Sherpas to remove dead bodies, waste from Everest.

Waste scattered on the slope of Everest in this file photo. Photo: AFP/Rss

KATHMANDU, April 21: As part of the mega campaign to clean up Mt Everest, a team of experienced Sherpas are being mobilized to remove dead bodies and waste piled above the base camp of the worlds’ highest mountain.

Twelve Sherpas hired by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee are setting up their camp at the Everest Base Camp within Thursday for the task. Concerned with the reports of dead bodies emerging from ice with the melting of snow and the route to Everest getting polluted in the recent years, the government has initiated this mega clean-up campaign with the help of the Sherpas.

This is the first time that the government, private sector and organizations working for the welfare of the mountaineering community initiated this kind of campaign.

Nepal Army, which is mandated to collect the waste below the Everest Base Camp, has already started its clean-up campaign from April 14. As of now, the army has lifted two tons of non bio-degradable waste from the region.

Everest 2018: Climbers Say Hello to Kathmandu.

Right on time, climbers and trekkers from around the world are arriving in Kathmandu. Some have already flown to Lukla to begin their trek to Everest Base Camp.

I say this every year – if you ever get the chance to trek in Nepal, or the Khumbu especially, jump on the chance. I promise you it will change your life. My first visit was in 1997 for a trek to Everest Base Camp (EBC) via the Goyko Lakes. I was captivated by the people of Nepal, the Sherpa culture, the villages, teahouses, monasteries, monks, yaks, the pizza 🙂  … well you see what I mean. I returned home with new sense of the world and how we might possibly could get along. Thankfully I have returned to Nepal 13 times since then.

International Mount Guides, aka IMG, has checked in from Kathmandu with their usual large team. Between their Sherpa lead team and the Western guided team, I expect IMG to have over 30 clients. They usually have the largest team but recently, Seven Summits Treks who has been aggressive with offering low cost climbs (as low as $20K compared to IMG’s $45K) has easily hosted over 60, or even 100 clients in a single season.

IMG will acclimatize on Lobuche East at ‎6,119 m (20,075 ft) to eliminate one rotation through the Icefall. They still have their members sleep at Camps 1, 2 and 3 with at least two rotations before going for the summit. Himalayan Experience aka Himex does something similar.

IMG’s 2018 team hearing a welcome by Greg Vernovage

Another variation on acclimatizing before climbs is shown by Tim Mosedale who takes his climbers on a three-week trek instead of arriving at EBC then going through the Icefall or using Lobuche. Still, Tim has his climbers do a couple of rotations.

Guy Cotter of Adventure Consultants is guiding one private client who is said to be attempting Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse this season. While this has been done, it is quite rare. Kenton Cool was the last to get all three in a single season in 2013.

The teams climbing from the Tibet side usually arrive in Kathmandu, or Lhasa, in early April. Since they drive to base camp, it is shorter but they still spend a few nights along the way for acclimatization.

EverestER is already up and running. This valuable medical service is staffed by volunteers and offers medical services for foreigners for $100 for the season. All Sherpas, porters and locals are treated free of charge. They posted last week that they have already treated 50 patients and had one helicopter evacuation for HAPE.

Expect Another Big Year and Deaths

In 2017 there were 648 summits, 237 from Tibet and 411 from Nepal including 11 climbers who didn’t use supplemental oxygen. There were 6 deaths. I expect about the same number on both sides this year. Some climbers will be using their 2014 permits. Nepal extended those for five years to 2019 after a Sherpa strike closed that side of the mountain. But the 2015 permits that were extended for two years after the earthquake closed Everest have now expired. Expiring permits were one factor in the 2017 season with 166 people using permit extensions.

If the weather holds, there could be over 200 summits from the Tibet side and over 400 from the Nepal side. Sadly I believe 6 to 8 people will die on Everest this spring, mostly on the Nepal side from inexperienced climbers climbing with unqualified guides. This has been the pattern the past few years. Also, I expect to see record frostbite and helicopter “rescues” since the helicopter services are now controlled by Nepali guide companies and they make a significant profit from the insurance coverage of climbers and trekkers.

Himalaya Spring 2017: Kilian Jornet Moves Up Speed Record Attempt as Chinese Play Politics with Permits.

Autor : Kraig Becker

As expected, the spring 2017 Himalayan climbing season is delivering all kinds of interesting stories and plot lines to follow. In addition to a record number of climbers on Everest, there are plenty of other expeditions to follow throughout the region. But just as many teams are getting settled into their respective base camps in the mountains, the Chinese have begun imposing permit restrictions that are causing some climbers to rethink their plans and make last minute adjustments to their schedules.

