It’s summit day on Everest!

by Kraig Becker on

Over the past week or so, climbers on the South Side of Mt. Everest have been working their way into position to take advantage of a possible weather window which would give commercial teams the first shot at the summit this year. For most of that week, high winds, sometimes in excess of 100 mph, have buffeted the upper slopes of the mountain, and there were conflicting reports as to whether or not those winds would die down. But yesterday, the skies cleared, the winds dissipated, and the window opened, giving way to the first major summit push of the season.

For the climbers, this will be the final leg of a two month long journey to the summit, a journey that begins with a ten-day trek to base camp itself. The weeks that follow are spent acclimatizing on the mountain. As the teams go higher up the face, they establish camps and stash their gear and supplies for later. But they are also training their bodies to work at high altitude, while slowly getting ready for the opportunity to stand on the summit, the highest point on Earth.

This weather window is expected to be a short one, and close fairly rapidly, but the climbers who moved up the mountain hoping for this opportunity have been rewarded, and it seems that they’ll have plenty of time to reach the top, and get back down safely. Other large commercial teams elected to pass on this attempt, looking ahead to another potential window forecast for early next week. That window should be longer and safer for their clients.

Meanwhile, on the North Side of the mountain, which falls in Tibet, the climbers have had to be much more patient. Bad weather had prevented the necessary fixed lines from being put into place until this weekend, when a large Chinese team completed that work. With the ropes in place, the way to the summit is now open, and climbers, such as 13-year old Jordan Romero, will soon be making their attempts as well.

The summit of Everest is not the finish line for these men and women. Getting back down the mountain is quite dangerous as well. For most of them, this is not just the culmination of two months of hard work, but also years of training and preparation as well. Perhaps even more importantly, it is the achievement of a dream

First summits of the year on Everest

by Kraig Becker on

The first summits of the spring season on Everest took place two days ago when a group of Sherpas completed fixing ropes to the summit of the world’s tallest mountain. In all, nine Sherpas, from three different commercial climbing teams, stood on the peak at an altitude of 29,029 feet. With their work complete, the door is now open for other climbers to soon follow.

The nine Sherpas were working cooperatively on the South Side of Everest to place the all important ropes for their paying clients, who will begin making their way up the mountain sometime next week. The team consisted of three Sherpas from each of the three largest mountain guide companies operating on Everest, Himalayan Experience, Alpine Ascents, and International Mountain Guides, who joined forces to ensure a safe climbing environment for all the teams.

For their part, the climbers on the Nepali side of the mountain are finishing up their acclimatization process and are preparing to make their summit bids. Early indications are that those bids will begin next Thursday, on May 13th, weather permitting. After years of planning and weeks of preparation, the finish line is in sight, for these mountaineers, many of whom have payed upwards of $50,000 for the chance to stand at the top of the world.

The story is a bit different on the North Side of the mountain, which falls in Tibet. Bad weather on that side of the mountain has prevented the Sherpas from fixing the ropes, so for now, there is no access to the summit. The climbers approaching the summit from the north, including 13-year old Jordan Romero, must be patient and wait for now. Once the weather clears however, there is sure to be a rush to the summit on that side of the mountain as well.

Sherpas prepare to clean up Everest

by Kraig Becker on

With the spring climbing season on Mt. Everest in full swing, a special team of 20 Sherpas from Nepal is preparing to mount an expedition of their own. But rather than going to the summit, as most of the other climbers on the mountain are preparing to do, this team hopes to scour the peak, collecting tons of trash and other items from expeditions long past. They even hope to collect the bodies of dead climbers who have been left behind, and them down the mountain at last.

The team, which is led by Namgyal Sherpa, plans to focus on a portion of the mountain above 8000 meters, or 26,242 feet, which is commonly referred to as “The Death Zone.” This section of the mountain is especially dangerous because of the high altitude and extremely thin air, but surprisingly enough, there is still plenty of garbage to be removed, including spent air cylinders, old tents, fuel canisters, ropes, and more.

Namgyal, a seven time Everest summitteer himself, says that the plan is for the team to stay on the South Col for up to a week at a time, making multiple trips into the Death Zone and bringing down as much garbage as they can carry. They expect to collect as much as 6500 pounds of trash in this manner before proceeding down to Base Camp, where they’ll rest up in preparation for another climb. All told, they plan to make three such week-long clean-up missions before the monsoon arrives in early June, marking an end to the climbing season.

While conducting their clean-up duties, the Sherpas intend to bring down several bodies of dead climbers, including those of two rather high profile mountaineers. Namgyal says that they will be removing the body of American mountain guide Scott Fischer, who died on the mountain back in 1996. He also suspects that they’ll find the body of Rob Hall, a Kiwi guide who perished that same year. Fisher and Hall’s stories were made famous with the general public thanks to the book Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, which told the tale of that tragic day on Everest during which eight people lost their lives. The removal of Fisher and Hall’s bodies will close out a long and painful chapter in Everest history.

In recent years, the Nepali government has enforced strict rules on the climbers requiring them to carry all of their trash off of the mountain when they depart for home. Moving forward, that bodes well for the future of Everest, and thanks to the efforts of these dedicated Sherpa, a lot of old trash is being removed to clean up the mountain for future climbers as well.

Korean woman becomes first to climb all 8000 meter peaks

by Kraig Becker on

44 year-old Korean climber Oh Eun-Sun put her name in the record books last week, and joined very elite mountaineering company in the process. On Tuesday, she reached the summit of Annapurna, the 10th highest mountain in the world at 26,545 feet, and in doing so, became the first woman to climb all fourteen of the worlds mountains over 8000 meters (26,246 feet) in height.

For Oh, who climbed with a South Korean television crew in tow, the summit was the culmination of more than a decade of preparation, training, and climbing. In her home country, she was already a celebrity, and millions watched live on television as she made those final steps to the top of the mountain. Having completed her task, she is now likely to be one of the most famous athletes in South Korea.

Located in Nepal, Annapurna is widely considered to be one of the toughest, if not the toughest, of the 8000 meter peaks to climb. While shorter in stature than its more famous cousin, Mt. Everest, it is far more technical to climb. Additionally, the mountain is notorious for its poor weather and avalanches are common on the steep upper slopes. Oh herself failed to summit Annapurna last fall, prompting a return trip this spring to give it another go.

Oh Eun-Sun’s claim to being the first woman to summit the world’s highest peaks is not without controversy however. Spanish climber Edurne Pasaban has called into question Oh’s summit of Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world at 28,169 feet. Pasaban cites a lack of photo evidence and interviews with Sherpas who say that the Korean climber didn’t reach the summit on that mountain. Pasaban has been in pursuit of the 8000 meters peaks herself, and is likely to summit her final mountain, the 26,289 foot Shisha Pangma, located in Tibet, this week.

Plans to scatter ashes of famous Everest climber canceled

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Earlier this month, Kraig reported on plans to scatter the ashes of famous Mount Everest climber Sir Edmund HIlary at the peak as a final tribute to the famous mountaineer. Now according to the BBC, it appears those plans have been canceled after concerns were raised by the Buddhist community.

Apa Sherpa, who is shooting for a record-breaking 20th climb of Mount Everest, was planning to honor HIlary by bringing his ashes to the top. But a group of Buddhist lamas has warned that doing so would bring bad luck to Everest, a mountain which is considered sacred by local sherpas. It was also feared that leaving the ashes at the summit would set a dangerous precedent, encouraging other climbers to leave remains at the top. Hilary’s ashes will instead be kept at a nearby monastery.

Edmund Hilary passed away in 2008 at the age of 88. He and his sherpa Tenzing Norgay were the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest.