Posted on 04/24/2026 2:05:29 PM PDT by MtnClimber
A chunk of ice suspended above the Khumbu Icefall near Base Camp on Mount Everest means it's not safe either for climbers or the specialist "icefall doctors" who typically clear away smaller obstructions.
In all, 410 climbers had been approved to scale the world's highest peak, as the typical spring window opens
A dangerous chunk of glacial ice, or serac, not far above Mount Everest's Base Camp is blocking the climbing route to the summit and shortening the already-brief window for climbers in the busiest spring season.
Nepal's government has issued 410 permits for tourist climbers his season, with mountaineering a major revenue stream for the small country that's home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks.
What's causing the delay and why can't it be cleared?
A team of the so-called "icefall doctors," specialist climbers who clear the path of more minor ice obstructions for the less experienced mountaineers, began fixing ropes and ladders on Mount Everest last month to prepare for the spring climbing season.
But the large serac above the treacherous Khumbu Icefall, at an altitude of more than 5,300 meters (roughly 17,400 feet), could collapse without warning and unleash a deadly avalanche.
"This is not something you can fix or move," said Himal Gautam, spokesperson for the Department of Tourism. "It's natural. We can only wait and assess."
Even in normal conditions, the Khumbu Icefall is regarded as one of the most dangerous sections on the South Col route to Everest's summit
Icefall doctor Dawa Jangbu Sherpa told the AFP news agency that the team "expect that it will clear in a few days."
The Khumbu Icefall, a constantly shifting maze of crevasses and ice blocks, is located just above Mount Everest Base Camp and is seen as one of the most dangerous parts of the South Col ascent even under normal circumstances.
Himal Gautam said that a team of experts would head to the site to monitor and "devise an alternative plan if needed."
"We are trying to ensure that there are no delays, even drop supplies by a helicopter, so that routes can be prepared on schedule," he said.
A remote tent village of around 1,000 people — foreign climbers and support staff — has built up at safer altitudes on the 8,849-meter mountain, waiting to make for the summit.
Crowded climbs amid mountaineering boom
The spring season, the busier of the two with warmer temperatures than the autumn window between September and November, typically concludes by the end of May.
Acclimatization and base camp preparations take place from March to late April, while sherpas clear the path, and the summit window tends to be in May.
Monsoon risks make the summer months unsafe for almost all climbing activity, despite the comparatively clement temperatures.
Climbing has become big business in the Himalayas, and particularly on Everest, since Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary became the first confirmed duo to reach the summit of the world's highest peak in 1953.
The 410 permits this spring season are close to the all-time record of 479 set in 2023.
Congested climbing routes, even mountain traffic jams as groups get in each other's way have become common on the mountain, as have other signs of overcrowding like litter and detritus.
The shorter the time period teams have to try to scale the vast mountain, the more such risks are amplified.
Autumn summits in 2019 were also thwarted by a serac
The caution dealing with the vast glacial ice blocks can be traced in no small part back to 2014, when 16 Nepali guides were killed by an avalanche as a chunk of the same glacier sheared off.
It was one of the deadliest accidents in Everest's climbing history.
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Gravity affects everything. Stuff that falls to earth and the thin air at high elevations.
Majestic and picturesque, but deadly under certain circumstances!
If I ever get to see the Grand Canyon, I’ll probably feel close to what you felt about the immensity of it all.
I’m not a climber, though. Climbers must think about every single step they take. Correct?
So what you’re saying is that is Donald Trumps fault?
Thinking about every step. Especially wearing crampons (metal spikes) on your boots. If you step wrong you can rip up your leg. Or you can step without a good plant on ice and you slip and fall.
almost sanctioned eh?
But lived to tell the tale. That is the one mountain I would not attempt again.
I stay lower. Going on the standard Langtang trek in October, up to 17,000. I was at that elevation in the Rolwaling Himal above Na and below Tashi Lapsha (sp?) pass in 1982 at about that elevation.
I have a friend currently hiking up toward base camp, but he’s just group day hiking with porters and a guide. I don’t know how high he’ll get.
I’ve never wanted to die enough to attempt Everest. Or any other mountain for that matter.
“Congested climbing routes, even mountain traffic jams as groups get in each other’s way have become common on the mountain, as have other signs of overcrowding like litter and detritus.”
Not to mention the various dead bodies of climbers a person will encounter going up and down that mountain.
Oh, the curse of “The White Spider.” Glad you made it, Mt. Climber.
Climbing Everest isn’t even a legitimate flex these days. May as well tell people you went to Disney World.
Guess I won’t be climbing Everest this spring.
Every step you take. Every vow you break. I'll be watching you...
Now, I’m hearing that iconic baseline, played by Sting.
anyone planning to climb Everest should have their head examined first.
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