Tyler Andrews has abandoned his Fastest Known Time (FKT) attempt on Everest, aborting just above Camp 4. Karl Egloff, climbing without oxygen, had called off his bid two hours earlier.
Andrews’ expedition leader, Dawa Steven Sherpa of Asian Trekking, made the final decision to end the attempt. In poor weather, he wanted to preserve the safety of the runner and the support team on the mountain.
Leader’s decision
“I turned him around above the South Col,” Dawa Steven told ExplorersWeb. “My team, who were waiting up at the Balcony and South Summit, reported extremely strong winds, so I called my whole team off the mountain.”
Dawa Steven Sherpa and Tyler Andrews two years ago. Photo: Asian Trekking
Egloff set off without supplementary oxygen and hoped to run the entire round trip to the summit and back to Base Camp. Andrews had also planned to run without oxygen, but changed his mind following advice from his team, who suggested he should use oxygen on the upper sections of the mountain because of high winds and very cold conditions.
Summits not over yet
Yesterday, Garrett Madison checked in from Camp 4 on his way back from the summit and shared images of a gigantic wind plume rising from Everest’s summit area.
However, despite the high winds, some climbers topped out today. Adventure Consultants reported summits between 5:30 am and 6 am Nepal time.
On the north side, the Alpenglow Expeditions team started their summit push yesterday. They plan to top out on May 27.
