Approximately 410 climbers, along with an equal count of their Nepali guides, are currently stationed at the base camp, preparing for their climb to the nearly 8,850-meter-high (about 29,000-foot-high) summit this month during the anticipated favorable weather window on the mountain.
Climbers commenced gathering last month at the base camp, which is situated at an altitude of 5,300 meters (17,340 feet). However, for over two weeks, a large and unstable ice block, known as a serac, hindered their progress up the peak.
“Icefall doctors,” specialized guides assigned by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) to establish the annual climbing route by installing ropes and securing aluminum ladders over crevasses, typically complete their work by mid-April.
But this year is different.
The team managed to open the Icefall route only on April 29 but also issued a caution: “The serac contains several cracks and could collapse at any moment. SPCC strongly advises all expedition operators and climbers to proceed with utmost care.”
This unstable ice block is expected to persist, and the new path cleared by the team runs beneath it.
The serac is part of the Khumbu Icefall, a shifting glacier characterized by deep crevasses and massive overhanging ice formations that can reach the height of ten-story buildings. It is regarded as one of the most challenging and perilous sections of the ascent to the summit.
Climbers, their guides, and expedition providers are feeling both anxious and vigilant regarding the situation on the mountain.
Renowned mountaineer Lukas Furtenbach, leading a team of 40 climbers, 11 guides, and 90 Sherpas on Mount Everest, expressed his concerns.
“Anyone claiming they’re not worried is either inexperienced or oblivious,” Furtenbach remarked from base camp. “The serac presents a genuine, objective danger.”
He added that the current route is more intricate and exposed than the previous year’s.
“The Icefall is in constant flux, but at this moment it’s not just more fragmented — it’s also forced into a trajectory that passes beneath unstable formations,” he elaborated.
This season, the team is managing loads more carefully, reducing exposure time, timing movements through the Icefall strategically, and depending on highly experienced Sherpas and guides for risk assessment.
Other expedition leaders are similarly warning their members about potential risks and keeping a close watch on developments.
“Traveling in the morning might be safer as the ice remains frozen, but in the afternoon, it becomes hazardous as temperatures rise, leading to potential ice melt and falls,” explained Ang Tshering Sherpa from the Kathmandu-based Asian Trekking. “Caution is imperative this year.”
A collapsing serac caused an avalanche over the Khumbu Icefall in 2014, resulting in the deaths of 16 Nepali guides and workers.
Concerns have escalated regarding the rapid melting of glaciers attributed to global warming and climate change. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres visited a region in Nepal in 2023 and highlighted the alarming rates of glacier melting in the Himalayas.
According to Ang Tshering Sherpa, the number of climbers on Mount Everest this season is considerable, despite the conflict in Iran and rising travel costs. While the count of climbers from Western nations like the U.S. and Europe has decreased, there’s been an upsurge in climbers from Asia.
Mount Everest, located along the Nepal-China border, offers climbing routes from both sides. However, China has closed its route this year, requiring all climbers to approach from Nepal on the southern flank of the peak.
Since the historic first ascent on May 29, 1953, by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay, thousands have summited the peak.
