yet, becoming casualties of rock fall. There are reports of broken arms and head lacerations requiring 10 stitches. This is a dangerous environment that can only be remedied by a heavy snowfall – even then it may not be enough to salvage the season if the high winds return. Already, climbers on Lhotse may be looking at the end of their season. A Lhotse climb requires climbing a steep, gully surrounded by rock. In good snow years, rockfall is common; this year it may be unacceptable. There is further concern about the climb from Camp 3 to the South Col, which crosses the Yellow Band, a large area of rock. While ropes have been fixed to this level, it has not seen the stress of hundreds of climbers pounding the rocks. Finally it is too early to know, but above the South Col to the Balcony and on the Southeast ridge is another area covered with rock. I know on my 2008 climb, I was almost hit by rock just below the Balcony. There has been a huge effort to reroute the fixed lines on the Lhotse Face with some success. The new route has been used by several teams to reach Camp 3 safely. However, the Sherpas are complaining that it is longer depleting their precious energy. Also, a few commercial teams are refusing to use the new route maintaining it is equally unsafe – again no rules, just experience and judgment. All of this has created an atmosphere on Everest not seen in a decade. This season will go down in history regardless of the final results as one of tough calls, second guessing and risks. Expedition on “Hold” Himex’s Russell Brice’s team issued a post yesterday that read like press release but essentially told the story that Brice feels the entire mountain is too dangerous and has pulled his entire team back to base camp on an indefinite hold: Himalayan Experience has had to put its expedition on hold due to too many hazards on the mountain. “The danger on the Lhotse Face as well as in the Khumbu Icefall is way outside our parameters. The rockfall onto the Lhotse Face is relentless and I cannot put my members, guides or Sherpas through this danger,” Russell explained during lunch on Thursday – shortly after the first Everest group, the ‘Yetis’ as well as the Lobuje team had arrived back at base camp. Tim Ripple of Peak Freaks made a similar post: We are grateful we don’t have teams up at Camp 2 pondering what to do, our Sherpas are pulled off the mountain for the time being. Our team are all happy campers enjoying vacation life Pheriche except for Marty, Joshua, Ben and I who are holding tight here. I strongly encourage you to read both of these posts completely to understand their positions. Weather Forecast As I covered recently, predicting weather on Everest is tough but at the large scale – huge winds or just winds, big snow or nothing, the forecasters are pretty good. Over on Mike Moniz’s site they quote a forecast that looks pretty good: The jet stream winds subside a lot in the next 24 hours and should abate over the weekend and into early next week. In fact, the 10-day forecast doesn’t show a return of the winds as strong as they’ve been the last few days, but it could get windier in a week or so after it is calmer for the next few days. Tough to forecast precipitation with midday and afternoon clouds/snow showers possible most days. Another post provides some insight into the schedule which is subject to change in this uncertain season. This from Chris Klinke The weather has been windy the last 5 days stripping most of the snow off the upper mountain. That appears to be changing over the next 5 days with higher level convection coming in from the Jet stream causing snow to fall on the upper mountain which makes the Lhotse face a little more stable and less subject to rock fall. The route to C3 has been changed in the last two days because of the winds and rock fall. The new route is a little longer in distance but it is much safer given the condition of the mountain. the route to the South Col has not been established yet for this year. The goal is to have it established by May 7th, then If possible the route to the summit by May 11th. Just to make matters more confusing, or optimistic, Allie Pepper climbing over on Manaslu which is east of Everest (where the weather comes from) posted this about TOO much snow: Ok believe
Everest 2012: An Orderly Re … or Advance
The climbers are still holding at Camp 2 on the South and some are returning to base camp as the winds continue to pound Everest. Understandably individual climbers are not posting too much because 1) there is not a lot to report and 2) many are at Camp 2 without access to their communications gear. But the situation is improving! A new route on Lhotse and perhaps an improving weather forecast. Rerouting Eric Simonson of IMG has posted an update that is very encouraging about the route up the Lhotse Face including a map showing a potential new route. You need to go to their site to see it: Greg and Jangbu report from Everest BC today that the Jetstream is still right over Mt. Everest, and the heavy winds up high are still kicking off rocks that roll down the Lhotse Face, illness threatening the climbers and sherpas. Today we had IMG guides Justin Merle, Max Bunce, along with several AAI guides, and Chad Kellogg, checking an alternate route to Camp 3, to the climbers’ right of the usual route. They rejoined the route near lower Camp 3 and said the snow ramps were good climbing, and there was less rockfall. However, there is still reported rockfall up in the Camp 3 area, so we are staying off the Face until the winds die down. Once again Dave Hahn provides a solid update noting their re to base camp waiting for improved conditions. He continues to comment on the dry condition high on Everest. This implies the climbing may be a bit more difficult as it will require crampons against rock, not snow, which is measurably more difficult. Consensus is that conditions are pretty dry and dangerous on the Lhotse face. So many teams were not having their members or Sherpa go up on the standard route, but others were. Our intention now, not being able to safely climb at the moment without some new snow or some change, is to head down to Base Camp in the morning. So that is what we are looking to do – up early and heading down. The New Route The normal route up the Lhotse Face starts after a 1.5 – 2 hour easy (at 21,000′!!) walk from Camp 2. The terrain is somewhat smooth with a few crevasses but marked with wands. They usually cross in the dark early morning hours using headlamps. Once at the base of the Face, it takes on an entirely new personalty starting with a steep short climb, clipped into the fixed ropes, to a short flat section and then takes off – until you reach Camp 3. The first section is unforgivingly steep and gains altitude fast as a result. I believe this is the section currently subject to the rock fall. There are several rock bands crossing the Lhotse Face just above this section that may shedding rocks during the extreme winds and dry conditions. After this first section, the route continues basically straight up with a couple of flatish section where you take breaks safely – but still clipped in until you reach the lowest of several Camp 3 spots. So, as I understand it from the IMG picture, the alternate route goes the far right of the current route and follows a few ramps to gain the altitude. It is unclear to me how you gain access to the new route because that lower area at the base is heavily crevassed; but I am sure you can pick your way through. This new route may be a bit longer but could be faster since that first section really takes it out of most people early. NatGeo West Ridge team down 1 Climber An update on NatGeo’s Cory Richards. He was helicoptered out last week suffering from breathing problems. According to his first person post from Kathmandu: All is well in Kathmandu as the last of the tests have finished up. The great news is that my body is as healthy as it has ever been. All the doctors have cleared me on all accounts and have repeatedly insisted that whatever the cause of the brief episode I experienced, it was not related to altitude. Likewise, there is no evidence of a pulmonary embolism. Wonderful news…though frustrating that we can’t find an explanation. This is great news but he has chosen to leave the expedition. No word on what his partner Conrad Anker will do given it was a 2 person team climbing the dangerous West Ridge. North Side on the Move The Altitude Junkies team is ready to start moving based on an improving forecast, posted Phil Crampton today: Our weather forecast shows the jet stream moving away from the mountain for several days starting late this afternoon. With this in mind we plan to walk to advanced base camp tomorrow followed by a rest day at the 6,400 meter camp. The following day we plan to make our second rotation to the North Col and if the team feels strong enough we will continue to the 7,300-7,500 meter mark for an acclimatization tag before returning to advanced base camp and the lower elevation of 6,400 meter for a better nights sleep. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Everest 2012: “Trapped”
For the first time in several years, teams are dealing with a lot of unknowns on Everest. There is a combination of confidence, determination and a bit of anxiety among the leaders who are now working together to provide safe passage for all the climbers. Both sides have their challenges but wind is the common theme. A Cold Truth on the North Let’s start with a clear statement on the North from Alex Abramov with 7 Summits Club who only yesterday posted he felt “trapped” at ABC not wanting to go back to base camp but not able to go higher due to the winds Today we spent a night at the North Col (7000m). I do not remember last few years such a heavy night. A very strong wind was, beater, very cold. Australian Andrew Lock attempting a north summit without supplemental O’s put it on the line: The jet stream really is giving us a hard time this season. It’s not just colder but we are being constantly blasted by gale force winds. There’s no chance for