Himalaya Spring 2015: Puja Ceremonies and a Collapse in the Icefall

There as been another setback on Everest that is keeping the climbers in Base Camp today, despite the need to start their acclimatization rotations soon. Earlier in the week it was bad weather that prevented them from getting on the move, but now it is a collapse in the Khumbu Icefall that has delayed the start of the first rotations up the mountain.

Alan Arnette reports that more than 80 Sherpas were in the Icefall this morning as they continued their work to shuttle gear up to Camps 1 and 2. But the collapse of the ice along the route caused all of them to turn back. Apparently there was a traverse over a large crevasse that required four ladders to complete, and the entire thing came crumbling down. The Khumbu Ice Doctors will now have to search for an alternate route through the dangerous Icefall. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the collapse.

This is not uncommon, and is large part of why crossing through the Icefall is so dangerous. This portion of the mountain is incredibly unsteady, and the Ice Docs work all season long to keep the route safe and open. This sounds like it was a major collapse however, so it could take a day or two for them to find a new path. You may recall that this route was described as safer and shorter than the ones used in the past, and hopefully that won't change following this incident.

Alan also says that his team had its Puja ceremony a few days back. The Puja is an important step for any climbing expedition, as no one can start up the mountain until it is finished. During the Puja, a Buddhist monk brings the climbers and Sherpas together to ask permission from the mountain gods to safely pass up Everest, or what ever other mountain they are climbing. Traditionally, the monk will also bless their gear and ask the gods to keep the climbers safe. While it is taken very seriously by everyone, it is also a time to celebrate and have too.


With the Puja over, the teams are then ready to start the climb, but the unusually heavy snowfall continued on Everest over the past couple of days, preventing anyone from going higher than Base Camp. None of the commercial teams have passed through the Icefall as of yet, and no one other than the Sherpas have been up to Camp 1 or 2. Hopefully that will change shortly, as it is now time to begin acclimatizing for sure. In fact, some of the squads have actually gone off to other mountains to begin their acclimatization process. For instance, American climber Jim Davidson has moved over to Lobuche East where he'll go as high as 6118 meters (20,075 ft) on the summit. He hopes to wrap up that climb today, and head back to Everest BC.

Over on Annapurna, the teams continue to play the waiting game. The weather has remained bad there too, not allowing teams to make their summit pushes. Heavy snows have blanketed the upper slopes of the mountain in powder, making it extremely unsafe. Avalanches are common on Annapurna even in the best of conditions, but with so much snow falling on the mountain, breaking trail is incredibly difficult, and the risks of avalanche too high. For now, everyone must bide their time, and wait for things to improve.

ExWeb has posted a round-up of news from other 8000 meter peaks, and much of the news is the same. Poor weather continues across the Himalaya, including on Manaslu where Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger had hoped to make a spring attempt after their winter climb was thwarted. According to reports, the duo returned to the mountain in early April only to discover that more snow had fallen in their absence and they couldn't even locate their cached gear under all of the powder. They elected to pull the plug on the expedition altogether, and have now returned home.

The same story is being reported on Shishapangma, Cho Oyu, and Dhaulagiri, where ExWeb says a team of trekkers ran into serious trouble a few days back. Heavy snows caught the unprepared team off guard, and they were forced to take shelter in Base Camp where a climbing team offered them assistance. Apparently, whiteout conditions continue there now, making it very difficult for anyone to go anywhere.

Finally, tomorrow marks the one year anniversary since the massive avalanche claimed the lives of 16 porters on Everest. I'm sure it will be a solemn occasion on the mountain as the Sherpas and western climbers all think about that day. Many of the people on the mountain this spring were there last year too, so I expect there will be some memorial services and ceremonies held. I have no doubt that those who lost their lives will be on the minds of the climbers the next few days.

Himalaya Spring 2015: Climbing Season Off to an Early Start

The winter climbing season has barely passed, and spring hasn't even officially arrived yet, but climbers are already getting an early start to the new climbing season in the Himalaya. The majority of the teams won't begin arriving in Kathmandu for another couple of weeks yet, but several high profile mountaineers are already in Nepal and acclimatizing for upcoming expeditions, including one team that has already arrived in Base Camp on Annapurna. 

