Everest 2024: Interview with Will Cockrell on his new book–Everest, Inc.
In 2024, Everest has become completely commercialized. Shock, right? Well, Will Cockrell’s new book, Everest, Inc: The Renegades and Rogues Who Built an Industry at the Top of the World, tells us how it happened. If you love Everest, despise it or don’t really care, this book has something for everyone. #everest2024
Everest 2024: Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 3–The Trek Begins
Part 3 of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series, drops today with chapters 8, 9 and 10. 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 3, our protagonist, Harper, sees Everest from the Everest View Hotel just above Namache Bazaar: “Harper stopped. They all stopped, quietly letting their eyes trace the Khumbu Triple Crown: Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse—two of the fourteen highest mountains on the planet. The signature white plume flowed off the summit of Everest like a bride’s long wedding gown train. Mother Goddess of the Earth never looked more lovely. Tony spoke, “I have been dreaming of this since the sixth grade.”#everest2024
Everest 2024: First Days at Base Camp & 1st 8000er summit
We have our first 8000er summit of the spring season. Seven Summits Trek’s rope-fixing team topped out on Makalu at 4:40 p.m. Meanwhile, the commercial teams stream into Everest Base Camp on the Nepal side. However, the Icefall Docs still have problems in the upper Icefall. Thankfully, most teams are still on their trek, so there’s no problem.
On the Tibet side, Adventure Peaks reports, “It looks like the border might not open until the 17th of April, so the team is planning to head to Langtang to start acclimatizing.” The next 8000er summit will probably be on Annapurna this Friday. Heavy snow and avalanche danger have stalled progress, but conditions are improving.
EverestER notes their first rescue of the season: a patient with suspected HACE. The patient received dexamethasone and was flown to the hospital at a lower altitude for further evaluation and treatment. As of April 10, the Everest Nepal permit tally has 209 foreigners across 18 teams. Tibet does not report permit updates.
Now, let’s look at what a climber goes through on their first day at Everest Base Camp. #everest2024
Everest 2024: Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 2–Hello Kathmandu
Welcome to Part 2 of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series during the Everest 2024 climbing season. I’ll continue my annual coverage as usual.
Based on my 2020 Virtual Everest series, I’ll have a twenty-minute updated episode of the story a few times a week for the next two months. 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.
In Part 2, our protagonist, Harper, looked at the Boudhanath stupa with admiration. The 2015 earthquake damaged the stupa, but you would never know that now. She looked at the eyes of Buddha and remembered the saying, “Buddha is always watching.” Somehow, she found that comforting.
The main characters are
Harper – protagonist, strong climber, Aconcagua, Denali (Husband -Marc, Daughter – Olivia, Son – Jay)
Dutch – solid climber, quirky
Tony – solid climber, introvert, impatient
Michael – Good experience, Manaslu, good friend
Jim – Second Everest attempt, not strong
Aaron – good climber, strong friend
Bart – good climber, strong friend
Pablo – weak mentally, Aconcagua, Denali
Claudia – strong climber, Aconcagua, Denali
Guide John Paul – highly experienced, patient, good leader
Sidar and Guide – Dawa Sherpa
Guide – Gyalzen Sherpa
Guide – Tenzing Sherpa
We will go through Everest climbing each day as the team arrives in Kathmandu, flies to Luka, and treks to EBC. We’ll follow them at base camp through the acclimatization rotations and receive invaluable help from the Icefall Doctors and Climbing Sherpas. And, of course, the summit pushes starting in mid-May.
While there will be accurate historical references, this series is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Now, here is Part 2, “Kathmandu”
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
#everest2024
Everest 2024: Leaving Grass and the Trekker’s Summit
It’s a huge day at Everest Base Camp on the Nepal side, aka EBC–the first commercial team has arrived! This is almost a week earlier than in 2023. It will be their home until late May unless they are on acclimatization rotation and, of course, the summit bid. The majority of Everest summits occur between May 18th and 23rd. However, the Icefall Docs still have problems in the upper Icefall. Thankfully, most teams are still on their trek, so there’s no problem, yet.
On the Tibet side, Adventure Peaks reports, “It looks like the border might not open until the 17th April, so the team are planning to head to Langtang in order to start acclimatising.”
The Everest Nepal permit tally now has 149 foreigners across 13 teams. Tibet does not report permit updates. #everest2024
Everest 2024: Everyday Everest Podcast Series–Welcome and Part 1
Welcome to the kick-off of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series during the Everest 2024 climbing season. Based on my 2020 Virtual Everest series, I’ll read an updated version of the story a couple of times a week for the next two months. Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home, trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally on their summit push. The story’s protagonist, Harper, sets the tone for the story when she tells her husband, Marc, “Honey, I’m going to climb Everest.” #everest2024
Everest 2024: Weekend Update April 7: Climbers on the Trek
Welcome to the Everest 2024 Weekend Update. The Everest spring season is on track. Hundreds of people are advancing towards Everest Base Camp on the Nepal side of the Mountain. The Tibet side remains quiet, as teams will not arrive for at least another week. There are a few snags here and there, but nothing serious at this point. Each weekend during the season, I’ll post a “Weekend Update” summarizing the main stories from the past week and what we can expect coming up. #everest2024
Everest 2024: Snag in the Icefall Route
It was not unexpected, but the Icefall Doctors hit a snag when fixing the route. They struggled to find safe passage through the upper Icefall for several days. They had expected to reach Camp 1 about now and Camp 2 next week, but it obviously will take longer. Meanwhile, teams are preparing to return to Tibet for the first time in four years. The Everest permit tally is now 130 foreigners across 11 teams. Many more to come. #everest2024
Everest 2024: Blessings on the Trek to Tengboche Monastery
Traffic is picking up on the trail to Everest Base Camp, Nepal, as more teams are flying into Lukla. The weather continues to be good. However, similar to recent years, some fixed-wing flights between Kathmandu and Lukla are now diverted to leave from Ramechhap, a small airstrip 140 km (85 miles) five hours drive from Kathmandu with little or no existing tourist infrastructure. Helicopters still allow you to fly directly to Lukla, albeit at $600 each way compared to $150 for fixed-wing flights. Climbing, the Seven Summit’s Everest team flew an airplane from Kathmandu to Luka and is now in Namache.
The Everest permit tally is now 101 foreigners across eight teams. More to come.
Now, let’s move on to what they are experiencing on the trek. #everest2024
Everest 2024: The Namche Hill
Parallel universes are happening right now on Everest—trekking to base camp, building base camp, and putting in the climbing route. On the Nepal side, many climbers and trekkers are well into their six- to eight-day journey, taking in the sights and changing their lives as they experience the grace and beauty of the Khumbu. Meanwhile, Sherpas are building tent platforms at Everest Base Camp and preparing their team’s base camp for the next few months. But for our Nepal climbers, most of the action is still thousands of feet lower as they trek through the Khumbu. #everest2024