a summit in these conditions. It’s going to be a waiting game for a while but even when things ease, it will be a tough climb. Dodgeball on the South On the South, it looked better yesterday but was what climbers call a “sucker hole” and several teams did climb the Lhotse face in brutal conditions according to Adventure Consultants who is holding at Camp 2: Right now we are all in a holding pattern at Camp 2. Jet Stream winds persist, despite yesterdays relative lull (sucker ‘hole) which meant some folks had a punishing night at Camp 3. IMG’s Eric Simonson puts it bluntly: The jet stream has been parked right over the top of Mt Everest the last few days, and winds up high have been ripping. Current forecasts have the high winds persisting for several more days. IMG leaders Greg Vernovage and Ang Jangbu report that the fixing crew has been unable to move beyond the Yellow Band and have not yet reached the South Col. The wind has also been knocking a lot of rocks down the lower part of the Lhotse Face, near to the climbing route. We have decided to hold off sending the IMG climbers up to Camp 3 until things settle down a bit, so IMG guides Mike Hamill, Andy Polloczek, Justin Merle, and the guided and hybrid climbers are having a good acclimatization rotation up at Camp 2. Valiant efforts But not everyone is waiting as Kenton Cool explains their aborted attempt: Monday dawned cold and windy, the plan was to climb up and ‘tag’ Camp 3 with some other folk. We left Camp 2 on the back of a very bad night’s sleep, the wind kept everyone awake so it was a number of grumpy people that left around 7am. The climb to the bottom of the Lhotse face was fine, it was a little cold but nothing too bad…..all of a sudden just beneath the face the wind picked up and never left. It was brutal, gusting maybe 50-60mph but never less than 30. For me it was a no brainer, having experienced bad weather all over the world I didn’t need to risk frost bite on a simple acclimatisation run to Camp 3. I turned around and trotted back to camp to a welcomed cup of hot tea. Forest and Trees It is easy to get lost in all the detail so let’s step back and look at the big picture. First and foremost, it is only May 2 meaning there are 29 climbing days left on the south; more on the north. Second, while concerning, avalanches, rock fall and cold and windy conditions are part of Everest. So while a bit more extreme this year it comes with the territory and expedition leaders and experienced climbers are used to dealing with these challenges. All eyes are on the weather maps watching for the build-up of monsoons off the Indian coast. Usually this helps move the jetstream north thus lowering the winds. Historically, it happens like clockwork in mid May. Some teams will re to base camp on the south to wait for safer conditions while others will push the envelope and check-off Camp 3 or the North Col. There are no rules on Everest and this is what separates expeditions. By the way, this is also what makes climbing Everest challenging and exciting for anyone pondering if it has become “irrelevant”. A closer look at the schedule shows a trip to Camp 3 only takes 2 days – up and down. Then the summit push from base camp takes about a week thus we have about 10 actual climbing days left with 29 days remaining – a nice cushion! Finally, in 2005, the jetstream sat on the summit throughout early May forcing the latest first summit day in 45 years of climbing Mt. Everest, May 21st. Norgay and Hillary did it on May 29, the earliest was April 4 in 1984. As I continue to say, climbing Everest is all about patience. The route will get set, the winds will let up, the climbers will climb. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Everest 2012: Drama Captured on Everest Plus More Wind
High winds have everyone in lock down on both sides. When the winds are above 30 mph, most teams will simply wait it out. Gusts of over 60mph are being reported from C2. A break is still forecasted starting tomorrow per most reports. However the route up the Lhoste Face has issues, try more in a moment. The biggest problem facing the climbers now is with weather and route delays, there are a lot of people queued at Camp 2 waiting for their run to Camp 3 and the required overnight. A glance at the location table shows more teams at C3 than at EBC right now, but clearly that can change daily. This implies a long line up the fixed ropes and perhaps some long wait times. If it continues to be cold and windy, it will be uncomfortable and test everyone’s patience. Winds and more Winds Dave Hahn, with more Everest summits than any Westerner at 13, commented from his location at Camp 2: Another windy day up here at the head of the Western Cwm. Apparently the jet stream winds are still on the mountain and it’s sure sounding like it. All day long big roaring noise as the air was hitting the south west face of Mt. Everest and the north face of Lotse. And just ripping over the tops of the mountains. Didn’t make sense to do any hard climbing in those conditions, for us. That