The jet stream is finally lifting off the higher parts of Everest, and most teams are on the go. “Our team will try to fix the route to the summit on May 13-14,” Mingma G of Imagine Nepal reported.
This season, bad weather and the serac collapse at the Khumbu Icefall that took the lives of three Sherpas have delayed the first summits by nearly a month. For the record number of climbers, fewer summit opportunities squeezed suggest crowding at several points, such as the Lhotse Face and the final sections. However, there are two elements in favor of the climbers’ safety.
The video above, by Pasang Rinzee Sherpa, shows climbers heading to the Khumbu Icefall.
Coordination to avoid jams
First, the weather window will be long, from May 13 to May 19, allowing for a full week of summits. Second, no one wants traffic jams on the mountain: not the climber and definitely not the outfitters. They want to avoid the negative press that conga lines up Everest brings.
“Teams are talking to each other and coordinating in order to avoid crowds on any given day,” Dawa Steven told ExplorersWeb from Base Camp.
The Asian Trekking leader also said that many small, independent teams hope to have their chance from May 14 (after the first summit day) to May 17.
The huge Camp 2 at 6,400m on Everest. Photo: Pioneer Adventure
Up to 200 summits expected in four days
“The count is already at 75 foreigners plus their Sherpas spread out from Sunday to Wednesday,” Dawa Steven said.
Most of those climbing without O2 are also above Base Camp but don’t plan to reach the summit in one go. Stefi Troguet says she first needs to get to Camp 4 and back.
Asmita Dorjee and her Sherpa Lakpa also set off tonight toward their last rotation to Camp 4. Szilard Suhajda retreated to Camp 1 because of high winds earlier this week but intends to go back to Camp 3 shortly. According to climbers, Grace Tseng of Taiwan might want to go all the way to the summit at the first chance, but Tseng has not confirmed that yet.
