Himalaya Spring 2015: Teams on the Move

The poor weather that was preventing the climbers in Nepal from departing Kathmandu has dissipated over the past few days, and numerous teams are now on the move in the Khumbu Valley. Many are now making the long hike to Everest Base Camp, which actually marks the beginning of their acclimatization process for the climb to come. The trek takes roughly 8-10 days to complete, but is an important step for getting both physically and mentally prepared for the challenges ahead. Along the way they pass through numerous small villages filled with wonderful, inviting, people as they walk in the shadow of some of the most beautiful mountains on the planet. It is a truly memorable hike for those heading to Lhotse or the South Side of Everest.

Among those currently on the trail is Alan Arnette, who checked in from Namche Bazaar over the weekend. Namche is the largest town in the Khumbu, and one of the first milestones achieved on the trek. It is reached after just two days of hiking, but requires a tough slog up a steep hill to actually get to the village. Most trekkers and climbers take a rest day in Namche after they reach that point in order to let their bodies get use to the altitude. It is also one of the last places to purchase a piece of gear that you may have forgotten, or enjoy a few other amenities. The villages that follow are increasingly smaller, and have fewer shops and restaurants.

One of the familiar sounds of the Khumbu is the frequent ringing of bells that hang around the necks of the yaks that are used to carry gear, food, and other supplies to the various towns and camps that dot the landscape there. Anyone who has ever hiked through Nepal will recognize the distinctive sound immediately, and know that a yak train is coming through so they had better get off the trail. Yaks are indispensable in this part of the world, and are about as common on the trail as hikers. Watching them carry their heavy loads – at altitude – with ease is fascinating.


Also now on the move in the Khumbu Valley is the Altitude Junkies team. They reached Namche on Saturday and spent the traditional rest day there yesterday. They'll get back on the trail today as they head for Dingboche, the next popular stop on the hike. If they continue on schedule, the AJ squad should reach Base Camp sometime next weekend.

Meanwhile, Madison Mountaineering is sharing the first look at the new route through the Khumbu Icefall. In order to avoid some of the dangers that the porters faced last year – and which contributed to the avalanche that claimed 16 lives – the Icefall Doctors have pioneered a new route through this very dangerous section of the climb. The route now stays further to the right than what has been taken in the past, veering towards Nuptse. The hope is that this section of the climb will be much safer, and get the climbers through this treacherous section as quickly as possible.

Over on Annapurna the teams are still waiting for conditions to improve before they head up. But solo-climber Alex Barber has been working on his acclimatization in preparation for a summit bid down the line. After arriving in BC last week, he has now gone as high as Camp 2, and spent the night there, as he lets his body get use to the altitude. Over the weekend Alex returned to Base Camp however, where he is now waiting for conditions to improve before going back up once again.

Spanish climber Carlos Soria is hoping to launch his summit bid soon, and reports that the upper slopes of Annapurna are clear of snow at the moment. That bodes well for the climbers who are waiting for the weather to improve. Once a weather window opens, they can then proceed up with less fears of avalanches, something that the mountain is well known for this time of year.

Even though the season is now underway, most climbers are still en route to their respective Base Camps. For the most part, the climbing portion of their expeditions won't get underway for another week or so, but this is all part of the process, and crucial to their preparation. Things will really start to get exciting soon, but for now it is a slow and steady walk through one of the most spectacular regions of the world.

Alan Arnette Officially Announces Lhotse Expedition, Shares Gear For Everest

Back in early January, Alan Arnette announced his intention to become just the second American to climb all 14 of the world's 8000 meter peaks. Having already successfully topped out on Everest, Manaslu, and K2, he will now set his sights on the remaining 11 mountains starting with Lhotse this spring. The initiative is part of Alan's ongoing efforts to raise awareness and funds to fight Alzheimer's, an affliction that he has a very personal connection with having lost his mother to the disease a few years back. To date, his efforts have reached more than 50 million people, and he had raised $250,000 for the Cure Alzheimer's Fund. With Project 8000, he hopes to raise those numbers to 100 million and $1 million respectively.

This spring Alan will travel to Nepal where he'll be attempting to summit Lhotse, the 8516 meter (27,940 ft) neighbor to Everest. In fact, the two mountains are so close that they share much of the same route to the top, as mountaineers go up the Lhotse Face before diverting in separate directions. Much of the climb will be very familiar to Alan, who has spent plenty of time on Everest in the past. This should make his climb a bit easier, as he won't be facing a completely new experience while scaling this Himalayan giant.

Alan will depart the U.S. on March 30 and soon there after he'll begin blogging about his adventure both from the trail, and Everest Base Camp. Throughout the spring, we'll be able to get some very candid and personal dispatches from the climb, which should make for a very enjoyable experience for those that follow along. Alan writes with an engaging style that makes it fun to follow his efforts, and I'm sure he'll keep readers posted about any and all developments on the mountain.

Speaking of Everest, we're now just a month away from climbers setting out for Kathmandu, and in the days ahead they will be frantically packing all of their gear and preparing for the challenge ahead. Just what equipment they bring with them is crucial to their comfort on the mountain, and eventual success on a summit bid in late May or early June. With that in mind, Alan has also written a very interesting blog post about the gear that he takes with him on his expeditions. The story includes his selections for warm sleeping bags, boots, gloves, packs, and more. If you've ever wondered about what gear is best for an Everest climb, than you'll certainly want to give this article a read. He also shared the video below, which is a couple of years old, but also gives us some insights into the gear situation for climbing in the Himalaya.

The State of Everest in 2015

With the 2015 spring climbing season in the Himalaya still there months off, there remains a lot of uncertainty surrounding Everest. Following the unprecedented shutdown of the mountain last spring – when an avalanche claimed the lives of 16 Sherpas – politics have played a significant role in governing the future of climbing on the world's tallest peak. This year, commercial teams will return to the mountain, but not without a degree of trepidation as to how the season will unfold.

With this in mind, Alan Arnette has posted another excellent article to his blog that takes a look at the shifting attitudes of climbers and guides heading to Everest this spring. In putting this article together, Alan reached out to some of the top operators on the mountain to gauge their feelings about what to expect in a few months time. Some were very candid in their response, while others spoke off the record. By compiling those responses, Alan is able to give us a glimpse of the season ahead.

I won't spoil the entire article here, as I think it is important that you read it in its entirety. I will point out some of the larger factors that will be impacting the season ahead however. For instance, there still seems to be a lot of uncertainty amongst the guides as to how things will unfold this year. So much so, that the Peak Freaks, one of the top operators on the mountain, have decided to cancel their 2015 and 2016 expeditions to Everest. Others have decided to move to the North Side in Tibet, where they'll be out from under the control of the Nepalese government. These include Alpenglow, who will take 8 clients to the Chinese side of the mountain this spring. It should be noted that Himex had intended to guide an expedition from that side as well, but didn't have any clients elect to climb from the North.

The teams climbing from the South will take a new route through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall this year. This will hopefully eliminate some of the danger and cut down on the amount of time spent in that area. The Sherpas that were killed last spring were passing through the icefall when the avalanche occurred, and the hope is that this new route will be safer all around. The teams are also looking at ways to reduce the number of trips required through the icefall as well, potentially using helicopters to help shuttle gear, although the Nepalese government has been reluctant to allow that in the past.


There is some ongoing debate as to whether or not the North Side is safer than the South. Most of the guides that Alan spoke to didn't feel that was the case, but a few did. The prevailing feeling is that there are fewer deaths on that side of the mountain due to the fewer number of climbers. If more teams had to Tibet to climb, the number of fatalities is likely to go up there as well.

Finally, Alan updates readers about the current situation with the canceled climbing permits from 2014. The Nepalese government had originally said that they would honor them for a period of five years, but the entire team would have to return intact, or climbers would lose their ability to use the permit. They have since backpedaled some on that decision, although the final ruling sits with the Cabinet that oversees the country. They have not made a final decision yet, and are considering charging an additional $1000 to each climber to bring the cost of the permits inline with current pricing. Those changes are keeping some of the mountaineers away at the moment while permit issues get sorted out.

As I said, this is a good article that will give you an indication of the current climate that surrounds Everest expeditions. If you're interested in what is happening there, you'll definitely want to check out the full article.

Alan Arnette Announces Project 8000 for Alzheimers

The New Year always brings new opportunities, and yesterday Alan Arnette used the arrival of 2015 to announce a major new endeavor. In a blog post to his website Alan has announced Project 8000 for Alzheimer's which will be his attempt to climb all of the 8000 meter peaks in an effort to raise funds and awareness to combat that debilitating disease.

As you may recall, in the summer of 2014 Alan made the journey to Pakistan to climb K2, the most difficult mountain in the world. He was successful in that attempt, but it took just about every ounce of skill and strength he had at his disposal to reach the top. After completing that incredibly difficult expedition, he began to think about what he had learned on the mountain, and what he wanted to do next. After some time at home, and a bit of reflection, he decided that he wanted to climb all of the 8000 meter peaks, of which he already has three on his resume.

In addition to K2 (8611 m/28,251 ft), Alan has also summited Everest (8848 m/29,029 ft) and Manaslu (8163 m/26,781 ft). That leaves Kangchenjunga (8586 m/28,169 ft), Lhotse (8516 m/27,940 ft), Makalu (8485 m/27,838 ft), Cho Oyu (8201 m/26,906 ft), Dhaulagiri (8167 m/26,795 ft), Nanga Parbat (8126 m/26,660 ft), Annapurna (8091 m/26,545 ft), Gasherbrum I (8080 m/26,444 ft), Broad Peak (8051 m/26,414 ft), Gasherbrum II (8035 m/26,362 ft), and Shishapangma (8027 m/26,335 ft) left to be climbed.

