Latest news with #8KExpedition
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Climber Scales Mount Everest Four Times In 15 Days
An astonishing world record was set earlier this month in Nepal after a climber named Tashi Gyalzen Sherpa climbed to the summit of Mount Everest a record-breaking four times in just fifteen days, accomplishing a feet of physical and mental endurance unparalleled in the history of mountaineering. It would be difficult to overstate just how impressive Sherpa's feat was. Ascending 29,032 feet to the height of the towering mountain, where the oxygen is gaspingly thin and the weather perilously treacherous is, for many, the highlight of their climbing lives. To go up and down repeatedly, allowing one's body to adjust to the difference in oxygen at various levels, is almost incomprehensible. Yet the 29-year-old, who hails from a small Nepali town called Phortse, managed to achieve what seemed unachievable. Tashi started working as a climbing guide in 2017. Two years later, in 2019, he ascended to Everest's summit for the first time. In the years since, he reached the peak four times: three from the Nepal side, and once from the Tibetan side. This year, things were different. His first ascent occurred on May 9, when he was part of a rope-fixing team laying the route for the 8K Expedition. After that, Tashi quickly went up a second time (in reflecting, he told reporters that the second climb was the easiest). Finally, after ascending a third time while assisting a client, Tashi quickly scaled the mountain solo for his fourth climb. As he later recounted, "I made to the top of Everest along with my client. I brought him back safely to the Everest Base Camp and then immediately started for my fourth summit the same night. My fourth summit attempt started from Base Camp on 22 May with an aim to reach the summit on May 23, and I was alone during my final push to the summit. There were no fellow Sherpas along with me. I carried all the required oxygen and necessities. I started for the summit on 8:00 pm (local time) on 22 May from Camp IV." Tashi's remarkable achievement comes during a time of many record-breaking feats on Everest. Last season, a climber named Dawa Phinjhok Sherpa achieved the summit three times in just eight days, and photojournalist Purnima Shrestha made headlines for achieving the summit three times during the season. 'Tashi represents a new generation of Sherpa climbers—guides, record-breakers, storytellers, and trailblazers,' says mountaineering expert Ang Tshiring Sherpa. 'They are climbing in the era of technological advancement. The world is now connected through smart devices, which, among other things, has even made Everest climbs faster.' Nepal is home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks and welcomes hundreds of climbers each spring, when temperatures are warmer and winds are typically calmer.
Korea Herald
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Korea Herald
Everest gridlock fears return as erratic weather narrows climbing window
KATHMANDU, Nepal (Kathmandu Post/ANN) — Unpredictable weather patterns are shrinking the summit window for Everest climbers this spring, again stoking fears of overcrowding on the world's highest peak. Despite the second-highest number of permits ever issued, many teams remain put at base camp, awaiting safer conditions. Expedition operators warn that if the narrow weather window continues to contract, a repeat of past traffic jams — where climbers are forced to wait in line in the 'death zone' above 8,000 meters — could become inevitable. "This season doesn't look promising," said Pemba Sherpa, executive director of 8K Expedition, which has been assigned the critical rope-fixing task from Camp II to the summit. "It's been five days since the route opened, but barely has any team moved. If this continues, we're going to see major congestion once the weather clears." The official climbing season kicked off on May 9, when a rope-fixing team summited Everest earlier than usual, paving the way for other expeditions. Two Nepali guides followed on May 10, and 14 climbers — including six foreigners — reached the top on May 11. But by Monday, strong winds forced many groups to abort their campaign. Operators had hoped that the early route opening would enhance safety and reduce summit-day pileups. But extreme wind conditions have paused ascents and compressed the window for safe ascent. "The longer climbers wait, the more the risk," Sherpa said. "Almost 100 climbers are preparing to make a push on Tuesday night. The winds are expected to die down by Wednesday." Most of those climbers have now reached Camp IV at 7,920 metres, the final staging point before the summit bid. The season typically wraps up before the monsoon's onset in early June, leaving less than two weeks for remaining teams to make their move. So far this spring, Nepal's Department of Tourism has issued permits to 456 foreign climbers, just shy of the record 479 granted in 2023. When factoring in Nepali guides, often assigned at a one-to-one ratio, more than 1,000 people may try to reach the top. "The success rate could be as low as 25 percent," said Sherpa, citing ongoing poor weather and the growing number of climbers giving up. "When everyone waits for the same few clear days, that's when things get dangerous." Memories of past Everest traffic jams loom large. On May 22, 2008, 135 climbers summited in a single day. That figure rose to 179 in 2012 and to 266 in 2013. The most notorious year was 2019, when a record 354 people reached the summit on May 23, according to the Guinness World Records, a British reference book published annually that lists world records of human achievements and the extremes of the natural world. A now-iconic photo by climber Nirmal "Nims" Purja, taken on May 22, 2019, shows a line of hundreds snaking up the narrow Hillary Step — some descending, others ascending — exemplifying the deadly consequences of a tight summit window. Three climbers died on the mountain that day. This year, several critical dates have emerged as possible summit windows — May 14, 15, 17, 18, 23, and 24 — based on reports from weather experts stationed at base camp, including international forecasters. Himal Gautam, director at the Department of Tourism, confirmed that 150 climbers are preparing to push on Tuesday and Wednesday. "Some are at Camp II, and others are already in Camp IV," he said. "The weather is unpredictable, and yes, the success rate this year will likely dip." Gautam said that while plans are always in place to manage crowds and ensure safety, weather disruptions can throw those plans into chaos. "There's no need to panic yet," he added. "But we must acknowledge that weather disturbances could make crowd control very difficult again this year." The government has deployed four experienced officials to monitor activities in the Everest region. But lessons from past seasons show things can quickly spiral out of control when hundreds of climbers are funneled into a narrow summit window. The stakes are high. Harsh weather in the Himalayas can be lethal. Research shows that near the Everest summit, the typical wind chill falls below minus 30 Celsius throughout the year. During spring, wind chill values can plummet to minus 50 Celsius, and in severe storms, they can reach minus 60 Celsius, conditions more typical of winter than spring. In such extreme cold conditions, frostbite can occur in as little as a minute. "High winds are especially dangerous. They increase the risk of frostbite and drain energy and oxygen reserves," said Sherpa. "Once your energy drops, and oxygen runs low, that's when climbers die." Since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first summited Everest in 1953, nearly 9,000 people have followed in their footsteps. More than 280 climbers have died in the attempt.
Hindustan Times
06-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
75 Indians, including 12 women, cleared to climb Mount Everest this season
Permission has been granted to 441 climbers, including 79 women, from 55 countries as of Monday for climbing Mt Everest, the highest peak in the world, this spring, according to the Department of Tourism. Nepal's 8K Expedition is currently engaged in the rope fixing job and they have deployed 12 Sherpa guides for the same.(AFP) According to Himal Gautam, director at Nepal Tourism Department, permissions have been granted to 44 expeditions from 55 countries to climb the Everest (8,848.86 mt) so far. Among them, 75 are Indian climbers, including 12 women, he said. The Nepal government has collected royalty amounting to Nepalese ₹ 653.8 million from the permission granted to climb the Everest this season. The Tourism Department has granted permission to 1,095 climbers to climb 26 different mountain peaks, including the Everest, this spring, he said. Altogether 114 expeditions from 73 countries have received permission to climb the mountains. From this, a total of Nepalese ₹ 748.1 million royalty has been collected, he said. So far, more than 8,000 Nepalese and foreign climbers have summitted the Everest. Hundreds of climbers have already reached the base camp of Everest and are moving towards higher altitude in their bid to climb the Everest and some of them are expected to reach the top by May 11 or 12, he said. Ice doctors are currently fixing ropes to facilitate the climbers who are on their way to the top. Rope fixing has almost completed up to the South Col and on May 9-10 they are expected to complete their task up to the peak. Nepal's 8K Expedition is currently engaged in the rope fixing job and they have deployed 12 Sherpa guides for the same.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Ama Dablam Summits, First Everest Permits
The lead Sherpa team has finished fixing ropes to the summit of 6,812m Ama Dablam. Pasdawa Sherpa, Pasang Tenjing Sherpa, Arjun Karki Dholi, and Datuk Bhote, working for 8K Expeditions, reached the top of the beautiful and popular peak on the afternoon of April 2. Although the mountain is busiest from October to early December, it also sees action in spring. It is the only peak less than 8,000m in Nepal where local operators do not informally agree on the rope-fixing work. Instead, the task is officially assigned by the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal (EOA). This year, the EOA assigned Ama Dablam, as well as Everest and Lhotse, to 8K Expeditions. In the meantime, many teams are already on their way to Everest Base Camp, which is already fully set up for their arrival. Nepal's Department of Tourism has not updated its list of climbing permits since March 21, but some international expedition leaders have already posted their stamped permits on social media. In group permits for 8,000m peaks, the designed expedition leader is always a foreigner, such as Waldemar Niklevicz of Brazil -- leader of one of 8K Expedition groups -- Ben Jones of the U.S. with Alpine Ascents, or Jigar Kishorkumar Asnani of India with Satori Adventures.