ExWeb has posted more details on the latest move by the Chinese government to impose restrictions on climbing permits in Tibet. In a nutshell, the authorities on that side of the Himalaya have announced that there will be no post-monsoon permits issued for Everest or Shishpangma this year, and only a limited number for Cho Oyu. In addition, the government is also refusing permits to any climber who has visited Pakistan in the past three years as well, causing a number of teams to alter their intended plans for this spring.

We already knew that Kilian Jornet has moved his speed record attempt to this spring, where he’ll have to contend with more crowds, and now we know why. Last year, Jornet went to Everest in the late-summer/early-fall, but ended up being turned back due to poor weather conditions. It was expected that he would probably do the same this year, as the mountain is all but deserted during those months. But, since the Chinese won’t be issuing permits for that timeframe, the mountain runner is now forced to attempt his speed record in the spring instead.

ExWeb is reporting that the change in permitting has also had an impact on climbers Adam Bielecki and Felix Berg, who were planning to attempt a new route on Cho Oyu. Both men visited Pakistan last year however, so neither is allowed to enter Tibet. Instead, they’ll now go to Annapurna in Nepal and attempt a seldom climbed route on that mountain with partners Louis Rousseau and Rick Allen.

All across the Himalaya other teams are now arriving in BC. In addition to large numbers trickling into Base Camp on Everest, others are now getting settled on Annapurna, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, and Kangchenjunga. Most have been acclimatizing in the Khumbu Valley or on smaller peaks already, and thus are arriving in good shape to start their first rotations. It won’t be long now and we’ll start to receive word of teams moving up as they begin building their high camps, fixing ropes, and generally becoming accustomed to the altitude.

Weather is already playing a part early in the season. Reports indicate that high winds have been common so far, particularly on Everest, Lhotse, and Annapurna. But, that is not unusual for this time of year, and things tend to calm down a lot as the season progresses. Right now, we’re about a month away from major summit bids, give or take a week. The plan moving forward will be to slowly acclimate to the conditions and begin preparing for the challenges ahead.

More to report soon.

* source: – Himalaya Spring 2017: Kilian Jornet Moves Up Speed Record Attempt as Chinese Play Politics with Permits

** see also: – Adam Bielecki planuje wytyczyć nową drogę na Cho Oyu.

Anna Barańska: My Everest – Mt Everest North Face International Expedition 2009, part 3.

On May 21st 2009 at 7.30 am Anna Baranska reached the summit of Mount Everest (8848m). She was the 5th Polish female on the top of the highest mountain in the world (after Wanda Rutkiewicz, Anna Czerwinska, Martyna Wojciechowska and Agnieszka Kiela-Palys), but the first one to ascend the Northeast ridge.

Previous story:

– Mt Everest – North Face International Expedition 2009, part 1.

– Mt Everest – North Face International Expedition 2009, part 2.

Today continuation of this story:

My Everest – Mt Everest North Face International Expedition 2009, part 3.

Author : Anna Barańska

I am happy that I realized what I had planned, that is I became the first Polish female on Mount Everest ascending the North Face, especially as my professional career is not related to mountaineering at all. The most difficult preparation and work on that ascent took place in Warsaw and included working on relations with my family, finding time in my schedule as a professional (advisor in a corporate finance boutique) and a mother. The effort at the mountain was only a pleasure and satisfaction and additionally a proof that motivation is more important than the actual physical condition. I did not expect that the summit would be that accessible considering all my reservations. For me, Mount Everest was approximately 20,000 m high.

After all, my observation is that success of reaching the highest peak of the world is more and more dependent on financial resources. Himalayas commercialize every year and this is visible. So is the fact that you can almost buy the ascent regardless of obvious health problems. In this meaning Himalayas are lowering.

In my view, the climbing itself does is not a search for solitude (contrary to a common opinion that climbers look for it), it was rather a strategic game with many people around: a climbing partner, an agency team, Sherpas, multi-person groups on fixed ropes.
Moreover, the mountains have been stripped off their original mysticism since climbing became the work for some people; a trend which I regret. However, without such people my own activity in Himalayas would have been much more limited. Out of our 22-member group, the summit was reached by four people, including one who died on the descent and one with severe frostbites. It appears that the low success ratio results from the fact that especially Mount Everest is relatively frequently approached by people with fantasy and ambitions but lacking preparations in terms of climbing experience. Physical condition and sport results achieved in lowlands do not guarantee success and what really counts is the ability to acclimatize.

In addition, I wished that my few-week expedition had not caused such fierce resistance from my family resulting from exchanging the traditional role of mother and father – typically, it’s a father who leaves and mother waits for him and takes care of a baby. I would like it to be accepted normally. Regardless, I would like to dedicate my success to children of people who are passionate about extreme sports – their parents realize wonderful and ambitious plans, make their decisions in unpredictable conditions, but they still wish to be good parents. It is difficult to balance.

