Everest 2021: Flying to Lukla
The Khumbu is starting to fill up with climbers. With now over 138 Everest permits issued, they have left Kathmandu and most flew to Lukla, the traditional start of the week-long walk to Everest Base Camp. For some, the flight to Lukla will be a highlight of their trip.
Everest 2021: Sights and Sounds of Kathmandu
Arriving in Kathmandu is when many people feel their adventure begins. A city with a long history dating to 185 AD, the capital of Nepal has grown to over 2.5 million residents in the Kathmandu Valley. Sadly the streets are congested and the city has one of the worse air quality indexes in the world. However, it remains a city rich in culture and deserving of a day or two for tourism.
Everest 2021: Climbers in Kathmandu and on the Trek
On the last day of March 2021 climbers are streaming into Kathmandu. Some have already flown to Lukla and have started their trek to Everest Base Camp. Still, others are climbing lesser peaks like Lobuche East or Island Peak for acclimatization hoping to reduce their trips through the Khumbu Icefall by at least one rotation. #everest2021
Everest 2021: 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, for those left behind, it can be something altogether different. As we approach the end of March, scores of climbers are going through this process for Everest 2021 and this is the time for “nothing left unsaid”
Everest 2021: Weekend Update March 28 – And We’re Off!
The Everest 2021 season is about to get started in earnest. Climber after climber and team after team are leaving home and in many cases, scores of Sherpas are on their way to Everest Base Camp to being the arduous process of establishing a home for over 700 people this spring season.
As I’ve noted, the vast majority of the climbing will be on the Nepal side as China has closed Tibet to all foreigners and only a couple of Chinese national teams are anticipated to climb from that side in 2021. We’ll see if they open up for autumn climbs.
Everest 2021: The Other 8000ers This Spring
Spring in the Himalayas doesn’t just mean Everest, there are 13 others in the mix and each Spring a few also see significant traffic. Let’s take a look.
Everest 2021: If I Were Climbing Everest in 2021
If I were climbing Everest in 2021, I hope that there was nothing left to be done except spend quality time with my friends and family and hope the virus doesn’t take more lives than the mountain does. But for the moment, let’s pretend the virus is not a factor.
Virtual Everest 2020: Climbing to Camp 1, and 5 Years Later
With an introduction to the Khumbu Icefall completed for our fictional team, now they return for a rotation to Camps 1 and 2 in the Western Cwm. They are treated to magnificent views of Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse. It is magical. On a personal note, I (Alan) was at Camp 2 on April 25, 2015, when the 7.9 magnitude earthquake occurred. Over 9,000 Nepali citizens died and 22,000 injured. Over 20 died at Everest Base Camp from an avalanche off the ridge between Pumori and Tingri. Many, many people performed heroic acts to save lives, but still many died. The experience was life-changing for many, including myself. Unlike the remembrance of the 2014 serac release that took 16 Sherpa lives and is remembered with no climbing, April 25 is not, but still remember by many. Virtual Everest 2020 – Support the Climbing Sherpas is a joint project of Alan Arnette and several global guide companies. Our objective is to entertain Everest fans during the Coronavirus spring closure and raise money to help the Climbing Sherpas who were not working this spring. While there will be accurate historical references, this series is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents either were products of my imagination or were used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Please join us by making a donation using the links below plus by adding your Everest experiences in the comment section. Climbing to Camp 1 Dawa addressed the Mount Everest Guides team, “April 25, 2020, is the five-year