A huge, unstable chunk of glacier is blocking the route up Mount Everest from Base Camp in Nepal just as peak climbing season gets underway in the Himalayas. Icefall doctors – who fix ropes and ladders on the lower part of the route up the world's highest peak - can find no way around the 100-foot-high (30m) block of ice just below Camp 1. They say the only option is to wait for the ice block, known as a serac, to melt, which they hope will happen within days.
The delay means preparations are weeks behind schedule for the spring season when weather for Everest ascents is usually best, and fears are growing that climbers will face queues to reach the summit again this year. Prominent climber Purnima Shrestha is currently acclimatising to summit Everest for the sixth time and expressed concerns about potential traffic jams due to the route being blocked.
Ang Sarki Sherpa, an experienced icefall doctor, noted that after evaluating the area, they found no safe alternative routes around the serac. Nepal's Department of Tourism is exploring options, including airlifting teams to Camp 2, to expedite the routing of Expeditions above that altitude. Sherpas remain hopeful that eventual melting may occur in proximity to the melting crevasse, allowing for timely ascent before weather conditions change drastically towards the end of May.
Despite geopolitical tensions impacting travel, many climbers are anticipated to attempt Everest this year, with climbing permits already issued to numerous climbers, primarily from China. However, restrictions on permits in China for foreign nationals may alter expedition dynamics, as most ascents from Everest predominantly occur from Nepal.
The delay means preparations are weeks behind schedule for the spring season when weather for Everest ascents is usually best, and fears are growing that climbers will face queues to reach the summit again this year. Prominent climber Purnima Shrestha is currently acclimatising to summit Everest for the sixth time and expressed concerns about potential traffic jams due to the route being blocked.
Ang Sarki Sherpa, an experienced icefall doctor, noted that after evaluating the area, they found no safe alternative routes around the serac. Nepal's Department of Tourism is exploring options, including airlifting teams to Camp 2, to expedite the routing of Expeditions above that altitude. Sherpas remain hopeful that eventual melting may occur in proximity to the melting crevasse, allowing for timely ascent before weather conditions change drastically towards the end of May.
Despite geopolitical tensions impacting travel, many climbers are anticipated to attempt Everest this year, with climbing permits already issued to numerous climbers, primarily from China. However, restrictions on permits in China for foreign nationals may alter expedition dynamics, as most ascents from Everest predominantly occur from Nepal.
