A massive chunk of glacial ice, known as a serac, hanging above the Khumbu Icefall near Mount Everest's Base Camp has blocked the climbing route to the summit. The obstruction threatens to shorten the already brief window for climbers during the busiest spring season.
Nepal's government has issued 410 permits for tourist climbers this season, with mountaineering serving as a major revenue stream for the small country that is home to eight of the world's ten highest peaks.
A team of so-called "icefall doctors" — specialist climbers who clear minor ice obstructions for less experienced mountaineers — began fixing ropes and ladders on Everest last month. However, the large serac above the treacherous Khumbu Icefall, at an altitude of over 5,300 meters (roughly 17,400 feet), could collapse without warning and unleash a deadly avalanche.
"This is not something you can fix or move," said Himal Gautam, spokesperson for the Department of Tourism. "It's natural. We can only wait and assess."
Icefall doctor Dawa Jangbu Sherpa told AFP that the team "expect that it will clear in a few days." The Khumbu Icefall, a constantly shifting maze of crevasses and ice blocks, is located just above Camp One and is considered one of the most dangerous parts of the South Col ascent even under normal conditions.
Gautam said a team of experts would head to the site to monitor and "devise an alternative plan if needed." "We are trying to ensure that there are no delays, even drop supplies by a helicopter, so that routes can be prepared on schedule," he added.
A remote tent village of around 1,000 people — foreign climbers and support staff — has built up at safer altitudes on the 8,849-meter mountain, waiting to make for the summit.
The spring season, the busier of the two with warmer temperatures than the autumn window between September and November, typically concludes by the end of May. Acclimatization and base camp preparations take place from March to late April, while sherpas clear the path, and the summit window tends to be in May. Monsoon risks make the summer months unsafe for almost all climbing activity.
Climbing has become big business in the Himalayas, and particularly on Everest, since Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary became the first confirmed duo to reach the summit in 1953. The 410 permits this spring season are close to the all-time record of 479 set in 2023.
Congested climbing routes, even mountain traffic jams as groups get in each other's way, have become common on the mountain, as have other signs of overcrowding like litter and detritus. The shorter the time period teams have to try to scale the vast mountain, the more such risks are amplified.
The caution dealing with the vast glacial ice blocks can be traced back to 2014, when 16 Nepali guides were killed by an avalanche as a chunk of the same glacier sheared off. It was one of the deadliest accidents in Everest's climbing history.
Source: www.dw.com