Everest 2022: Weekend Update April 3 – Trekking
Now that we are in April, the trekking and climbing season will get serious. Many teams have already arrived and are trekking. Several teams are acclimatizing on their 8000-meter peaks while the Icefall Doctors are constructing the route through the Khumbu Icefall to Camp 2. Soon it will be time to climb! #everest2022
Everest 2022: Climbers to Watch – Updated
Each year on Everest, a few climbers try to stand out from the crowd. Their motivations range from deeply personal to seeking fame and fortune. Regardless, they offer something different for followers than the usual climb, which is sad on some level.
I’ve always felt that if you are qualified and have earned the right to be on Everest, you should be applauded, regardless of your result. No matter what you read, Everest is not a walk-up; it hard, and people die. With that, let’s look at a few climbers with unique stories. #everest2022
Everest 2022: Weekend Update March 22 – And We’re Off!
The Everest 2022 season is about to get started in earnest. Climber after climber and team after team are leaving home. In many cases, scores of Sherpas are on their way to Everest Base Camp to begin the arduous process of establishing a home for over 500 people this spring season. The Icefall Doctors are already at work. #everest2022
Everest 2022: Leaving Nothing Unsaid
Leaving home to climb Mt. Everest is no simple task. It’s not a business trip; it’s not a vacation; it’s something entirely different. While it may be your dream, it can be something altogether different for those left behind. As we approach the end of March, scores of climbers are going through this process for Everest 2022.
It’s time for Everest climbers to get focused and serious about the last-minute preparations. Since their dream began, they wondered how this period would feel. They saved money, bought the gear, and trained their bodies for months or even years, but a few crucial steps remain before boarding that plane for Kathmandu.
A longtime reader and climber preparing for Everest sent me this question last week: “How do you keep sleeping and maintain mental focus 20 days before leaving for Everest without stressing yourself out?’ My answer was:
Focus on “leaving nothing unsaid” with those who matter most in your life. Visualize being on the mountain with a positive outcome, review your gear using a mental walk-thru of the climb to ensure you have everything you need and want. Finally, surround yourself with positive people who have fun, laugh, and support you.
For this last step of prep, let’s take a closer look at three areas: Physical, Mental, and Emotional. #everest2022
Everest 2022: A look at This Spring’s 8000ers
While Everest gets a lot of attention each spring season, Nepal has seven other 8000-meter peaks that deserve coverage. In some cases, they are more interesting from a pure climbing perspective than the Big E, Makalu, for example.
Big Picture
Climbers are streaming into Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport from all over the world. Many are trekking, not climbing, but most climbers will attempt Everest.
Of the fourteen peaks higher than 26,000-feet or 8,000-meters, seven are entirely in Nepal or straddle the border with either India or Tibet: Cho Oyu, Annapurna, Manaslu, Dhaulagiri, Makalu, Lhotse, and Kanchenjunga. Of the remaining giants, five are in Pakistan: K2, Broad Peak, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum, and Gasherbrum II, while Shishapangma stands alone with the Tibetan borders.
China has closed Tibet to foreigners for the third straight year due to COVID, and the climbing season in Pakistan usually, but not always, starts in June; thus, Nepal has the focus for now.
#everest2022
Everest 2022: Icefall Doctors leave for EBC and Ukraine Guide Bans Russians
The #Everest2022 season is starting to take shape with guides establishing their base camp, the Icefall Doctors are on their way to EBC, but the war in Ukraine is beginning to take a toll on some.
Everest 2022: Climbers Leave for Nepal
As we say hello to mid-March, climbers worldwide are making their last-minute preparations to travel to Nepal following their dream to summit Everest. However, similar to the past few years, they will be in an uncertain environment once again.
In 2020 Nepal and China closed Everest due to COVID. And China kept it closed to foreigners again in 2021 and this year, 2022. While Nepal opened Everest last year, 2021, it was a debacle with COVID infections running rampant in many teams, causing over 150 clients to leave early and probably that many Sherpas who got COVID then or later.
Everest 2022: Welcome to Everest 2022 Coverage
Welcome to the kick-off for my Everest 2022 coverage! I have already posted a few articles on Everest 2022 so let me officially welcome you. This season will be my 22nd season of all-things Everest: 16 times providing coverage, another four seasons of climbing on Everest, and two years attempting Lhotse.
Winter Himalayan Climbs Over
High winds and heavy snow thwarted all of the ambitious plans for the 2021/22 winter Himalayan season. Using the end of February as the end of winter, it’s over. It’s time to turn to Spring climbing. There were attempts but no summits on five of the fourteen 8000ers: Everest, K2, Nanga Parbat, Manaslu, and Cho Oyu.
Video Interview with Kuntal Joisher – 100% Vegan Mountain Climber
Every person who climbs Everest is unique. So, of course, that person feels special, but some stand out. Take Kuntal Joisher, for example. He has summited Everest from the Tibet and Nepal sides, plus Lhotse, and completed many other amazing adventures like the Northern Icecap in Chile. But what makes Kuntal stand out is his dedication to a vegan lifestyle that goes all the way to shunning any item that uses animal products – including using a full synthetic climbing suit. We discuss how he got to this point, his outstanding photography skills, and what it’s like being an ambassador for “Save the Ducks.” We also discuss his next climbing project his passion for bodybuilding and photography. Finally, we share a common family situation with my mom, Ida, and his father, both dying from forms of Dementia, Lewy Body syndrome, and Alzheimer’s.