After three years of unprecedented turmoil on the world's tallest peak, the scene at Everest returned to business as usual in 2016: tourists filled the surrounding valleys and villages, and more than 600 climbers summited. Now, with confidence restored and the 2017 spring climbing season about to begin, some believe we could witness history of a different kind鈥攅specially because Everest permit extensions from the seasons lost聽in 2014 (due to an avalanche) and 2015 (due to an earthquake) allow hundreds of climbers to attempt the peak this year on credit.
“I think 2017 could be the busiest season yet on Everest,” says Garrett Madison, a seven-time summiter whose company, , is leading 11 clients up the peak this spring. Here鈥檚 what to expect this year.
Ueli Steck Returns
厂飞颈蝉蝉听补濒辫颈苍颈蝉迟听鲍别濒颈听厂迟别肠办聽and a young聽Nepali聽mountaineer named聽Tenji聽Sherpa will attempt what聽Steck is聽calling the “Lhotse聽Traverse”聽without supplemental oxygen.听It's a new route that would link聽Everest and neighboring聽Lhotse, the world's fourth tallest peak, using the never-repeated聽Everest traverse聽pioneered by Americans聽Tom聽Hornbein聽and聽Willi聽Unsoeld in 1963. Hornbein and Unsoeld聽ascended聽the West Ridge from Camp 2,聽traversed聽over to the eponymous聽Hornbein聽Couloir聽on the north face, climbed that聽to a snowfield that led to the summit, then descended to the South Col and returned to base camp.
Steck聽and聽Tenji聽will聽break from the 1963 route at the South Col聽and follow an exposed traverse to the聽Lhotse聽Couloir聽that was pioneered by聽Kazakh聽alpinist聽Denis聽Urubko聽in 2010. After聽summiting聽Lhotse, the pair intends to either return to Base Camp or, if they're feeling strong, continue their enchainment with a third peak鈥攑ossibly聽25,791-foot聽Nuptse, a sharp skyscraper next to聽Lhotse, though聽Steck聽wouldn't say what his third permit is for.
It's聽Steck's聽first trip to Everest since 2013, when he, Simone聽Moro, and Jonathan Griffith got聽into a fight聽with a group of聽Sherpas聽on Everest. A verbal argument at 23,000 feet led to a physical altercation, and the trio abandoned the peak.听Lost in the aftermath was the fact that Steck and his partners had been attempting the same route he will try again聽this year.听
Kilian Jornet Wants a Record
After being thwarted by shoddy weather and unstable snow last fall on Everest, Spanish ultrarunner Kilian Jornet tried to get a permit for another attempt this coming fall, again from the north side. But the Chinese denied his request, so he bumped up his trip to this spring. He will again from Rongbuk,聽in China,聽(16,300 feet) to the summit, an ascent that he expects to take around 25 to 30 hours, he wrote in an email.
Pioneering a New Route
Also in Tibet, on the south face of Shishapangma, a Himalayan mountain that is the聽14th highest peak in the world. It is the same route that Goettler and Steck tried last spring before bad weather shut them down. (Their trip also took on a new dimension when they discovered the bodies of Alex Lowe and David Bridges.)
Exploring the North Side
In the ongoing debate over whether it is better to access Everest from the north (via Tibet) or south (via Nepal), a major change to permit fees could sway opinions. The Chinese Tibetan Mountaineering Association聽this year raised its Everest fee for Western climbers by 32 percent, from $11,000 to $14,500, while Nepal kept its fee at $11,000. In addition, China imposed stiff limits on fall permit numbers and closed Shishapangma for the autumn, according to co-owner Eric Simonson. Most outfitters surveyed for this story remain committed to whichever side they have used in the past, with the north鈥檚 less hazardous approach offset by more predictable permitting in Nepal.
Melting Glaciers
You've probably heard that the glaciers around Everest are melting. Well, in the European journal on geoscience, The Cryosphere, it is happening faster than ever鈥攁nd the rate is still accelerating. King and his research partner, Scott Watson, also just submitted a paper that shows the surface of the Khumbu Glacier has dropped in height聽by as much as 230聽feet over the past 32 years.听Due to its disintegration,聽King and Watson predict the heavily used聽Kongma聽La Pass trail will become impassible by 2020 and will have to be rerouted around the glacier.
More Snapchatting
Meanwhile, longtime Everest guide Adrian Ballinger, a six-time summiter with oxygen, returns for his second attempt without supplemental oxygen聽after revamping his diet to improve endurance. He and Cory Richards, who summited last year, will at #everestnofilter.
New Firsts
Also聽on Everest, 50-year-old , while British climber Ian Toothill is trying to become (what he says would be) the first person with cancer to summit.