Everest 2017: More Summits, Rescues and Dots – Updated
Monday morning 22 May, aka Wave 3, was as big as we expected with well over 100 new summits on both sides of Everest. The weather remains good for most teams. The body of missing Indian climber was found taking the death toll to six on both sides in 2017. With a full week to go, I estimate well over 350 total summits on both sides and perhaps as many as 150 more to come. This is a rundown of the results. I apologize for not mentioning every name so click on the links to see them by team. Also, I try to mention the Sherpas when possible. I find it sad that some teams simply give the members names and not even mention the Sherpas. South Summits Big Day Adventure Consultants put 16 on top of Everest early Monday morning. Also the AC team summited Dhaulagiri: Great news just in from Dhaulagiri – the whole team summited at 5.25am! Congratulations to Claudia, Tom, Jon, Charlotte, Iza, Dhiren, and AC guides Guy Cotter, Dean Staples and Lydia Bradey. A huge congratulations goes to Jb Chandesris who submitted at 6.55am without supplementary oxygen! IMG had a good day with 27 on the summit including my dear friend Jim Davidson, There were 10 foreigners, 15 Sherpas and 2 guides. Also my 2011 fellow Everest teammate, Karim Marino Mella Nazir, return for another summit. IMG still has perhaps 20 more members positioned at C2 ready to summit. Speaking of old friends, Al Hancock got his Lhotse summit Madison Mountaineering put 7 on top very early – before sunrise. They assisted with a climber with frostbite costing some their team their summit. Well done. The combo Mountain Madness/Mountain Trip had 12 on top Adventures Global had a rather unique summit by Anshu Jamsenpa: We are very proud to announce that Anshu Jamsenpa has just summited for the 5th time and for the second time this season. That is the first time that a woman has summited twice in one season on two separate occasions. Mountain Professionals helped Chris Bombardier with severe hemophilia summit. There were no major issue reported on the south side but there was talk of one “large” team that clogged up the route. North Summits Continue Arnold Coster put members on the summit Monday morning but reported high winds, other teams did not: Team summited Everest this morning, but not everybody. Some turned around due to heavy winds, but all are in good health.Everybody is descending to the North Col now and will probably spend the night there before reaching ABC. Rasmus delayed his self supported oxygenless attempt last night due to wind and will try again this evening. Transcend Adventures put more members on the summit from the north with 6 in total consisting of Teens:2 boys 2 girls and 2 adult women. Iowans for Everest got their summit around 4:30 am. I’ll try to get more from them in the future. Kilian Jornet’s Speed Climb Kilian’s speed run to the summit of Everest from the Rongbuk Monastery started at 6:00 pm Sunday night. It was expected to take 20-30 hours. The last report had Kilian at 7500 meters. Update: Kilian Jornet summited but ended speed attempt due to illness stopping at ABC on north side: source Kilian Jornet reached the summit of Everest at midnight of 21st to 22nd May (local time) in a single climb without the help of oxygen or fixed ropes. He reached the summit via the north face of the world’s highest mountain (8,848m) following the traditional route. Kilian Jornet began the challenge at Everest Base Camp Base near the ancient Rombuk monastery (5,100m) on May 20 at 22h local time (+5:45 GMT). At 12h15 local time of May 22nd he is back in the Advanced Base Camp (6,500m) where he confirmed summiting Everest at midnight, 26 hours after beginning the ascent. 38 hours after starting the temptative, he has arrived to the Advanced Base Camp of Everest, he explained: “Until I reached 7.700m I felt good and was going according to my planning, but there I started to feel stomachache, I guess due to an estomach virus. From there I have moved slowly and stopping every few steps to recover. However, I made it to the summit at midnight”. Due to this indisposition, Kilian Jornet choses to conclude the attempt, and stay in the Advanced Base Camp and not returning to the Rongbuk as planned. Once we have more information about the challenge, we will inform through the channels of Summits of My Life. Rare North-South Traverse The Chinese have rarely issued permits to traverse from north to south but it appears it happened over the weekend by Polish climber Janusz Adamski Adams as reported on his Facebook page first Polish solo Everest Traverse without O’s by Janusz Adamski (summit on 21st), Descended safely to camp 3 on summit day. Deaths and Rescues But not everyone has had a good weekend. The Himalayan Times reports that five climbers were helicoptered from as high as Camp 2 on the Nepal side suffering from altitude related illness. This is in addition to the three deaths and one missing climber that occurred over the weekend. Update: the body of missing climber Ravi Kumar was found: The body of an Indian climber was spotted on Mount Everest on Monday, after he went missing two days ago while descending from the world’s highest peak. Sherpa rescuers spotted the body of Indian climber Ravi Kumar, but it was impossible to retrieve the body, said Thupden Sherpa of Arun Treks and Expedition. It appeared that Kumar had fallen some 200 meters (650 feet) below the route, he said. More “Borrowed” Gear Tim Mosedale reports that their gear has been stolen again, this time at the South Col. He has several members that have yet to summit: Another 7 bottles of Os have gone missing from our supply – this time from The South Col. Given what’s been unfolding over the last couple of days with failed summit bids and fatalities it doesn’t surprise me …. but I do wish people would let
Everest 2017: 3 New Deaths, 1 Missing