remembrance of the 2015 earthquake. Nepali lost 9,000 citizens, including 20 here at base camp. Let’s take a moment to remember them all.” Everyone was quiet, lost in their own thoughts, and how fragile life is, how precarious the planet can be and how to live each day, each moment to the fullest. “You know the drill from the other day, up at 3, breakfast at 3:30, walking at 4. Everyone did great being on-time and ready last time, so let’s do it again. This is a very important rotation to Camps 1 and 2. We want to pace ourselves but also get through the Icefall as fast as possible. Let’s work on making the breaks more efficient and shorter. We don’t want to lollygag in there. It should take between five and seven hours to reach C1, where we’ll spend two nights.” Guide announced during dinner. No surprises; everyone was getting to know his style by now. Old Man received a few glances. Several on the team were worried about him from his performance to the Football Field the other day, plus he had turned back at C3 just last year, 2019. Sensing the concern, he spoke up, “Hell, I know what you all are thinking, that I’m not up to this. Well, maybe you are right, but also maybe you are wrong. I’m putting all I have into this. As I said at our dinner in Kat, this is my last chance.” She walked over and sat in an empty chair next to him, “We all know. We support you. Let’s get this done.” The other members nodded as Loner left for his sleeping tent. Khumbu Ice Fall from EBC The Khumbu Icefall is legendary in mountaineering. In modern times it has an infamous reputation causing many guides to refuse to let staff and clients go through it fearing the ice release off Everest’s West Shoulder. Many guide companies have switched to the Tibet side of Everest feeling it is safer. George Mallory, while seeking a route to climb to the summit of Everest in the 1920s, noted the Icefall was “terribly steep and broken … all in all, the approach to the mountain from Tibet is easier,” thus shifted his efforts to Tibet. He disappeared on his infamous attempt from the Tibet side in 1924. The Khumbu Glacier begins at the foot of Lhotse and defines the Western Cwm. For about 2 miles it drops rapidly to create the Khumbu Icefall for 2.5 miles. Around Everest Base Camp, the glacier makes a sharp southernly bend and continues for another six miles to 16,000-feet. The Icefall varies in width from over half a mile to a third of a mile. Like other similar glaciers, the Khumbu moves as much as 3-feet a day. It goes faster in the center while barely moving at the edges due to friction against rock walls. Also, the surface of the glacier moves more quickly than the bottom due to friction against the earth. It is this dynamic of fast and slow-moving sections plus the precipitous drops that create the deep crevasses, some over 150-feet deep, and towering ice seracs over 30-feet high. It is the highest glacier on earth. It is estimated to be retreating about 65-feet per year and has shrunk about 3,100-feet between the 1960s and 2001. Between 1962 and 2002, the Icefall thinned by an average of 56-feet, about a rate of 1.3-inches per year. The glacier has thinned by 40-50-feet over most of the length. Everest Base Camp is lower today due to the ice melting. In 1953 when Hillary and Tenzing summited, EBC was about 17,454-feet; today, it is 17,322-feet. The team left on time at 4:00 am, stomachs half-full of toast, porridge, eggs, and coffee. It was hard to eat a lot. They walked by the Puja Altar, where Dawa had lit juniper boughs. Each person, except for one, stood silent at the Altar before sweeping their open palm into the smoke, bringing it towards them with the blessed smoke. They did this three times. The boughs would smolder until the climbers returned. The walk to Crampon Point seemed shorter this time. They found the end of the fixed rope and clipped their jumar onto it. This time Buddies took the lead with their Personal Sherpas; She was content to stay in the middle of the pack with Dutch, Snorer, the Couple. Old Man was bringing up the rear with Guide sweeping the team.