wouldn’t have worked for us anyway today we were into light exercise activities and trying to gain acclimatization. We all had a good night last night and we are try build on that. Eric Simonson of IMG reports that the rope fixing has stopped on the South side: Ang Jangbu reports that Mingma Tenzing, Tshering and rest of the fixing team got on top of Yellow Band and had to turn around due to high wind. More troubling than the wind is that there have been rumors that the route up the Lhotse Face is not safe due to rock fall – very unusual until you get higher up, even above the South Col. But apparently has become so bad on the lower Face that wise teams are refusing to climb until the line is rerouted. This report from Ian Ridly sums it up: The current position is that the main Teams have decided that the current route is too dangerous. Apparently one Sherpa has 10 stitches in his head after a rock completely smashed his helmet and a Russian has a broken arm. A team of Western guides are going to recee the face and try and find a safer alternative to the right of the normal route tomorrow. It is currently thought that the existing position of Camp Three is as safe/unsafe as previous years depending upon your perspective. Once found, ropes will need to be fixed again which will take another day or so. Rescue Video The NatGeo team, with all their cameras filming for their 1963 West Ridge film next year, was able to capture the drama of Cory Richard’s breathing problems and subsequent helicopter evacuation from base camp. It was available for embedding but NatGeo canceled that permission for external sites. Tempers and Patience It is getting crowded on the South side with all the delays, tempers are starting to get short. Chad Kellogg made a long post on his carry to Camp 3 and had these observations on the problems in the Icefall: On the way down I ran into a traffic jamb on the fixed ropes. There were three to five people at every fixed anchor on the down lines. After waiting for ten minutes for my turn to rappel I began to get passed by Shepras using the lines as a hand line on the icy face. I met up with a North Face member named Phil. Phil was super calm and he and I rappelled the lines together. When another group of six Sherpas tried to pass us while I was on rappel I began to lose my temper. What they were doing was unsafe and was putting other people at risk below them as well. I yelled at a few of them as they passed, but they only cared about their well being and nothing else. Then I watched as three of them fell down and slid crampons first into the people waiting at the next anchor. Hmmm. I mentioned to Phil that these guys ignorance of fixed line protocol was making me angry. His reply was that anger might make me do something I might regret. His words of concise wisdom calmed me down and refocused my attention to getting down safely. Rockfall So not sure what is going on this year with all the rock fall and Icefall movement. As I have said, much of this is normal for any year but there are too many reports to dismiss this as “normal” It could have been the warm winter, lack of snowfall (upper Everest is reported to be very dry), or perhaps the recent earthquakes in the area created more instability than usual. In any event, post after post are commenting on the dangers and need to stay alert. In an email I received from Cian O’Brolchain climbing with Jagged Globe, he mentioned: Our 3rd day at camp 2, we went for an acclimitisation walk up to the Bergschaund. This is at a height of 6,800m and is at the bottom of the Lhotse face. There was a sherpa team on the Lhotse face fixing rope. Two of our sherpa team Pasang and Pemchirri were on the Lhotse face putting the rope in. As we were taking a break at the bottom of the face, a few rocks were falling down near us. The sherpas were shouting down and we could see them clearly. We had plenty of time to get out of the way if one came near us. We were fortunate enough, as the
Everest 2012: Helicopters and Wind Delays
Looks like high winds are putting a crimp in everyone’s schedule. The Sherpas have stopped fixing the line just above the Yellow Band on the South and most of the North teams have reed back to their base camp. High winds are not totally unusually for the end of April but it makes everyone very anxious wanting to check the box for their night at Camp 3 or the North Col. Remember this is just half time so lots of climbing days left. There were many updates overnight so I have a lot of quotes and encourage you to click on the links to read the entire post and see their pictures. Health and Services I commented yesterday that 30 people had been helicoptered out of EBC. Now EverestER, the fantastic volunteer team of Doctors who support Base Camp-South each season, ambulance posted this today: It’s been a wild ride of emotion and activity over the past week. Between dangerous avalanches and just plain illness, we’ve been busy (over 250 s in our first 3 weeks of opening) and emergency cases and evacuations have reached an all-time high for