The Everest season has turned tragic as scores of climbers summit on the south side and more are on their way. The fickle weather of 2017 has finally calmed calling to the climbers to finish their quest. There have been deaths on both sides. While few details are provided, it appears these were associated with altitude, not weather. Meteorologist, Chris Tomer, told me just now that the good weather we discussed over the past few posts will continue with one exception: Looks about the same from my vantage point…jet streak arrives on 22nd with wind flare. The earlier they summit the better Deaths This is what has been reported by expedition operators to the Nepal government and then to the press. Families are usually notified by the companies before going public. Fifth death: Vladimir Strba, 50 from Slovakia, died near Balcony on south side. Fourth death: 54-year-old Francesco Enrico Marchetti, 54 from Australia, at 7500m while descending from summit on Tibet side. Third death Roland Yearwood,50 from USA Alabama, on south side reported, and Ravi Kumar is reported missing after getting separated from guide at Balcony. A search team was dispatched hours ago. The previous two deaths were: Min Bahadur Sherchan, 86, died from unknown causes at Everest Base Camp Ueli Steck dies on Nuptse acclimatising for Everest-Lhotse traverse Deadly Everest I posted this yesterday along with a summary of the Sunday morning summits and it is more valid today as we are now at the historical average of deaths: This is part of Everest. Each year, on average, around 6 people die. This year has been safer than normal thus far. The common causes of death include altitude related illnesses – complicated by poor decision making when symptons first appear. In other words, turn back immediately upon any sign of altitude sickness – this is known by everyone but followed by few. The summit pushes thus far have reported cold temperatures and there have been cases of frostbite. Guide are reluctant to talk about this as it reflects poorly on their leadership and decision making. Also it is not surprising for a guide service to have a death and never report it publically. All this just re-enforces that every climber should come to Everest self sufficient with proper experience, knowledge and judgment to take care of themselves in any circumstance. To depend on others is to ask another human to take responsibility for your life, something you would never do at home, so doing so at 28,000 feet is simply silly when it can be avoided. This is a summary of deaths on both sides thru Spring 2016. As you can see both sides have about the same % -~3.7%: 282 people (168 westerners and 114 Sherpas) have died on Everest from 1924 to June 2016 or 3.7% Of the deaths, 109 died attempting to summit without using supplemental oxygen. Of the 282 deaths, 70 died on the descent from the summit or 25% The Nepalese side has seen 4,863 summits with 176 deaths through June 2016 or 3.6% The Tibet side has seen 2,783 summits with 106 deaths through June 2016 or 3.8% Most bodies all are still on the mountain but China has removed many bodies from sight. The top cause of death was from a fall, avalanche, exposure and altitude sickness From 1923 to 1999: 170 people died on Everest with 1,169 summits or 14.5%. But the deaths drastically declined from 2000 to 2015 with 5,832 summits and 112 deaths or 1.9%. However, two years skewed the deaths rates with 17 in 2014 and 14 in 2015. The reduction in deaths is primarily due to better gear, weather forecasting and more people climbing with commercial operations. Monday, 22 May will be big There are probably 150 climbers headed up right now, around 11 pm 21 May. They should start summiting around 4:00 am Monday morning. Weather is reported still good but there are reports of one large team clogging up the route. As I discussed in How to Mange the Crowds on Everest, now is the time to be strategic. While deaths will occupy the news, we need to remember that are hundreds of people climbing and they could use our positive energy. I wrote this now for my long time climbing buddy Jim Davidson. You can follow Jim on his Garmin InReach: You are on your way my friend. It looks like you left the South Col early, that is good this means you should summit just as the sun peaks over the horizon between 4 and 5 am early Monday morning! You are climbing Everest. You leave the South Col, Camp 4, and climb the Triangular Face, it might feel steep. You are probably in a line of the climbers, relax – slow-simple-steps. Your breathing is slow and steady. All you hear is the sound of your own body bringing the oxygen in; releasing it a rhythm that will be your friend for the next 8 hours. It is dark, your headlamp lights up the white snow against your green Lowa boots. You are climbing Everest. After 4 hours you will reach the Balcony. Sadly several people died over the last 24 hours in this area so you may see a dead body. There is nothing you can do but take care of yourself. Focus. Take a break. Sit on your pack. Let your breathing slow, let your heart rate slow. Drink, eat the foods we discussed. Look around. It is a clear night. Look up, with no moon, you can see every star ever created – at least that what it feels like. You are climbing Everest. Getting up, slip your pack back on. It holds your lifeline, your oxygen bottle, food and water. Adjust your oxygen mask, your headlamp, clip back into the fixed rope and start walking. It is easy leaving the Balcony. Your crampons are getting good purchase on the hard packed snow. You follow the rope, and the boot path. You are climbing Everest. All of a sudden the angle increases. Your slow pace slows down even more. It is OK, this is as it should be. You are where your
Everest 2017: Death, Summits and Thefts – Update
Sunday morning, 21 May, had a death on Everest at the Balcony as reported by the Himalayan Times. Few details are available. Update: Fifth death: Vladimir Strba, 50 from Slovakia, died near Balcony on south side. Climber Missing: Ravi Kumar missing after getting separated from guide at Balcony Fourth death: 54-year-old Francesco Enrico Marchetti, 54 from Australia, at 7500m while descending from summit on Tibet side. Third death Roland Yearwood,50 from USA Alabama, reported, few details. Blind Austrian climber Andy Holzer summited on north with Furtenbach Adventures Friday night thru Saturday morning looks to have been big on the south as the winds calmed for a day or so. Meanwhile, a serious breach of trust occurred at the high camp on Lhotse. Good Weather on Southeast Ridge = Summits This is a headline many have been waiting for. Adventure Consultants made a nice post as part of their team made their way up the Southeast Ridge between the Balcony and the South Summit. This is a section rarely talked about and I made a post on it earlier this season. First they posted on their progress: Down here in base camp we have just received a call from Ang Dorjee that he and Paul have been moving well and are now 30mins below the South Summit, 8690m, the second highest point on earth. Travelling now along the true south east ridge it sounds like they are still experiencing a bit of wind, but at this point it doesn’t appear to be slowing them down as they continue to make good progress. Then the good news that AC put their member,Paul Pheby, on the summit plus Chhuldim Sherpa (Ang Dorjee) from Pangboche – his 