One day later than planned, the Sherpa rope fixers have summited Everest. It happened shortly before 5 pm Nepal time. The route is now open for nearly 1,000 others — foreign clients, Sherpa guides, workers shuttling oxygen bottles and other material to the higher camps. Some groups are already following closely behind the Nepalis, eager to make the best of the great weather.
Today’s summiters were IFMGA guide Tsering Pemba Sherpa, Ashok Lama, Pem Nurbu Sherpa, Tashi Sherpa, Karma Gyaljen Sherpa, Tashi Gyalzen Sherpa, and Pas Tenzi Sherpa. Leading them was Ang Temba Sherpa, who also headed the team that opened the route to the summit of Lhotse yesterday.
Originally, the Nepalis had hoped to summit Everest yesterday, but the fixing work took longer and was harder than expected. Eventually, they retreated to Camp 4 for some rest and finished today, Pemba Sherpa of 8K Expeditions told ExplorersWeb.
8K Expeditions is responsible for laying the fixed ropes on Everest and Lhotse this year.
Early birds
8K Expeditions has slightly over 50 clients on Everest. Many are now heading up and plan to summit on May 12.
These include Briton Mitch Hutchcraft, who is completing an eight-month “triathlon” from his home in the UK to the summit of Everest. According to his own estimates, Hutchcraft has covered 13,179km across 19 countries. He swam the English Channel, ran 900km, and cycled the rest.
On his previous rotation on the mountain, Hutchcraft did not reach Camp 3, but conditions are so good that, although he feels unprepared, he wants to try. Hutchcraft is using supplementary oxygen and has the support of the all-star guide Gelje Sherpa. They should reach Camp 2 today, Camp 3 tomorrow, Camp 4 on Sunday, and top out on Monday.
Other teams have confirmed they will not attempt the summit yet. Many climbers are still doing a final acclimatization trip to Camps 3 and 4. Then, following a growing trend among commercial climbers, they will retreat to Kathmandu for rest and the comforts of a hotel. Suitably refreshed, they then fly back to Base Camp and immediately set off for the summit.
900 summits?
If this exceptional weather holds, many will not be able to resist going up during this window. At the same time, the idea is to stagger the groups to minimize crowding.
According to Seven Summit Treks, Nepal’s Department of Tourism had granted 456 Everest permits to foreign climbers as of last weekend. While not the record number some expected, it is still significant. Factoring in the Nepalese guides supporting them could raise the final number of summits to around 900.
Of those 456 clients, Seven Summit Treks and its sister company, 14 Peaks Expedition, are outfitting 103 of them, reinforcing their position at the head of the Himalayan expedition market.