According to a report from ExWeb, a team of climbers consisting of Samuli Mansikka, Mingma G. Sherpa, Reza Shahlaee, Muharrek Aydin Imrak and Zdravko Dejanovic, reached BC the first week of March, where they have been busy setting up camp and scouting the route up the mountain. In fact, they have already been able to establish both Camp 1 and 2 at 5100 meters (16,732 ft) and 5650 meters (18,536 ft) respectively. 

Last week the team was joined by 76-year old Spanish climber Carlos Soria, who looks to add two 8000-meter peaks to his resume this year. He intends to not only top out on the dangerous Annapurna, but also summit Dhaulagiri later in the spring. Soria has already completed his first rotation up to Camp 1, and is currently back in BC resting before going higher as part of his acclimatization efforts. 

The plan is for this team to get well established on the mountain as soon as possible so that they can make an early-spring summit attempt. As the season unfolds, more snow will be dumped on Annapurna, increasing its difficulty and raising the chances of a deadly avalanche. Annapurna holds the distinction of being one of the most treacherous mountains in the world, with a death-to-summit rate of around 33%. This team hopes to beat those odds – and reach the top – by climbing as early in the spring as possible. 

Meanwhile, after being turned away on Manaslu a few weeks back, Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger have moved into the Khumbu Valley, where there are continuing to acclimatize. They had hoped to make a winter ascent of that mountain, as well as its east summit, but heavy snows forced them off the mountain. Now, they are planning to return later in the spring and complete the project in better weather. 

As I've mentioned before, mid-March is actually the calm before the storm in the Himalaya. These few expeditions aside, it'll be a few weeks before things really start to ramp up. Most teams are still at home, putting the finishing touches on their planning, and starting to pack for their journeys. Soon they'll fly off to Kathmandu, where the real adventure will begin. Expect some very interesting stories in the days ahead, as the spring climbing season in the Himalaya is always a busy and interesting one. 

More to come soon. 

Prominent Mountaineers Making Plans For Spring Himalayan Expeditions

The winter climbing season is still in full swing, but already some of the more prominent mountaineers are looking ahead to the spring season in the Himalaya, which will once again be a busy one. Everest will of course be at the epicenter of those efforts, but there will be plenty of action to follow on other major peaks as well. While many climbers have yet to reveal their plans just yet, here are a few that we know about already.

Last week it was revealed that 76-year old Carlos Soria will attempt a double-header in the Himalaya this spring. In fact, he will actually depart for Nepal this Saturday so that he can get started on his acclimatization well ahead of his climbs. Carlos hopes to make an early attempt on Annapurna (8091 m/26,545 ft) and then jump over to Dhaulagiri (8167 m/26,794 ft) afterwards. If all goes according to plan, he'll add two more major peaks to his already impressive resume. As he prepares to depart, the Spaniard says that he is feeling good and looking forward to the challenge ahead.

Despite having been to Everest on six previous occasions, Ralf Dujmovits isn't quite done with the mountain just yet. He tells Stefen Nestler that he plans to return to the Big Hill this spring to attempt to summit without oxygen. Ralf has climbed all of the 8000 meters peaks, and with the exception of Everest back in 1992, he has done so without the use of supplemental oxygen. He aims to return this year and remedy what he now sees as a blemish on his climbing record.

Ralf will be climbing from the North Side this time out, and he is saying that this will definitely be his last expedition to Everest. He is far from finished climbing or pursuing other adventures, but at the age of 53 he is now seeking challenges elsewhere.

Of course, the other major event to take place on Everest this spring will be Kilian Jornet's attempt at a speed record. After setting impressive new marks on both Denali and Aconcagua in 2014, he'll have his work cut out for him on Everest. There is no question that Jornet is an impressive athlete, and I suspect he'll put in an impressive show on the tallest mountain on Earth. But he has never operated at an altitude like he one he'll experience on Everest. It will be interesting to see if he can maintain the level of performance that we've seen out of him in the past when he gets above 8000 meters (26,246 ft).

There will of course be plenty of other expeditions to follow in the weeks ahead. We're about six weeks off from the start of the spring season, and it is already shaping up to be an interesting one.

Fall Climbing Season in Nepal Sees Just 20% Success Rate

It was a rough fall climbing season in Nepal with a lot of mountaineers heading home without a successful summit. According to an article published in the Himalayan Times, expeditions that spent the Autumn in the Central Asian country only had a 20% success rate due to unusually bad weather across the region.