19th summit. My first climb on Everest in 2002 was with Ang Dorge and he is the younger brother of Kami Sherpa whom I summited Everest and K2 with. Also on the summit for AC were Ringin, climbing Sirdar, from Khumjung, Nepal – 4th summit,Pemba Nuru Sherpa from Pangboche, Nepal – 1st summit, and Rinji Pal den Sherpa from Thame, Nepal – 1st summit Most teams reported good conditions Friday night into Saturday morning but Adventure Global suggested winds at the South Col stalled some members. This has been common this year with moments of high winds followed by calmer periods. If you are getting ready to leave and the winds are gusting to 60 mph, you stay put – good decision.: We are very excited to announce that Anshu Jamsenpa, Furi Sherpa and Karma Sherpa summited about 45 minutes ago. This is Anshu’s 5th summit and the most by any Indian lady ever. Congratulations to Anshu, Furi and Karma. We are extremely proud of you. Neil and Tendi decided to stay at the South Col and not to push, because of the wind. They will reconsider their options later today. Seven Summits Treks said they had 60 people going to the summit, no word on results. It is good that this large team got their chance and can clear off the route. The other large team is the Indian Navy who, I believe, also had their attempt but tweeted only a few climbers on the summits Summit Climb said they put a couple on the summit and said more were coming but nothing was made public. The Himalayan Times said the death was an American on the SummitClimb team but this has not been reported by Summit Climb. Murari Sharma, Managing Director at Everest Parivar Treks handles the local logistics for Summit Climb made the report based on contact with base camp. Mimgma Sherpa, Dreamers Destination said he had a first on Everests: Elton Ng also reached the summit together with Tsang Yin Hung and Zhangjianguo this morning at 6am. Mrs Tsang Yin Hung officially registered her name as first Hongkong lady to Everest. Japanese Nobukazu Kuriki made it to Camp 2 and should now climb up to the West Ridge for his summit attempt via the Hornbein Couloir. But not everyone is ready to push to the top quite yet. Ben Jones with Alpine Ascents said: After looking at forecasts we feel it is going to be much better to wait a couple more days for our summit push. The team is in great spirits and doing very well. The weather looks to be getting much better in a few days so we will just rest here at Camp 2. Back at EBC – Nepal, Himex is finally ready to move. Guide Bruce Hasler posted: We’ve made the plan to head up to Camp 2 tonight starting our summit attempt. Looking at this stage for summit bid on 25 but possibly 26th. There have been multiple summits today which is great to clear some folks off the hill. Still many people looking for their window of weather in next 2 days. Hoping it all goes smoothly and we get the wind to behave. Once again stay tuned… Summit shots 2013 The weather on the south has been tough the last couple of days. While some teams summited, others wisely turned back. Jangbu Sherpa, Himalayan Treks and Expeditions said: On 18th May our team went to south coll with all the confident and strong on 19th summit plan. Unfortunately because of bad Wendy speed 90/100 pre hrs…spend 24 hrs at camp 4 … we decide to decent down now We all are safely arrived at base camp. North And the last of three Transcend Adventures Indian Team posted that they had reached Camp-2 and would be moving to higher tomorrow. Based on the weather they will make the summit attempt. The details of the team members will be shared soon. Other north teams that could summit at any time include: Furtenbach Adventures with 17 climbers (foreign/Sherpa/Tibetan)Arnold Coster Expeditions with 15, Iowans for Everest with 2, Transcend Adventures with 15? and Summit Climb with 20+. Update from Furtenbach: Summit !! Today at 7.10 in the morning, all participants were at the summit. Windstill and -26 degrees. With Andy Holzer , the first blind man has reached the summit from the north. He is the first blind man at the summit of Everest. And he
Everest 2017: Weekend Update May 20
This last week was big, especially on the Nepal side with the ropes fixed to the summit by the innovative Gurkha team along with first summits form that side. However, this upcoming week could be the biggest of the 2017 season. With the weather on the south side still the big story, team after team have moved into position to attempt the summit over this weekend. Meanwhile last week (and even last night) a few teams took risks – some succeeded, others didn’t. While there have been a few sporadic reports of frostbite, and reports of helicopter evacuations; thankfully no further deaths have been made public, if they have occurred at all. That said, as late as Saturday morning 20 May Nepal time, summit reports noted very cold still air temperatures, add in a bit of wind and … update: Long line helicopter rescue for climber above C3 (Nepal side) failed Saturday afternoon 20 May update: Kilian Jornet begins his run from the Tibet side to the summit of Everest. Weather Woes Not to dwell on the weather too much, at least in this post, it bears repeating what Michael Fagin with Everest Weather told me this week: I have been forecasting here since 2003 and never seen a season like this with forecast model runs changing every 12 hours. Another trusted weather advisor, meteorologist Chris Tomer agreed and suggested that there will be a few days each on either side of 22 May: 18-21 or 23-25. He further suggest a “wind plume” arriving quickly on the 22nd so climbers need to be down or not headed up during that period. Thanks for this big picture Chris, his members and those of other avoid services more details. Summit Sweet Spot Please forgive me for repeating this but it bears it given the siren of complaints about the delays in base camp, fixing ropes and “late” summits. Please take a close look at this chart I use all the time. It shows we are in the sweet spot of Everest summits 17-23 May. In other words, right on schedule!! source: Himalayan Database Sleepless Nights – for those at Home! Clearly the next week will be tricky. I don’t want to add anxiety to any friends and family but this is the reality of climbing Everest for those back home: nervousness, sleepless nights, no news, mixed messages – all culminating with that call or message that everything is fine, coming home soon. The next time you are at a party and someone who has read Into Thin Air, now an Everest expert, begins to tells you (after their fifth G&T) how everyone has climbed Everest, how easy it is because there is an escalator