Himalaya Spring 2019: Peruvian Climber Perishes on Makalu, Solo Summit on Ama Dablam.

Posted on May 9, 2019 by Kraig Becker

With high winds still buffeting the Himalaya I fully expected today to be a day where there wouldn’t be much news to report. Sadly, that isn’t the case and while there is some good information to share, there is also more tragic news to report as well.

Yesterday, Peru’s most prolific and famous climber Richard Hidalgo was found dead in his tent in Camp 2 at 6600 meters (21,635 ft) on Makalu. The climber had been helping the rope fixing teams on Tuesday and appeared to be in good health and spirits. In fact, he was getting ready to make a summit push on the mountain over the next few days without the use of supplemental oxygen. Hidalgo was discovered by Sherpas working with Seven Summit Treks as they were preparing to head higher. He was 52 years old.

Hidalgo’s goal was to climb all of the 8000-meter peaks without the use of bottled Os. He had already knocked off Cho Oyu, Manaslu, Annapurna, Shishapangma, Gasherbrum II, and Broad Peak. He had also attempted Everest on five separate occasions, but hadn’t quite added that to his list yet. His ambitious plans included getting the other eight mountains before 2021 when Peru celebrates the 200th anniversary of its independence.

As is always the case with these kinds of stories, our thoughts are with his friends and family in these trying times.

Himalaya Spring 2018: Adrian Ballinger Goes for Cho Oyu-Everest Double Header.

It continues to be an interesting and busy spring season in the Himalaya, where teams are now steadily filing in to Base Camp on both sides of Mt. Everest as they begin the long process of acclimatization. As reported last week, the Icefall Doctors have completed the route through the Khumbu Icefall on the South Side, and the way is now clear for teams to go all the way up to Camp 2. Meanwhile, on the North Side, the teams are getting settled and shuttling gear to Advanced Base Camp further up the mountain.

Typically it takes a few days for most of the teams to get settled into place and a rest is often in order prior to beginning the actual climb. The first few days in BC are often spent polishing climbing skills and taking short hikes around the area, before setting a schedule to move further up the mountain. On the Nepali side of Everest, a number of teams will make their first acclimation rotation on another nearby peak, thus limiting the number of times the teams have to pass through Khumbu Icefall.

Ahead of the start of true climbing operations on Everest comes some interesting news of things we can expect in the days and weeks ahead this year. For example, I conducted an interview with Alpenglow owner and head guide Adrian Ballinger last week that was posted over at Gear Junkie. In that interview, Ballinger talked about a wide array of topics, but especially his plans for this season. Adrian will lead a team of climbers on a potential Himalayan double-header, making rapid ascents of both Cho Oyu and Everest. To do this, he and the other members of the team have been acclimating prior to leaving for Tibet by using oxygen tents back home, a process that has proven to be very successful in recent years.

Beyond that, Ballinger also told me that he would be climbing with bottled oxygen this year. The past two seasons he concentrated on getting a no-O’s summit of Everest, making that dream a reality in 2017. But, he says that he didn’t enjoy those climbs and remembers very little of the expeditions on the top third of the mountain. This year, it will be like discovering the route all over again. In the interview, he also shares his thoughts on low cost operators, the evolving environment on Everest, and much, much more. It is definitely worth a read and you can check it out here.

Ballinger isn’t the only one going for two summits this season, as two other squads are looking to complete an Everest-Lhotse traverse. The first of those will be attempted by Tenjing Sherpa, who wants to complete that expedition in memory of his climbing partner Ueli Steck, who perished in the Himalaya while preparing for that climb last year. The duo of Horia Colibasanu and Peter Hamor are also looking to make the same climb. Meanwhile, Willie Benegas and Matt Moniz will also attempt an Everest-Lhotse double-summit, but not the traverse.

There will be plenty of other good stories to follow in the days ahead, including some interesting climbs taking place on other peaks throughout the region. For now though, most of the teams are just finding their place and haven’t even truly begun their expeditions yet. Stay tuned for more updates in the days ahead.

Autor : Kraig Becker

* source: – Himalaya Spring 2018: Adrian Ballinger Goes for Cho Oyu-Everest Double Header

** see also: – Trekking – posts on my site :

– Trekking in Nepal Himalaya : GOKYO, KALA PATTAR and EVEREST BASE CAMP TREK (19 days).

– Everest Base Camp – CLASSIC treks. / Version polish and english /

– Trekking in Nepal Himalaya : EVEREST HIGH VALLEY – Travel Guide. /Version english/

Are Budget Operators on Everest Making the Mountain Less Safe?

Our friend Alan Arnette has written a thoughtful piece for Outside magazine examining the evolving landscape on Everest where the more expensive western guide services are now competing directly with low-budget, locally owned companies. This is having a major impact on the mountain and will likely play a significant role in future climbing expeditions there, but the question remains as to whether or not these operators are actually making the mountain less safe.

In the article, Alan provides some background and historical information about Everest and commercial guiding on the mountain. That started back in the 1990’s when mountaineering companies began offering clients the opportunity to scale the world’s highest peak but at a cost of as much as $65,000. Over the years, more operators joined the fray, which has led to the common perception that Everest is filled with rich people who pay someone to drag them to the top.

But in recent years, there has been a slew of new climbing companies that have begun guiding on the mountain too. Mostly owned by local Nepali guides, the companies offer cut-rate prices, often half the cost of the western operators. This has attracted large numbers of clients, with some of the budget operators now bringing as many as 100 people with them to Base Camp.

That alone doesn’t necessarily make the mountain less safe however, and Alan points out how Nepal could follow the lead of other countries around the world and make their mountains safer – most notably Denali in Alaska and Aconcagua in Argentina. But, because the Nepali government seems to make some perplexing moves and often appears to be more concerned with looking like its doing something rather than actually doing something, these actions aren’t likely to occur. Because of this, Everest runs the risk of becoming inherently unsafe with larger crowds, massive traffic jams, and budget operators that could potentially be cutting corners.

As the 2018 spring climbing season continues to wind up, and more and more teams are arriving in Base Camp on both sides of the mountain, this article serves as a great “big picture” view of current trends on the mountain. If you’re a fan of Everest and follow the happenings there closely, you’ll find some insights on where things have gone over the past few years and where they are probably going in the near future.

Needless to say, things are probably going to get more complicated and crowded before they get better. With the genie out of the bottle, there is probably no going back.

Himalaya Spring 2018: Icefall Doctors Complete Route to Camp 2 on Everest.

It may still be early in the spring 2018 Himalayan climbing season, but the Sherpa team known as the “Icefall Doctors” have hit a major milestone. Last week, the group of eight climbers finished installing the route through the dangerous Khumbu Icefall and on to Camp 1, opening the way for the first teams to arrive in Base Camp to start their long acclimatization process.

According to reports, this is the safest route through the icefall that we’ve seen in some time. The team found more blue ice – which is harder and less prone to collapse – than in recent years and there is less ice hanging over the route as well. That means less chance of a collapse from above that could destroy the route itself and injury climbers passing below. In fact, the route that will be used through the icefall this year is seen as the safest ever, which should instill some confidence as the season truly gets underway.

As usual, the Icefall Doctors not only installed ropes through the treacherous section of the climb, which is found just above BC, but they also put down a series of aluminum ladders. The ladders are set into place both vertically and horizontally, allowing the alpinists to cross over open crevasses or climb up to higher areas much more easily. This section of the route on the South Side of the mountain is considered one of the bottlenecks of any expedition and is often viewed as the most dangerous section of the entire climb. So much so that many teams now conduct their first few acclimatization rotations on other nearby peaks before heading up Everest itself.

Once the route through the icefall was complete, the team proceeded upwards to Camp 1 just on the other side. From there, the team has also installed ropes up to Camp 2 a few days later, providing the necessary safety measures to help the gather mountaineers to begin making their way up Everest. They’ll do that several times before eventually making a summit bid sometime around mid-May.

The news of the competition of the route is welcomed by the teams currently making their way to Everest Base Camp. The first International Mountain Guides squad arrived their late last week and have already started making daily hikes and doing some pre-climb training. Similarly, on the North Side, the 7 Summits Club is the first to reach Base Camp from Tibet. These groups only have the campsite to themselves for a short time of course, as other teams will begin filling in very soon.

That’s it for today. More Himalayan updates to come soon.

Autor : Kraig Becker

* source: – Himalaya Spring 2018: Icefall Doctors Complete Route to Camp 2 on Everest

** see also: – Trekking – posts on my site :

– Trekking in Nepal Himalaya : GOKYO, KALA PATTAR and EVEREST BASE CAMP TREK (19 days).

– Everest Base Camp – CLASSIC treks. / Version polish and english /

– Trekking in Nepal Himalaya : EVEREST HIGH VALLEY – Travel Guide. /Version english/