The most important experience is that so far I treated Himalayas as a way to prove my own strength, realize my ambitions, see my life from another perspective, but I ignored potential price of these experiences. Mount Everest brought me so close to death – Piotr Morawski at the beginning of the expedition, then Veslaw and Frank, whom I knew almost four years and who was about my brother’s age. During this expedition I spent relatively much time with him talking about plans, future, and family. All this disappeared with the news that he had not return to Camp III. Mount Everest’s North Face indeed proved to be the North one.

* Mount Everest – description of the North Side (www.alanalarnette.com):

From BC to ABC it is about 12 miles (22km) of rugged hiking on boulders, ice and snow. The route follows the Rongbuk Glacier until it merges with the Eastern Rongbuk Glacier. ABC is on the northwestern moraine of East Rongbuk Glacier, under the slopes of Changtse Mountain. It normally takes 2 days for the first trip to ABC, then 1 day after acclimatization. ABC is the primary base for North Ridge climbers during expeditions.
North Col (Camp I) is at 7,000m. The route starts on scree (loose rocks) then leads through snow followed by increasingly steep slopes up to 60 degrees. Climbers use crampons and fixed ropes from that point onwards. It takes between 4 to 7 hours to reach the North Col depending on acclimatization and weather.
Camp II at 7,650 m initiates the “high camps”. The route is usually in snow but can be rocky since this section is known for strong winds. At almost 8,000m, most climbers now sleep with supplemental oxygen. The climb is extremely windy and the tents are on small rock ledges due to limited area. Climbers will take about 3 to 5 hours to reach Camp II.
Camp III is a short rest stop on the way to the summit for most climbers. At 8,300m, you do not want to spend a lot of time here. Climbers will have some food and water, perhaps take a short nap and start for the summit around 10:00 pm. The Northeast Ridge is a few hundred feet above Camp III.
The Northeast Ridge represents the most difficult climbing section on this route. There are three “steps” or rock climbs along the way. The first Step is difficult at this altitude but the second Step is the most challenging and requires a 10-foot rock climb to a 30-foot vertical wall. This is where the famous Chinese ladder is located and helps climbers a lot. However, this often is the source of bottlenecks which can bring a summit push to a compete stop. The third Step is another straightforward rock climb which becomes challenging at this altitude (nothing is easy anymore). Climber now spends the next hour climbing the steep snowfields of the Summit Pyramid. The Summit Ridge is short (500′) but narrow with 10,000′ drop-offs on both sides leading directly to the Everest Summit. At this point climbers have spent 8 to 10 hours to summit.  It will take another 4 to 6 to return to Camp III.

The success ratio (summits to all climbers) is approximately 20%, while on the South Face it is around 50%. There are more fatal accidents as well.

In the Spring 2009 season, I was one of the only three women who reached the top of Mount Everest.

Anna Barańska – (born 8th September 1976) – Polish mountaineer, climber of two eight-thousanders. The first Polish woman on the North Face of Mount Everest, climbed on 21st May 2009.

She started her mountaineering adventure in 2000 by climbing Rysy from the Slovak side. The next climbings were as follows: Gerlach 2650 m – June 2000; Triglav 2864 m – September 2001; Mont Blanc 4807 m – August 200 ; Elbrus 5642 m – unsuccessful summit trial in August 2003; Lenin’s Peak 7210 m by the normal route – June 2004.

In 2005 Anna reached the top of Cho Oyu 8201 m in Tibet by the normal route with Piotr Barabas on September 28th.

* See also:

– Anna Barańska on Facebook

– Anna Barańska: The first Polish woman on the North Face of Mount Everest.

* Related Links:

– Pierwsza Polka, która zdobyła Everest od północy : Anna Barańska.

– Polish famous climbers – The golden decade of Polish Himalayan mountaineering.

– International Everest 8848m. North Face Expedition Spring 2009

* Previous story :

– Interview with Bernadette McDonald.

– Piotr Pustelnik: Przesuwanie granicy akceptowalnego ryzyka.

– Kinga Baranowska and Piotr Pustelnik new expedition – ANNAPURNA DREAM Expedition 2010.

– Himalaya 2010 climbing season: Tibet Closed as Spring Season Begins!

– The Gear Junkie Profiles Seven Summiteer.

– Interview with Mike Farris: Alone on Everest.

– March and April Climbing Events by American Alpine Institute.

– Interview with Anne-Mari Hyryläinen: The First Finnish Woman on Everest?

– Everest 2010: South Side Update from IMG’s Eric Simonson.

– Everest 2010: North Side Update from an Expert – Jamie McGuinness.

– The Great Himalaya Trail Set To Open Next Year!

– Everest — Gear For The Expedition.

* Polish Himalayas – Become a Fan

** zapraszam na relacje z wypraw polskich himalaistów.