to the summit, and … walk away before you begin to tell them about how YOUR summit night went 🙂 You have already had enough. North Summits Continue On the north side, 7 Summits Club’s Alexander Abramov claimed victory with summits on Friday morning. One of the happiest moments last week must have been for 26 year-old Mollie Hughes who became the youngest British to summit from both sides of Everest. She was with Jon Gupta and Sherpas Lhakpa and Lila. The young Transcend Indian team continued their success with four more teenagers on top along with six Sherpas. While not finished, noted German Alpinist Ralf Dujmovits is trying to get Everest without supplemental oxygen on the north side to finish his 14 without Os. Also headed up now are the Iowans for Everest, Arnold Coster‘s team, the Furtenbach organization and at some point, Alpenglow South Summits Began On the South it was a mixed bag once again as the weather continued to play with the climbers. As I have detailed ad nauseum, the weather forecasters are as frustrated as the climbers this season on the south side. It appears that high pressure was playing favorites this year by keeping the clouds, wind and moisture sequestered on the Nepal side while occasionally leaking over to the Tibet side just to keep teams honest. The end result has been a steady stream of summits on the north and occasional summits on the south – sometimes with a bold gamble by leaders on both sides. Again, thus far this has been a relatively safe season. Perhaps the lessons from last year, or the last 50 years have sunk in with new expedition leaders. On 19 May, a few teams took off from the South Col intending to summit in difficult weather. Thankfully, they turned back to try another day. Hard to Turn Back One of the more poignant post came from Larry Daugherty climbing with Adventure Ascents who turned back at the South Summit due to winds. Also with him was Thomas Wilkinson and Brandon Fisher. Larry posted: Mountain clearly in charge Our team turned around at the south summit due to building wind – disappointed but safe at C4 However, one of their members, David Snow stayed back for another attempt. Not willing to give up, David found that elusive balance between giving it everything he could without giving himself to the mountain. Well done, well done David. He posted early Saturday morning: After being in Nepal for over a month I’ve discovered a few things. For years, you can plan, ponder, prepare every last detail, and stand where no other mountain is higher and still not reach your goal. After 7 hours of climbing in the wind our guides made a choice to turn us around at the South Summit. Disappointment and discouragement were higher than we were. But we were also reminded just a few feet off our route why this is the world’s highest graveyard and why there’s wisdom in listening to those who have been where you have not. Refusing to be done with the climb, I discovered mother nature controls summiting big mountains and not once but twice was crushed by attempts that would not happen. I witnessed strength and determination in my climbing buddies Thomas Wilkinson Larry Daugherty Brandon Fisher who could have summited a peak twice as high as Everest. The majesty of the Himalaya has changed my DNA. I’ve made eternal friendships from the trek to base camp and with mountain guides that could have formed
Everest 2017: Start, Stop Start, Summits
The variable weather is creating confusion with some teams, while others being more patient seem to have the timing just right. And we have summits on the north side last night! There are a few teams trying again tonight. The winds are supposed to begin to calm. Several teams at the South Col late Thursday night (Nepal time) were hoping to summit early Friday morning. Some left, while others just stayed in their tents. The winds were gusting and whipping tents making them miserable at 8000 meters. Those who left returned before reaching the Balcony using up their precious oxygen supplies. There was no Os for a second attempt, and probably little energy. SummitClimb‘s Nepal team, who wins the award for the shortest updates of the season, posted: We just received a radio call: Everest summit very windy: many teams turning back = no summit. They did report over on Lhotse: 2 more members just summited with 2 Sherpas. Mingma Sherpa with Dreamers Destnation noted the toll on the climbers: Many tried Summit today but they returned back to south col because of high wind. Some news are out which said members and sherpa got frostbite. Summit Fever In 2008, I had a similar experience. I climbed just below the Balcony but felt I was going too slow and turned myself back. However, once I got back to the South Col, I felt great and thought I should try again. Thankfully, calmer heads prevailed plus I didn’t have enough oxygen bottle to try again so I return the Camp 2. On the down climb, I realized how spent I was. The best decision was to retreat and climb another day – which I did to the summit in 2011! But these decisions are extremely difficult. The notion of ‘summit fever” sets in. This is a real phonenoum. You know you can climb higher. You are so focused on reaching your long time goal, that common sense becomes secondary. Having an experienced, trusted climbing partner is key to making good decisions. Just like in life, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Windows, Weather and Communication Camp 2 on the south side is pretty busy. If you look at the tracking table, you can see who is there. Simply put, most of base camp has moved to Camp2, often also called Advanced Base Camp on the south side. It is located on a rocky section to the climber’s left as you ascend from Camp 1. It is about an hour, more or less, from the base of the Lhotse Face. Needless to say the views are stunning, especially at sunset. Most climbers have spent anywhere from 3 to 6 nights already here with prior acclimatization rotations. Teams have full time cooks and dining tents so it is fairly comfortable. But, and this is a 1st World Problem :), there are no generators, no WiFi and no heaters – oh my! A similar scenario is happening on the north side at Advanced Base Camp. But yaks can ferry gear there so they have a few more luxuries depending on the team. However on both sides, climbers are 100% focused on the days ahead. The previously forecasted window of 21-26 seems to be holding but, and this is a biggy, big winds expected on the 22nd. Also the atmosphere is warming up a bit so the extremely cold temp of -40F may warm to a balmy -20F on the summit. Communication The good news of this push is that the majority of the teams are lead by long time Everest guides on both sides. They have worked together, and generally communicate well. They support one another as needed in emergencies. This does not mean there won’t be crowds but hopefully, teams move steadily. Last year one large team moved so slowly that others were stuck behind them using up precious oxygen and getting frostbite. South Updates: Adventure Consultants reports in from C2: Everest Expedition 2017 – May 18 Dispatch – Camp 2 – This evening we are back in Camp 2. Another early start with a midnight breakfast had us climbing through the icefall well before dawn. We were escorted up to the first ladder by our Base Camp dogs, Blizzard and Gale, whose claws seemed to grip as well as our crampons. Above Camp 1, the hot temperatures in the Western Cwm delivered as usual and night time temperatures rose considerably. Now we are staged at Camp 2 we are in a better position to take advantage of favourable weather conditions when it occurs. It is important to be in the right place on the mountain when conditions improve, as we need a 5 day period to travel from Base Camp to summit. By staging at Camp 2 we reduce that to 3 days, so it’s easier to be opportunistic. Tomorrow we will rest here and study the weather forecast when it arrives in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Ang Dorjee and Paul will move to Camp 3 tomorrow, good luck to them. IMG still has a fair number of climbers at base camp waiting for the final push. The weather appears to be getting better day by day so this strategy will most likely work again this year. Last year IMG had one of the last teams to summit. For their climbers at C2 they reported: At evening check-in, the Team was doing great and looking forward to a rest day tomorrow. We are keeping our eye on the weather and looking forward to heading up the Lhotse Face soon. High winds are predicted for the upper mountain tonight and tomorrow so the timing is perfect for the rest day. I get a request daily to report on specific teams or climbers. There is a lot of national and personal pride out there – all well deserved. glad to do this when there is unique news but many smaller team simply don’t update enough. Anyway here is a shout out to the Greek team at C2! Climb On!! North Updates – Summits! 7 Summits Club who left base camp a few days ago reported their first
Everest 2017: Summit Wave 2 Underway
Team after team pulled into Camp 2 on the Nepal side and Advanced Base Camp on the North. Some are going to the summit 18 May Thursday night looking to summit early Friday morning 19 May. The weather looks to be marginal and high winds are currently reported. Summit Waves To try to maintain some kind or organization, for years I have called these summit pushes “waves”. I loosely define them as when a large group of teams try to summit during a somewhat defined weather window. I called the last set of summits Wave 1 lead by Transcend on the north and the Gurkhas on the south. Today is Wave 2 with 7 Summits Club on the north and Summit Climb on the South. I expect Wave 3 to be when all the commercial teams now staged at camp2 move to the South Col and try to summit between 21-25 May Of course, there are always independent climbers and small teams that squeeze in a summit attempt and I’ll note them as I can, but you can imagine how difficult it can be to track some of these teams, especially if they don’t want to get any publicity. Finally, if there are deaths or serious injuries, you may not find me to be the first to report them. With all the communication technology on Everest, rumors get out quickly. My commitment is to report these tragic events only after I can confirm them and not based on hearsay. Also, only after families have been notified. South Happening NOW in HIGH Winds Summit Climb is reporting their team left the South Col for the summit around 8:00 pm Thursday night. Satori Adventures is also reported to be on their push Satori team on South. My friend Kuntal Joisher tells me they have a strong team comprising of 1 australian, 2 italians, 1 japanese, 2 indians. All very good climbers with 7000 and 8000 meter experience under their belt. They are supported by a strong Sherpa team with 1:1 sherpa ratio. All climbers are using Os. Another company, Mega Adventures is also on their summit push. In Position As I said, there are at least nine of the major western guide companies currently at Camp 2. Adventure Consultants sums up their situation at Camp2: Now we are staged at Camp 2 we are in a better position to take advantage of favourable weather conditions when it occurs . It is important to be in the right place on the mountain when conditions improve, as we need a 5 day period to travel from Base Camp to summit. By staging at Camp 2 we reduce that to 3 days, so it’s easier to be opportunistic. Tomorrow we will rest here and study the weather forecast when it arrives in the afternoon. Alpine Ascents left a day later than the others from EBC – Nepal. They are targeting the last couple of days in this theoretical weather window. AAI does something most team don’t – spend a night at the South Col before and after their summit bid. They stock extra oxygen since it is at 8000 meters and it takes a bit more logistics plus a slightly longer weather window all at one of the highest prices on the south side at a minimum of $65,000. They feel this is safer and increase their member’s success. They have put 271 people on the summit, 0ne of the highest of all the commercial operators. It will be interesting if the conditions support that strategy this year. Ben Jones reports in: Our team has been patiently waiting in Basecamp for good weather over the last week and we are now ready to head up for our summit attempt. We will continue to monitor the weather over the next few days but our plan is to summit on the 24th. If the weather’s not looking good then we have some options of resting at Camp 2 until it does look good again. Right now we feel pretty good about the 24th or 25th. I will continue to update you as we go and then Lakpa Rita will be updating here as we begin the ascent from the South Col through the night. If the weather cooperates we will go to Camp 2 tomorrow, followed by a rest day at Camp 2. Then we will spend one night at Camp 3 before heading to the South Col. Once at the South Col we will rest the following day before heading up to the summit sometime between 11pm and midnight beginning on the 23rd in the morning of the 24th for an early morning summit. The team is excited and ready to start the climb! Thanks for following us on this journey, and we will update as much as possible, so stay tuned. North 7 Summits Club is on the move right now: Alexander Abramov from Tibet: 31. Day on 17 May. Club expedition 7 Summits Mount Everest in 2017. Today, our team had a rest – 3 days resting at base camp – once again emerged from the base camp towards the summit. Plan: climb to the summit on 22 May. We are now at 5800 tomorrow – ABC. Now Sergey Larin with three participants in the camp 7800 meters. Tomorrow they go to 8300 and in the night – in the assault. Other team are moving from base camp to Advanced Base Camp and even higher. A few climbers are staying at base camp holding out for better weather, and probably fewer climbers on the route. 