Alan has set an ambitious schedule for himself to complete the remaining 11 mountains over a 5 year period that begins this spring. In a few months time, he'll head back to Nepal to attempt Lhotse, the neighbor of Everest. Those two peaks share much of the same route, so it will be familiar ground for Alan, who has a double summit of Shishapangma and Cho Oyu scheduled for the fall. After that, he hopes to methodically knock off each of the remaining mountains in his effort to become just the second American to climb each of these mountains. At the moment, Ed Viesturs is the only other person from the U.S. to accomplish that feat.

Alan's previous attempts to using mountaineering as a vehicle to raise funds to fight Alzheimer's have proven to be very successful. His K2 climb engaged more than 5 million people, and raised $70,000 in just six weeks time. He'll be tapping into that same experience as he moves forward with Project 8000, which will once again raise funds for the Cure Alzheimer's Fund.

In his blog post, Alan also indicates that he is looking for sponsors to join him on this quest. Climbing these mountains will obviously be an expensive endeavor, but it will also bring a lot of awareness to the organizations and brands that partner with Alan on this endeavor. This is a truly great opportunity to not only be a part of a project that is seeking to end an agonizing disease, but also make climbing history. It will certainly be a highly visible platform for anyone who joins the team.

Expect to hear a lot more about Alan's quest to climb these mountains – and conquer Alzheimer's – in the months ahead. As usual, I'll be posting updates on his progress while he is on his expeditions, the first of which will begin this spring. It should be an amazing experience to follow.

The Cost of Climbing Everest: 2015 Edition

Whenever I discuss an expedition to Mt. Everest with someone who doesn't know much about mountaineering, I find that they are always surprised by two things. First, they have no idea that it takes roughly two months to summit the mountain after you factor in travel time to the Himalaya, getting to Base Camp, acclimatizing to the altitude, and waiting for the proper weather window. They are also continually shocked at how much an Everest climb actually costs, as they don't understand all the logistics involved.

To help all of us understand those costs better, each year, our friend Alan Arnette does a detailed analysis of the current going rates for an Everest climb. Yesterday, he posted the 2015 edition of his annual report, and it wasn't good news for prospective climbers. As Alan indicates in his report, costs have gone up substantially for the spring climbing season, and more companies are jumping across the border into Tibet in order to avoid ongoing strife between the Nepali government and the Sherpas in the wake of last year's shutdown on the South Side.

There are several significant factors that are causing the price of an Everest expedition to go up, including a raise in price for the climbing permit. This year, all climbers will be charged a flat-fee of $11,000 to get their name on a permit. In the past, it was usually about $10,000, with the overall price for the permit spread out across multiple climbers. Alan also says that more teams are increasing the amount of life insurance they are carrying for their Sherpa staff as well, going up from $10k to $15k, with the difference being covered by the clients of course. On top of that, Nepal has begun enforcing a 2012 rule that requires all trekkers and climbers to hire a local Sherpa guide for use during their visit. He estimated that will add an additional $4k to the price.

What does all of this mean for climbers wanting to attempt Everest? Alan says that the average price for a climb without western guides is now at $41,700. With western guides, that price rises to $57,000 on the South Side, and $46,000 on the North. In other words, it is a substantial sum of money no matter which side of the mountain you're climbing, and who you are climbing with. Alan is quick to point out that a few high-end guide services on the North Side are also skewing the average to a degree. Alpenglow and Himex have both jumped to the Chinese side of the mountain for 2015, and they charge $79,000 and $64,000 respectively. Without their numbers added into the mix, a North Side climb averages about $37,000.


But the big story isn't just the change in pricing. Alan says that there are major changes afoot in Nepal, as local operators take over the South Side. These companies have been offering good service for years, and now they have also learned the business side of leading expeditions as well. Many of these companies are now undercutting western guide services, and are attracting more and more clients. Alan warns that not all of these companies offer the same experience however, and that it remains a "buyer beware' environment.

This is just the very beginning of the report, as Alan also goes into the cost breakdown of the climb, examining the details of what you actually get for your money. He also looks at the price for planning your own Everest expedition, as well as the options for hiring guides, the size of teams, summit stats, and much more. Basically, this report contains everything you've ever wanted to know about putting together a climb on Everest, and then some.

If you follow the climate on Everest, much of what is reported here will come as no surprise. Considering the political fallout that came after the South Side was shutdown last spring, the future of expeditions to that side of the mountain remains a bit uncertain. Obviously the mountain is a cash-cow for the government of Nepal, but major disruptions could continue in the future, as disputes with labor still need to be resolved. It is a time of upheaval on Everest, and not all of the past conflicts have been settled just yet.

We still have a little over four months to go before the start of the busy Spring climbing season. It is already shaping up to be another interesting one.