Everest 2012: Timing is Everything
As we get closer to the predicted weather window, plans are taking shape, and some don’t like it. West Ridge Canceled As expected Conrad Anker has pulled the plug on the National Geographic sponsored climb of the West Ridge due to dangerous conditions. He will now join their South Col team. No word on the Eddie Bauer effort but I fully expect the same decision. Anker posted: “It’s a very dry and windy season. Normally we have terrain that’s snowy. Your crampons have good , and you can move along at a good clip. But what we have now is that that surface layer of snow has been stripped away, leaving bare ice. It’s very ancient ice that’s difficult to climb on.” Weather The latest posts suggest that Saturday, May 19 is the sweet spot for this window with winds resuming on the 20th. A second window is expected around May 25th. Some good news about the Icefall for a change, with Dave Hahn posting: Winds are still raking the upper peaks and ridges and temperatures still seem a bit lower than normal for mid-May. Our walks and scrambles on the glacier adjacent to Basecamp reveal slightly less runoff than we’d consider normal. We choose to view this positively in that the Khumbu Icefall won’t get up to its full speed while things remain remain cool. In speaking with Todd Burleson, owner of Alpine Ascents this week, he told me that in the past, the Icefall has actually improved towards the end of May so this may be one of those years. Of course it all depends on when the monsoon starts and if the temperatures don’t soar. Climbers There are many teams that will skip this first window and gamble that the second will materialize as predicted. This includes the IMG’s Classic team and Dave Hahn. This is Dave’s standard procedure, he likes to let the crowds go and then have the mountain relatively to himself. But remember, this 13 time Everest summiter is a very fast climber and can work himself out of difficulties: The weather window is forecasted to be short and the climbers are many, so we will instead take our chances on whatever more substantial break comes afterward. But the waiting is difficult. We are all healthy and feeling strong and we’ve now been down and resting for some time. We want to climb soon and it is difficult to hold back when others are going for it, but our judgment is that a little more patience is called for to fully accomplish our goals. Kenton Cool added: Many teams here at base camp have left or are about to leave on their summit bids. It makes waiting at base camp that much harder. So why are we waiting when everyone else is going for the top, well there are a couple of big reasons. Firstly the weather window is marginal at , the wind cut off we use on Everest is30kmh…in this first window the winds are 25kmh or slightly more (but under 30). This is ok but if Keith and I want to film (and we do what to film) then this will be frost bitten finger weather. The other big concern is the number of people attempting to climb. To get great footage we need no one else in shot. I counted about 80 people climbing through the icefall yesterday, that won’t makefor good film footage……so what to do. Position and Wait Meanwhile hundreds of climbers on both the North and South are moving higher today to get in position for this first window. See the location table for the latest based on their public websites. On the North, Phil Crampton, Altitude Junkies, has his team moving higher: The entire team, westerners and Sherpas, made the big walk from base camp to advanced base camp today. The rope fixers are planning to finish the route to the summit on the 17th or the 18th so we hopefully make a summit attempt on the 19th. Tomorrow we will plan to climb to the North Col again and the following day climb to camp two and camp three on the 17th and 18th respectively. There may be 100 people attempting the summit from the North this weekend including a very large Chinese team On the South, Camp 2 must be a madhouse with my estimate of 200 climbers, Sherpa and guides all hanging out and staring at the Lhotse Face every five minutes. Adventure Consultants reports: Today’s rest for members at Camp 2 has been most welcome. We are all re-establishing our equilibrium at this altitude and mentally and physically preparing for summit bid. Today’s weather forecast gave the green light, it is all systems go. This morning 9 of our Sherpas carried our final loads to the South Col and 5 Sherpa went to Camp 3 and cut tent platforms in the icy slopes of the Lhotse Face. These vital steps completed our teams summit preparation. Tonight at midnight one of our strong climbing Sherpas Ringin will join join an eleven Sherpa summit rope fixing team. There plan tomorrow is to fix ropes all the way to the summitt and then return to the South Col. The positive outcome of this rope fixing is vital to achieving summit ambitions on the 18-21st, the predicted length of this summit weather window. Lets put out the good juju for the rope fixers. And from Peak Freaks: Tim reports that our team had a good day at Camp 2, resting and visiting among the other teams who just arrived. He’s impressed with how everyone is working together to space attempts and getting to know each other up there. He also said that the team is pleased that he planned they spend 3 nights minimum at Camp 2: Day 1 to climb – Day 2 to recover – Day 3 to get pumped. The next steps will be in the hands of our communal summit fixing
Everest 2012: Preparing for the Push