2017 Summit Experiences There have been over 200 summits thus far, perhaps many more, so we are starting to get a good understanding of conditions high on both sides of Everest. Sounds like the conditions on the north side are very good this year and mixed on the south – even the Hillary Step. has changed!. The condition reports are unexpected with what we have seen thus far during the acclimatization rotations on both sides. Sean James with Adventure Peaks was
Everest 2017: Palpable Excitement as Teams Move Higher
Base Camp on the Nepal side is quickly becoming lonely as many teams left in the cold dark early morning hours of Wednesday 17 May, 2017. A similar pattern is occurring on the north, but several left yesterday. 10 or more teams left Everest Base Camp on the Nepal side this morning. I estimate 200 people (foreigners and Sherpas) on the move today all to Camp2, so we may hear a comment or two on waiting to cross ladders in the Icefall. See the location table for details. While this may seem like a lot of people, Everest is a big mountain – on both sides 🙂 and can handle this many people. On May 21, 2011 when I summited, I was the fourth person on the summit from the south side and 125 people summited that day. I never waited a moment up or down. Also, as I have detailed before there has been a 30% attrition of foreigners due to illness, and personal issues that has reduced the south side from a record year to a big year. Time to Climb The sense of excitement is palpable, even over the internet, but more so when you talk live to one of our climbers at Everest Base Camp. I spoke live with my climbing buddy Jim Davidson as he sat in his tent preparing to leave in a few hours. He sounded strong, calm and confident. He is with the IMG Classic team. You can follow Jim on his Inreach. Jim told me before he left this morning: I am still in Everest base camp, on Day 57 of this trip. Phew, what a long journey. The 57 days have been long. The 40 years have been long, since Dad first directed me to the polar and exploration section of the Concord Free Public library and I started reading Everest books. It is hard to believe that there are no more training, workouts, skills development, practice sessions, workouts, ramp up peaks, intermediate goals, or rotations left until I get to try climbing Everest. The time to climb Everest is actually here! James Brooman, also with IMG is climbing without supplemental oxygen. He has shown that he is a smart, strong climber. He posted today: I am both excited and nervous. The big boss here rightly noted that the only reason to be nervous is if you are unsure of what you are doing. At least for me – without Os – I am also stepping into the unknown above 8,000m. I should perform well up there, but who knows. The final couple of hours was just described to me as ‘crippling’. I’m not scared, just worried that I might not perform as well as I want, or be physically unable to make it. In any case, I’m going to give it every single thing I have. Everything else is out of my control, so I’m focused only on what I can control. The Summit Climb team on the Nepal side are a bit ahead of every and moved to Camp 3 on the 18th, this should put them on the summit early Sunday morning, 21 May – if the weather is kind. Japanese Changes of Plans Nobukazu Kuriki announced a major change in plans. He had been on the north side aiming to climb via the Supercouloir but will switch to the south and attempt to summit via the West Ridge to the Hornbein Couloir, the same route that almost took his life in 2012. He cited “blue ice on the north wall” and the risk of high winds for the switch He obviously is not satisfied with taking the standard routes on either side. He plans to summit on 23 may. North Big Push 7 Summits Club’s Alexander Abramov said their two teams are well on their way: Today, our team had a rest – 3 days resting at base camp – once again emerged from the base camp towards the summit. Plan: climb to the summit on 22 May. We are now at 5800 Zawtar – ABC. Now Sergey Larin with three participants in the camp 7800 meters. Tomorrow they go to 8300 and in the night – in the assault. Other teams are also on the move, but a couple are holding tight for a couple more days. Remember on the north side climbers can climb into June unless the monsoons create bad weather. The difference is no large Icefall on the north side that becomes more unstable as the temperatures warm into June. Climber’s Stuck on ‘Holiday’ In a strange twist, some climbers who flew to villages in the Khumbu to rest up before their summit push are now stuck there unable to get back to ECB and join their team for the summit push. Fog has shut down helicopter flights in Namache and Lukla. Personally I never went down valley to “touch grass before the summit” fearing catching new bugs from new people, but honestly, I never considered not being able to get back due to bad weather! Hopefully they will get back today or tomorrow. Rory McHugh posted: We’re trying to get out of this place and back up the hill for a summit push but the fog has set in and there have been no helicopters flying in or out of Lukla or Namche today. Feels like Groundhog Day. The same song plays on a constant loop in the background of the Barista Cafe. One by one each of us go off in a tantrum about one thing or another. At least we take turns. We’ve had a good rest break here and I now feel like I’ve recovered from a lousy stomach upset but we want out bad.P Please someone lift this fog and let us get out of here. Kami Sherpa Update Many of my long time readers know that I summited both Everest and K2 with Kami Sherpa plus we went thru the 2015 earthquake together, standing side by side in the low clouds with avalanches crashing off Nuptse and Everest into the Western Cwm, the ground shaking under our feet. Obviously I deeply
Everest 2017: Teams Prepare for Huge Summit Push
