Everest 2012: Early Morning on the Icefall
Posted on April 23rd, 2012 by sarah_hassell
On Saturday morning, Mike set out at 4:00 am for the first of several practice warm ups through the Icefall. A little background on the Icefall, courtesy of Wikipedia:
The Khumbu Icefall is an icefall at the head of the Khumbu Glacier. The icefall is found at 5,486 metres (17,999 ft) on the Nepali slopes of Mount Everest not far above Base Camp and southwest of the summit. The icefall is regarded as one of the most dangerous stages of the South Col route to Everest’s summit.[1] The Khumbu glacier that forms the icefall moves at such speed that large crevasses open with little warning. The large towers of ice or seracs found at the icefall have been known to collapse suddenly. Huge blocks of ice tumble down the glacier from time to time; they range in size from cars to large houses. It is estimated that the glacier advances 3 to 4 feet (0.91 to 1.2 m) down the mountain every day
Mike indicated that the Icefall is considered to be in “good shape” this year so hopefully passage will be quick. He will make a total of about six trips through the Icefall altogether so the more practice the better!
Next up – the teams will start the second rotation through the Icefall to Camp I and Camp II.