the . We’re not sure quite what accounts for this unusual acuity – probably several different factors contribute, including more trekkers overnighting in base camp (more folks novice to sleeping at such high altitude and the complications that ensue), more teams signing on for our service, a warm and unstable season, a particularly treacherous icefall route, and more helicopters than we’ve ever seen available for quick response. An update on Cory Richards, attempting the West Ridge with NatGeo’s Conrad Anker. The helicopter service, Fishtail Air, reports he is in Lukla and will be flown to Kathmandu tomorrow. Further reports suggest he suffered a pulmonary embolism, blockage in his lungs, likely from blood clot; and not AMS. Helicopters One point on the helicopters. In the “old” days, 2008 and earlier, the Nepal Army was the dominate provider of helicopter services for climbing expeditions. It was dangerous, difficult, expensive and took a lot of work to arrange an evacuation. Today, a private company, Fishtail Air, appears to have taken over many of the evacuations with their 5 helicopter fleet. These high altitude helicopters include the Eurocopter AS350 Ecureuil aka Squirrel. In 2005, a stripped down B3 touched it’s landing pads on the summit of Everest, making history. While not a tourist flight in Hawaii, it is slightly safer and much easier and more reliable than the Army. The Army still helps with large load transport. I wrote an article in 2010 on Fishtail that examines helicopter services in Nepal. Today they land at Camp 2 in the Western Cwm, but not higher. It costs around USD$7,000 per flight and is very weather dependent. Weather Adventure Consultants delayed their climb to camp 3 due to weather: The jet stream continues to blast the tops of Lhotse and Everest and all night our tents were shaken violently by the descending gusts. Under the current conditions a journey up the Lhotse Face to C3 is out of the question, so tomorrow we plan a trek up the Western Cwm to the base of the Face to reinforce our acclimatization. Meanwhile we wrap up well against the wind and cold, many of us deciding to wear our down suits around the camp. Leanna Shuttleworth with AAI is back at Camp 2 and posted her thoughts on the night at Camp 3: This next rotation will be all the way up to Camp Three, and spending a night there without oxygen. We’ve all heard horror stories about this night there, and can’t say we’re looking forward to it particularly! Sleep sounds elusive and the altitude will most definitely make itself known. Team members who might not benefit from this night may be just “touching” Camp Three before descending for the night in Camp Two instead. Along these lines, I have added a new symbol in the location table of a “T”. So the letters mean” e= climb ended, x=last reported location, x+ = on summit bid, -x = descending, h=high sleep point, T=touched not slept. The legend is under the table. There are different thoughts on spending the night versus spending hours at an extreme higher altitude such as Camp 3 (24,000/7300m) for acclimatization purposes. Obviously the difference is time. The longer you spend, the more the body adjusts but also degrades, the less time spent you retain strength but don’t generate as many red blood cells, presumably. It would be interesting to take blood tests to compare the different techniques. The world-class climbers usually spend the night, for what it is worth. But one point overrides the discussion of hours in that it takes the body weeks, not hours to fully adjust to a new altitude completely so all of this may be a moot point. More Weather Onto more reports with everyone talking weather: Don’t miss Grant Rawlinson’s pictures of Chinese Base Camp on the north. He posted some great shots. Dave Hahn on his way to Camp 2, phoned in a report on the wind and lack of snow up high: The climbing route is ok but kind of spooky. We walked thru some very large debris fields from avalanches that have come down in the last couple of days from both the West Shoulder of Mt. Everest and from Nuptse. Both mountains have thrown down debris that is across the climbing route. We didn’t have a bad day, we were pretty lucky with our conditions. It was kind of a breezy day and they say the jet stream is right over Mt. Everest right now. The weather we are experiencing certainly seems to bear that out. It was sunny, cold and gusty and windy most of the day but that saved us from being too hot coming up into camp, this big reflector oven of the Western Cwm. Thing are really dry up here. Likewise, Kurt Wedberg comments on life at EBC along
Everest 2012: Weekend Update April 29
