Lhotse sees first summit of the season as rope fixing team opens route to the top
Nepali climbers reached the summit of Lhotse (8,516m), world’s fourth highest peak, fixing the lines for other climbers
A group of guides of Seven Summit Treks reached the summit of Lhotse (8,516m) on Monday evening while fixing the line to the summit.
Seven Summit Treks, which has been awarded fixing the line, said seven of its climbing guides reached the summit at 9.30pm local time. Dendi Sherpa led the rope fixing team. Tenging Gyalgen Sherpa, Namgel Tamang, Pam Dorjee Sherpa, Pemba Tashi Sherpa, Dawa Sherpa and Tashi Sherpa are other climbers to reach the summit.
Hundreds of climbers are waiting at the base camp to scale the world’s fourth highest peak for this season. The Department of Tourism has issued 130 climbing permits for Lhotse this spring season.
Rope fixing team opened the route up to the South Col or Camp IV (7950m) on April 28. The rope fixing was delayed by weeks as the icefall doctors struggled to find a route through Khumbu icefall. The icefall route, this year, has been shifted to the western spur, which climbing said is about two hours longer than the previous one.
Since the route is longer and ice unstable, local authorities recommended airlifting expedition materials to Camp II from base camp.
The Supreme Court’s order to Nepal government and stakeholders not use helicopter from base camp to the summit except in case of emergency has put a cast over chances of ferrying loads to higher camp by heli.
“Ferrying goods to higher camp will ensure timely expedition,” said one of the guides at the base camp, who just returned to base camp after second of rotation.
