Everest 2021: First Steps in the Icefall

The first few climbers have made rotations to Camp 1 while the rest of the teams at Everest Base camp are preparing to enter the Khumbu Icefall for the first time this season. The permits for Everest continue to grow, now 321 on 34 teams approaching the 219 record of 382. Lhotse has an astounding 83 on 9 teams. Look for over 700 people on the routes this spring.   The weather continues to be a concern, not current but previous with a dry winter of little snowfall making the Lhotse Face rock hard blue ice. We are seeing this on Annapurna with a summit bid underway. Unexpected hard ice above Camp 4 caused the Sherpas to use more rope than they carried and they ran out. More was helicoptered in from Kathmandu, a first to my knowledge.   The climb times for the trip from EBC to Camp 1 were about 8 hours for some of the first climbers, about normal for the first rotation. However, this does suggest the Icefall is fixed pretty much the same as in previous years, in other words, not straighter, flatter, or faster.  In any event, the first trip through the Icefall is always eye-opening, even if it's only halfway up