Everest’s Standard Route to Change Through Khumbu Icefall
The 2014 avalanche on Mount Everest, which killed 16 Sherpa guides, has motivated authorities to change the path through the Khumbu.
The original 1953 route passed the Khumbu Icefall on climber’s left, but now the route will climb the centre of the Icefall.
The director of the Nepali government’s Department of Tourism, Tulasi Prasad Gautam, said the new route will have considerably less avalanche risk. “In response to the last year’s avalanche we are trying to make Everest climbing a little safer by avoiding the old route,” said in an interview with The Guardian.
After the deadly avalanche, the route was closed for the season. That didn’t stop one Chinese climber to illegally fly over the icefall. A number of climbers reached the summit via routes from the north.
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Everest Basecamp has become a small town with bars and cafes. Even in the off-season, it can be crowded with trekkers. During the peak season in April and Man, Everest is very busy.
There have been nearly 6,000 ascents of Everest in the last 62 years, with around 800 expected to attempt the climb this year. There have been 250 deaths and 40 of those were in the Khumbu Icefall.
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This year, two Canadians on separate teams will be attempting Everest from the north.
Sources: BBC, The Guardian, National Geographic.