Hi all,

Of course I spent far too much time discussing the overall Everest Test this year in general terms. But now I should describe how our own Himex team did, as we also have some interesting points to learn from.

To start we had a strong team, and we did our normal slow acclimatization trek into BC. But this year we were heading to Pumori for our acclimatization, rather than going back down to Lobuche. I have already explained all the reasons for this previously. Looking at Pumori during the trip in was all rather daunting, and so we discussed the actual aim of acclimatization on this hill at length with members. But by having a Climbing Permit allowed us to camp at all the camps and we could use these for acclimatization.  We immediately ruled out staying at C1 as this is just 2 hours out of EBC, although we did have a tent there to store equipment. So the first real camp was C2 at 5,850m which was a really good place to acclimatize before going through the Icefall on Everest. But by camping at C3 6,800m was even much better, and of course the summit at 7,165m which is almost as high as our C3 on Everest, would save us another trip through the Icefall.

So it was interesting to see how members performed on Pumori, and then how well they performed on Everest…..and frankly there were no surprises. In past years Himex has always asked members to come and climb another 8,000m peak before attempting Everest, but in recent times we have lowered these standards …….to come into line with practically all the other operators. Of course there have always been exceptions in the past…..one of the more notable exceptions being David Tait who had no previous 8,000m experience when he first came with Himex…..but he has now been to the summit of Everest five times. So this year we did take some exceptions to the rule. We discussed this with those members….and sent them on various training courses around the world. We also discussed these matters at BC, because it became apparent even from our trips up and down Pumori there were certain shortfalls in ability, pace setting and confidence on technical ground. As I have repeatedly said, Everest is not the place to be learning to climb mountains.

In hind sight, I feel that the Pumori experiment was a success…..we learnt quit a lot about the route, where to put camps, how to use the camps effectively, and of course we also had success. And it did save us one trip through the Icefall for members, so in the end we only went through the Icefall once on the way to the summit and once on the way back down. This also saved us many Sherpa trips through the same area, something we are always trying to reduce. And of course when on the Lhotse Face and are able to look down on Pumori….it is now no longer so daunting….and is put into perspective.

So by the time we got to C2 on Everest we had a pretty strong and effective team, although those who lacked the 8,000m experience, were struggling the most. It was very unfortunate that Jaco was unable to feel comfortable with the warming of his toes and hands. We knew we were going to have to endure colder than normal temperatures when higher on the hill, and Jaco made the very difficult decision not to continue higher and risk the likely chance of frostbite.  Can I point out that at this point Jaco was still strong and was looking like a likely summiteer. Jaco was a popular member in the team, so everyone felt so sorry for him, as I am sure he did as well…..but in typical Aussie / South African style…..he put on a brave face and came back to BC with a pretty philosophical, positive attitude. Mick who also had no previous 8,000m experience struggled from the onset with acclimatization climbs, never quite being able to pace himself to the higher altitude. Normally a fast and efficient climber on peaks in Europe, it was hard for him to feel the frustration of going so slow when at altitude. It is something that is hard to explain….you still want to go faster…..but the legs just don’t work the same….and this can become incredibly irritating. Unfortunately Mick suffered from altitude at C3 on Pumori, and then he was doing so well on Everest, but again struggled with the altitude at the Balcony on summit day. He also made the very wise decision to turn back, and not cause himself and the rest of the team problems later in the day. That left us with Martin….who has been to the summit of Manaslu, and also who summited Pumori, Dan who has been to Manaslu previously and of course Woody and Steph.

Now let us digress for a short while and look at the weather. Very early on during the season I realized that we were not going to have a fast season like the previous two years. Despite us arriving early….it looked like we were in for the long haul. Temperatures were generally colder, and as I have already discussed the jet stream did not move far away. But even when we were still on Pumori I was thinking that we would be heading to the summit around the 25 May.  But as time got closer, it did look that 22 – 24 would become better summit days. Even when our team left BC, I was thinking that the 22 was now going to be to windy, and that we should summit on 23 or 24. But during the time at C2 I saw that the 24^th was again going to be windy……and it became apparent that 23 was going to be the best summit day. The wind was going to drop to just 7 km at S Col as from 11.00 on the 22^nd, but also the wind changed direction just a few degrees….which also offered more protection when on the route up to South Summit. It was still expected to be cold -20 which is at the outer limit that I really want to be going to the summit as wind chill was still about -31. But there was also expected to be more moisture about, and I expected to have clouds up to about 8,000m level. But by the time members should be reaching the summit, there should be no cloud and about 11 km of wind.

