Angela Benavides Senior journalist, published author and communication consultant. Notify of. Oldest Newest Most Voted.
Inline Feedbacks. Closure of the icefall extended till 31st of may, giving some extra time to teams who are still at ebc 0. Science Links of the Week. Angela Benavides Angela Benavides 5. Angela Benavides 8. Angela Benavides 3. The most popular routes have fixed lines, meaning climbers can clip into ropes tethered to the mountain for their ascent and descent, making it safer if they fall.
Increased experience of expedition leaders and high-altitude porters may also have helped boost success rates. Finally, the researchers looked at the effects of crowding near the summit for the past two climbing seasons permits were not issued in spring of because of COVID However, crowding must slow climbers, increasing their exposure in the death zone, they added.
The data for these analyses came from The Himalayan Database , a comprehensive website based on archival interview records of Elizabeth Hawley. Hawley, a news correspondent for Reuters based in Kathmandu, and originally from Chicago, maintained the official record of all climbers and summit successes for Everest and hundreds of other Nepalese peaks until she died several years ago.
The project continues under new leadership. Totally unrelated to the crowds, weather or rockfall, 6 more climbers died primarily from poor decision making or altitude related illnesses generating sensational headlines around the world and calls for regulation on Everest.
The Himalayan database states there were combined summits from both sides and 10 deaths. Everest was a good year for most climbers but a difficult one for the professionals. Overall it could be termed a normal year with little drama with one large exception. There were an estimated summits in the spring of , on the south and on the north.
This was the most summits in the history of Everest including to This incident, in my opinion, accelerated the creation of Sherpa owned guide services that are beginning to dominate Everest. For many climbers, they accomplished a lifelong dream, returned safely home to a family who have started to breathe again. With an unparalleled lifetime experience, for some their lives were changed forever. The Everest season was full of tragedy with 19 deaths from an ice serac release off the West Shoulder of Everest onto the Khumbu Icefall.
Shameful exploitation and thin coverage of the real story by the general media created unnecessary drama where the focus should have been on the victims and their families. In my season summary, I look at what happened, the reasons for effectively closing Everest from Nepal, the roles played by all parties and some ideas on a credible path forward.
The summary is not a sound bite, it is long, complicated and will take time to digest. Just like anything with Everest it will evoke emotions and reactions. My hope is for badly needed changes on Everest. A mountain I value and whose climbers I admire — past, present and future. There were summits from the North and 4 from the South.
There were 19 deaths on the South. Another tragic season but this time due to an earthquake, not climbing events. Nepal continued to promote climbing but no team wanted to risk going back through the Icefall. For the first time since , there were no spring summits on Everest from any route, any camp by any means. I was at Camp 2 in the Western Cwm attempting Lhotse when the earthquake struck.
Everest was a success by many measures. Climbers achieved life long dreams and a country got a break. However in stark contrast to the previous four years on Everest, lacked large scale tragedy or extreme drama.
The emerging trend of low cost expeditions continued and many not all of the deaths had the marking of inexperience, insufficient support and low prices this year. While I cannot verify all the statements made in this report of three Indian climbers who lost their lives in , the article, An Avoidable Tragedy , is illustrative of the risks and well worth a read. This is one of the more difficult seasons I have covered and impossible to sum up in one word so let me use several: wind, tragedy, misinformation, spin and summits.
The wind played havoc on the south side while the normally windier north was almost tranquil with a few serious exceptions. A report of four dead at the South Col turned out to be thankfully incorrect and no one took responsibility for the misinformation.
The newspaper that reported it shrugged their shoulders suggesting that poor reporting was normal and this was Nepal. An unprecedented weather window of 11 straight days enabled a record number of summits in The first summits were on May 14 by the rope fixing team on the Nepal side followed the next day by year-old Chinese double-amputee Xia Boya with his Sherpa guides.
Every day thereafter had summits from both the sides. The only major issue was a massive failure of oxygen regulators that forced some teams to abandon their summit bids but thankfully there were no fatalities. The previous record year was with total summits by all routes. There were a total of 5 deaths in spring , 4 on the Nepal side and 1 on the Tibet side. There were approximately summits on Everest in the Spring of plus 11 deaths.
All-time number of people who summited Everest is now 10,, including multiple summits in one season by one person, and for total deaths. Still, Everest is one of the safest ers. It colluded with Cyclone Fani to delay the ropes reaching the summit. On the Nepal side, the ropes finally made the top due to some incredible efforts by a team of Sherpas. Beginning on May 22, hundreds summited early each morning for several days and once again death was in the air.
The root cause of the lines were slow climbers with guides who failed to properly manage their clients. How unfolded was predictable.
In , Everest hosted a record people on her summit from both sides. How one chooses to climb it is as much a reflection of creativity as skill. There is always a new way to approach something, and Everest is no different. All rights reserved. Where is Everest? Share Tweet Email. Read This Next Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London Love them or hate them, there's no denying their growing numbers have added an explosion of color to the city's streets.
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