The push is on with multiple teams reporting their initial moves to Camp 1 or 2 on the South or ABC on the North. All are looking at a weekend summit – weather depending. This is the first of at least two expected summit windows with the second around May 25; but this could quickly change. If the weather holds, drugstore we could see over 300 summits combined from both sides by Sunday when the winds are expected to intensify. Teams are highly motivated to get up and off. Working Together I spoke with Eric Simonson of IMG and he confirmed that the teams are working well together to fix the lines to the summit. With all the pressure of a shortened summit window, it is critical that the route be fixed quickly and securely. Eric mentioned the winds were still strong Monday but should ease Tuesday and added: Meanwhile, the Sherpa fixing team is ready to finish the route to the summit! We have Sherpas from IMG, Jagged Globe, Patagonia Bros, Rimo, AAI, Chilean, North Face, Peak Freaks, Adventure Consultants, 7 Summits, and Asian Trek ready to move up to Camp 2 early tomorrow morning, with the plan to fix above the Col on the 17th and 18th . AAI’s Lhakpa Rita and IMG’s Karma Rita are up at Camp 2 and will be helping to organize. This is a strong crew of Sherpas and with a little luck with the weather we are hoping they will get the route well prepared. Pushing Beyond the Limits There seem to be several reports of teams pushing so aggressively that I wonder about safety. The Chilean team is rushing to climb without the ropes being installed. Paul Goughy climbing with Gabriel Filippi said this: Well, the moment of truth has arrived. We leave for Camp 2 at 2am to begin our summit bid! We need a lot of stars to align as the ropes to the summit have yet to be fixed, the ice fall needs to be maintained and we are relying on a weather window of only 48 hours (predicted using a long range forecast). Just to top off all the other troubles on Everest this year, the even longer range forecast suggests that this may be the only window of the season. As a result, we have no choice but to give it a shot now. The good news is that, one way or another, we should be back down the mountain within a week and on our way to cocktails and sunbeds (and real beds). Young and Old Updates The oldest climbers seem to be clustered on the North this season and the young on the South. All are climbing higher as we speak. They will attempt the summit this weekend. Bill Burke, 70, who stopped his south side attempt due to the uncertainty and is now at Advanced Base Camp on the North. If time allows, he may try to return to the South if he is successful. Japanese Tamae Watanabe, 73, is the oldest climber this season and holds the record for the oldest woman to summit Everest back in 2002 at age 63. She and Bill are both using logistics from Asian Trekking. Another notable is 62 year old Australian Margaret Watroba climbing with Altitude Junkies. This is her third attempt. Matt Thorton, 21 from the UK, reported he is preparing to leave for his summit attempt. He is climbing with Rob Casserely under logistics arranged by Henry Todd. My focus now is firmly on the job in hand, that being summiting and returning safely to Base Camp. It will be difficult to stay in contact for the next few days but I am trying my hardest to be able to report from the summit. And 18 year old Leannna Shuttleworth climbing with her father through Alpine Ascents (AAI) posted: So this will probably be the last written post I do before our summit attempt (unless something drastically changes in the next 12 hours or so). We’re off tomorrow morning for our final foray up the Ice Fall, starting at 4am! It’s incredibly exciting but also very nerve racking; not in particular this first part, having done it a couple of times now, but going back up the Lhotse Face I think will be a big mental challenge from having not been on top form last time we climbed it, and therefore remembering how difficult I found it. Busy Doctors at Everest+ER The doctors at the EverestER medial located on the south at Everest Base Camp report over 400 s thus far. Back in 2003, Luanne Freer had an idea – provide medical support to the Everest climbing community by putting a at base camp. Teams pay USD$100 per western climber for unlimited medical support from the physicians and their Sherpas and staff get free health care. Today almost every team takes advantage of this excellent service. It survives on donations from individuals and companies plus volunteer physicians staff the each season. I interviewed her in 2009. Today they gave us this update on 2012: We have registered just over 400 visits to our so far this season, but it’s slowed down a bit in the past few days … We’ve seen 5 cases of relatively superficial (1st and 2nd degree) frostbite so far, most injuries occuring in windy cold spots lower down on the mountain. And most of our s have had nearly identical injuries in the past. We know all to well that PAST frostbite predicts future frostbite, unfortunately. West Ridge Update Various reports have the climbers from both NatGeo and Eddie Bauer re-evaluating their attempt. The NatGeo team has been reduced by health issues and Simone Moro is considering joining Conrad Anker. But reports from the Eddie Bauer team is of difficult, icy conditions so no team may attempt this ridge climb this year. Their respective South Col teams seem to be in good shape and content to wait out
Everest 2012: “MAY 14th – It’s time…”
The headline tells it all “MAY 14th – It’s time…”. Grant Rawlinson climbing on the north with Altitude Junkies posted today that he was moving to the high camps looking to attempt his Everest summit later this week. North Schedule Project Himalaya climber Tom Kowpak provided a clear description of the north side situation and targeting Saturday, May 19th for his summit. By the way, no he noted a second potential summit window on May 25th. We know there is a descent window on the 17th 18th and 19th. However the ropes aren’t fixed yet, so we believe the fixers will use the 17th to get up there and the 18th to finish fixing. These rope fixers are a mix of Tibetian and Chinese. The 2 largest teams on the north side are the Chinese and the Indians. We believe the Chinese will be following the fixers up to the summit and the Indians won’t be too far behind them. That will be around 75 members finished with. But they will take up the 18th for anyone else to summit that day. Which leaves the 19th… Southside Decisions On the South, it is already having a scrum feel. One post today mentioned the team from Chile is going to move up and attempt the summit without the fixed line being set. While not unprecedented, it not common in modern times and takes extremely experienced climbers. Their decision would imply they would not fix any ropes for the other teams. This brings up one of the challenges leaders face on Everest of who