I summited
Everest on May 21, 2011 and have climbed it three other
times (all from Nepal) - 2002, 2003 and 2008 each
time reaching just below the Balcony at about 27,500' (8400
meters) before health, weather or my own judgment caused me
to turn back. I attempted Lhotse twice
- 2015 and 2016. When not climbing, I cover the Everest season
from my home in Colorado as I did for the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 , 2017, 2018, 2019,
a virtual 2020 season, 2021, 2022 and
the 2023 season. This
page has some background information on what it took
for me to climb Everest based on my own experiences. |
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Everest Background Articles
Dressing for Everest
What do you wear when the temperature goes from 100° F to 10° F
in a matter of minutes? Oh and you have to carry everything in your backpack.
Oh and the wind may go from calm to gale force. Ok, let’s not forget
a blinding whiteout. Exaggeration, Hyperbole? No, it is the Western Cwm on
Everest’s South Col route.
Clothing is one of the most important investments high altitude climbers
make. It literally becomes a matter of life and death during the climb. The
short answer to the dilemma is layers. In other words a well thought out
system of varying weight layers of clothing that are easily removed or added
as the conditions change.
There are three basic levels: wick, warmth and wind/snow. Let’s take
them one at a time.
Removing the moisture from your skin is the key to maintaining a warm,
comfortable and safe climbing environment within your clothing. There
are several ways to manage this moisture. Most climbers were very lightweight
capiline or merino wool, which I prefer, next to the skin. This layer
wicks the moisture away from the skin and, hopefully, evaporates.
The other advantage of this layer is that is dries quickly. You always hear
never to wear cotton while climbing, this is because it does not wick nor
dry. A layer of wet clothing against your skin can accelerate hypothermia,
frostbite and even death. Many climbers have suffered this fate thus the
importance of the base layer.
The
next layer is for warmth. There are many choices here depending on personal
preference and/or conditions. I like a medium weight pull over top or
a full body suit such as the Mountain Hardwear Powerstretch suit. It
is made of a medium weight fleece that breathes thus allowing moisture
wicked away from the skin to pass through. Many climbers use fleece jackets
and pants.
The final layer is for protection against wind and snow. The standard for
high altitude is down. There are two approaches - a full down suit or separate
down jacket and pants. The full suit has the advantage of no gaps at the
waistline. This is important when you are bending over to clip in or reaching
for difficult holds. In high winds, this gap can “leak” and destroy
your carefully designed cocoon. You can also sleep in a full suit and bring
a lighter sleeping bag to the High Camps. The disadvantage is that when it
warms up, you cannot easily strip down. The standard procedure is to pull
the top down and wrap the arms around your waist. This is very bulky and
is still hot.

A separate down jacket has the advantage that it can be used in camps, during
rest stops and during the climb. Paints have the same advantage. Down is
the warmest insulating material but becomes useless when extremely wet. Primaloft
or synthetic down avoids this problem but is not as warm. Most climbers select
down for their critical layer at high altitudes.
Some climbers incorporate a gortex jacket and/or bibs as an outer layer
in strong wind conditions where it is not extremely cold.
Finally, protection for the hands, head and feet complete the system.
Again, layers apply here as well. I cover boots below
but the summary are wool socks, double insulating boots and integrated
gators to keep the snow out.
Hands are protected with lightweight “liner” gloves followed
by a wind stopper type material on a heavier glove. And for the highest altitudes
down mittens – not gloves – that create an inner air space to
keep fingers warm.
The
head is usually protected with a knit skull cap made of windstopper material.
As conditions get worse a full balaclava that covers the nose. A
neck warmer is a must. Finally the down hood from the suit or jacket
competes the cover. Glacier sunglasses that block 99% of the harmful
light is a must sometimes combined or replaced by goggles in windy and
blowing snow conditions.
As you can see, there are many levels, pieces and approaches that go into
the climbing cocoon. It is expensive to get all this gear and also takes
some time to get used to wearing the right layer for the conditions. The
goal is always not to be too hot or too cold.
Click
here for a complete list of all my gear.
Training For Everest
How do you train your body to withstand a third of the oxygen in every breath,
every muscle screaming for more blood while your insides literally are dying
while you sleep? Perhaps an even better question, other than why, is how
do you train your mind?