We never leave C4 at midnight…..that is the time that the spirits change in local folk law, so the Sherpas never want to leave then. The Sherpas wanted to leave at 11.30……but I asked Woody to leave at 01.00 as I felt that this would be a better time to reach the summit. We see so many teams that leave at 18.00 or 21.00 the night before….but I never really quite understand that. We normally leave at about 01.00 and often seem to be some of the first to the summit. I suggested that we should do the same on this summit day.

As it turned out, the team left at 00.45 from C4, there was no wind, however the cloud was a bit higher than expected and so they were in very light snow fall as they made their way up to the Balcony, but this in fact made it warmer. The guys were complaining to me over the radio that they were too hot. Of course we were expecting colder conditions and so I had asked that everyone dress warm. Nick and Nima turned around from the Balcony at 05.07. By the time our team reached the South Summit it was clear of cloud and I could see them through the telescope from BC. And there was a clear way ahead with no crowds, so as we have done so many times before, we were able to pass the bulk of people between C4 and South Summit. Of course this takes time, and requires a certain amount of extra work to make your own trail as you pass slower climbers……but all totally possible. And with Sherpas who have made on average about 17 ascents of the hill, they also know where to pass and where not to. Only Dan somehow managed to get stuck behind some group or another, so he was a bit later getting to South Summit…..but once with a clear route ahead, he managed to get up and down to the summit quite quickly. So 06.45 Martin and Son Dorgee reached the summit followed at 07.00 by Steph and Woody. It was now clear and calm, so the forecast was actually worse than it really was, the long wait had paid off.

Another small digression: I think I am allowed to mention this now.

This was Woody’s 10 ascent of the hill, and he became the first Kiwi to do so. But to everyone’s surprise….he collapsed…….to his knee……and called to BC by radio to speak with Rochelle……his partner who was visiting BC at the time…….and very modestly proposed to her. Once we had all recovered from shock ……I believe that Roche agreed.

Dan and Nima were on the summit at 10.13 and left to come down at 10.41 at about the same time as Mick and Nima were reaching the bottom of the Lhotse Face. Dan and Nima were back down to South Col where they decided to stay for another night at 14.18….just as Steph and Woody were leaving to go down to C2, and the wind as predicted started to return. Martin was having a hard time to get down the Lhotse Face, and so he wisely decided to stop at C3.  This left us strung out a little more than I would normally like…..but that is why we leave these camps in place.

So why was Martin having such a hard time to come down….when he has continually been first on all these summits. Well that is a different story, and one that needs to be explained.

I first meet Martin in 2010 when he was part of Walking With The Wounded (WWTW). At that time we were discussing what it would take to form a team of injured ex-servicemen to the summit of Everest. It was decided that there would be a selection process where various applicants would be interviewed, and those who were successful would then go to Chamonix and do some mountaineering training before climbing Mont Blanc. Everyone did that and then those who had proved to be the best to move on then came to Manaslu. Again practically everyone went to the summit of Manaslu on this trip, so it was then a hard selection as to who to take to attempt Everest. Of course Prince Harry is one of the major sponsors of WWTW so we had to take good care and attention to detail before we were allowed to take ex-solders who had been injured…..we certainly could not injure them further. Glenfiddich was also one of the major sponsors so this involved having to drink whisky with Prince Harry at a fundraising auction in London, which presents its own dangers.

But in 2012 is when I stopped my expedition because I felt that conditions were to dangerous. And surely as the Lhotse Face was so dangerous from rockfall, very few teams actually went to C3 for acclimatization, and they just pushed for one summit push, therefore taking many more people without the correct acclimatization or climbing ability, and pushing them to the summit…..taking far too long…..running out of oxygen….and so suddenly the death rate jumped that year. Some of you may remember, that was the first time that we saw photos of long lines of climbers on Everest. (Something that just repeated itself again….but worse this year).

Well Martin never stopped his own personal ambition to climb Everest. He then set up his own trust Adaptive Grand Slam (AGS) info@adaptivegrandslam.com

Again this was a project to climb the “Seven Summits and go to the two Poles”, but he opened this project to civilians and women who had been injured…..an ambitious project for any able-bodied person….but made even more difficult if one is disabled in some way or another.