sets the line to the summit. It is hard work demanding skill, knowledge and strength. Only a few Sherpas are really qualified to do this and usually work for the most experienced companies like IMG or Alpine Ascent – those with 15+ Everest summits and have fixed the line in many previous years. So the scenario develops where many teams climb to the South Col assuming someone else will fix the rope and then tag behind. As you might imagine, this can cause some friction. But overall, there now appears to be two summit windows under discussion, this upcoming weekend around May 18-19 and again around May 25. So the decision becomes to either go first and endure tremendous crowds or risk the second window which may or may not develop plus the increasingly warm conditions. This is when the leaders earn their fee. Adventure Consultants also announced their plan to target this first weather window: The staff then continued this conversation long into the afternoon, pouring over weather charts, comparing various models and guesstimating the number of other teams heading for each weather window. Our main considerations include not only wind speeds and temperature, but also the likelihood of bottlenecks at key places on the route, whether ropes will be successfully fixed to the summit in the next few days and the potential for another window later in the month. Mid-afternoon we put the members out of their misery and let everyone know that we will begin our summit push tonight. A Look Inside As we will read on many blogs, the climbers are becoming very introspective. Again from Grant Rawlinson: I am also afraid of failing to reach the summit this year. Failure hurts. Not because of what I think I look like in front of other people, but internally within myself. Getting up every morning and looking in the mirror as I brush my teeth I get reminded of who I am. Sitting in a crowded bar, in the office, on a plane my mind frequently drifts away to the North East Ridge of Everest. 6 months ago when I announced I was returning to Everest a friend asked me – what happens if you fail again? I told him truthfully that if I fail it will be very hard. But my desire to climb the ridge is stronger than my fear of failing to climb it. I cannot live my life failing to attempt. IMG climber, Kumaran Rasappan, brought his blog up to date with an excellent description of his time thus far. It is the Blog of the Day. One section caught my attention, I read it over several times: Most people think that climbing Everest is solely a physical venture. From 1st hand experience, I can say that being physically fit is only half the challenge. Most the time, what makes or breaks people is the psychological and emotional stress on the mountain. Staying away from the comforts of family, friends and the familiarity and warmth (both literal and metaphorical) of home surely takes a toll on every individual. The simplest of things can break you after a period of sustained stress. I was walking in the ice fall about to reach C1 during my 2nd rotation when I heard from the radio that a fellow climber from IMG was calling it quits after he experienced an small avalanche while he was walking in the ice fall just a few moments before I passed by the exact spot. Immediately I got emotional knowing a fellow climber who had gone through the same lengthy ordeal as me was suddenly pulling out due to the dangers involved when I was still choosing to carry on climbing. Listening to his story when I met him in C1 about the avalanche and how he didn’t want to compromise being with his girlfriend back at home, set me back even more. Finding the strong compulsion to carry on after hearing and experiencing these kinds of incidents is always difficult. You keep asking yourself why you’re putting yourself through this ordeal and risking it all when family back at home is worrying as much as you are on your safe return. Climb On! Alan Memories are everything
Everest 2012: Weekend Update May 13
The second week of May 2012 will be recorded in Everest history as when a commercial expedition approaching 100 people told their climbers to get off the mountain, we are going home. With disbelief, salve the other teams quickly learned that Everest legend Russell Brice’s canceled his entire spring expeditions on Everest, healing Lhotse and Nuptse including the high profile Walking with the Wounded team of disabled UK war veterans. Brice’s first posted a sanitized announcement but quickly followed it with more details describing the true fear his Sherpas had about climbing through the Khumbu Icefall and potential rock fall on the Lhotse Face and higher. In Brice’s judgment, the benefits did not warrant the risks in the warm year on Everest. With the largest commercial cancellation in Everest history, the second guessing began immediately. Some thought Brice showed uncommon courage in protecting his members, guides and Sherpas; others thought he reacted too early and should have given the mountain more time to see if the early dangers continued as the summits push started. Complicating the decision for Brice, one of his Sherpas had died in Kathmandu after suffering a stroke while on the mountain a few weeks earlier. Brice, true to form, was not going to force his Sherpas to climb and pulled them down, refusing to take even the smallest gamble with their lives. The other expedition’s public reaction of the unprecedented move ranged from nothing to tacit acknowledgments of the danger. Some must have felt they were protecting those back home – a false assumption to be sure in this age of the Internet. But no other team took such drastic action feeling that conditions, while difficult, were similar to those seen a decade ago. Dangers and Routes The dangers Brice noted included the unstable Khumbu Icefall, especially near the top where it falls from the Western Cwm and having the route too close to the potential avalanche off Everest’s West Shoulder. Second, the rock fall from the Geneva Spur onto the Lhotse Face that had already injured multiple Sherpas. He said only a heavy snowfall would begin to resolve the situation but even then he was not willing to continue. The day after he made his announcement, the snow