Because it’s their livelihood, the Nepalese are keen to resolve the long-standing delay on Everest. A giant serac, threatening to topple at any moment with potentially fatal consequences for anyone below, has blocked the route to Camp 1. The problem seems to have triggered an unofficial competition among Sherpa climbers.
The two official Sherpa teams in charge of fixing ropes on Everest, one assigned by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) and the other by the Expedition Operators Association (EOA), joined forces this past week to hunt for a new route through the Khumbu Icefall. They were unsuccessful.
As recently as today, Sunday, the scouts returned with a negative report. While the crack where the ice wall splits from the glacier is gradually expanding, suggesting it will eventually fall, climbers need ample time to acclimatize on this gigantic mountain and can’t wait indefinitely. So a third team of Sherpas has taken matters into its own hands.
The upper part of the Khumbu Icefall, below the threatening serac. Photo: Summit Force
Route found?
This evening Nepal time, Mingma G of Imagine Nepal reported on social media that an unofficial group of Sherpas, plus Polish skier Bartek Ziemski, had found and fixed a route to Camp 1. Ziemski hopes to climb and ski Lhotse without supplementary oxygen. Like everyone else attempting Everest without bottled oxygen, he needs even longer to acclimatize and so has no time to waste.
“Three Sherpas from Imagine Nepal, one from EliteExped, one from AltiPro [Adventures], plus Ziemski, climbed over the Icefall blockage and fixed some ladders and ropes toward Camp 1,” Mingma G reported. “They had to turn back very close to Camp 1 due to a whiteout, but the route to Camp 1 is almost complete.”
Mingma says that all the Sherpas who participated in the attempt are sure their alternative route is safe. Check the details of the new route here:
The statement contradicts the verdict earlier today by the famous Icefall Doctors and the strong Sherpas assigned by the EOA that no safe route exists. It remains to be seen who’s right.
Helicopters to Camp 1 allowed
Meanwhile, to save time, authorities have allowed helicopters to fly to Camp 1 with gear and a team of rope fixers. They have already started their work above Camp 2, Everest Chronicle reports. (Note that the section between Camp 1 and Camp 2, through the so-called Valley of Silence, is flattish and straightforward, and usually not secured with ropes.)
The helicopters will save time but also set a precedent. The Khumbu Icefall is always dangerous, and helicopters are usually not allowed to shuttle people, including workers. One wonders if helicopter aid of this sort will become standard in the future.
A helicopter takes off from Everest Base Camp. Photo: Pemba Sherpa/8K Expeditions
If the route to Camp 1 opens, we still need to see how severe the traffic jams on the ropes will be. The hundreds of climbers waiting impatiently in Base Camp will immediately want to begin their acclimatization. Authorities are willing to postpone the end of the season, but the arrival of the monsoon — typically in early June — will have the last word.