But what I have learnt during my time of working with these people, is their constant mental drive to overcome all of life’s problems that are presented to them by not being as physically able as others. That drive along with an incredibly high pain threshold, and a totally sick sense of humor seems to be a common theme with those who I am in contact with.

So again Martin set about doing his own selection course before coming with a small team to Everest this year. Working with my long term friend from Everest North East Ridge in 1988, Harry Taylor where we became the first people to cross the “Pinnacles Route” which we also survived unscathed after a bivouac at 8,400m. Harry was a fellow guide in Chamonix, and has been closely involved with Martin and AGS, so they have already climbed Aconcagua, Vinson and the like. And with the help of Mark Slatter the owner of Olympian Homes who was the major sponsor for this year’s trip. www.olympianhomes.com As it turns out Mark is a close friend of Chris Dovell who summited Everest with Himex several years ago, and who more importantly privately we have climbed all the other Seven Summits together over a period of years. I have to say an interesting group of highly motivated people.

Martin was shot three times during service in Afghanistan, you would think that he would pull his head in and hide, but as he says….the shooters must have been rotten shots. This injured his Brachial Plexus with the gunshot through his upper chest. This effectively pulled a nerve out of the central system and makes one of his arms ……although still attached….to be ineffective what so ever. So of course that makes everyday life difficult, from cutting up steak on the plate, going to the toilet, doing up shoe laces…..all those things that we just take for granted. So you can see why Martin decided to stop at C3, he has just climbed to the summit of Everest and come back to C3 using one arm…..so the lazy sod decided to stop…..actually his good arm was getting too tired, and he did not want to risk having an accident on the final lower slopes of the Lhotse Face. So even when it is hurting so much, and much easier terrain is just another hour away…..he is able to keep a clear head and make rational decisions.

But think about it for a little while, how to support a useless arm, which still has the weight of bone and flesh when climbing, so he had a sling integrated into his pack.  The fitting of the pack is rather important as it is always trying to slip off the useless shoulder. Of course this does not help with balance, especially when crossing ladders with a crevasse underneath. And that arm does not sweat, so there is a big difference in body temperature, and he needs to be especially careful not to get frostbite in that hand. This also effects the core temperature….all side effects that the normal climber does not have to worry about.

Excuse me, again I am going to digress again. A couple of years ago the MoT in its wisdom suggested that physically disabled people would not be allowed to climb on Everest, and that would help reduce the numbers climbing. Just total lip service from an organisation who has no idea of what they are talking about. Are they also going to stop all the Sherpa’s who have lost toes and fingers to frostbite….lets face it…..that is also disabled. I agree those who have major problems like being blind…..and then require a large team of Sherpas to help….does put more people in danger. But there was another disabled woman…..with above the knee amputation who also made it to almost South Summit, an amazing effort, but she turned around, did not cause anyone any fuss, and made it back down to BC, not causing any traffic jams, or requiring rescue. So MoT are just a little out of touch with the reality of disabled people.

But Martin did not just come by himself, he also brought Terry who has a below the knee amputation that he also endured whilst serving in the services. Unfortunately he stood on a land mine….which seems like not such a good idea. Again a man with tremendous courage and unassuming mental strength. His artificial leg stays on with a compression sleeve. There is a compression latex sleeve that creates the friction to the upper leg and then this is covered by a standard sleeve. Amazingly when you walk behind Terry you would not even know he had an artificial leg, he does not walk with a limp or any outward signs.

Apparently there are various ways to deal with artificial legs. There is the suction system where there is a rippled liner that creates a suction when you put the prosthesis into the leg. This leg has an air valve so one has to release the air pressure to take the leg off. Or the pin lock leg that has a titanium pin on the liner, and this fits into whatever leg one might select. This has a release button to release the leg and apparently is the most secure. And then there is the titanium pin that is drilled into the end of the bone and then you clip on your artificial leg, but of course there is always an open wound to deal with where the pin comes out of the flesh. All rather gruesome….but at the same time interesting, however it does save having to put one shoe on and off each day….even if that shoe seems to wear out more quickly.

I must say this reminds me of our local butcher when I was a kid, he had an artificial wooden leg, actually I think it was made of fibreglass and had holes in the side. Ed our butcher used to go water skiing. It was great if he could stand up straight away, then he could ski, but if he had a false start his leg would fill up with water …..and would sink…..with rather dramatic effect.

Unfortunately Terry suffered from the decent from Pumori, and he managed to bruise his lower stump. In typical fashion he did not just say he was quitting, no he stayed for many days, initially resting, and going on small walks, but always the pain returned, and we could see his lower leg getting more and more inflamed. To the extent that he could not sleep at night due to the pain, so everyone decided that he had best get back home to see his specialist as quickly as possible. It was so sad to see him going home, but by the sounds of it, it was just as well, and he has now made a full recovery.

Martin also brought along Samantha for the trek to BC. She had a climbing accident several years ago and also is not able to use her arm as well as suffering from some brain damage which still affects her speech in small ways. Sam was such an amazing person, and although she suffered every day of the trek with the altitude as well as to deal with her disability….but she always had a smile on her face. The tears that rolled down her cheeks upon reaching Base Camp and seeing the summit of Everest was so impressionable. 

All of these people can teach us how to deal with our own hardships…..we do not need to be seeking pity from facebook logs, and most of us never have to undergo this pain or frustration of not being able to do normal things in a normal way. The determination that these people have is quite amazing….so it was of no concern to me that Martin was going to reach the summit of Everest…..and he was not responsible for any hold ups to others on the hill. In fact the opposite, he was often being held up by inexperience climbers….they are the ones that should not be on this hill.

So sorry not a story of line ups, speed ascents, hero antics or selfies….just another normal safe and successful trip to the summit…..like it should be.

Russ

Hi all,

Once again Everest makes headline news around the world, and the media has had a field day making all sorts of accusations, but with little consideration of just how we got to this situation. I have only been on 26 Everest Expeditions so what would I know….but I suspect that I can at least try and comment on the situation.

To anyone who has driven a motorcar in Kathmandu, you will have a bit of an idea about how Nepal works…..or does not work !!!! There is a lack of infrastructure, for which the authorities seem to have a disdain in trying to rectify……everyone tries there best to do what their own particular goal is…..that might mean driving a car from one place to another…..but then the motorbike riders are more maneuverable so they will overtake, pass on the inside, cut across the path of the car….and at the same time the pedestrian traffic also wants to cross from one side of the road to the other…..or they just want to walk along the footpath…..but that has been dug up to put in a water supply……that was supposed to be finished 6 years ago…so they need to walk on the road…..but what about the dogs….they also want to get from one place to another…….so there we are…..just a mass of people and animals all wanting to do their own thing……but not actually work together to make the journey more efficient and enjoyable……oh and don’t forget about the sacred cows who seem to find it fun to sit in the middle of some of Kathmandu’s busiest roads, or the power poles that are still in the middle of one of the lanes of traffic, having never been removed after the widening of the road. So to a Nepali person……this is normal.

Well that seems to be exactly the same thing happening on Everest.

Many years ago when Everest guiding first began, we saw an increase of operators…..these operators came from a base of reasonable mountaineering experience….but even at that early stage we all got together and self-imposed a set of guidelines on what the minimum safety standards needed to be. Remembering that despite many discussions with the authorities Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoT) we were unable to move these officials into thinking about the future, and setting guidelines for all operators. We called this organization International Guiding Operators 8,000 (IGO) and this was before the days of websites / blogs / twitter and the like. We set standards of guide / staff experience, minimum safety equipment and a recommended way of operation. Practically every operator agreed to these standards, but it was not long before Explorers Web started calling us a Cartel, which was the exact opposite to why we formed this organization. Eventually we decided that all this effort was not worth it, so the organization was disbanded…..however…..those same operators are all still here, and are all still operating their respective businesses according to those early guide lines…..and they all still work closely together.

In those early days, the media was already saying that Everest climbing was out of control…..but what several of the operators did was improve the safety (especially for Sherpa staff) and all on the hill. Many of these safety features made commonsense, but the media continued to denounce the operators saying that we were now providing luxury….because they have never been climbers….and have no expedition experience. But still the majority of operators worked together, and often discussed how to make expedition climbing safer….which then turns into more successful. We improved weather forecasting, telecom communications, insurance, wages, safety equipment, and made big improvements to the way rope fixing was done. At the same time these operators continued to have discussions with the MoT……but not a single thing has been improved from the government end…..so a total lack of direction from the country that is collecting so much for Permit Fees. Is it any wonder that it is a free for all on the hill now !!!

Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) was formed to help reduce the impact of garbage on the hill, but they also took control of the rope fixing through the Icefall using a dedicated group of Sherpa’s called the Icefall Doctors. We as operators continue to have meaningful dialogue with the SPCC……but many of these suggestions the SPCC are not able to implement …….again because MoT are not willing to make changes or give permissions to make improvements.

We as operators also helped form Expedition Operators Association (EOA) in an effort to simplify and improve the rope fixing. But again EOA are continually making representation to MoT…..but getting nowhere.

And of course there are all the other organizations behind that are equally as ineffective Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), Sagarmatha National Park and so it goes on. But like the street in Kathmandu…..all of these organizations are trying to do their own thing……and are seldom working together. Now take each of these organizations individually, and you will find that there are often two or three different fractions within the same organiastion….so it is hard for them just as one organization to speak with a common voice.

The end result……total confusion.

But what is going wrong with Everest…..there is a simple answer…….there are too many companies……and too many people. We as operators and the media have been warning about this for many years !!!!! Now it is actually happening !!!!!

Over the last few years, there has been an increased number of foreign operators……mainly being set up by guides from existing companies…..most of them are offering something that is supposedly different or something special…..but at the end of the day it is basically the same product…..just marketed differently. So this has helped increase the numbers on the hill.

But along side this, in recent years there has been a drastic increase in the number of local Nepal operators. A small few of these operators are desperately trying to do a great job…..but many others are offering cheap trips….taking large numbers….and are far below what we would call normal operating standards. Sure they can offer cheaper trips, but this always comes at a cost, the quality of food that is being offered, sanitation levels, removal of rubbish and human waste, quality of staff, quality of equipment, safety equipment available, and past experience. Some of the claims of safety and success by some of these companies is doubtful…..and blatantly are lies. It is easy to set up a company in Nepal, but are the authorities at all interested in what previous experience one has, or what safety standards are being adhered to……no interest what so ever.

I can understand that some local operators want to increase the work opportunities for those who live in poor and underdeveloped areas of Nepal, so work on Everest offers a chance to earn money. But for many of these people, they have no mountaineering training what so ever. So some of these poor men are being sent onto Everest as their first time ever of wearing crampons. They have not been exposed to mountaineering before, so how do they know when to turn back or keep going, how do they recognize that they might be in danger or not. So yes I can appreciate that this is offering work, but operators also need to undertake correct and through training before putting these lads in this position. More and more we are hearing of cases where a client has left their “Climbing Sherpa” behind on the mountain….that’s because this poor lad does not have experience, and should never have been in this situation in any case, but nobody takes this up with the company concerned, or the authorities.

But at the same time, many of these new companies are targeting Indians and Chinese clients.  We are hearing so many more stories of the corruption involved with Indian clients……people who can increase their work rankings if they summit Everest…..people who gain money or land if they summit Everest. And at the same time we are seeing an increase of “false climbing permits”, people claiming to reach the summit….but have photoshopped someone else’s photo, people claiming to have been to the summit…..but are in Base Camp 2 hours later……and so it goes on. And of course the Chinese who have not climbed another 8,000m peak are not able to climb Everest in China…..so they come to Nepal. Easy markets to prey on…..but members are mainly inexperienced and should not be on Everest.

Now the reality on the hill of a new company coming to the mountain is, there are more Base Camps, so space is restricted, there are more people peeing into the water supplies, so clear water is becoming in short supply, more base camp staff, much more equipment that has to be carried in and out of BC, then more climbing Sherpas…..so now more pressure is put on the ladders and the route through the icefall…….more camps at C2, so more pollution, now more pressure on the fixed ropes to the summit, and even more camps at South Col, and the associated rubbish and human waste effect. More pressure on summit days, more stealing of oxygen, more rescues, and more people and equipment to be taken away from BC again. So with the limited infrastructure that is in place, even a month before climbers arrive at BC, we have gridlock of equipment moving from Kathmandu to be flown into the Khumbu…..some loads sitting on the side of a runway for weeks on end…..a constant stream of porters and yaks taking loads to BC, then traffic jams of Sherpas carrying loads through the Icefall….and so it continues up the Lhotse Face and then onto the summit…..then at the end of the season the mad rush to line up for one of the 30 or so helicopters per day to fly out…..and long after the climbers are back home……the gridlock of yaks and porters carrying equipment back out again.

But the same is happening with the Everest Base Camp Trek, we are seeing between 300 on a quite day, and 600 people on a busy day, of day trippers visiting EBC. Again with no infrastructure or policing in place, they are leaving human waste, garbage and graffiti on the rocks. The lodges are totally over crowded, so it is not even a very present experience, and of course the basic amenities are stretched to their limits.

Of course this is all great for the economy of Nepal. Just the Climbing Permits alone for the climbers this year brought in over $4 million directly to the MoT, and some of us estimate that a further $12 million was spent on hotels, restaurants, helicopters, planes, lodges, porters/yaks, climbing staff and the like. This is a sizable proportion of the total tourist income of Nepal…..and Nepal needs more income !!!! But does it need the bad publicity that comes along with this overcrowding.

Many critics would say that we are directly responsible for this. Yes I must accept a certain amount of responsibility, I spent many years trying to understand how to make Everest expeditions safer and more successful. When I first climbed Everest we had very little fixed rope, and so had to short rope…..but I personally spent considerable time in trying to improve how we fixed rope…..yes a lot of my own fault. But at the same time many less people have died because of the fixed ropes. When we first put a tarpaulin on the floor of our dining tent, others followed……when we then put insulation and carpet on the floor…..others followed…..why because it improves comfort which also improves performance which improves safety…..and so it goes on. Yes when I moved from North side to South side….I started going to Lobuche for acclimatization…..now it is too polluted, and overcrowded…..so I have stopped going there. And this year we successfully carried out our acclimatization on Pumori. We were the only team there, and that was nice. I am sure that other teams will be only too happy to use our ropes there next year……but hope not.

Some are saying that the overcrowding this year is due just to the weather. Yes we had a cold jet stream just to the North of Everest this year, that sat there and did not move away for most of the season. But there were some good days early season, but before the rope had been fixed, and there were some good days later in the season…..acceptable on North side but too late on the South side because of the warming up of the Icefall. But most teams went to the summit on days that were too windy and too cold…..and so the wind chill factor was well into the -40 plus range. Sure one might be able to deal with these temperatures at sea level, but to spend protracted hours in such conditions at 8,000m is not an easy task to ask of the average climber.

Our summit day on 23 May was well predicted in weather forecasts, there was no wind at South Col at 00.45 when the team left. There was cloud predicted to 8,000m but actually this went up to 8,400m so our team experienced very light snow during the climb to the Balcony, but this had the advantage of increasing temperatures a little. When the team reached the summit at 07.00 it was clear and calm, and everyone was back down to S Col again by 11.00 and had left the Col by 14.00 when the wind increased again.

Despite there being many very detailed weather forecasts, I am not actually sure many people are able to read these correctly and are able to accurately analyze what is really happening. I was shocked to see an operator who did not actually know where Everest was, or how to read the wind direction on a popular and well used weather model. And I see some teams who are receiving no weather data at all, so they are tending to follow the crowds.

For years and years, operators and equipment manufacturers have been developing better products, boots, fabrics and the like…..but now we are seeing an ever increasing amount of frostbite. That is not the fault of the manufacturers, that is bad leadership/advice and a total lack of personal responsibility. Its almost as though by losing your fingers to frostbite on Everest is like a trophy….well it isn’t ……and the effects of not having digits will effect your business and home life for the remained of your life. So I do not get this disregard to basic safety. In the past, we operated expeditions all about safety, safety, safety……but now it does not seem to happen…..its about summit, summit, summit at whatever it costs.

We are also seeing a bigger trend towards people pushing well beyond their limits, those who are trying to finish their Seven Summits……but pushing past what their bodies are capable, several deaths this year of older, experienced climbers dying on the way down from reaching the summit, or those trying to summit without oxygen pushing past what was their limit. All of us who attempt Everest need to understand that if we push too hard, we might not recover. For sure Everest is not easy, so yes we do need to go outside of our comfort zone, and we do need to push hard…..but we also need to understand where our own limit is……and this comes from experience.

But there is no excuse for one Nepal operator, (of course we all know who it is…..but are not allowed to name them) to be losing so many climbers, five of the 21 people who died in the last season on different mountains (that’s almost a quarter) which brings to more than 50 fatalities in eight years of operation of this company. If this company was a foreign operator we would have had charges brought against us or at least there would be some form of enquiry, or we would be in jail. But nobody MoT, EOA, NTB takes any action. Even when the same company has been exposed as being corrupt with its dealing with helicopter rescue, and the authorities say they will make a full investigation and take appropriate action…..but nothing has been done.  The same company that is very well sponsored with clothing, equipment and tents…..but at the end of the season would prefer to cut their company logo out of the tent fly, and leave a perfectly operation tent on the slopes to become garbage a year later.

Why, because this is Nepal, and when you go to Nepal, you need to do things the Nepal way. With corruption being the way of life….then one needs to do business in an underhand way….not be honest and try and improve business ethics and safety.

I suspect that I am too old to care now, and I have spent the last 40 odd years trying to improve systems, and the Nepal mountaineering business, but this has not worked.

Lots of pros and cons to consider. But what needs to be done:

• For MoT to make changes to rules and regulations to accommodate modern expedition logistics.
• We have been suggesting to MoT for many years that the current system of each team having a Liaison Officer does not work. Practically none of these LO’s ever turn up at BC, then only for a few hours before going back to Ktm. We are suggesting that there should be three senior LO’s, one from MoT, one from Police, one from Army,  and that they should all be trained to deal with emergencies and complaints of theft and wrong doing at BC.
• CTMA use this system very effectively in Tibet.
• Instead of increasing the cost of radio permits, we should be encouraging the use of radio, and so each radio should have a life long radio permit and a off permit charge. Teams without radios should be penalized, not the teams with radios.
• Laws concerning news from expedition teams should be changed to take into account that practically everyone is already communicating with the outside world by wifi or phone.
• Enforce the current rule that all members and staff must submit a complete medical report….these need to be verified by a registered doctor.
• Set a minimum wage for all local staff at various rates for different jobs.
• Set and enforce minimum insurance for all staff.
• Ensure that all climbing staff have attended appropriate training courses, and have suitable high altitude experience.
• Set and enforce a minimum height standard that an Everest climber must have achieved prior to attempting Everest. Currently this is 6,000m, which is still 2,800m below the summit of Everest, and not even at C2, so means nothing. But the MoT have no way of checking this….a person who climbs Kilimanjaro has been higher than 6,000m….but this is just a walk….where as a person who has climbed Denali is not eligible, despite this being a more technical mountain that actually requires some mountaineering proficiency.
• By ensuring that an Everest climber has already been on another 8,000m peak can be easily verified between the Nepal, Tibet and Pakistan authorities. We certainly see that those who have been to 8,000m prior to Everest are then much safer and successful when on Everest.
• CTMA uses this system in Tibet.
• Allow SPCC to charge all trekkers into the Khumbu a garbage fee, so as all users of the area contribute to cleaning. Then SPCC could concentrate more on the Icefall rope fixing.
• Issue permits for flying all equipment to C2 by helicopter, so as to reduce Sherpa loads through the Icefall.
• Allow EOA to start the rope fixing process earlier.
• Ensure that all operators have minimum safety equipment.
• Help SPCC and EOA with reduced import tax on rope fixing and special safety equipment like stretchers, crevasse and avalanche rescue equipment.

But the job does not just come down to the actions of MoT. We all need to start showing the respect that Everest demands, if we don’t, then she will continue to claim many people lives.

• We as operators need to restrict our numbers per team. The rule is 15 members per team. But we also need to ensure that we are using suitably qualified staff, and that we only take proficient climbers, and have a proof of this.
• Sponsors also need to take care that they are no sponsoring a person or operator who is not qualified to climb Everest.
• Media needs to pay attention to what is really happening, rather than just concentrating on headline news.
• Media needs to pay more attention to what is real news, and what is just being said on blogs by people who have very little idea of what is actually happening.
• Nepal needs to work harder to reducing corruption in the country.

This year I heard of a climber who was heavily sponsored, but she took 22 hours to walk from BC to C2, how come such an inept climber is totally sponsored on such a massive task.

I also heard of a climber who took 15 hours to walk from BC to C1. That team kept taking her higher and higher….taking ridiculous times to get from camp to camp…….guess what, she is now dead lying on the upper slopes…….what a surprise.

We have seen the increased use of helicopters on Everest, and again I must accept a certain amount of responsibility for this as I was one of the first operators to regularly use helicopter transport, but at no stage did I believe that it would be abused to the extent that it has been by some of the less reputable operators with insurance fraud.

https://www.travellerassist.co/case-studies/named-the-people-and-companies-behind-nepal-multimillion-dollar-travel-insurance-fraud-scam

This was exposed by some of the insurance providers and was reported last year to the MoT. There was a definite reduction in helicopter “rescue” this year….but still we saw more than 60 so called rescues from C2 during the last season. I understand that a permit for each rescue must be obtained from Lukla, where I suspect the poor chap was suffering from writer’s cramp.

I dare say all I can say is we need to respect this important feature of Nepal, otherwise we will find that such a magnificent beast will turn its fury on all of us, much to the detriment of Nepal tourism. Year 2020 is Nepal Tourism year……can we all work together to try and make this a positive year and a positive event. But pre publicity has not been good.

Russ

Hi all,

On the 23rd Of May members and Sherpas summited Everest.

06.22         Phura Namgyl

06.45         Martin Hewitt, Son Dorgee

07.00         Mark Woodard, Stephan Keck

10.13         Dan Clements, Nima Sona

Ian Hocking and Nima Wangchu made it to Balcony before returning to South Co

Dan and Nima are staying the night at S Col.

Martin is staying the night at C3.

All the others are staying at C2.

Regards Russ

Hi all,

Despite our early arrival to Base Camp and acclimatization on Pumori, the weather has not really played its part, and so it has turned out to be a long season, but this is not the first time, that is why we have a long program, and cater for this time here on the slopes of Everest, hence we will most likely return on the published dates. So many teams are coming with short programs, so they tend to push to the summit when the weather is not really correct. It has been an interesting season weather wise, and there has been a constant cold jet stream just north of us, not right on top of us, but not far enough north to make it easy for us. We were lucky when we went to the summit of Pumori, the forecast suggested that we would have reasonably strong wind, but we were sheltered by the upper slopes of Pumori, and there was not enough snow about to make an avalanche danger, hence we were able to acclimatize and climb in relatively calm and warm conditions. However at the same time the rope fixing was not progressing on Everest….although I suspect that it could have been achieved up to South Col. This constant jet stream was moved a little by typhoon Fani which moved up from the Bay of Bengal, but fortunately this veered away from the Himalaya and so we only experienced one day of snow that disrupted us a little.

We watched the rope fixing team from Himalayan Guides push the rope to the summit on a cold and windy day on 14 May, a superb effort from an experienced team who could withstand these severe conditions. Always a thankless task, not helped by the late start by the Expedition Operators Association (EOA) to purchase equipment and designate the operator to fix the ropes. Fortunately this was awarded to Himalayan Guides, but again more delays until the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Mountaineering (MoT) issued the helicopter permit to fly the rope fixing equipment to C2. These officials all sit in Kathmandu and do not realize that their lack of action is having such an important effect on the climbers that they are busy issuing Climbing Permits to, at $11,000 per person. The first time we were allowed to fly this equipment into C2 was on 10 Apr and the latest, up until this year was 14 Apr, and this year was 19 Apr. However the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) do recognize that the seasons are moving forward a little and that temperatures will rise earlier, so they do come early and fix the rope through the Ice Fall early, and this is appreciated by those teams that come early. So lost rope fixing days due mainly to poor organization.

Although a seasoned rope fixing team can go to the summit in less than favorable conditions, it is a different story for operators who take clients to the summit in similar conditions, but of course there was an immediate rush for teams to summit on 15 and 16 May.  It has been of no surprise for us to see the number of helicopter rescues from C2 bringing people with frostbite, and the inevitable fatalities in these last few days.

This last week has been windy on the summit, but clear and warm down here at BC, which has been difficult for members to endure. However many teams are looking to go to the summit on 21 and 22, not ideal conditions, but maybe this is all that this constant jet stream will offer for this season. The wind is not at all settled so it is hard to decide which day will be best, still two days ago our team left BC for C2, and today they have their second rest day there, although our Sherpa team have been carrying loads to South Col. Tomorrow the team will move up to C3 and then on 22 to C4. With a bit of luck I hope that we will have a reasonable summit day on 23. Not ideal, but I hope the best day available as it appears that it will again become windy on 24 until early next month. The north side can wait for this next envelope, but here on the south side we need to finish by the end of the month as the SPCC will be clearing the ropes and ladders out of the Ice Fall on 29. Here is hoping for a safe and successful summit day.

Regards Russ