began to fall, and fall and fall. Teams leaders with over 100 combined years of experience on the South put their heads together and developed a plan. A new route was established up the Lhotse Face leveraging maps documenting the 1953 British climbs and, according to one of the expedition owners I spoke with, was the same route they used in the late 1990’s. It took a far right hand variation up the Lhotse Face using the uneven surfaces of the Face itself as cover from the falling rock. It worked. The Sherpas complained it was longer but they also said it was safer. Soon team after team made what is a difficult climb in good conditions, their rotations up the Face to either spend a few hours or overnight at Camp 3, nearly 24,000′ on the Lhotse Face. They had paid their dues, completed their acclimatization program and had their ticket to go higher, when the time came. Today climbers are positioned at their respective base camps on the North and South sides awaiting a good weather forecast. The North is looking good, even “normal”. As for the South, I see three scenarios over the next 19 days: A “Normal” Year First there is nothing normal about Everest, each year is unique. But there are standards and with the recent snowfall, the upper mountain (above the South Col) could have the rock covered with snow which makes rope placement easier and climbing less physical. That said, it will be the winds and the crowds that really create the issues. I addressed the crowds yesterday and the winds, well we will see. We know the North has been particularly windy this year but that can change, however it is unlikely. Some South leaders, however, are concerned that given the route will most likely be fixed to the summit during the first wave of climbers, less experienced or understaffed teams may try to jump onto their effort creating a chaotic environment. Unexpected Danger Up High With the low snowfall combined with the high winds, even the recent snow could have been blown away. The climb to the Balcony is a test of stamina, concentration and commitment, regardless of the conditions. The angles feel steep but do not compare to the next section, the Southeast Ridge. If there is a lot of snow it is easier, if not, it is what it is. The Southeast Ridge is over 1500′ of climbing at a 30 degree angle, oh and approaching 28,500′. In other words difficult in the of times. This is the section I worry about for rock fall. Climbers loose radio contact with base camp because they are no longer in a direct line of sight. It is like an Apollo moon mission on the dark side of the moon. A lot of this depends on where the fixed line is placed. If on the rock slabs, it will be tough. If on the soft snow it will be easier, but still tough. Based on the recent snowfall, my guess it the upper mountain will be “normal”. A Treacherous Descent The return from the summit is actually not that bad. I say this acknowledging that most accidents happen in the descent. This is due to fatigue, poor oxygen management i.e. running out of oxygen or very slow climb times. Once back to the South Col, the next section back to Camp 2 is hard, very hard. Climbers are exhausted and literally stumble down the Lhotse Face. Some choose to spend a night at the South Col but most leaders want their climbers as low as possible as fast as possible and push them to find the strength. But my largest worry is that final climb through the Khumbu
Everest 2012: Dealing with the Crowds
Multiple reports this morning say the jetstream has returned with a vengeance on Everest shutting down the carries and rope fixing. This was expected and teams on both sides have made remarkable progress over the past week as the new snow made conditions safer and faster. The South Col is stocked for many teams and the fixed line established at bit above the Col. I expect it will be fixed to the summit along with the first summit push later next week. The Sherpas have stocked the highest north camp at 8300m – the highest, High Camp in the world; reports Phil Crampton of Altitude Junkies. Now they wait for the weather window. In an email to me this week, Phil said the north side is not crowded at all and they climbed only with a few Sherpas from other teams this week as they did a rotation to the North Col. Andrew Lock, climbing without supplemental oxygen on the north, gave us an idea today of the conditions on that side -much different than the south: … a couple of days ago, after a successful load carry to camp 2 (camp 5 in Mallory’s terminology) at 7700 metres, where I dropped a tent, stove, food, gas and various bits and pieces. The winds have been so strong that I didn’t erect the tent; just left the cache under a rock. No shortage of those up there, particularly this season with the wind having stripped the mountain bare. We’ve been hearing stories of expedition’s cancelling on the south (Nepal) side of the mountain due to rock fall; a result of the very dry season. On our side however, the mountain conditions are ok. Our biggest issue is the wind. Crowds Over the past ten years, Everest has become increasingly crowded. The long lines of climbers queued on the summit push create bottlenecks that costs many climbers their fingers, toes, dreams and sometime lives. Guides have struggled to control the crowds through coordinating summits pushes, duplicate safety ropes and staggered start times. 