Virtual Everest 2020: Weather Day and Tough Conversations
Our fictional team returned from their first trip to the Khumbu Icefall. Almost everyone did well, but there are signs of problems for a couple of climbers. Today, it snowed heavily at base camp, so it will be quiet but … also a difficult conversation. Virtual Everest 2020 – Support the Climbing Sherpas is a joint project of Alan Arnette and several global guide companies. Our objective is to entertain Everest fans during the Coronavirus spring closure and raise money to help the Climbing Sherpas who were not working this spring. While there will be accurate historical references, this series is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents either were products of my imagination or were used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Please join us by making a donation using the links below plus by adding your Everest experiences in the comment section. Snow Day “Mingma looked at her with pride in his eyes, “You were good, fast, Didi.” He offered unsolicited praise. The Climbing Sherpas called most women, Didi, a title meaning ‘older sister.’ She smiled broadly but was tired. “Dhanyabad,” She said, looking at his bright eyes. As the team sat down at the Football Field, about halfway up the Icefall around 18,500-feet. It was near this spot that the 2014 ice serac release took so many lives. Dutch and Loner sat on their packs drinking water with electrolyte replacement powder. The Couple wolfed down Snicker bars. Boyfriend looked very tired, staring at nothing with glazed eyes. Buddies took photos of each other. But Old Man looked, well old. He sat down on the snow, not taking off his pack. The first rule of climbing is to take short, efficient breaks. Immediately upon stopping, the process is to take off the pack, put on another layer to keep the heat already generated close to the skin, take out food and water, sit pon the pack and take on calories and fluids. The break should last no longer than 10 to 15 minutes. Old Man was far behind. Guide sat down next to him, “What’s up?” The return climb to base camp was mostly uneventful, and the team took naps until dinner. Low dark clouds blocked the sun creating a chilling afternoon. The team was quiet over dinner, tied from the day. The weather matched their mood. The next day, they awoke to the usual sounds of hissing gas stoves. This had been a nice signal that the cooks were making breakfast, and fresh coffee would soon be ready. But the sound was different this morning, muffled, muted, not with the usual pitch. She glanced at her altimeter watch, and it said 7:30. Usually, by now, her tent is bright wi the morning sun, but today it was dark. Then She understood asMingma came by shaking the outside walls. She heard several inches of fresh snow slide off, revealing more light. Several inches had fallen throughout the night, and it was still snowing. “Good, today was already a rest day,” She called out to Mingma. On days like this, climbers usually settle in and find their rhythm. There would be the usual three meals, and with the weather, no acclimatization hikes to Camp 1 on Pumori. It would be a true rest day except for some business that needed to be conducted. “You OK?” Girlfriend asked of, hopefully, her future husband. “Yeah. Surprising how hard that was. I bailed on Denali’s headwall, but thought I learned a lot and could do this.” He said looking at his boots. “You can, you can,” She said leaning over to look into his distant eyes. “Can we have some coffee?” Guide said outside Old Man’s tent. “Sure, what’s up?” he replied while unzipping the door. ” They walked over to the dining tent. Old Man had a bad feeling. No one else was there. “You were pretty slow yesterday in the Icefall. Last one to the Football Field, and you weren’t taking good care of yourself.” It was Guide’s job to monitor his climbers. To help and support them but also to protect them from themselves. “Yeah, I had an off day. I know what it is. I didn’t sleep well the night before and should have drunk more water. Won’t happen again.” He began the negotiation. “Last year, you struggled to get to C3 before ending the expedition. What did you learn from that experience?” He sat back in his chair and took a long drink of coffee. He debated if coming back only ten months after his attempt last year was too soon. Did he really have enough time to recover? He talked to his friends and the company he used last year. All said he was taking a chance at his age. He was with a different company in 2020 He came back from his 2019 trip beat up – physically, mentally, and emotionally. He had trained hard and thought he could summit but discovered he had seriously underestimated what it takes to climb Everest. He knew that only about 40% of those who get above base camp, go on to summit. He had gotten tot he top of Denali and Aconcagua plus Mont Blanc, the Eiger, and Matterhorn a decade ago. He kept himself in good shape, worked out regularly, but was it good enough? “OK, let’s see how you do on this rotation to C1 and 2. I’m not going to put any pressure on you with climb times. We will know if you can do this or not. And to be clear, you can’t go for the summit, if I think you are in danger. OK?” He went back to his tent conflicted. Should he give up now, keep going, try harder? “I know what I have to do. I need to climb smarter, not harder.” With that, he began to develop his strategy. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything Climbing Sherpa Support Who, how much, and how often you donate is
Virtual Everest 2020: First Steps in the Khumbu Icefall
