Philipp Santiago II of the Philippines died at Camp 4 last night as he was preparing to leave for the summit. He is the first person to die on Everest this year.
Outfitter Snowy Horizon Treks told The Himalayan Times that the cause of death is unknown. Apparently, Santiago reached Camp 4 very late, after nightfall. The rest of the team proceeded to the summit shortly afterward.
The Himalayan Times has also reported the deaths of two Sherpa staff who had been airlifted to the hospital after they came down with Acute Mountain Sickness in Everest Base Camp. Their names were not released.
Everest, from Base Camp to summit, seen from Kala Pattar. Photo: Karl Egloff
Big days: May 18-19
A weather window will open on May 18-19, and almost all teams would pick these days to summit. But if everyone goes at the same time, there will be crowding on the final sections.
For that reason, some teams have opted to battle the wind and go for the summit before the good-weather wave begins. The Climbing the Seven Summits team reached the top today on both Everest and Lhotse. Some of their Everest summiters will climb Lhotse tomorrow and then return to Base Camp with the double-header under their belts.
Pioneer Adventures also reported five summits — two foreigners and three Sherpa guides — at 5:00 am.
Today, on the top of Everest. Photo: Climbing the Seven Summits
Base Camp emptying
Meanwhile, Base Camp is emptying fast, Jon Gupta told ExplorersWeb. Gupta is guiding Tim Howell on his wingsuit flight attempt from a point at 8,300m on the Lhotse Ridge. Gupta said the team is leaving Base Camp tonight.
The UK “Xenon” team, hoping to climb Everest in a week, should arrive in Base Camp on Saturday, member Garth Miller told ExplorersWeb.
Only a few teams will remain in Base Camp, including Madison Mountaineering, which plans to summit around May 22, and Adventure Consultants, whose members returned from their final acclimatization round to Camp 3 yesterday. They will rest for a few days before their final push.