2012 looks to test all these techniques as the warm weather, now heavy snow have delayed fixing the rope to the summit thus compressing the schedule slightly. However, 45 climbers and Sherpas are no longer climbing this year due to the pullout of Himex so it may not be that bad. Also, it is rare to only have one summit weather window. Coordination The leaders regularly meet to coordinate many aspects of their Everest expedition. They work together on who will ropes and pickets, transport them to base camp and then to fix them above the Icefall. As for camps, each team is on their own establishing and maintaining their camp using their own Sherpas. But when it comes to summit night, some teams try to keep their schedule a secret in order to get a jump on the others. But on Everest, there are no secrets, especially within the Sherpa community. Start Times It is quite common to have many, many teams staged at the South Col based on a good weather forecast. Guides will approach start times differently with some preferring to start early if they have a slower team or later if they feel their group is strong and fast. It is common for leaders or Sherpas to survey one another on the South Col to get a feeling of the schedule for that night. But things change on a moments notice with new weather information or gut feelings so the laid plans may come apart. In the end, each team leader is responsible for their team’s safety and success and will do what they feel is necessary. Bottlenecks This is the biggest fear and the result of poor coordination, rouge leaders or bad luck. It is quite common to have a large group that moves together as one unit but very slowly. They create a massive strain on the route and slows everyone down. Passing is possible but difficult. It requires unclipping from the fixed rope, climbing freely and faster than the large group for a relatively long period. If can be a dangerous move. But it may be right move as getting caught in a slow climb can be deadly as you use limited supplemental oxygen, risk the weather deteriorating or become very cold resulting in cold feet, hands or even frostbite. This will end your climb if not your climbing career. Dual ropes help on the difficult sections but are not a panacea. It is very useful on the Lhotse Face which is somewhat wide and accommodates dual ropes – one for climbing up and one for going down. Believe it or not, it is quite common for climbers to get these confused resulting in a sharp correction from a nearby vocal climber! The section above the Balcony, the Southeast Ridge, the Cornice Traverse and Hillary Step experience bottlenecks due to the extreme altitude, slow climbers, fatigue, narrow, rocky and difficult terrain. There are rarely dual ropes. Remember that every ounce of rope and pickets must be carried by a Sherpa and attached to the mountain each season – there is no reuse of last year’s lines. On the Hillary Step, as shown in this post’s picture, is very narrow with most climbers preferring to climb the crack in the rock wall to the right and not stray too far towards the mile high drop offs. So it is common when climbers get backed up for a Western guide to assume command and direct traffic allowing down climbers to get off the summit by stopping the up climbers at the base of the Step. Yes, a high altitude traffic jam. Strategy The strategy is to get out of the South Col early – maybe 8:00 – climb fast and get down fast. This sounds easy but can be extremely difficult if you are not at 100%. One issue with leaving early is they might summit before dawn, which is about 5:00AM on Everest
Everest 2012: Doldrums
If we were talking about sailing this would be called the doldrums, there that time when there are no winds and the boat is basically adrift with the current. Our Everest climbers on both side are adrift at their camps passing each day just like the previous and the next waiting for those winds to move on. This may go on for the next week, or two or more. You just don’t know. As I posted yesterday, the winds are expected pick back up starting today or maybe tomorrow and then reduce around May 18th. So leaders and Sherpas are trying to get the upper camps in shape to support summit pushes around that time. Reversing the schedule from May 18th has teams leaving base camp around May 13 or 14 – about few days from now. But if the winds don’t die down, it could be longer. The latest first summit was in 2005 on May 21st when snow prevented the Sherpas from fixing the ropes earlier. There continues to be reports of snow up high which is excellent news as well as no rock fall. With little traffic in the Icefall at the moment, we cannot get a sense of the conditions, especially near the top, but this is probably the most critical area this year. As you would expect the blogs have quieted as the climbers don’t have a lot to say, except from our favorites this year of Axe and Ian. Grant Rawlinson (Axe) on the north who describes his vision of his summit schedule. He has the added bonus of his theory on Mallory and Irvine. Axe states: I believe Irvine and Mallory were descending together in bad weather (I do not know if they made the summit or not). They were following the ridge line and were roped together, Mallory took a fall, Irvine tried to arrest him with his ice axe. The rope pendulum’ed and snapped, Mallory fell a long way, broke his leg and died in the position marked on the map. Irvine continued downclimbing the ridge, but died of exposure/fall a short time later in the approximate position I marked on the map. Thats my theory anyway! Then we have Jagged Globe’s south side climber Ian Ridley, whose blog has become required reading for many. Today Ian takes on his melting tent platform. This could be a scene from Faulty Towers: Just behind my tent over a small ridge of morraine (it really is only a metre or so) is a large depression (that’s the land form not me!) which up until yesterday had a frozen lake in it. Well yesterday afternoon after what sounded like a large ‘thud,’ a bit like a tree trunk splitting, the frozen lake has gone! It’s as though somebody has pulled the plug out of the bottom of the lake. The water has just vanished deep within the glacier. So, not a lot of news today, which is a good thing. The teams could use a break from all the drama! Speaking of drama, crowd control is probably a huge topic over meals on the south. I’ll give my perspective on that tomorrow. Climb On! Alan Memories are everything
Everest 2012: Sherpa Train
