The American team, led by Jimmy Chin, has set off for the summit of Everest, with skier Jim Morrison aiming for October 14 to attempt the first ski descent of the North Face.
“A team of trained mountain guides has already set up Camp 2 and is now ferrying logistics from Camp 1 to prepare for the final attempt of the season,” sources in Base Camp told The Tourism Times.
Good weather ahead
Conditions have improved after the stormy spell that stranded trekkers in the area last weekend, but jet-stream winds have continued to hit the upper part of Everest all week. The weather is expected to improve by the beginning of next week, with sun and lighter winds, making October 14 (Tuesday) a suitable summit day.
Everest weather forecast by Meteoexploration.com
The climbers will have to assess the snow conditions and the avalanche risk on the higher slopes. No other team has been on the North Side of Everest this fall. On the South Side, Andrzej Bargiel‘s and Tyler Andrews‘ expeditions are over, and they’ve gone home.
Skiing – and more?
This is the third time that Oscar-winning filmmaker Jimmy Chin has visited the North Side of Everest as part of a major project supported by National Geographic. According to The Tourism Times, the team, including eight Nepalese climbers and a Base Camp staff of 10, has been in Tibet since August 25 — a remarkably long time compared to most modern expeditions.
Last year, the climb and Morrison’s ski attempt were aborted after an incident near Camp 2 injured some staff members. Nevertheless, the expedition came away with a valuable find: a boot belonging to the 1924 pioneer Sandy Irvine. The boot included part of the foot inside and a sock with Irvine’s name on it. It seems logical that such a high-profile expedition will keep a close eye on that same area for other artifacts from the legendary Mallory-Irvine expedition.
Morrison’s attempt to ski down the North Face of Everest comes shortly after Andrzej Bargiel made the first complete no-oxygen ski descent down the South Side. Even if Morrison only skis the normal North Side route, the Northeast Ridge, it will be a first.
Morrison views this expedition as a tribute to his late partner, Hilaree Nelson, who perished while attempting to ski down Manaslu in 2022. Last week, Morrison posted some words of remembrance for her on Instagram:
