“This is definitely going to be interesting,” said Jost Kobusch before heading back toward Everest base Camp on a very windy morning. With the end of the season imminent, the German climber has time for just one more attempt to reach the Hornbein Couloir. But if the wind keeps howling, he may be grateful just to retrieve the gear he left on the mountain.
Jost Kobusch’s tracker locates him at Camp 1, on the way to the Lho La Pass and Everest’s West Ridge. Credit: RealityMaps
Kobusch’s tracker shows that by the end of today, he climbed past Base Camp at the Khumbu Icefall to his Camp 1, halfway up the Lho La.
Last-ditch push on Cho Oyu?
On Cho Oyu, no one seems to be willing to give up quite yet. Ngaa Tenji Sherpa, director of Pioneer Adventure in Kathmandu, flew to Base Camp today with fresh supplies for the team. “They all seem positive about the summit,” he commented on social media.
Pioneer Adventure team at Cho Oyu Base Camp earlier today. Photo: Ngaa Tenji Sherpa
Neither group is saying anything about when they might launch a new push up their different routes, but forecasts, below, show a possible window on Monday. Note that mountaineers preparing for a summit push on a big peak use more accurate and tailor-made forecasts. The one below only indicates possible trends.
Weekly forecast for conditions at Cho Oyu summit: Meteoexploration.com
Finally, on K2, a group of Sherpa left Camp 3 this morning and fixed the route to Camp 4. Traveling in the dark, they are now back in Camp 3. The entire team will leave Camp 3 tomorrow evening for the summit, which they hope to reach on Friday morning.