Everest teams are spread all over the Khumbu and southern Tibet at the moment. A few are still at the high camps but most are holding at base camps or down in the villages enjoying the richer air. There are 10 Sherpas from multiple teams working together to fix the rope to the summit on the south. They almost reached the Balcony, just above the South Col, when heavy snow stopped them. This is actually good news as the climbing conditions will be safer with more snow, but not too much! The Sherpa Train In addition to line fixing, the Sherpas are ferrying thousands of pounds of gear to the South Col and upper camps on the North. It is almost impossible to believe without seeing but there will be a line of 50 to 100 Sherpas snaking up the Lhotse Face, each with a pack loaded to 50 lbs or more consisting of tents, stakes, mesh nets, sleeping bags, pads, stoves, fuels, food, and oxygen bottles. It is a tribute to the human spirit and capacity to get things done. The vast majority of western climbers will carry some gear but dramatically less, perhaps 15 pounds each. They carry clothes, food, water, their personal oxygen mask and regulator; sometimes their sleeping bag and pad. Of course the western climbers only climb higher on their summit bid while the Sherpas will make multiple carries to stock the camps. Amazingly, the Sherpas, who don’t like to sleep above Camp 2 on the south, will make these carries from Camp 2 to the South Col in one day taking less the half the time of the strongest western climbers! Encouraging Updates The Patagonia Brothers aka Damien and Willie Benegas posted an uplifting message on their Camp 3 rotation. This is significant because these two guys are mainstays on the South side. Wilie has been one of the few Westerners to help the Sherpas fix lines to the summit in some years and this year was instrumental in establishing the alternate route up the Lhotse Face. … today is the final day of ice and snow for the team, who are shortly leaving Camp 2 after a hugely successful second rotation, back to Base Camp and tomorrow down valley to breathe some richer air! Tomi and Luco (Lhoste) slept at Camp 3 (7000m!) whilst the remainder of the Everest Team (Willie, Pablo, Fer and Hernan) all touched Camp 3 but slept at Camp 2 for three nights. Good food, good company and lower winds have made for a great rotation and the waiting is soon to begin for summit weather, while this week the summit will be fixed. Planning The climb schedule for the next couple of weeks is becoming more clear with the winds picking back up over this weekend and the summit window developing around May 20th. On the north, the 7 Summits Club put a stake in the ground with summit bids planned for May 20 and 21. But don’t be surprised if some jump the window and go early. While crowds on the south have become an annual topic of speculation, and is real and dangerous; pushing in bad weather is worse. So time will tell how this evolves. Ambitious Plans Two of the more ambitious plans for Everest 2012 included Bil Burke at age 70 looking to summit from both sides. As I mentioned a few days ago he abandoned his south side and is moving to the north for that attempt but posted he might still return to the south if times permits! Another study in determination is from Mike Moniz wanting to summit Everest and Lhotse then move to Cho Oyu. Well I had my doubts a few weeks ago as the south side was falling apart but now with the teams fixing Lhotse again due to the recent snowfall, and success on Cho Oyu this season, I think he has a great chance. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Everest 2012: “Things seemed to have calmed down on Mount Everest”
Let’s start with some encouraging news from Dave Hahn and Eric Simonson on the south side. There has been quite a bit of fresh snow over the past few days – so much so that it stopped some from climbing – go figure! South Plans Dave Hahn, climbing for RMI/Eddie Bauer/First Ascent made this post on the RMI Blog: The route is fixed all the way to 8,000 meters now. Our Sherpa team is going up tomorrow morning up to Camp 2 to check out conditions and see whether it makes sense for them to get on the wall to establish our Camp 3 and Camp 4. There is supposed to be, the next few days, supposed to be calm with continued light snow each day and we are seeing that is a good thing. Then the winds are supposed to come back, the jet stream is supposed to move into the mountains, but briefly, and then we are hoping for a break in conditions after the middle of the month. So it is going to be a little bit of a down time for the climbing team and we are keeping ourselves busy, like I say, with hiking and eating and resting and games. So far so good. Things seemed to have calmed down on Mount Everest. Eric Simonson, one of IMG’s overall founders, posted: Greg and Jangbu report that they had a big meeting today at Base Camp with the different teams to review the plan for fixing above South Col. Many different expeditions will be helping to carry 23 loads of rope, anchors, and oxygen to the Col over the next two days, and then 10 of the teams (IMG, AAI, Adventure Consultants, Asian Trek, Patagonian Brothers, Peak Freaks, Jagged Globe, Mountain Trip, Indian, 7 Summits) will be sending a dozen sherpas up to the Col on the 10th. They will try to fix to the Balcony that afternoon, and then to the summit on the 11th. The Sherpas that went to the Col yesterday report that the Triangular Face up to the Balcony looks pretty good. Some years it has been very rocky, which makes it more difficult, but now it sounds like there is sufficient snow to climb on. Let me add three more links to complete these South Side updates from Alpine Ascents, Jagged Globe and Peak Freaks. It is clear that the traditional commercial operators have decided to work together to make this Everest season a success as safely as possible like they never have. By the way it appears teams are committed to fixing the ropes to the summit of Lhotse as well. This had put in question due to the excessive rock fall found on that route. You can tell the climbers are feeing a bit more secure. The blogs have a lighter feel to them and the emails I am receiving are encouraging. But Ian Ridley continues to set the mark, this time with a in-depth look at the Jagged Globe showers at base camp that would make the BBC envious. Caution Before I paint too rosy of a picture, let me balance the optimism by stating the obvious – there is still a long time to go before the summit in mountaineering terms, probably 10 to 14 days. The days are getting longer and warmer as we approach summer. And the most dangerous part of any high altitude climb is the decent. So not to put a damper on this post but it is important to understand the risks. World class climber Ueli Steck, climbing Everest without O’s this season posted today: Now we all have to wait. I guess this year a summit attempt before May 20 will be unthinkable. Everybody is nervous. Every body up here wants to leave straight away to the summit. It’s the same for me. This is what it means to ascend high mountains: To be , to wait and be ready when the chance is there. North Side Ready – almost The North side of Everest appears to be in much better shape than the South this year. There continues to be good snowfall and there have been no reports of rockfall thus far. But as usual, it has been cold and windy – much more so than the south; but again this is absolutely normal. Phil Crampton reports the upper camps are stocked and acknowledges the hard work of the Sherpas. The Altitude Junkies team is ready for their summit push when the weather allows: Our Sherpas have now got camp one and camp two fully stocked with oxygen and tents and tomorrow they plan to make a load carry to camp three at roughly 8,300-meters. Hopefully the Tibet Guides finish fixing the ropes to camp three today allowing our guys safe passage. The expedition is totally dependent on the Sherpas and it would not be possible for us to reach the summit without these hard working guys getting everything ready for us. After two load carries of oxygen to camp three the Sherpas will all return to base camp and take a well deserved rest. Grant Rawlinson (Axe) gave us a good update on his condition with an nice inside look at how he is maintaining his own “control” through the 2 month expedition. Some good lessons here: The whole aim of my movement on the lower slopes of Everest while acclimatising is to arrive at my destination in control. I pay little attention to the time it takes me to get there. I prefer to walk or climb alone if possible as I can travel completely at my own pace. If I can arrive 5,6 or 10 hours later and still be taking photo’s/video’s, looking at the scenery and sitting down on arrival to drink tea and chat, I know I am in control. If I arrive and havn’t taken a photo for the last 3 hours, can hardly talk and head straight for the tent then I am
Everest 2012: A Summit Schedule?
As the dust settles from the Himex departure, all the other teams are working hard to complete their acclimatization programs, stock camps and plan for the summit. A Nod to History The new route up the Lhotse Face follows the track established in 1953, Eric Simonson of IMG reminded us today. But more importantly the ropes are now fixed to the South Col opening up the opportunity to stock that high camp with tents and oxygen bottles for the summit attempts. Greg and Jangbu report that the IMG fixing sherpas Nima Karma and Karma Gyalgen (with the help of the AAI, Himalayan Guides, North Face, Chilean, and Benegas teams) left Camp 2 today at 4:30am and finished fixing to South Col at 2:35pm and were back to Camp 2 about 6pm. Sounds like the recent snowfall has improved the conditions on the route. Great job you guys! Summit Schedule With many climbers finishing their acclimatization rotation to Camp 3 on the South or above the North Col on the North, their attention turns to rest and the weather. The big event on the watch list is a week of low winds on the summit itself. By now every Everest devote knows that the jet stream hangs around Everest throughout the year generating winds over 150 to 200 mph (240-340kph). Climbers want to see winds under 30 mph. So the weather watchers turn their attention to the Bay of Bengal. As spring turns to summer, the annual monsoons start up generating waves of pressure moving the jet stream north into Tibet. The harsh summit winds go along for the ride, so to speak. The teams need a minimum of 5 days for a summit push – 1 day to Camp 2 or ABC on the North, 1 rest day, a day to Camp 3 or the North Col, then a 24 – 36 hour summit push including 12 hours stop at the South Col or Camp 2 on the North. The return to Camp 2 or ABC takes another half day and then back to base camp. This is a long time in weather forecasting terms. Most forecasts look about 2 to 3 days out. It is not uncommon for climbers to reach a high camp only to be brought back when something unexpected occurs. With this in mind, the team leaders are making plans and assuming the snow will bond the loose rocks up high. However, let’s be clear, I am 1000% certain if the Sherpas setting the line to summit feel it is unsafe,the entire season will come to a dramatic and immediate halt. Tim Ripple of Peak Freaks made this post, planning for success: Things are looking good up on the mountain so I was all over base camp today with Greg Vernovage from IMG trying to get Sherpa staff organized to get the rest of this climb underway. The new route to Camp 3 seems to be working out with no rock fall and the route to the South Col from there is straightforward and considered normal conditions. What’s next? We are looking to have 10 climbing Sherpas plus their oxygen supplements for fixing the route to the summit, at current we have two from each of the following teams; Peak Freaks, Adventure Consultants, Alpine Ascents and IMG, we are hoping to find two more from other teams who are here to make a complete team to get the job done- at the end of the day we are left still looking. We have a pretty good weather window right now to push through to the summit but we are expecting extreme high winds to move in as yearly as the 12th and backing off around the 17th. Our Sherpas are stoked and want to give it their shot as well as all of our team members. Though our weather insight does not go too far in advance, it’s hopeful it will follow the norm – if so we may start getting some summits starting around the 20th or 21st. The Emotions of Everest 2012 Bandar, climbing with IMG, posted a introspective blog today, the Blog of the Day, where he describes climbers leaving their climbs in tears – the stress of the experience. Not unusual. every year almost every team has someone say enough is enough and leave early. This is a good read: We have seen a lot of people go home from various teams the past few days. People have broken down in tears