Everest 2012: Timing is Everything

As we get closer to the predicted weather window, plans are taking shape, and some don’t like it. West Ridge Canceled As expected Conrad Anker has pulled the plug on the National Geographic sponsored climb of the West Ridge due to dangerous conditions. He will now join their South Col team. No word on the Eddie Bauer effort but fully expect the same decision. Anker posted: “It’s a very dry and windy season. Normally we have terrain that’s snowy. Your crampons have good purchase, and you can move along at a good clip. But what we have now is that continue reading

Everest 2012: Preparing for the Push

The push is on with multiple teams reporting their initial moves to Camp 1 or 2 on the South or ABC on the North. All are looking at a weekend summit – weather depending. This is the first of at least two expected summit windows with the second around May 25; but this could quickly change. If the weather holds, we could see over 300 summits combined from both sides by Sunday when the winds are expected to intensify. Teams are highly motivated to get up and off. Working Together I spoke with Eric Simonson of IMG and he confirmed continue reading

Everest 2012: “MAY 14th – It’s time…”

The headline tells it all “MAY 14th – It’s time…”. Grant Rawlinson climbing on the north with Altitude Junkies posted today that he was moving to the high camps looking to attempt his Everest summit later this week. North Schedule Project Himalaya climber Tom Kowpak provided a clear description of the north side situation and targeting Saturday, May 19th for his summit. By the way, he noted a second potential summit window on May 25th. We know there is a descent window on the 17th 18th and 19th. However the ropes aren’t fixed yet, so we believe the fixers will use continue reading

Everest 2012: Weekend Update May 13

The second week of May 2012 will be recorded in Everest history as when a commercial expedition approaching 100 people told their climbers to get off the mountain, we are going home. With disbelief, the other teams quickly learned that Everest legend Russell Brice’s canceled his entire spring expeditions on Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse including the high profile Walking with the Wounded team of disabled UK war veterans. Brice’s first posted a sanitized announcement but quickly followed it with more details describing the true fear his Sherpas had about climbing through the Khumbu Icefall and potential rock fall on the continue reading

Everest 2012: Dealing with the Crowds

Multiple reports this morning say the jetstream has returned with a vengeance on Everest shutting down the carries and rope fixing. This was expected and teams on both sides have made remarkable progress over the past week as the new snow made conditions safer and faster. The South Col is stocked for many teams and the fixed line established at bit above the Col. I expect it will be fixed to the summit along with the first summit push later next week. The Sherpas have stocked the highest north camp at 8300m – the highest, High Camp in the world; continue reading

Everest 2012: Doldrums

If we were talking about sailing this would be called the doldrums, that time when there are no winds and the boat is basically adrift with the current. Our Everest climbers on both side are adrift at their camps passing each day just like the previous and the next waiting for those winds to move on. This may go on for the next week, or two or more. You just don’t know. As I posted yesterday, the winds are expected pick back up starting today or maybe tomorrow and then reduce around May 18th. So leaders and Sherpas are trying continue reading

Everest 2012: Sherpa Train

Everest teams are spread all over the Khumbu and southern Tibet at the moment. A few are still at the high camps but most are holding at base camps or down in the villages enjoying the richer air. There are 10 Sherpas from multiple teams working together to fix the rope to the summit on the south. They almost reached the Balcony, just above the South Col, when heavy snow stopped them. This is actually good news as the climbing conditions will be safer with more snow, but not too much! The Sherpa Train In addition to line fixing, the continue reading

Everest 2012: “Things seemed to have calmed down on Mount Everest”

Let’s start with some encouraging news from Dave Hahn and Eric Simonson on the south side. There has been quite a bit of fresh snow over the past few days – so much so that it stopped some from climbing – go figure! South Plans Dave Hahn, climbing for RMI/Eddie Bauer/First Ascent made this post on the RMI Blog: The route is fixed all the way to 8,000 meters now. Our Sherpa team is going up tomorrow morning up to Camp 2 to check out conditions and see whether it makes sense for them to get on the wall to continue reading