Everest 'deadly' this year
2005-05-04 11:41
Katmandu - Strong winds and snowfalls have slowed dozens of climbers scaling Mount Everest, creating treacherous conditions and forcing many climbers to stay at the base camp, officials said on Wednesday.
Two mountaineers - American Michael O'Brien, 39, and Canadian Sean Egan, 63 - have died in the past few days and the climbers have not yet even reached the last and most difficult section on Everest nicknamed the "death zone."
The weather has also harassed Sherpa guides, who have been having problems fixing climbing ropes and carrying loads to support camps along the steep icy trail to the top of the world's highest mountain, said Rajendra Pandey, an official at the government's mountaineering department.
Each of the camps needs to be equipped with food and oxygen. Officials said they have reports of a few Sherpas reaching the last camp at South Col at 8 000m, though most have not been able to make it that high.
There are 23 expedition teams attempting to scale the 8 850m peak this spring. Each has about seven members and several Sherpa guides. Climbers have to scale the peak around mid-May when there is favourable weather for a few days. After that, the annual monsoon brings fresh snow and blizzards, making the climb impossible.
Climbers usually reach Everest's base camp at 5 000m in March. They then use the weeks leading up to mid-May to make practice runs to higher elevations to acclimatise.
Since New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay first conquered Everest on May 29 1953, more than 1 400 climbers have scaled the mountain. About 180 people have died on its unpredictable slopes.