Mount Everest Icefall Route Remains Unresolved as Teams Gather More Data
The ice block dilemma is still ongoing at Mount Everest, continuing to keep hundreds of climbers stranded at base camp with no way up to Camp 1. Ben Ayers of Everest Live, which covers Everest news as it happens from base camp through their YouTube channel, shared some new news on progress, and while a potential new route has been found through the Khumbu Icefall, it’s not exactly evident how safe that route is.
As Ben explained in the video, around 2,000 to 2,500 trips of both climbers and mountain workers will make their way through the Khumbu Icefall throughout the climbing season, so even the slightest risk on the route to Camp 1 can lead to a disastrous number of injuries or deaths. A team did push a route toward Camp 1, bypassing the dangers of the deadly serac blocking the path, but that route carries a greater risk of rockfall exposure.
The major obstacles encountered on the route include a towering ice wall, which can be climbed with some ladders, and a series of crevasses bridged by four aluminum ladders joined end to end. The main concern comes from rockfall risk along the route, with different teams encountering different levels of rockfall danger depending on when they went. It’s not exactly clear what’s causing the rockfall risk, but the risk does appear very real.
All parties and climbing groups just want a successful and safe climbing season, but that requires a lot of patience. One option that’s been raised is to extend the climbing season into mid-June, but rising spring temperatures can cause the Khumbu Icefall to become even more unstable and even more dangerous, regardless of the route. No breakthrough is expected immediately, but work to a decision continues.
If this type of Everest news fascinates you, make sure you check out Everest Live on their YouTube and their social media.
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