Everest 2022: Weekend Update May 23 - The Season That Won't End

The Podcast on alanarnette.com

This Everest season is like a runny nose that won't stop. You blow hard, wipe it clean, and all of a sudden, there it goes again. Just as I thought base camp was empty, as well as the other 8000ers, people keep showing up at the South Col and summiting. I guess with winds so calm (relatively - there are still those moments) that leaders are demonstrating great patience and trust in the weather forecasters to let the route clear out before taking their peeps higher. And that's how it's supposed to be done.

Big Picture

The ropes got to the top on May 7, and now two weeks later, there are hundreds of summits. Usually, on May 22, the Southeast Ridge route is crammed up with Sherpas and members trying to beat the summer monsoons. There's at least one typhoon spinning like a crazy top in the Bay of Bengal. And tragically, several members have died during their summit push. But not in 2022. Just like a Tesla production line, climber after climber, fueled with oxygen and massive support, reaches the summit before dawn in many cases, celebrates, and returns home to tell the world. I estimate there have been 562 Nepal summits by 220 members supported by 343 Sherpas, a 1: 1.5 support ratio.

Climb On!

Alan

Memories are Everything

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