The first trip into the Khumbu Icefall can be shocking. It starts steeper than thought, has more ups and downs than advertised and when you see that first ladder, second thoughts are common. Virtual Everest 2020 – Support the Climbing Sherpas is a joint project of Alan Arnette and several global guide companies. Our objective is to entertain Everest fans during the Coronavirus spring closure and raise money to help the Climbing Sherpas who were not working this spring. While there will be accurate historical references, this series is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents either were products of my imagination or were used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Please join us by making a donation using the links below plus by adding your Everest experiences in the comment section. Hello Icefall “Try to keep it down tonight. We need our sleep,” She and Dutch asked Snorer. “Yeah, I’ll do my best, but can’t really control it.” He sneered. “We may have to move his tent,” Dutch said. Inside their tents, they packed for the short trip into the Khumbu Icefall. They planned to leave at four tomorrow morning. Boots were parked outside in the vestibule. Liners would go inside the sleeping bag to keep them warm. They didn’t need very much for this trip: water bottle, a few snacks, extra layers. They would be wearing most of the gear: base layers, climbing pants, shirt, gloves, hat, sunglasses around their neck. They would start in a medium weight down jacket but have their Gortex Shell in the pack along with mittens. As She got ready to crawl in her -20 down sleeping bag, She reached for the picture album. She turned each page slowly, looking at their eyes, their smiles, their expressions. God, She missed her family, and She had only been gone for a little over two weeks. She fluffed her pillow, put in the earplugs, and pulled the knit cap over them hoping that would help. “Goodnight, boys,” She called out. She set her alarm for 3:00 am, knowing it was unnecessary, just hoping to get a couple of hours of rest. The Khumbu Icefall. She had seen so many pictures, a few videos, and recently studied it from Kala Patar, and her base camp tent, but now it was time for the real thing. Switching on her headlamp, She pulled on her climbing clothes. This was just a trip halfway up, but it still required warm layers, and technical gear – crampons, harness, jumar, cows tail, ice axe – the works. The 3-person tent seemed big when She arrived but now felt like a closet as She swung her legs off the mattress to pull on her pants. Her arms hit the sides as She wiggled into her top. Next came the warm boot liners. She was glad She had kept them in her sleeping bag overnight. Scooting to the door, She pulled on her outer boots. Finally, dressed for action, She stumbled outside her tent only to trip over a line. Laughing, She said,” And I’m going to climb Everest?” Standing in the cold, crisp air, She paused. Looking around, She saw her teammates performing the same circus act. Looking at her red 8000-meter boots, the contrast against the white snow was vibrant. Without thinking, a smile grew on her face. She was about to enter the Icefall. Glancing at the Icefall, She could see headlamps, “Um, someone was already up there. Probably Sherpas carrying a load to Camp 1 or Camp 2.” She told herself. She could hear the low hiss of stoves as the cooks were already making breakfast. The Sherpas, gathered by the cook tent, were eating an unidentifiable concoction of rice, milk, and sugar. They ate with the enthusiasm of a starving teenager. As She walked over and entered the dining tent, the cooks had already brought out toast and a boiled egg for each climber. She spread some jam on her toast and stared at the egg. Snorer pushed some coffee her way. A grunt was all She could muster. Without warning, the Personal Climbing Sherpas entered the tent calling out names. Not sure if She was being recognized or punished, She stood up quickly and followed Mingma. He set a brisk pace through the maze of paths in base camp. Switching on her headlamp, She followed closely, still unsure of the correct turns to make. Crampon Point was their destination. With the finesse of a lightweight boxer, Mingma weaved between the tents. He dodged a yak standing on the trail, careful not to touch the sleeping beast. After 20 minutes, they reached the perimeter of base camp and took a step onto a flattish section of the Icefall. She was here a few days ago to run through her gear on the obstacle course, but this time it was for real. The route became circuitous, up and down small ice hills, stepping over small sections of running water, maneuvering around growing ponds. Careful not to get her boots wet, She took as big of steps as She could. Mingma seemingly floated over them. Her breathing increased—tiny drops of sweat formed on her forehead. The doubts returned. “Oh my God, if I’m struggling just to get to Crampon Point, what will …” She stopped herself remembering the value of mental toughness. She and Mingma arrived at Crampon Point with the energy of a Formula race car coming into the pit for a tire change. Taking her crampons out of her pack, She sat on it to attach the spikes to her oversize boots. Right, then left; thread the safety strap around her ankle and through the ring; double back the strap. Mingma inspected her work. Feeling like a child, She also looked to make sure She put them on the correct foot; buckles go to the outside for safety. She looked for Mingma, but he had already moved on. The first few steps into the Icefall