It is hard to believe the Everest spring season is half over. At this point the climbers are in the middle of their acclimatization rotations with successful climbs of trekking peaks, perhaps to the North Col or a few nights at Camp 2 at the base of the Lhotse Face. A few have returned home early to process the experience and consider the future. Many climbers have updated their personal blogs making for some great reading. I suggest clicking on the links on the location table or to the right to visit your favorite and see their pictures including: Leanna Shuttleworth (AAI), Bud Allen with Bill Burke (AT), Ian Ridley (JG), Phil Purdy (JG), Chris Klinke (PH), WMS great pictures A fight (with the wind) on the North Grant Rawlinson continues to document his return to Everest’s North side with an amazingly detailed post on his first trip to the North Col. His writing is clear, emotional and compelling. Note the comments about teamwork, bonding, mental toughness, physical demands. One of the I’ve read. Grab a coffee and read the entire post, the Blog of the Day: Milk tea the beautiful, hot sweet liquid that soothes my raging thirst in the freezing cold. At least I dont need to vomit I tell myself. After two cups of milk tea I make my excuse’s and stumble down into my tent. I am still insanely thirsty however I can feel the construction workers inside my brain starting to increase their activity. An altitude headache is the king of headaches. The feeling of the middle part of your brain being squeezed in a vice. Without medication a bad altitude headache has me on my knees holding my head in my hands rocking back and forth. Of note, 73 year old Japanese Tamae Watanabe with Asian Trekking is back at BC after tagging the North Col. She will set the record for women if she summits this year. Acute Mountain Sickness On Saturday, the National Geographic West Ridge team took a blow when Cory Richards climbing with Conrad Anker was airlifted out of EBC complaining of altitude sickness. Cory walked down from Camp 2 under his own power so this is probably more of a precaution. It is reported he wants to return. In related health news, a 33 year-old Indian, Ramesh Gulve, climbing with the Pune team was also helicopter out of EBC last week and eventually returned to India where he died from a stroke. These incidents show the dangers of being at high altitude and the totally random nature of acute mountain sickness or how latent health problems can be brought to the surface by the stress of Everest. Even someone with years of professional experience, or the novice can be hit without warning. I understand there have been 30 climbers helicoptered out already this year. It causes me to wonder if leaving early has become too easy. And I wonder, with all respect for those in serious condition. Best wishes for Cory to return and my condolences to the family of Mr. Gulve. Update: The Adventure Journal is reporting that Cory Richards is believed to be suffering from a pulmonary embolism, blockage in his lungs, likely from a blood clot. If this is the case, it is unlikely he will return, sadly. Reflections This past week we saw a bit of everything from perfect weather to harsh winds that stalled progress. We also saw avalanches, rescues and learned that death on Everest sometimes has nothing to do with climbing. The press loves to publish stores with headlines that have words like death or avalanches or evacuations – all factual but not the whole story. Each year Everest has these events so in many ways, this has been a normal season thus far. The Sherpas who died, one was a preventable accident, falling from a ladder and not being clipped into the safety line; and the other was a lost battle with alcohol that ended at base camp. The avalanches are part of every season. Thankfully the one this week from Nutpse regrettably only resulted in broken ribs for one Sherpa, not three deaths like in 2009. And there will be more. Plus more shifting of the route throughout the Icefall – all part of the grand bargain Everest climbers make every season. Halftime on Everest As we approach May 1, the days are getting warmer, longer and the ice is actually starting to melt. The Sherpas at EBC have already had to reposition a few tents or rebuild tent platforms as the warm days plus the occupant’s body heat reformed their flat(ish) site. But more important is this is the week when teams are going to pay their dues and get their ticket to attempt the summit in mid May. Reading the blogs and from my own experience, this is a time of horribly conflicted emotions. You are happy to be going back up to the North Col and tag 7500m or to spend that infamous night at Camp 3. You have read about climbing the Lhotse Face but are not prepared for how physical it really is. The mental side of climbing Everest comes into full focus. Yes, it is crowded with climbers and Sherpas going up and down the Hill. Yes, there is a lot of commerm with sponsors and causes. And yes, it is easy to get distracted, become preoccupied with what everyone else is doing. But now is the time to concentrate on the task at hand – climb the mountain. This next week will be critical Why? As has been my custom, I like to use these weekend updates to remind my readers that I am just one guy who loves climbing. With 30 serious climbing expeditions including four Everest trips under my belt and a summit last year, this site tries to share those experiences, demystify Everest each year and bring awareness to Alzheimer’s Disease. My mom died from this disease a few
