Early summit push cancelled
Plans by Everest expeditions to fix the ropes to the summit in the expected good weather period (10-12 May) have been cancelled.
Heavy snow on the Lhotse Face during the night of 9/10 May prevented both the ‘load carrying’ and rope fixing teams form climbing to the South Col as planned on 10th May. The 12 strong rope fixing team have returned to Base Camp.
The weather is looking better today (11th May) and the load carrying sherpas are hoping to place all the equipment needed for the summit push on the South Col. Additionally Jagged Globe Sherpas are aiming to collect the loads that were dropped at Camp 3 yesterday and carry them to Camp 4 on the South Col today.
The weather forecast models show a period of high winds from the 12th until the 17th. Once these drop it will be possible for the advance party of sherpas (including our own Pasnag) to prepare the route to the summit, with climbing teams following on a few days later.
We are all a bit dissapointed in this delay but we are aware that it it is still early in May and histroically most summits in recent years have happened in the second part of the month.
The climbers are remaining in Base Camp and watching for the weather window that we hope will open sometime after 20th May.
