Not far from Mount Everest’s Base Camp, a dangerous patch of glacial ice, or serac, is blocking the climbing route to the summit and shortening the already brief window for climbers to enter the busiest spring season.
The Nepal government has issued 410 permits for tourist climbers this season, with mountaineering a major revenue source for the small country that is home to eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks.
What is the reason for the delay and why can’t it be cleared?
A team of so-called “snowfall doctors,” expert climbers who clear the way for more minor snow obstacles for less experienced climbers, began repairing ropes and ladders on Mount Everest last month in preparation for the spring climbing season.
But at altitudes of more than 5,300 meters (about 17,400 feet) the big serac above the dangerous Khumbu Icefall can collapse without warning and trigger a deadly avalanche.
“It’s not something you can fix or remove,” said tourism department spokesman Himal Gautam. “It’s natural. We can only wait and assess.”
Snow doctor Dawa Zangbu Sherpa told the AFP news agency that the team was “hoping it will clear up in a few days.”
The Khumbu Icefall, a constantly changing maze of crevasses and ice blocks, lies just above Mount Everest Camp One and is viewed as one of the most dangerous sections of the South Col climb even under normal conditions.
Himal Gautam said a team of experts would visit the site for monitoring and “will prepare an alternative plan if necessary.”
“We are trying to ensure that there is no delay, even in helicopter supplies, so that the routes are prepared on time,” he said.
A remote tent village of about 1,000 people – foreign climbers and support staff – remains at a safe altitude on the 8,849-metre mountain, awaiting the summit.
A crowded climb amidst the hustle and bustle of mountaineering
The spring season, with warmer temperatures than autumn between September and November, usually ends by the end of May.
Acclimatization and base camp preparations take place from March to late April, while Sherpas clear the way, and the summit takes place in May.
Despite comparatively favorable temperatures, the risks of monsoon make the summer months unsafe for almost all climbing activities.
Climbing the Himalayas, and especially Everest, has become big business since Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary became the first confirmed pair to reach the world’s highest peak in 1953.
The 410 permits this spring are close to the all-time record of 479 set in 2023.
Crowded climbing routes, even traffic jams caused by groups crossing each other’s path, have become common on the mountain, as well as other signs of overcrowding such as litter and dirt.
The shorter the time frame in which teams have to attempt to climb a massive mountain, the greater the risks.
The autumn summit in 2019 was also hosted by A Serac
Caution in handling huge glacial ice blocks can be traced back to 2014, when 16 Nepali guides were killed in an avalanche when a piece of the same glacier broke off and fell.
It was one of the deadliest accidents in the history of climbing Everest.
Edited by: Shawn Sinico