According to the article, there were 1385 foreign climbers, spread out over 183 permitted expeditions on 42 peaks in Nepal last fall. Those mountains that saw teams ranged from Nar Phu at 5921 meters (19,425 ft) to the 8163 meter (26,781 ft) Manaslu. Over the course of the season 242 climbers managed to record a total of 382 summits, with some bagging multiple peaks. Of those, the bulk of the successful climbs came on Ama Dablam and Manaslu, which saw 145 and 114 summits respectively. Furthermore, only Nanga Mari (6547 m/21,479 ft) and Nar Phu saw a 100% success rate with four and nine summits.

The other 8000-meter peaks that saw action in the fall included Makalu (8463 m/27,765 ft), Dhaulagiri (8167 m/26,795 ft), and Lhotse (8516 m/27,940 ft). All three of those mountains turned back all comers, with no teams recording a summit on any of them.

Obviously the poor weather in the Himalaya played a role in this dramatic drop-off in the number of fall summits. You may recall that a massive blizzard hit Nepal back in October, claiming the lives of more than 40 trekkers. That snow storm closed passes and dumped more than a meter of fresh powder in some areas, which hindered both trekking and climbing expeditions alike. Teams on Lhotse and Dhaulagiri in particular were hit hard by the poor weather, which was unusually bad even before the blizzard hit.

Still, this is an incredibly low success rate on many mountains that are often used as tune-ups for the bigger peaks. Traditionally those peaks see solid numbers of climbers reach the top as they build skills and experience for Everest or other Himalayan mountains. The article from the Himalayan Times only offers up the statistics however, and doesn't provide any further insight into why the success rate was so low this year.

We'll have to wait to see if this will become a trend or if the fall of 2014 was an anomaly. But with climate change impacting weather across the planet, it is possible that we could see even more big storms and extremely bad weather in the future too.

Winter Climbs 2015: Russians Depart Nanga Parbat, Daniele Preps For Summit Bid

There is more news to report from Nanga Parbat today, as the Russian squad that has been climbing the mountain has pulled the plug on their expedition. The team returned to Base Camp a few days ago after a summit bid stalled due to bad weather. The team began packing their gear and is now preparing to head home.

The news of the Russian team's departure came via a text message to the Russian Climb website. That message reads as follows:

"Today exactly 45th day as we left St. Petersburg, and, unfortunately, the time for our expedition runs to the end. The mountain is clear at last, for the first time in two weeks, but there're still snow flags on the top due to the strong wind. We pack BC and are going down."

Over the course of their month and a half on the mountain they were able to climb as high as 7150 meters (23,458 ft) before being turned back due to high winds. Since descending they have reported continued bad weather, although things are expected to gradually improve in the days ahead. Unfortunately for the four-man squad of  Nickolay Totmjanin, Serguey Kondrashkin, Valery Shamalo and Victor Koval, time has run out and they must now return home. 

Meanwhile, over on the Daimir Face, Alex Txikon and company have found it tough going on their way up to Camp 2. They have struggled to make progress in a speedy fashion due to deep snow along the route. The men had hoped to reach C2 yesterday, but unfortunately they came up just a bit short. The squad, which also consists of local climbers Muhammad Ali "Sadpara" and Muhammad Kahn, as well as a trio of Iranians (Reza Bahadorani, Iraj Maani and Mahmood Hashemi), had reached 5800 meters (19,028 ft) along the Kinshofer Route before having to call it a day. They hope to establish Camp 2 at 5900 meters (19,356 ft) today and possibly continue up to Camp 3 depending on conditions. 

Italian climber Daniele Nardi is going it alone on the Mummery Rib. According to his latest dispatch he reached Camp 3 at 5600 meters (18,372 ft) yesterday and will attempt to continue up the route today. The forecast indicates good weather for the next two days, with a bit of snow on the weekend. If those conditions hold, Daniele hopes to be in position to make a summit bid on Sunday. 

Finally, shifting gears to the spring climbing season ahead, Spanish mountaineer Carlos Soria has announced his plans for the Himalaya, and they are ambitious ones. The 76-year old climber doesn't appear to be slowing down any, as he now plans to climb both Annapurna and Dhaulagiri in a few months time. In fact, he intends to leave for Nepal next week, and will spend his time trekking throughout the country to begin his acclimatization well ahead of the start of the climbing season. He then says that he and his team will go to Annapurna early on to scout the mountain well ahead of time. Later he will proceed to Dhaula to continue his quest to summit all 14 of the 8000 meter peaks. 

Good luck to Carlos in this endeavor. He remains an inspiration to us all.