from some of the more grimm events that have happened and others broken down from fear given some of the realities of the mountain. We are all having each and every fiber of our being tested and only the most resilient and robust can make it through. It is tough. Tougher than anything I have ever done in my life, but that’s why I’m here. I don’t climb because it is easy, I climb because it tests me, makes me stronger and helps me draw a map of who I am. I am lucky that I have the support of those at home and also of the hybrid team. So far, none of us are even thinking about leaving. That group cohesion, our aggregate strength and unity is very important. We are now behaving like an 8 legged table, each of us helping to hold up the weight of the situation. Changing Plans For some, time is running out. Bill Burke, the 70 year old attempting a double summit had to pull the plug on his south climb due the delays. He is now in the process of moving to the north side for an attempt. Bill had summited the south but not the north so if he could not get both, the north became his priority. For these reasons, I have decided to flip my expedition to the North side. I will depart Base Camp on May 7 and move down to the village of Lobuche. On May
Everest 2012: Climbers Sleeping at C3 on Lhotse Face
In spite of the surprising news coming from Everest, prescription climbers continue their march towards the top. There are reports of the fixed line now to Camp 4 on the South. Lhotse Ice While the wind and rock fall have dominated the news on climbing the Lhotse Face, no one aspect has been under the radar – the ice. Normally, discount there is a layer of snow on the Face that allows for relatively easy foot placement; and I say this know that nothing is easy at 23,000′ on a 30 degree slope! But this year with the dry conditions, the Face has become an ice skating rink. The net result is an infinitely harder climb that requires solid foot placement with each step. In a normal year, steps are eventually kicked in by the thousands of footsteps as climbers and Sherpas make the journey to the South Col but not this year, so these climbers are having some extra difficulty. Ian Ridley, who can always be counted on for an update with humor posted from Camp 3 on the Lhotse Face and about the new route. He did not report any rock fall on his trip: Our route up the glacier was initially the same as before but then it swung right beneath the the Lhotse face. After about fours hours we were directly underneath the start of the new route. No wonder the sherpas didn’t like it. It started with 30 m of 80 degree ice!!! The route zig zagged it’s way up and we were just going slower and slower in the heat ( we’ll that’s what I like to blame – it wasn’ t). We just found it impossibly hard with the lack of oxygen. One foot up and a short rest. If I tried to take five or six consequetive paces I’d slouch over knees for three of four minutes – probably longer. This wasn’t a good advert for our suitability for a summit attempt! For those readers wanting a more technical description, Colorado’s Jon Kedrowski proved this on his site: The bottom of the face is the toughest. 5 pitches X 100m sustained on 50 to 60 degree blue ice. Then we had some gentler snow ramps of 2 pitches of about 75 meters each, then 2 more steep 60 degree ice pitches of 100m each. By 830 and 4 or 5 pitches in, the sun warmed us…. Eric Simonson, IMG, reported similar conditions plus a major step in establish Camp 4 on the South Col: Greg and Jangbu report that today was a great day, and that the team is doing well. Today Eric Remza and most of the Classic climbers climbed up to Lower Camp 3 and reported zero rockfall up there. Apparently the combination of the recent snowfall and the sun today to cook the snow that had been plastered on, helped a lot. The team hung out at Camp 3 and it was so warm, some of them removed their down suits up there. Tomorrow we have a big Sherpa team headed up, hopefully to finish the route to the Col and start moving the first loads into Camp 4 for the summit bids! It is possible the snowfall over the past few days has resulted in locking down some of the smaller loose rocks. If it snowed with light winds, melted in the hot sun of the day and froze solid at night; that would have been a perfect scenario. Climb Updates The Sherpas working with the RMI’s South Col team (Dave Hahn) went on a reconnaissance to Camp 2 and according to Mark Tucker reported: Lam Babu and Pasang made a trip up to Camp 2 to check in on how things are holding up. Last thing you want is a big surprise when you arrive at an upper camp on a move day. He reports everything is in good shape. Sounds like there will be a push toward Camp 4 and the South Col tomorrow. A strong team will put the needed ropes in place to allow for safe travels to the final camp before the summit push. And another excellent set of photographs from Kurt Wedberg after his night at Camp 3. It is the Blog of the Day. He reports: Our four nights we spent in total at C2 were productive. We got noticeably stronger each day and stayed healthy the entire time living at 6495m/21,309? and above. In spite of falling short of reaching C3 we feel that after our time up high followed by a few days rest at Base Camp we will be ready to make a summit attempt. Before trying for the summit though we also need a big change in the weather pattern. The upper reaches of Mt. Everest have been pummeled by 120+ mph winds for several weeks now. With conditions like this a summit bid isn’t realistic. We also need some fresh snowfall; preferably 1?-2?. This would offer some anchoring of the slopes containing loose rocks. Fortunately our forecast over the next dew days is calling for just that; decreased winds and snowfall through May 10. Let’s hope the weather forecast is correct! West Ridge Sorry but no solid updates on either NatGeo or Eddie Bauer on their teams. Last reports, over a week ago, had them tagging 23,000 on the Lhotse Face as part of their acclimatization program and there was one short mention that some ropes had been fixed on the Ridge but no details. Himex – updated Himex posted 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.