Everest 2019: Climbers to Watch
Everest has become what I call a formula climb these days with almost all the expeditions following the same route, same acclimatization formula and using the same ropes. However there are always a few climbers each season that seek to break this mold and do something unique. 2019 is no different. This season we have […]
Everest 2019: New Route Attempt on Everest
This spring Everest season, something rare will take place – an attempt on a new route. According to Everest historian, Jochen Hemmleb, the last time a new route was successfully completed was the Korean line on the left side of the Southwest Face (Southwest Face to West Ridge) in 2009, 10 years ago. And for the […]
Everest 2019: Be Aware of Significant Problems Flying from Kathmandu to Lukla
The Nepal aviation authority announced last December that the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) would be closed daily from 22:00 (local time) to 08:00 starting April 1, 2019, through June 30, 2019, – smack in the middle of the pre-monsoon trekking and climbing season. Due to a limited construction season with winter conditions and summer monsoons, […]
Everest 2019: Welcome to Everest 2019 Coverage
Welcome to the kick-off for my Everest 2019 coverage! I have already posted a few articles on 2019 and am actively covering the current K2 winter attempts so let me officially welcome you. This will be my 18th season of all-things Everest: 12 times providing coverage, another 4 seasons of actually climbing on Everest and two years […]
Everest 2019: Interview with Adrian Ballinger on China’s New Rules
With lots of buzz about the new rules from China and banning tourists from going Everest Base Camp on the Tibet side, I reached out to Adrian Ballinger, founder of Alpenglow, for his thoughts. Adrian has been running Everest expeditions only from the Tibet side for several years now. He left the Nepal side after […]
Everest 2019: Update on Everest Rescue Scams and China “New” Rules
With the spring Everest climbing season only six weeks away, the well-publicized insurance fraud in Nepal heats back up while China seems intent on taking more control of their side of the Big E. Insurance Fraud and Insurance Threats I covered in great depth last August in this post but the gist of it was […]
Does Ecuador Replace Nepal for Best 20,000-foot Climbs?
I just returned from a rewarding trip to Ecuador to climb three of their volcanoes. I went with US-based, Mountain Madness. While this was my seventh trip to South America, it was my first to Ecuador and now I see what I’ve been missing! I’ve been climbing and going to Nepal 13 times since 1997. […]
2018/19 Winter Climbs: K2 Climbers en route, Nanga Climbers Climbing, New Everest Route?
The winter 8000-meter teams are well on their way to their respective peaks. On Nanga Parbat, the climbing has begun. K2: In Skardu K2: Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan Team – Arrival Pakistan The seven member team from Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan are in Skardu after taking a bus on Karakoram Highway for 30 hours. It seems […]
How Much Does it Cost to Climb Mount Everest? – 2019 Edition
This is my sixth year to blog “How much does it cost to climb Mount Everest?” and I firmly believe we are about to see the biggest changes in Everest, inc. that we have seen since Nepal went from one team permit per year to anything goes back in the early 1990s. The key drivers […]
China Clamps Down on Everest Climbs
Over the past few years, I’ve been predicting two things will change dramatically about climbing Everest: 1) It will get more expensive and 2) China will make it more difficult to climb from their side. A recent announcement by Chinese Mountaineering Association and Mountaineering Association of Tibet aka CTMA has shown both to be true. […]