Panic is growing at the Everest base camp, which is 5,300 meters above sea level.
Hundreds of climbers and Sherpas have gathered eager to climb the world’s most famous mountain as the annual spring climbing season begins – but there’s a problem.
A huge serac, or block of glacial ice, is blocking the route and the alpinists are disoriented as they wait for it to slowly fall and clear the way.
Special high-altitude workers known as “icefall doctors” have been on site for weeks, working to map Serak and its position on the infamous Khumbu Icefall, the steep part of the glacier that forms one of the most treacherous sections of the Everest route.
At the beginning of the season, “doctors” usually “fix” the route by setting up ropes, ladders and other equipment for the climbers. But this year, they still haven’t been able to do it because of the unstable Serak.
“The icefall doctors are doing everything in their power. They’re using the latest technology, 3D imagery, drones, everything and trying to get a clear picture as to the timing and how likely it is for the serac to actually collapse, to make it safe enough to go up,” said Adriana Brownlee, co-owner of expedition company AGA Adventures.
A glacier has blocked the way to Mt. – Gelje Sherpa
“There are some ideas floating around about salt and everything, but we have to let nature take its course,” she added. “If the mountains don’t, it’s not the end of the day.”
This has left climbers congregating at base camp, with more people arriving as the days pass – raising concerns about potential traffic jams near the summit when the route eventually opens.
Bianca Adler, hoping to become the youngest Australian to climb Mount Everest at 18, reached base camp on April 20. Before the final Everest push, climbers take several days to do “rotations” — climbing and descending several camps along the way to adjust their bodies to the high altitude.
She originally planned to start her rotation in the coming days, but Serak has delayed it.
In the meantime, he and the other climbers are filling their time with training — practicing short hikes, climbing a nearby ice tower and walking the metal ladders used to cross deep chasms.
“These icefall doctors have been working on the mountain for more than 20 years and they are really experienced in their work. I believe they are doing their best to ensure a safe climbing season for everyone,” she said.
CNN has reached out to Nepal’s tourism department and the Everest Pollution Control Committee, which oversees icefall doctors, for comment.
Climbers pitch tents at night at Everest Base Camp, waiting for the Khumbu Icefall to break open. – Courtesy of Bianca Adler
Hundreds of people are estimated to be waiting at Everest base camp practicing technical skills. – Courtesy of Bianca Adler
‘Respect the mountain’
There’s good reason to be cautious: Seracs have caused deadly disasters in the past.
In 2014, a giant serac collapsed on the hanging shoulder, triggered by an avalanche on the Khumbu Icefall, killing more than a dozen Sherpas who were setting up the route ahead of the climbing season. At the time, it was the deadliest single accident on Mount Everest – before another earthquake struck the following year.
A few years later, in the autumn of 2019, climber Garrett Maddison abandoned his ascent of Everest due to unsafe conditions on the Khumbu Icefall due to another serac.
It’s not as simple as hiking across the ice. When a group of people walk on an icefall, the vibrations of their movement can destabilize the serac, said Gelje Sherpa, another co-founder of AGA Adventures, who previously worked as an icefall doctor — and made headlines for abandoning his own 2023 expedition to save a climber in “death” on Everest.
Sherpas often help carry equipment and supplies while guiding their clients up the summit. This means they cannot rush or run through treacherous situations.
Climate change has also increased the risk. “When I was … an icefall doctor, it was a good time because (I think) there was less warmth in the icefall,” he told CNN, speaking from Everest Base Camp on Friday. Now, “it’s more dangerous inside the icefall because of global warming.”
Those at the base camp now expect Serak to collapse on its own soon. While it’s unclear when this is expected to happen, Brownlee sounded cautiously optimistic, saying: “It looks like it’s going in the right direction, but only time will tell.”
When it does fall, however, another challenge is avoiding overcrowding if every climber “suddenly, heads up their rotation at the same time,” Adler said.
Adler added that she’s not too worried, because there’s usually a two-week stretch in May that offers perfect weather for summit attempts, so people can choose earlier or later windows for their final push.
Overcrowding has been a growing problem over the years, with one infamous photo from 2019 showing a long line of climbers on an exposed ridge waiting to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Nepal has tried to crack down on the number of unprepared climbers, such as raising climbing fees and introducing a bill limiting Everest to climbers with at least one of the Himalayan nation’s 7,000-meter (22,965 ft) summits.
Still, it remains a popular destination. As of April 15, Nepal has issued 297 Everest permits for the spring season, out of a total of 700 permits issued for all its mountains.
Brownlee also acknowledged the sense of anxiety that pervades the climbers’ team. “People have put a lot of time, effort and certainly money into this campaign,” she said. But, she said, the most important thing is for campaign companies to work together and strategize “so that we can avoid queues as much as possible.”
“Things like this happen, and the most important thing is to respect the mountains,” she said.
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