Teams are on the move! Right on schedule, and it is now or never .. Instead of a peaceful calm, the lag time since most climbers competed their acclimatization rotations – as much as two weeks – is starting to wear on them But there may be other pressures at work. Maybe because weather forecasts from multiple services agree. Or perhaps with the monsoons now starting in India, and moving north. Or maybe it is simply the unsaid is now being said – it is now or never – for this season. Teams on both sides are preparing to move up the mountain aiming at summits starting as early as 18/19 May but most are targeting 23-25 May, next week, based on the current forecast … and that is the problem with Everest 2017. Most Challenging Weather Forecasting in 14 Years Respected Austrian operator Lucas Furtenbach on the Tibet side this year commented on the weather and weather forecasters: All Everest meteorologists agree: they have never had experienced a season in which it was so difficult forecasts for the Everest. And once they have created. If you want anything different. The weather this year is definitely the key factor. So far, there have been two very short weather window from both north and south of a few. Yes, there were approx. 20 summits of north and again so many from the south. This year first was atypical way of reaching the summit north. Michael Fagin with Everest Weather made an interesting comment to me today: I have been forecasting here since 2003 and never seen a season like this with forecast model runs changing every 12 hours. Let that sink in. Michael has been watching the weather on Everest for 14 years, and this year is the most difficult. Trivia, on the majority of my 8000 meter climbs, Michael has provided the forecast. He went on to comment on the impending start of the monsoon season which usually brings an end to climbing on the Nepal side: As you might know once we get that start of the monsoon we “usually” start to have the jet stream shift to the north and “general” bring some “reasonable” summit winds. So when you put all this together along with meteorologist Chris Tomer‘s notion that the next “windows” are suggested to be two days each on either side of 22 May: 18-21 or 23-25, it is time to climb. Summits Take Days First to say the obvious for long time Everest followers, you just don’t leave base camp and go to the summit … you move steadily higher, retracing steps and camps. Generalizing as some teams go faster or slower, the chart shows both sides are similar with team skipping the lowest camps and launching their summit bid from the high camp after spending a short time there. Ideally, teams want 7 days of low winds and low precipitation, but would settle for 1 days on both sides of the summit day or 3 days of winds under 30 mph/50 kph. So if you are targeting summit on May 18, you need to leave base camp on May 15th, um two days ago! Similarly if you are looking at May 25th, Monday the 22nd is your day. Maybe a day earlier as insurance. This is the time when expedition leaders earn their money. The right choice with right weather, they are heros. The wrong choice … Bottom line is that teams are either on their way or preparing now. North with elapsed days South with elapsed days CBC 5182m EBC 5300m ABC 6500m 2 C2 6400m 2 North Col 7000m 1 C3 7150m 1 C3 8300m .5 South Col 8000m .5 SUMMIT 8850m 1 8850m 1 ABC 6500m 1 C2 6400m 1 CBC 5182m .5 EBC 5300m .5 TOTAL 6 6 So with this as background, let’s take a look at what teams are saying on both sides, at least those who are willing to be public. But keeping secrets on Everest is similar to a Trump Whitehouse 🙂 History Lesson But before everyone gets into a mass panic, take a close look at this chart I use all the time. It shows we are about to enter the sweet spot of Everest summits 17-23 May. In other words, we are right on schedule!! North Plans 7 Summits Club is heading for summits in the window most others are targeting: Today, our second team out on the climb from Base Camp. In order to mount 22 of May. It includes the Pole Yanush Kohansky. He goes to a new world speed record for climbing all seven peaks – 129 days. Our first team today, spent the night at the North Col camp and goes into 7800. Climbing is scheduled for 19 May. Wonderful weather. Excellent condition of the route. Status of participants is excellent. Summit Climb, as represented by Ricky Munday posted: I’ve eaten a giant pot noodle for breakfast and drunk two cups of tea and now it’s time to move up the mountain to begin the summit rotation. The boys are breaking the journey to ABC by sleeping at interim camp tonight (5,800m), but I’m trying to cover the whole 22km in one day – I don’t like interim camp and will have an extra rest day at ABC. We’re still targeting 23rd May for our summit bid.Thank you all for your overwhelming support. As we move into the final phase of the expedition, a reminder that I’m climbing Everest in memory of my twin uncles Micheal & Patrick, who were both taken by cancer. The Iowans are also looking at the 23rd: After looking at the weather and consulting with our Sherpas and other teams, we are heading up to ABC the day after tomorrow (18th). We will watch the summit weather carefully and make changes accordingly, but right now we are planning for a May 23 summit date. No word from Nobukazu Kuriki on his no Os attempt. I’m really pulling for him as this
Everest 2017: Winds Return Thwarting Nepal Summits
After a few good days when the winds ignored the forecasts, they both came back into alignment. High winds now and expected for tomorrow. South Summit Turnaround Larry Daugherty climbing with Adventure Ascents turn back at the South Summit due to winds. Also with him was Thomas Wilkinson and Brandon Fisher. Larry posted: Mountain clearly in charge Our team turned around at the south summit due to building wind – disappointed but safe at C4 While it is heartbreaking to turn back at the South Summit, given it is under two more hours and about 500 vertical feet to the summit, this is not all that unusual. The winds come mostly from the west so when climbing from the South Col, they are blocked, until you reach the South Summit – and then it can become a hurricane. So turning back is the right decision to avoid severe frostbite or worse. Once this happens it is extremely rare to try again as the climbers are very tired, supplemental oxygen is low and probably the weather that stopped this push, is still around the next day. Tough break for these guys but the right and courageous decision. More Attempts? I cannot confirm this but it was rumored that a large Chinese team with Seven Summits Treks was supposed to head up and summit about now, but there is no update. Alos, the north side seems to have been quiet on Wednesday the 17th, but there are always independents climbing on both sides we never hear about. UPDATE: 7 Summits Club is heading for summits in the window most others are targeting: Today our second team enters the ascent from the base camp. With a view to rise from 22 may. In its composition janusz kochanski. Goes to a new world record for the duration of climbing at all 7 Peaks on 129 days. Our first team today, slept on the northern saddle and today goes into camp 7800. Ascension Set for 19 may. The weather is great. The condition of the route is good. Excellent condition of the participants. Fight! More as it develops. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Everest 2017: Summit Wave 1 Recap