Veteran Everest climbers know what they will experience. First time climbers
are shocked at the experience. My personal experience was difficult. I experienced
a lung infection that stopped a climb and on another, my body simply refused
to acclimatize above 23,000’. With the clear disclaimer that I am not
a doctor and everyone should visit their own Doc before entering any kind
of Everest training program, let’s talk from experience. Also there
are many programs out there so this is just what I like for myself. So what
is the best way to train your mind and body to make the top … and
return, safely?
There are many approaches to athletic training all the way from the nightly
jogger to the weekend warrior to dedicated amateur to the professional. Often
it boils down to time and motivation. The vast majority of Everest climbers
have full time jobs, full time families and cannot spend several hours a
day for a year to get in professional shape.
The professional or highly dedicated will speak of VO2 max which is the
maximum rate your body can move and use oxygen during periods of high stress
or need. Another couple of terms are anaerobic threshold (AT) and lactate
threshold which is when the chemical lactate acid begins to build in your
blood stream and muscles thus preventing the body from functionally at full
capacity. A qualified doctor or trainer can measure these levels through
a series of treadmill and blood tests.
However, the essence of these measures and tests is to determine how
to get red blood cells to your muscles and that is the key to climbing
Everest. There is a third of the available oxygen on the summit of Everest
thus making your heart, lungs and muscles cry out for more oxygen during
the climb. Red blood cells, which carry oxygen rich blood to muscles,
are increased in response to this lack of oxygen. However this takes
time thus the acclimatization process where you “climb high,
sleep low” to encourage the production of these red friends.
Training before you get to Everest must begin 12 to 18 months with a focused,
intense and balanced exercise program – after a check up from your
Doc. In my mind there are three major phases: foundation, aerobic/strength
and peaking. The major groups to work on include: heart, lungs, abs, lower
back muscles, thighs and calves.
continuing reading plus a sample training
schedule
The Price of Your Toes
Proper footwear is one of the most important choices when climbing Everest.
And, it is fairly simple. But it is also bewildering. Not only must you choose
the style but also the socks, warmth and the unknown.
The
most common boots used on Everest today are models that incorporate an
insulating inner boot and a hard outer boot. The two most popular boots
are the Olympus
Mons Evo by La Sportiva and Millet’s
Everest GTX aka Everest One Sport. These boots also have an integrated
gator thus simplifying getting dressed in the morning and providing a
closed environment for your foot. I used the La Sportiva, MIllet
and Kayland models for many climbs and never, ever got cold
or wet feet.
Another
options used by some climbers is a warm climbing boot such as Koflach’s
Artic Expe. It also has an inner boot that fits snugly inside the hard
outer boot. Some climbers use an outer boot for maximum warmth in extreme
temperatures. I also have used this boot on Denali and Aconcagua with
no problems and with and without the outer boot.
The key to all these models is the inner boot. It is a soft, space-age
material, Aveolite, that feels like a slipper but is extremely warm.
Some climbers are starting to add even more warmth, however by stealing
a page from skier’s
book. Hotronics is
a foot bed warmer that is battery operated. I have used it successfully
on Everest and Manaslu.
As for socks, most climbers wear at least a thin wool sock and a heavy outer
sock from companies such as Smartwool.
Some prefer two thick socks but the key here is to buy the boot large enough
to accommodate all that bulk.
As for the bewildering part? Feet swell at altitude and especially after
long days. But how much? And do you buy a boot assuming yours will or will
not? My experience has been to buy a size larger and find socks that fit
you well.
The
final part of the footwear decision are crampons – you know those
spikes that keep you attached to the mountain– hopefully! My choice
are models from Black Diamond such as the Sabertooth Pro.
These are 12 point models with 2 of the points sticking out from the
front used to grip steeper slopes or ice. This model comes with a plastic
insert that reduces snow buildup under your foot and potentially eliminating
the advantage of the crampon in the first place.
All this technology has a price. Boots will run between $500 to $850. Socks,
$20 a pair. And another $190 for the crampons. A grand total of perhaps $1000!
But then again, how much are your toes worth?
Read
more of my thoughts and an overview of boots at this link
Oxygen on Everest
One
of the most important decisions climbers make when planning an Everest
climb is the use supplemental oxygen. This is harder than it seems.
For some climbers they will never use bottled oxygen since it creates a
dependency on a system that could fail thus increasing your risks above 8000m.
Others feel it is cheating - if you cannot climb without it you should not
be there.
This debate has gone on since the practice started with the Swiss Everest
climbs in the early 1920's and continues today. In any event, the vast majority
of climbers today use some form of supplemental oxygen. But note that it
makes an effective difference of about 3,000' on how your body feels. So
at 26,000' you still feel like you are at 23,000 feet!
So why use oxygen at all?
First, the science. The air we breath has a mixture of gases including
oxygen and nitrogen. The atmosphere contains about 21% oxygen at all altitudes.
What changes as we go higher is the air pressure. Gravity pulls on gas molecules
in the air. The closer to the Earth's surface, the more pressure. At the
summit of Everest, the pressure was measured in 1981 by a Nova team
at 253 mmHG. At sea level it is 760 mmHG. The reason for the lower pressure
is that there is less atmosphere pushing down from above. This reduced pressure
allows the air molecules to scatter. This means that on Everest the air is
not as dense or "thick". In other words there is the same amount
of oxygen but the molecules are scattered thus the term "thin air".
So in each breath there is less oxygen. To be precise about 66% less!
The critical benefit of using bottled oxygen is warmth. By reducing the
work the heart and lungs have to do to keep your core warm, blood continues
to flow to toes and fingers thus reducing the risk of frostbite.
Climbers have a few choices of systems. The first is the traditional
approach using a pilot's face mask and the Russian POISK system.
The
POISK system use bottles filled at the factory in St-Petersburg, Russia
(be careful of fraud with claims that bottles are new but are refilled
in non-certified facilities). The oxygen is delivered through
a regulator to a tube to a face mask that provides a constant flow of
oxygen. They hold about 720 liters of oxygen and weigh about 5.6 lbs.
Climbers usually run their flow at 2 liters per minute and count on getting
about 6 hours out a bottle. If they use more flow - 3lpm the bottle only
last 4 hours. Most expeditions will use POSIX cylinders. I used the Poisk
system on Cho Oyu in 1998 and Everest in 2002 and 2003.
POISK has updated their mask design but the old models leaked and fit
poorly to a climber's face.
The
mask from Top Out is
a popular as a replacement for the POSIX masks as it offers an improved
mask design and uses an external reservoir. The separate reservoir
claims to meet instant demands but in my experience the most significant
improvement is that the mask fits tightly to the face preventing leaks.
It works with the POISK oxygen bottles and regulators.
I used it on my 2011 Everest summit with good success however, the
mask lines did freeze up on my descent of the Hillary Step and it took
a good fist blow from my Sherpa to clear the ice. This is actually a
serious issue that several of my teammates also experienced.
A
fast rising entry on the market is from Summit
Oxygen. I used it very successfully on Manaslu in 2013. Neil Greenwood’s
Summit Oxygen offers a complete system: mask, regulator
and cylinder. It was designed from the ground up using the latest technology.
He continues to improve it with incremental improvements. The
complete system of cylinder, valve, regulator, and mask in the lightest
weight system on the market.
Most expeditions will assume 5 to 7 3L bottles per climbers on Everest.
It takes a lot of work to get the bottles positioned on the mountain.
Sherpas usually cache some at C3, South Col, Balcony and the South Summit.
Obviously they are used for the summit as well as the descent. Due to
Nepal regulations on the south side, all the bottles are carried down
and reused for future expeditions. The days of littering the mountain
are hopefully gone forever. That said, real effort is needed to clean
up the north.
On
summit night, climbers put one or two bottles in their packs. The rubber
tube runs over their shoulder to the mask. Some mask models interfere
with visibility in that it is almost impossible to see your feet. This
makes you go even slower! And the older mask designs are not 100%
sealed around your face, air escapes fogging up goggles, precious oxygen
leaks from the gaps and there is no capacity to provide extra oxygen "on-demand" during
big moves.
Gasping for breath, struggling to see where you are stepping or hauling
an extra 13lbs in the Death Zone is uncomfortable. But very few climbers
would trade the discomforts for that extra 3000 feet!
read
more of my thoughts and a current review of oxygen system for
Everest this link
The Khumbu Cough
I have been to the Everest region nine times and the Khumbu cough was my
constant friend each time. Friend is a nice way of saying a constant companion
- an annoying one but nonetheless a companion. BasecampMD,
the website of the medical clinic staffed each spring on the south side of
Everest at base camp, has a nice medical explanation and article about the
cough.
Basically it occurs when air brought into the lungs is too cold and too
dry. Thus the lining of the lungs become inflamed and lose their ability
to expel moisture and small particles. Bottom line is that in addition to
an incredibly annoying cough, it hurts to breath.
You may say, so how bad can a cough be? Well, bad enough that you cannot
sleep, ribs can get broken, you cannot breath when climbing and bad enough
that all your climbing partners make you sleep in the toilet tent! But for
me, it turned into a lung infection that killed any hopes of a summit in
2002. I clearly remember standing at 27,200' between the Balcony and the
South Col, violently coughing, dry heaving and finally having zero energy
to take another step.
In the category of misery loves company, here is an excerpt from BasecampMD
from a climber in 1924:
"Finally, as we approached the level of 28,000
feet [8534 m], the summit being only half a mile away or less, I felt that,
as far as I was concerned, it was hopeless to continue. I told Norton that
he had no chance of the summit with me. My throat was not only extremely
painful, but was getting almost blocked up—why, I knew not. . . . Somewhere
about 25,000 feet [7620 m] high [on the descent], when darkness was gathering,
I had one of my fits of coughing and dislodged something in my throat which
stuck so that I could breathe neither in nor out. I could not, of course,
make a sign to Norton, or stop him, for the rope was off now; so I sat in
the snow to die whilst he walked on, little knowing that his companion was
awaiting the end only a few yards behind him. I made one or two attempts
to breathe, but nothing happened. Finally, I pressed my chest with both hands,
gave one last almighty push—and the obstruction came up. What a relief!
Coughing up a little blood, I once more breathed really freely—more
freely than I had done for some days."
For those headed up there this year, the only advice I can offer is to wear
a mask or bandanna over your mouth from Namche on. Use hard candy to keep your
mouth moist, try to breath though your nose as much as possible and stay hydrated.
Check out the BasecampMD site for more ideas.
Predicting
the Weather on Everest
Is predicting the weather an art or science? According to Michael Fagin
at EverestWeather.com it
is both. Michael, a climber himself and a meteorologist by training, has
provided weather forecasts for Everest climbers for may years. Ed Vestures
exclusively relied on Michael's forecasts during his successful summit of
all 14 8000m mountains.
Michael and team look at 6 different models to come up with a single forecast.
They provide forecasts for most major climbing venues: Himalayas, Alps, Denali
Caucasus, Karakorum, Andes and the US Cascades.
I asked him just how hard is it to forecast the weather on Everest and
how stable is the so-called "summit window" we hear about late
in each season. As Everest followers know, this is that tiny break in the
weather when the jetstream moves north thus reducing the fierce winds on
Everest's summit. Climbing teams wait for days or sometimes weeks for that
window to appear.
Michael, Can you explain what is going on with the "window"?
That is the million dollar question, not that I get
a million dollars to do the forecast but I could if I could get this right
every time. However, on second thought I truly doubt if I would ever come
close to that figure even if I were perfect. I’m going to answer this
question in multiple ways as it depends on teams needs.
Here is an example. Not that a group would be unsafe but if it is towards
the end of the season, end of May, the group might be much more amendable of
so so summit conditions; winds at 25 to 35 knots vs. winds of 10 knots. It
also depends on the strength of the group. Stronger teams could handle the
higher winds.
Predicting when the winds are within “safe summit conditions” is “relatively” not
difficult. So predicting winds in the 25 to say 35 winds is not that difficult
to predict as compared to the “perfect summit conditions”. However,
sometimes the winds get stubborn and stay at the 40 knot range.
Finding that “perfect window“ is certainly a forecast challenge.
Perfect wind being winds at say 6 to 20 knots is extremely difficult. For
one thing we are talking about winds in the jet stream (Everest summit) and
this is the region where the winds in much of May in some seasons exceed
100 knots. So, there just a few days in the year when winds are below
10 knots.
Another challenge is forecasting models do not seem to resolve the wind speeds
of 10 to 30 knots that well. The models many times put the winds in the 10
to 35 knot range.
Finally as a forecaster I have to be really careful in forecasting 10 knot
winds. I have seen many times when the forecast models show winds of
10 knots and they are 40 knots. so, I have seen many times when the forecast
models show winds of 40 and they are at 10 knots or even calm.
How long have you been predicting the weather for Everest?
My first forecast was in the spring of 2003. With that
being the 50 anniversary of the first summit of Everest I thought that was
a good time to start. Another reason I started then was some climbers wanted
a forecast for of 2003 so I thought I should get the Everest weather
forecast models tuned up first.
How difficult is it to predict Everest weather?
Having cut my teeth on forecasting for Mt Rainier since
1976 has certainly put mountain forecasting in perspective.With Mt. Rainier
having the jet stream and the weather systems aimed it makes that a challenge
and also the big source of moisture, the Sound and the ocean, close that
also makes for a difficult forecast as well. Having said all that, “cutting
my teeth on Rainier” made a great foundation for mountain forecasting
and being able to accurately forecast for other regions but does not make
Everest forecasting easy. Everest has it challenges as well and here is a
very brief list of them:
- While many locations have real time weather observations Everest does not
so it makes it difficult to get an exact read on what the real time weather
is like. Of note there was a weather station set up on the South Col several
years ago but it was difficult to keep the station running and there were
some security (theft) issues.
- When a tropical storm moves in from the Bay of Bengal this type of pattern
can produce copious amounts of precipitation. The problem is the forecast
model output is very unreliable and at times totally understates precipitation
amounts and understates the wind.
- During the post monsoon season, September and October, is tricky since
the forecast models do not give a lot of advance warning when the drier and
stronger winds kick in.
How do climbers get your forecasts?
I deliver in multiple ways: email to laptops, short
text messages to sat. phones, leave voice mail recordings on their phones,
fax forecast to office and office sends to climbers, and they can call in
to get the forecast.
Everest
from Space
This image was taken from the International Space Station on January 28,
2004 using an 800mm lens from 200 miles above the Earth. It shows Everest
(dead center of image)from the north. You can clearly see the North Face,
the Western CWM, Lhotse Face and Lhotse. The large peak on the left of the
image is Makalu, 27,765' or 8,462m. Cho Oyu 26.907' or 8201m is on the right
middle edge. Ama Dablam is in the upper middle quadrant - bonus points for
finding it! You can read more about this shot on the NASA
website.
Everest Route Overview
Each Spring and Autumn, climbers will trade their warm homes and soft beds
for two months of bitter cold, extreme heat and mind numbing oxygen deprivation
as they seek to stand on the top of the world. After deciding to climb Everest,
climbers must choose their route. There are over 18 named routes on Everest
and a couple that are still unclimbed. The vast majority of climbers use
two routes: South Col or the Northeast Ridge Standard aka North Col route.
Both sides have their pros and cons. Up until 2007, the trend was for more
climbers to choose the north due to lower costs. But with the Chinese restricting
permits over the past few years, the south side has retained the lead as
the preferred route primarily due to commercial operators wanting to reduce
uncertainty and to limit their risks. Let's briefly compare both sides:
South Col Route
Pluses |
Concerns |
Beautiful trek to base camp in the Khumbu |
Khumbu Icefall instability |
Easy access to villages for pre-summit recovery |
Crowds, especially on summit night |
Helicopter rescue from base camp if necessary |
Cornice Traverse exposure |
Slightly warmer sometimes with less winds |
Slightly longer summit night |
Northeast Ridge Route
Pluses |
Concerns |
Less crowds |
Colder temps and harsher winds |
Can drive to base camp |
Camps at higher elevations |
Easier climbing to mid-level camps |
A bit more difficult with smooth or loose rocks |
Slightly shorter summit night |
No opportunity for helicopter rescue at any point |
Now let's take an in-depth look at both sides
South Col Route
Mt. Everest was first summited by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund
Hillary with a British expedition in 1953. They used the South Col route. At
that time the route had only been attempted twice by Swiss teams in the spring
and autumn of 1952. They reached 8500m well above the South Col. Of note, Norgay
was with the Swiss thus giving him the
experience he used on the British expedition. The Swiss returned in 1956 to
make the second summit of Everest. Here is a typical south side climb schedule
showing average time and the distance from the previous camp plus a brief description
of each section. More details can be found on the South
Col route page.
- Base camp: 17,500'/5334m
- Home away from home. Located on a moving glacier, tents can shift
and platforms melt. The area is harsh but beautiful surrounded by Pumori
and the Khumbu Icefall with warm mornings and afternoon snow squalls.
With so many expedition tents, pathways and generators, it feels like
a small village.
- C1: 19,500'/5943m - 4-6 hours, 1.62 miles
- Reaching C1, is the most dangerous part of a south climb since it
crosses the Khumbu Icefall. The Icefall is 2,000' of moving ice, sometimes
as much as 3 feet a day. But it is the deep crevasses, towering ice
seracs and avalanches off Everest's West shoulder that creates the
most danger.
- C2: 21,000'/6400m - 2-3 hours, 1.74 miles
- The trek from C1 to C2 crosses the Western CWM and can be laden with
crevasse danger. But it is the extremely hot temperatures that takes
a toll on climbers. Again avalanche danger exist from Everest's West
Shoulder that has dusted C1 in recent years.
- C3: 23,500'/7162m - 3-6 hours, 1.64 miles
- Climbing the Lhotse Face to C3 is often difficult since almost all
climbers are feeling the effects of high altitude and are not yet using
supplemental oxygen. The Lhotse Face is steep and the ice is hard.
The route is fixed with rope. The angles can range from 20 to 45 degrees.
It is a long climb to C3 but is required for acclimatization prior
to a summit bid.
- Yellow Band - 2 - 3 hours
- The route to the South Col begins at C3 and across the Yellow Band.
It starts steep but settles into a sustained grade as the altitude
increases. Climbers are usually in their down suits and are using supplemental
oxygen for the first time. The Yellow Band's limestone rock itself
is not difficult climbing but can be challenging given the altitude.
Bottlenecks can occur on the Yellow Band.
- Geneva Spur - 1 - 2hours
- This section can be a surprise for some climbers. The top of the
Spur leading onto the South Col has some of the steepest climbing thus
far. It is easier with a good layer of snow than on the loose rocks.
- South Col: 26,300'/8016m - 1 hour or less
- Welcome to the moon. This is a flat area covered with loose rock
and surrounded by Everest to the north and Lhotse on the south. Generally,
teams cluster tents together and anchor with nets or heavy rocks against
the hurricane force winds. This is the staging area for the summit
bids and the high point for Sherpas to ferry oxygen and gear for the
summit bid.
- Balcony: 27,500'/8400m- 4 - 5 hours
- Officially now on Everest, climbers are using supplemental oxygen
to climb the steep and sustained route up the Triangular Face. The
route is fixed with rope and climbers create a long conga line of headlamps
in the dark. The pace is maddeningly slow complete with periods of
full stop while climbers ahead rest, consider the decision to turn
back or continue to the balcony. It can be rock or snow depending on
the year. Rock fall can be an deadly issue and some climbers now use
helmets. They swap oxygen bottles at the Balcony while taking a short
break for some food and water.
- South Summit : 28500'/8690m - 2 to 4 hours
- The climb from the Balcony to the South Summit is steep and continuous.
While mostly on a beaten down boot path, it can be challenging near
the South Summit with exposed slabs of smooth rock in low snow years.
The views of Lhotse and the sun rising to the east is indescribable
at this point.
- Hillary Step - 1 hour or less
- One of the most exposed section of a south side climb is crossing
the cornice traverse between the south summit and the Hillary Step.
But the route is fixed and wide enough that climbers rarely have issues.
The Hillary Step is a short 40' section of rock climbing, again fixed
with rope, that creates a bottleneck on crowded summit nights. Usually
there is an up and down climbing rope to keep people moving.
- Summit: 29,035'/8850m - 1 hour or less
- The last section from the Hillary Step to the summit is a moderate
snow slope. While tired, climber's adrenaline keep them going.
- Return to South Col: 3 -7 hours
- Care must be taken to avoid a misplaced step down climbing the Hillary
Step, the Cornice Traverse or the slabs below the south summit. Also
diligent monitoring of oxygen levels and supply is critical to make
sure the oxygen lasts back to the South Col.
- Return to C2: 4 hours
- Usually climbers are quite tired but happy to be returning to the
higher natural oxygen levels regardless of their summit performance.
It can be very hot since most climbers are still in their down suits.
- Return to base camp: 4 hours
- Packs are heavy since everything they hauled up over the preceding
month must be taken back down. It is now almost June so the temperatures
are warmer making the snow mushy thus increasing the difficulty. But
each step brings them closer to base camp comforts and on to their
home and families.
For a more detailed description and animated route map, please see the South
Col route page.
Northeast Ridge Route
The north side of Everest is steeped in history with multiple attempts throughout
the 1920’s and 1930’s. The first attempt was by a British team in 1921. Mallory
led a small team to be the first human to set foot on the mountains flanks
by climbing up to the North Col (7003m). The second expedition, in 1922 reached
27,300′ before turning back, and was the first team to use supplemental oxygen.
It was also on this expedition that the first deaths were reported when an
avalanche killed seven Sherpas. The 1924 British expedition with George Mallory
and Andrew “Sandy†Irvine is most notable for the mystery of whether they summited
or not. If they did summit, that would precede Tenzing and Hilary by 29 years.
Mallory’s body was found in 1999 but there was no proof that he died going
up or coming down. A Chinese team made the first summit from Tibet on May 25,
1960. Nawang Gombu (Tibetan) and Chinese Chu Yin-Hau and Wang Fu-zhou, who
is said to have climbed the Second Step in his sock feet, claimed the honor.
In 1975, on a successful summit expedition, the Chinese installed the ladder
on the Second Step. Tibet was closed to foreigners from 1950 to 1980 preventing
any further attempts until a Japanese team summited in 1980 via the Hornbein
Couloir on the North Face. The north side started to attract more climbers
in the mid 1990s and today is almost as popular as the South side when the
Chinese allow permits. In 2008 and 2009, obtaining a permit was difficult thus
preventing many expeditions from attempting any route from Tibet. Now let's
look at typical north side schedule showing average time from the previous
camp plus a brief description of each section. More details can be found on
the Northeast
Ridge route page.
- Base camp: 17000' - 5182m
- located on a gravel area near the Rongbuk Monastery, this is the
end of the road. All vehicle assisted evacuations start here. There
are no helicopter rescues or evacuations on the north side or for any
mountain in Tibet.
- Interim camp: 20300'/6187m - 5 to 6 hours (first time)
- Used on the first trek to ABC during the acclimatization process,
this is a spot where a few tents are placed. Usually this area is lightly
snow covered or none at all.
- Advanced base camp: 21300'/6492m - 6 hours (first time)
- Many teams use ABC as their primary camp during the acclimatization
period but it is quite high. This area can still be void of snow but
offers a stunning view directly at the North Col. It is a harsh environment
and a long walk back to the relative comfort of base camp or Tibetan
villages.
- North Col or C1: 23,000'/7000m - 4 to 6 hours (first time)
- Leaving Camp 1, climbers reach the East Rongbuk Glacier and put on
their crampons for the first time. After a short walk, they clip into
the fixed line and perhaps cross a few ladders that are placed over
deep glacier crevasses. The climb from ABC to the North Col steadily
gains altitude with one steep section of 60 degrees that will feel
vertical. Climbers may use their ascenders on the fixed rope. Rappelling
or arm-wrap techniques are used to descend this steep section. Teams
will spend several nights at the Col during the expedition.
- Camp 2: 24,750'/7500m - 5 hours
- Mostly a steep and snowy ridge climb that turns to rock. High winds
are sometimes a problem making this a cold climb. Some teams use C2
as their highest camp for acclimatization purposes.
- Camp 3: 27,390'/8300m - 4 to 6 hours
- Teams place their Camp 3 at several different spots on the ridge
since it is steep, rocky and exposed. Now using supplemental oxygen,
tents are perched on rock ledges and are often pummeled with strong
winds. This is higher than the South Col in altitude and exposure to
the weather. It is the launching spot for the summit bid.
- Yellow Band
- Leaving C3, climbers follow the fixed rope through a snow filled
gully; part of the Yellow Band. From here, climbers take a small ramp
and reach the northeast ridge proper.
- First Step: 27890'/8500m
- The first of three rock features. The route tends to cross to the
right of the high point but some climbers may rate it as steep and
challenging. This one requires good foot work and steady use of the
fixed rope in the final gulley to the ridge.
- Mushroom Rock -28047'/8549m - 2 hours from C3
- A rock feature that spotters and climbers can use to measure their
progress on summit night. Oxygen is swapped at this point. The route
can be full of loose rock here adding to the difficulty with crampons.
Climbers will use all their mountaineering skills.
- Second Step: 28140'/8577m - 1 hour or less
- This is the crux of the climb with the Chinese Ladder. Climbers must
first ascend about 10' of rock slab then climb the near vertical 30'
ladder. This section is very exposed with a 10,000' vertical drop.
It is more difficult to navigate on the decent since you cannot see
your feet placement on the ladder rungs. This brief section is notorious
for long delays thus increasing the chance of frostbite or AMS.
- Third Step: 28500'/8690m - 1 to 2 hours
- The easiest of the three steps but requires concentration to be safe.
- Summit Pyramid - 2 to 4 hours
- A steep snow slope, often windy and brutally cold, climbers feel
very exposed at this point. Towards the top of the Pyramid, climbers
are extremely exposed again as they navigate around a large outcropping
and experience three more small rock steps on a ramp before the final
ridge climb to the summit.
- Summit: 29,035'/8850m - 1 hour
- The final 500' horizontal distance is along the ridge to the summit
is quite exposed. Slopes angles range from 30 to 60 degrees.
- Return to Camp 3: - 7 -8 hours
- The down climb takes the identical route. Early summiters may experience
delays at the 2nd Step with climbers going up or summiters having down
climbing issues.
- Return to ABC: 3 hours
- Packs can be heavy since everything hauled up over the preceding
month must be taken back down. It is now almost June so the temperatures
are warmer making the snow mushy thus increasing the difficulty. But
each step brings them closer to base camp comforts and on to their
home and families.
For a more detailed description and route pictures, please see the Northeast
Ridge route page.
Statistics
The Himalayan Database reports that through December 2022 there have
been 11,341 summits (5,620 members and 5,018 hired) on Everest by all
routes by 6,338 different people. 1,487 people, including 1,048 Sherpa,
have summited multiple times for 5,003 total summits. There have been
822 summits by women members.
The Nepal side is more popular with 7,695 summits compared to 3,646
summits from the Tibet side. 221 climbers summited without supplemental
oxygen, about 1.9%. 35 climbers have traversed from one side to the other.
Member summit success stands at 40% with 5,620 who attempted to summit
making it out of 14,187 who tried. About 62% of all expeditions put at
least one member on the summit. 668 climbers have summited from both
Nepal and Tibet. 140 climbers have summited more than once in a single
season, including 70 who summited within seven days of their first summit
that season. Kami Rita Sherpa (Thami) holds the record for most summits
at 27 and Kenton Cool, UK, at 16 for a non-Sherpa. Six other Sherpa have
20 or more summits and an astounding 115 people have 10 or more Everest
summits.
309 people (199 westerners and 110 Sherpas) have died on Everest from
1924 to December 2022, about 2.7% of those who summited or a death rate
of 1.11 of those who attempted to make the summit. 87 died on the descending
from summit bid or 28% of the total deaths. 13 women have died. The Nepal
side has 199 deaths or 2.9%, a rate of 1.12. The Tibet side has 110 deaths
or 3%, a rate of 1.09. Most bodies are still on the mountain but China
has removed many bodies from sight on their side. The top causes of death
are from avalanche (77), fall (72), altitude sickness (37) and exposure
(26).
In 2022 there were 683 summits, including only 12 from Tibet as it was
closed but 671 from Nepal and all but 5 used supplemental oxygen. There
were 3 deaths.
Everest is actually getting safer even though more people are now climbing.
From 1923 to 1999: 170 people died on Everest with 1,169 summits or 14.5%.
But the deaths drastically declined from 2000 to 2022 with 10,171 summits
and 139 deaths or 1.4%. However, three years skewed the deaths rates
with 17 in 2014, 14 in 2015 and 11 in 2019. The reduction in deaths is
primarily due to better significantly higher Sherpa support ratios, improved
supplemental oxygen at higher flow rates (up to 8 lpm) gear, weather
forecasting and more people climbing with commercial operations.
Of the 8000 meter peaks, Everest has the highest absolute number of
deaths (member and hired) at 309 but ranks near the bottom with a death
rate of 1.11 Annapurna is the most deadly 8000er with one death for about
every four summits (72:395) or a 3.59 death rate. Cho Oyu is the safest
with 4,038 summits and 52 deaths or a death rate of 0.55 with Lhotse
next at 0.69. Of note, 73 Everest member climbers out of 188 member deaths
died descending from the summit or 38%. K2's death rate has fallen dramatically
from the historic 1:4 to around 1:8 primarily due to more commercial
expeditions with huge Sherpa support ratios.
see more facts here
Summary
Each year is different on Everest. The temperatures can be colder or hotter,
winter snows more or less and of course, the wildcard is when the jet stream
moves off the summit. Predicting Everest weather is difficult at best.
Experts around the world send daily updates to expedition leaders who analyze
the reports as compared with what they are seeing. When the winds are predicted
to be under 25 m.p.h over a 48 hour period, teams set off for the top of
the world.
So which side is easier? As I always say, pick you poison. The south has
the Icefall; the north the exposed northeast ridge and the Steps. In spite
of the Icefall dangers, I think most operators will say the south side is
safer and slightly easier. One sobering statistic backs up this advice -
more climbers, by a 2:1 ratio, have died on the north than the south since
2000 as I explained in this earlier post.
But the real answer is no one knows for certain what each season will bring.
So train hard, get skills on low mountains and altitude experience on another
8000m mountain before Everest and go with a team you can count on in an emergency.
Climb On!
Alan
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