American ultrarunner Tyler Andrews has arrived in Nepal amidst the shock caused by the government’s decision to stop access to most social media platforms. Luckily, WhatsApp was still working this morning, and we could check in with the climber and his team about his immediate plans.
Andrews is heading to the Khumbu Valley but will not immediately trek to Everest Base Camp. Instead, he will train and acclimatize on Mera Peak. Andrews knows Mera well; in 2024 and in Spring 2025, he bagged three Fastest Known Times (FKTs) on various routes.
Who will fix the Khumbu Icefall?
Andrews intends to achieve the FKT on Everest without using supplementary oxygen. But before heading up, he needs the Khumbu icefall to be fixed. Before peak season in the Spring, the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee assigns the task to a team of specialized Sherpa climbers known as the Icefall Doctors. However, the Icefall Doctors don’t work in the post-monsoon season.
This time, local climbers hired by the two expeditions climbing Everest this fall will complete the work. These two expeditions feature Andrews (and possibly some more clients outfitted by Asian Trekking), and skier Andrzej Bargiel of Poland, who will try to climb and then ski down the peak without supplementary oxygen. Bargiel will be accompanied part of the way up by Dariusz Zaluski and a film crew. They are outfitted by Seven Summit Treks.
Sherpa climbers at the Khumbu Icefall in Spring. Photo: Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee
“At least 18 Sherpa climbers, including IFMGA guides, have also joined Bargiel and [his] team to make his rare ski descent attempt a success,” the Tourism Times reported.
Dawa Steven Sherpa of Asian Trekking confirmed to ExplorersWeb that Seven Summit Treks will lead the fixing works, while Asian Trekking will play a supporting role.
Social media offline
“Everything is working on the Nepal phone network and internet service providers, so nothing’s changed yet,” Dawa Steven told ExplorersWeb this morning. However, that’s the last message we received. From noon on, WhatsApp messages took an extremely long time to reach our contacts in Nepal. We are told that Instagram is down.
Several expedition agencies posted messages on Instagram and Facebook providing email contacts and phone numbers before going dark on those platforms.
The government order to ban unregistered social media and a list of platforms now offline in Nepal.
“We are hoping META registers so we can continue using WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram,” an expedition outfitter, who prefers to remain anonymous, told ExplorersWeb. “There is quite a public outcry against the measure,” said another.
Impact on the expedition community
The measure affects foreign climbers, trekkers, and tourists currently in the country, but will significantly impact Nepalese companies. Nepalese citizens can turn to Viber as a WhatsApp substitute to communicate internally, but unfortunately, the platform is not popular in many Western countries.
The main issue for many companies is how to post on Instagram, which has become the main source of PR and advertising for both big expedition operators and freelance guides. Foreigners can send updates and pictures via email or an authorized platform, and delegate social media management to someone at home, either friends and relatives or a professional communication team. This seems to be what Benjamin Vedrines and Nicolas Jean are doing while they trek in the remote Kangchenjunga area. Someone is still updating their social media feed with posts and pictures they took two days ago in Taplejung.
Perhaps expedition operators could use the same method and find people from outside the country to do the work. Otherwise, they will need to return to old-fashioned email lists and dispatches posted on their websites..
Satellites and TikTok
Unlike in India, InReach and Satphones are still working and safe to use. There is an option to use VPNs.
Those relying on SpaceX’s Starlink should be careful; Nepal has not yet authorized the service, and it is therefore illegal. In fact, several expedition outfitters who were offering Starlink to connect to the internet in remote mountain areas were contacted by the government in May this year and ordered to stop providing the service, according to news agency Republica.
