Kami Rita Sherpa, who smashed his own record (again) by summiting Everest for an astonishing 26th time on Saturday, showed symptoms of snow blindness during the descent. He was airlifted from Camp 2 to Base Camp. After receiving congratulations from everyone there, he flew on to Kathmandu.
Snow blindness is a temporary but painful condition. It’s a sunburn on the cornea of the eye from UV light. Though generally not serious, it increases the risks during activities requiring clear vision, such as downclimbing the Khumbu Icefall.
Meanwhile, we expect summit news at any time. Teams such as the all-Black Full Circle Everest expedition from the U.S. should be topping out today. A SummitClimb group should be in Camp 4, with at least two members considering a no-O2 summit push.
“The weather is mildly overcast, warm with light snow,” they reported yesterday.
Camp 3 on Everest. Photo: SummitClimb/EverestNews
