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This summer K2 will see a rare event, an attempt on the fully unclimbed West Ridge. Canadian Ian Welsted and American Graham Zimmerman will make an alpine attempt with no oxygen. While the route has been partially climbed three times, the final few hundred meters have never been completed for various reasons. They leave for Pakistan on June 17. After an extensive acclimatization program...

As I sat down to write a recap of the 2021 spring season on Everest, these words came to mind: COVID, coverup, lies, misdirection, personal attacks, denials. Oh, and cyclones, wind, waiting, risk, and yes, summits. But, oh my, at what a cost? If 2019 was the year Everest broke, 2021 was the year Nepal broke Everest. With 2020 lost to the global pandemic, Nepal was desperate to rebuild its tourism...

I'll talk about the last few days of this Everest 2021 season. A reported 16 people (6 members with 10 Sherpas) took a gamble and summited on Monday, May 31 at 7:00 am. They evaluated the risky avalanche conditions after feet on fresh snow and used their powerful Sherpa resources to break the trail for their clients to the top. Well done by all and congratulations on dodging the ball.  More d...

Heavy snow was reported on Everest, but some teams are reporting low winds. Once again, the truth is opaque on Everest. The gag order by the Nepal government has had a dramatic impact on teams’ willingness to share any information that could be construed as negative, thus all the happy talk. A handful of teams are still eyeing the end of the month for one last try. Cyclone Yaas is expected to touc...

We saw summit wave 3 today, Sunday, May 23 2021 on #Everest2021. Estimates range from 150 to 170 summits, including Sherpas. This takes the season total to around 300 total summits, way off from the 2019 record 660 just on the Nepal side. High winds delayed departure from the South Col by several hours. Another 100 or so climbers are staged ready to summit Monday morning, May 24 before a big...

Teams are making serious summit plans with a few already staged at the South Col albeit in windy conditions. In fact, it’s too windy to go for the summit so they will hold in place Saturday, May 22 hoping to leave late Saturday night for a Sunday, May 23rd summit. It’s all about risk management at this moment.

The remanence of Cyclone Tauktae is playing cat and mouse with the aggressive teams. Madison Mountaineering hoped to get a jump on everyone and went to C3 only to find high winds. Four Sherpas from IMG made it to the South Col and also reported high winds. So the summit plans are off by a day with Madison now targeting May 22. Big Picture Teams are scattered from base camp to the South Col. M...

Lukas Furtenbach, of Austrian-based Furtenbach Adventures, made global headlines after he canceled his spring 2021 Everest expedition on the Nepal side last Friday. This follows the Chinese decision to cancel their only team on the Tibet side. Meanwhile, the officials responsible for the safety of guests climbing in Nepal deny climbers have COVID at Everest Base Camp. I interviewed Lukas...

The good news is the jet stream is easing off Everest as it moves north, the bad news is a cyclone skirting the west coast of India is expected to turn right running perpendicular to the Himalayas bringing strong weather along with it. It could "flood the mountain" according to meteorologist Chris Tomer and Everest Weather's Michael Fagin. Chris has told his clients on Everest and Makalu to "stand...

It was a big week of news on Everest this past week from clients summiting to a major operator canceling their expedition. This next week looks to be even bigger with 300 people trying to summit beginning May 19. I estimate 172 summits last week on May 11, 12, and 13. The jet stream was south of Everest thus the conditions were about as good as it gets on this high peak. However as the jet moved n...

The #Everest2021 scene is quiet now with the jet stream on top of the summit. On the Tibet side, China canceled the only expedition there.  I’m getting a few reports of high winds at C3 from the last rotation, and it’s worse now. That said, look for teams to begin their summit bids aiming for May 19-23. If for next week they will leave EBC on Monday, May 17th, or perhaps this weekend.  S...

With Everest 2021 well underway, we are seeing the first commercial clients summit after the ropes reached the summit by the Sherpa team on Friday, May 7, 2021. Now over 150 people have summited just as the weather turns bad. it looks like only a few more summits until after May 20. There are a bout 350 more people left to attempt the summit, including Sherpas. I discuss the season thus far plus t...

The rope fixing team made the summit on Friday, May 7, 2021, opening the route to the over 300 climbers left at base camp. The weather remains good, for Everest, so look for many teams to jump on this window. Meanwhile, it appears that the virus spread has stalled for the moment with no new cases reported at EBC for over a week. It’s unknown if this is real or more coverups. The Nepal government a...

The season continues on schedule and as normal as possible in this difficult year. Reports of helicopter evacuations have slowed to a trickle either because they are not happening or no one is talking. We know for sure the government is mum. Let's assume there are no new cases and hope for the best. Slowly a few teams are revealing that they brought rapid test kits and are doing regular testing. N...

Now that we are solidly into May, about mid-season for spring Everest, let's pause for a moment and take inventory of the situation. At the risk of giving readers whiplash, the bottom line for me is that things are looking better ... considering. Without a doubt, this may be the most challenging season in the history of Everest, perhaps topped only by the earthquake in 2015 and the extreme loss of...

I caught up with Garrett Madison, founder of Madison Mountaineering from Everest Base Camp. He describes #Everest2021 thus far as they prepare for a 2:00 am departure back to Camps 1 and 2 in the Western Cwm. This will be their last rotation before the summit push in a couple of weeks. I asked him how his team, Madison Mountaineering, was doing with the COVID outbreak at EBC. I talk in the be...

Kenton Cool is one of the premier climbers from the United Kingdom. Among his many accomplishments, he skied the 8000er Cho Oyu, made the first, and thus far only, climb of Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse in seven days in 2013. And he has summited Everest 14 times. He's currently on Everest with a client attempting his 15th which would tie American Dave Hahn for the most non-Sherpa summits of Everest....

It's clear that there is or has been COVID at Everest Base Camp. Well, at least it clear that people who had it there were taken to Kathmandu where they tested positive and are receiving treatment. It's also clear that Nepal is seeing a huge spike in new cases and has gone under lockdown once again. Finally, it's clear that India has become a super-spreader country and needs global help to respond...

Ed Viesturs has joined David Scheffer's Himali gear company. I interview the pair about how they met, Ed's contribution to an updated product line, and Ed's project with Inspiration4 - the first civilian space flight in history. University of Colorado graduate, David Schaeffer started the outdoor gear company, Himali, in 2014 along with Tendi Sherpa. Today, the Boulder, Colorado company has g...

Climbers in the Western Cwm are extending their stays to avoid EBC with the current spat of COVID evacuations. Good weather is allowing climbers to tag Camp 3 at almost 7,000-meters. The rope fixing teams reached the South Col. I expect the summit in a few days.

With climbers enjoying excellent weather while in the Western Cwm, meteorologists are seeing a strange phenomenon - a missing jet stream. These high winds aloft are the key for summiting Everest in particular. When the jet is off the summit, the winds drop below 30 mph, the maximum most guides will let their clients climb in. When on top of the peak, which is almost all year long, the summit is to...

The headlines for last week are COVID and record permits. Four people have been evacuated either from Everest Base Camp or very close with symptoms of COVID-19. Once in Kathmandu, they tested positive for the virus. It's a similar story for a few Sherpas. Look for the ropes to reach the summit this next week. Without a doubt, the virus is in the Khumbu and spreading. The open question will be if i...

While there are many books about Everest, only a few rise to a level above the rest. For me, it involves excellent storytelling, a unique point of view, a highly personal angle, and perhaps a bit of history. Well, The Third Pole by Mark Synnott ticks all these boxes.  For those who may not know Mark, he is a Noth Face sponsored athlete, New York Times best-selling author, and has also worked...

I caught up with Everest Guide Mike Hamill owner of Climbing The Seven Summits (CTSS) live at EBC to discuss Base Camp luxuries for #Everest2021. CTSS was founded by Mike after years of serving as a lead guide for another major company. He has a loyal following of clients and has set long-term goals to be a significant player in the global mountaineering market. Mike's vision is to meet his c...

The 2021 spring Everest season continues pretty much on track in spite of a few developments. The climbing permits issued by Nepal are approaching the 2019 record numbers so look for crowds similar to 2019 in the usual spots. The weather has been pretty normal as well. An avalanche off the West Shoulder of Everest made a direct hit on the Khumbu Icefall blocking the route on Tuesday, April 20, 202...