Wow, what a big night on both Everest and Lhotse, 16 May 2017. Many teams either ignored poor weather forecasts, believed the good weather forecasts or simply said they would go and take whatever the mountain allowed – many achieved their dreams early this morning. With so many summits, the fear of crowds is quickly diminishing but all remaining eyes are on the weather forecasts. Believe them or not! A Split Jet It seems the Jet Stream that normally is parked on top of Everest almost the entire year, is spitting off what I call “mini-jets” (I am sure there is a scientific name for this 🙂 ) These high speed flows are reeking havoc on both sides – at times – and then disappear. This has made forecasting this season challenging to say the least, according to Chris Tomer. The next “windows” are suggested to be two days each on either side of 22 May: 18-21 or 23-25. I expect the activity to slow down a bit over the next few days as teams prepare to head up. However 100 Chinese rumored to be climbing from the Nepal side tonight, 17 May. I posted a play by play as the summits were happening last night so I will not review every detail but let’s look at the big picture and what is up next. North Summits: Adventure Peaks with 2 members, 1 guide and 2 Sherpas. Mollie Hughes became the 16th female to summit from both sides of Everest with her summit along with Jon Gupta. See the previous post for complete list. Our buddies over at India’s Transcend continues their solid performance with four more teenagers on top along with six Sherpas. There were other summits but not reported yet. South Summits Ascent Himalayas aka Ireland to Everest had a big night with 17 total summits including several first. See the previous post for details. Adventures Global put two on Everest from Nepal. There were other summits but not reported yet. Lhotse Summits Lhotse is in desperate need of coordinating rope fixing similar to what happens on Everest. In 2016, three were no summits because no team was willing to fix the ropes after a Sherpa fell to his death while setting the route. This year, it appears there were duplicate rope fixing efforts. Australia’s Everest One‘s home team told me: Allan Cohrs and Raul Helander summited 5.20pm Nepal time. They fixed their own ropes along with Angelu Sherpa and Chirring Sherpa. Meanwhile Seven Summits Treks is reported to have put 10 on the summit – 7 Sherpas, 1 Norwegian, 1 Bulgarian and an Indian. They also said they fixed the lines: First Summit of Mt.Lhotse 2017 : Route fixed by climbing sherpa guides of Lhotse Expedition organized by Seven Summit Treks and 14 Peak Expedition company. 01 Norway , 01 Bulgarian and 01 Indian climbers reached to the Summit of Mt.Lhotse at 5pm My K2 summit buddy, Al Hancock, looks to be on the next push. And another Ascent Himalayas team, this one on Lhotse, made the top and also fixed ropes: AH Lhotse Expd 2017 update by Mingma Tsiri Sherpa(Everest Base Camp)After the 100 % success on Mt Everest this morning approx 9:45am Our Lhotse Team member John Snorri Sigursson(Iceland) and Cian O Brolchain(Ireland) together with Tsering Pemba Sherpa(IFMGA GUIDE) & Ang Chhiring Sherpa summited Mt Lhotse at 04:20pm.This is the first summit of Mt Lhotse(8516m) this season. Tsering Pemba with other climbing guides fix the route all the way to the summit.They started to summit at 11:00 pm.John Snorri(Iceland) became the 1st Icelandish to summit Mt Lhotse(8516m) and Cian O Brolchain(Ireland) became the 4th Irish to summit Mt Lhotse(8516m).We Ascent Himalayas team congratulate our member and climbing for the successful summit. There 100 permits issued for Lhotse so it will continue to see activity through the remainder of this season. There should be plenty of fixed ropes. 🙂 Extra Proud Moments For every climber, summiting is special but for some they are completing a huge project. Over on Dhaulagiri, Peter Hámor summited thus finished all 14 of the 8000 meter peaks. According to the Himalayan Database his first 8000er was Everest in 1998 with supplemental oxygen and tried again in 2014 without but only reached 7800 meters. Romanian climber Horia Colibasanu summited Everest from Tibet also without supplemental oxygen, the second for his country. This was his 8th 8000er. His home team posted on facebook: He made it!!!! Horia reached this morning, 6.20 RO hour, the highest point on Earth, the peak of mountain Everest, after a long summit that lasted 12 hours. “It was very, very hard, and very, very cold”, he said. Last Chance While not finished, noted German Alpinist Ralf Dujmovits is trying to get Everest without supplemental oxygen gave us this update: See his page for pictures. Yesterday I came back from another acclimatization loop on the Tibetan side of Mt. Everest. I spent one night in CII (7,700 m) where I had a relativ good night – beside some slight disturbance from my stomach which told me at 3 a.m. to leave the tent in less than 20 seconds…. In this picture – taken by a Tibetan Highporter of a Chinsese expedition- you see me zig-zagging up the snowridge leading from the North Col to CII. In the background you see Pumori (7,161 m), Cho Oyu (8,188 m) and Gyachung Kang (just below 8.000 m, from left to right). It was a beautiful, almost windstill day – until I reached the camp side where snowfall and some wind started. I’m here to undertake my 8th and definitely last attempt to climb Everest without supplemental oxygen. Everest is the only of the 14 8000m peaks on which I used oxigene during the summit climb (early October 1992). Since then I tried six more times to reach the summit without supplemental oxygen. Each time something went wrong or circumstances were not good enough. . . Disappointments? Over on Kanchenjunga, it appears the three Sherpanis (also fellow K2 summiters in 2104) turned back below the summit for lack of fixed ropes. This is the second event like