Everest 2012: Lhotse Face Push
For the rest of the world, weekends are times for fun and relaxing. On Everest it is time for work. Today, several teams are climbing towards Camp 3 on the Lhotse Face and over on the North, heading back to the safety of base camp after a difficult climb to the North Col. Avalanche Update The avalanche reported yesterday seems to have shaken the climbers up a bit. This was a somewhat rare event in that it came off Nuptse, which is to the climber’s right as you enter the Western Cwm. Most avalanches have come off Everest’s West Shoulder, to the left. As with most avalanches of this nature it is not the actual debris that causes harm or damage (unless you take a direct hit) but rather the hurricane force wind blast that accompany the avalanche. In this case, one person, Hugo Searle was blown down and his expedition cook literally blown into a crevasse. A man hunt ensued resulting in pulling him out. His injuries were deemed serious enough that the Fishtail B3 Helicopter was summoned to evacuate him back to Kathmandu. This is now common to call the helicopter in for rescues whereas 3 years ago, it would have taken 20 Sherpas a full day to hand carry him back to base camp for helicopter evacuation. I understand he is OK. Climbing the Lhotse Face On one of my early Everest climbs, when the time came to climb to Camp 3 at 23,000′ high on the Lhotse Face, our leader made the task pretty simple: “If you don’t make it, you don’t go to the summit.” While a bit harsh, it was more of a truism than a threat. This weekend several teams will make their move to spend that night at Camp 3. They will climb the Face, clipped into the fixed lines and rejoice once they can crawl into their yellow tent and then struggle to sleep without the benefit of supplemental oxygen. This is the price that needs to be paid allowing climber to go further; force the body to make the red blood cells needed in a few weeks when they are near the top of the world. But, there is nothing simple about this. First it took about 10 Sherpas to set the two lines, an up and a down rope, into the steep icy mountainside. Then it took the Herculean efforts of each teams’ Sherpas to climb the Face carrying heavy packs loaded with tents, anchors, mesh nets, fuel, stoves, sleeping bags, pads, and the kitchen sink. Once there, those same Sherpas took out shovels and ice axes to literally chip away the solid ice locked in a a 30 degree angle – their goal to create a more or less level tent platform that in theory will help their climbers get a decent night’s sleep. Space is limited on the Face so these days there can be three different Camp 3s separated by as much as 300′ of vertical gain. This becomes a pick your poison dilemma for team leaders. The low camp makes the first acclimatization easier but the summit push longer. Obviously at the higher camps, it is the opposite. I prefer the higher camp which requires the hard work early rather later. Once at the camp, the views are incredible. You look down over the Western Cwm and Camp 1 and 2. The 8000m mountain Cho Oyu stands proud directly to the east. And Pumori which dominates base camp, now looks like a foothill. It is an amazing place. Speed Update Chad Kellogg attempting a speed climb from EBC to the summit and back gave us an update on his progress. He has been to Camp 2 but in his post does a nice job of breaking down acclimatizing based on a long discussion with one of the EverestER Doctors based at EBC: I had a fascinating discussion with a Doctor that is also a certified mountain guide named Richard. We had a lengthy discussion about the system for acclimatizing for 8,000 meter peaks. He was full of knowledge and was in line with many other experts opinions that sleeping above 7,500 meters does nothing but degenerate the body. He advised me that sleeping at Camp 4 without oxygen was an inefficient plan and I should reconsider. Another interesting point he made was that I should wait until the temperatures warm up. He pointed out that no oxygen less ascents had been made successfully before May 10th. My plan was to begin May 6th and try to summit on May 7th. The point being that the warmer temperatures allow for more oxygen at higher elevations. The warmer temperatures also reduce chances of frostbite on two fronts, one being more oxygen which allows for more perfusion to the extremities and the second being the obvious extra warmth in the ambient air temperature prevents the toes, fingers and facial extremities from being as cold. The final advice he gave was that the lungs need a difference in pressure to allow the oxygen to transfer from the atmosphere into the body. The higher the pressure difference the easier the exchange of vital gas O2. At the summit he said the pressure would be about 20%. The higher the temperatures the pressure would be a fraction higher, but it would make a helpful difference, was his advice. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything