Everest 2024: Weekend Update April 21: Route to C2, Permits Catch Up
This is the late April Everest 2024 Weekend Update. The headlines are significantly more positive than last weekend: Permits are a bit higher, which is good for the local economy but not so good for the mountain. The fixed ropes, aka the route, are all the way to Camp 2, thus opening the path for Sherpas to establish the upper camps and for clients to begin acclimatizing. #everest2024
Everest 2024: Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 9–Summit Date Planned
Part 9 of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series, drops today with chapters 28, 29 and 30. I’ll continue my annual coverage as usual.
Based on my 2020 Virtual Everest series, Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home to trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally, on their summit push, returning home. I’ll have a twenty-minute episode a few times weekly for the next two months.
In Part 9, our protagonist, Harper, and the team discuss what day they should target for their Everest summit, “Claudia smiled in admiration, “So, May 19th, it is!” Aaron dropped his head, deep in concentration. Dutch took center stage, “Today is May 2nd, so that’s 17 days from now. We have to get back up to C2 then overnight at C3, and back here.” Michael leaned in, “I think we need four days for the C3 rotation and at least six days for the summit push and return. That’s ten days on the mountain, meaning we have seven days for rest and weather delays. Pretty tight.”
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
Everest 2024: Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 8–Suffering at Camp 2
Part 8 of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series, drops today with chapters 25, 26 and 27. I’ll continue my annual coverage as usual.
Based on my 2020 Virtual Everest series, Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home to trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally, on their summit push, returning home. I’ll have a twenty-minute episode a few times weekly for the next two months.
In Part 8, our protagonist, Harper, and the team arrive at Camp 2 to continue acclimatization. The Mt. Everest Guides lead, John Paul, begins to explain how acclimatization works: “‘Acclimatization’ is a strange word that evokes many emotions. Fundamentally it means adapting the human body to an altitude where it was not designed to survive. Even though the percentage of oxygen in the air on Everest’s summit is the same as on a beach in Rio, there are fewer molecules available to inhale. That’s because there is less atmospheric pressure; thus, the oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide molecules spread out. It’s the opposite of what a diver experiences with the pressure increasing as a diver goes deeper. Harper feels more weight, more pressure, whereas a climber has less available oxygen. That’s why it’s called ‘thin air.’”
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
Everest 2024: Route to Camp 2 & April 18–A Day of Remembrance
Good news from Everest: the route through the Khumbu Icefall is complete through Camp 2, around 21,000’/6400. This opens the route for Sherpas to begin building C1/2 and for members to begin their acclimatization rotations shortly thereafter. Everest permits lag last year’s record of 478. As of April 15, 2024, the government issued 274 permits to foreigners compared to 338 in 2023 as of the same date; this is 20% less. While bad for business, this is good for the mountain. #everest2024
Everest 2024: Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 7–Into the Cwm
Part 7 of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series, drops today with chapters 22, 23 and 24. I’ll continue my annual coverage as usual.
Based on my 2020 Virtual Everest series, Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home to trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally, on their summit push, returning home. I’ll have a twenty-minute episode a few times weekly for the next two months.
In Part 7, our protagonist, Harper, and the team climb through the Icefall and into the Western Cwm. The team’s oldest member, Jim, is struggling. “Any advice?” He asked their guide, John Paul, who had been close by his side all morning. “Slow, steady, and make sure you are always clipped in. No need to rush. We are making good time.” Jim appreciated the positive spin. #everest2024
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
Everest 2024: Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 6–Into the Icefall
Part 6 of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series, drops today with chapters 17, 18 and 19. I’ll continue my annual coverage as usual.
Based on my 2020 Virtual Everest series, Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home to trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally, on their summit push, returning home. I’ll have a twenty-minute episode a few times weekly for the next two months.
In Part 4, our protagonist, Harper, makes her first trip into the Khumbu Icefall. She was nervous following Mingma, her climbing Sherpa, “Mingma looked at her as Harper took a second carabiner off her harness. He went across first. Clipping in ‘biners to the two safety ropes on either side of the ladder, he stepped onto the first rung, then the second and without so much as a pause, he was across, standing there staring at her. Harper could almost hear him in a deep John Wayne drawl; “OK, kid, I showed you how to do it, now get on with it.” #everest2024
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
Everest 2024: Tibet Climbs in Peril
Once again, climbing the Tibet side of Everest has problems–the teams can’t even cross the border from Nepal into China. Rain is pelting trekkers on the Nepal side, but many teams are settling in at EBC and having their pujas. There are encouraging reports that the Icefall Doctors have reached the upper section of the Khumbu Icefall, albeit the latest in modern times. It’s a tough start to this spring season on Everest. #everest2024
Everest 2024: Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 5–Arrival At Base Camp
Part 5 of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series, drops today with chapters 14, 15 and 16. I’ll continue my annual coverage as usual.
Based on my 2020 Virtual Everest series, Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home to trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally, on their summit push, returning home. I’ll have a twenty-minute episode a few times weekly for the next two months.
In Part 4, our protagonist, Harper, now at Everest Base Camp, is enjoying the smells from home as she unpacked her duffle when she is suddenly interrupted. #everest2024
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
Everest 2024: Weekend Update April 14: Icefall Woes, Fewer Climbers
Welcome to the Everest 2024 Weekend Update in mid-April. This week’s headlines are a bit concerning. The fixed line that should already be at Camp 2 is only halfway through the Icefall. I’m not sure this is bad news for climbers, but Everest permits lag significantly from 2023, down 34%. However, we saw the first 8000er summits this past week, with many more to come. Base Camp at Everest is filling up. Trekkers are on the move, and mountains are seeing summits. Hello, spring 2024. #everest2024
Everest 2024: Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 4–Blessing in the Khumbu
Part 4 of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series, covers chapters 11, 12 and 13. I’ll continue my annual coverage as usual.
Based on my 2020 Virtual Everest series, Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home to trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally, on their summit push, returning home. I’ll have a twenty-minute episode a few times weekly for the next two months.
In Part 4, our protagonist, Harper, visits a Monastery and observes the monks during their daily prayers, “Without a cue, the drumbeat began. One of the senior Monks started his chant – actually a prayer. Others joined in. They created an unbelievable resonance that built as it bounced off the artfully painted walls. Harper closed her eyes to take this moment in without the filter of sight. It was spiritual and sensory.#everest2024
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything