A block of ice is currently blocking the ascent route.
Shortly before the start of the climbing season on Mount Everest, the route to the summit of the highest mountain in the world is still blocked. The route from Base Camp to Camp 2, which has normally been open for a long time, is blocked by a serac – a piled up block of ice – in the Khumbu Icefall, Nepal’s Tourism Ministry said. Specialists are currently looking for a safe route that is not at risk from the Serac collapse in the already particularly critical glacier area.
This was stated by ministry spokesman Himal Gautam. Normally the route to Camp 2 is open from mid-April, climbers can acclimatize by repeatedly changing camps before summit attempts. The first summit ascents are usually achieved at the beginning of May.
The fact that the route has not yet been set up is increasing concerns about extreme crowds and traffic jams on the route. The time window is small anyway: the Everest climbing season is concentrated in a few days to weeks in May, when the weather conditions are most stable and the gradual melting of the Khumbu Glacier does not yet force the climbers to turn back. The short weather window has often led to traffic jams in the area, which is known as the dead zone because of the extremely low oxygen levels.
While local organizations are responsible for repairs and rope fixing between Base Camp and Camp 2, external expedition operators have started work on the upper sections up to the summit using helicopters to speed up the process, Gautam explained. According to the spokesman, as of Friday, 410 mountaineers had received a permit to climb Everest in the current spring season. Further registrations are expected by mid-May.
Authorities expect the total number of climbers to remain at the same level as previous years despite the increase in the permit fee from $11,000 to $15,000 (12,800 euros). Nepal’s government has already made record revenue from permits this season, Gautam said. The Himalayan country is home to eight of the world’s 14 eight-thousanders, including Everest, making it a global center for high-altitude mountaineering. (APA/dpa)
