After weeks of delay, Everest is now bursting with activity. Hundreds of porters and Sherpas are hurrying through the Khumbu Icefall to Camp 2 and beyond. Some minor incidents and at least one avalanche have already occurred, but everyone is safe.
According to climbers, it takes the Sherpas around five hours from Base Camp to Camp 1. The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee posted a report on the work of previous days and confirmed the route is open, but warned: “The route beyond the rockfall point (Section 4) carries significant risk due to a large serac. All climbers and guides must exercise extreme caution in this section.”
The Icefall Doctors some days ago. Photo: SPCC
“The past few weeks have been one of the most challenging periods for our Icefall Doctors,” the SPCC admitted.
Tricky crevasse crossings
A Sherpa dangling above a crevasse in the Icefall is hauled up by his companions. Photo: Dan Mazur
This morning, Dan Mazur of the U.S. reported about the rescue of a Sherpa who fell while crossing a huge crevasse on a set of five ladders tied together. A video posted by Sabin Magar showed what happened. He hung on, dangling from the safety ropes, until other Sherpas pulled him out.
Luckily for him and for the hundreds of climbers who will cross that crevasse in the days ahead, all the ladder crossings have guide ropes that climbers clip into and which support them in case of a fall.
Avalanche
Juliannhu Lorne of Romania posted a video of a big avalanche in the Khumbu Icefall this morning:
The slide fell from the flank of Nuptse, on the opposite side from the unstable serac. The cloud of snow powder covered some Sherpas, but no one was harmed.
Camp 3 next
Manish Maharjan, a member of the 14 Peaks Expeditions team, reports from Base Camp today that the hundreds of Sherpas carrying loads are headed to Camp 2 “and higher.” This hints that Camp 3 will be ready soon.
Meanwhile, the team’s clients prepare to follow them to Camp 2 in the next few days. Ryan Waters of Mountain Professionals confirmed his team’s Sherpas have reached Camp 2. He says the route is in good condition.
“We are looking at around Monday to get our Camp 2 cook stationed at C2, before our climbing teams go up on their first rotation and our Sherpa staff work from that point upward, supplying Camp 3,” he said.
Helicopters?
The fast progress is possible thanks to many Sherpa workers, but also to the help of cargo drones and possibly helicopters. Before the route was open, and because of the unprecedented delay, the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal received permission to allow 10 helicopter cargo flights to Camp 2 to carry ropes and gear.
“The flights have not happened yet,” Dawa Steven Sherpa of Asian Trekking told ExplorersWeb. Guide Ryan Waters told us he has seen both drones and helicopters flying toward Camp 1, but Dawa Steven denies that this has happened yet.
“The ministry has shown willingness to allow cargo shuttles to Camp 2 with helicopters to help catch up with the expedition schedule…My understanding is that a few expedition companies have applied for permission, but the permissions have not been granted yet,” Dawa Steven said.
He notes that obtaining permission is a long administrative process: “Helicopter flight permissions require not only permission from the Department of Tourism, but also from the Civil Aviation Authority,” he said. Both entities depend of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation of Nepal, but obtaining permission from both of them takes a few days.
Helicopters soaring toward the Icefall might have been on reconnaissance flights.
