Five climbers will attempt to summit Everest (8,848.86m) this autumn, said expedition organizer Pioneer Adventure.
Two Polish, two Czech and one South African climber are set to leave for Khumbu from Kathmandu on Monday.
Polish ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel wants to continue with Everest Ski Challenge, which he was forced to quit in 2019 due to the risk of a huge serac hanging over Khumbu Icefall.
Andrzej’s plan is to climb the mountain and ski from the top all the way to base without the use of oxygen. Expert alpinist Janusz Gołąb will be his climbing partner. Bartek Bargiel will record the entire mountain action, including the summit to the top, using an FPV drone. Bartek also recorded Andrzej’s ski from K2 in 2018.
Andrzej is the only person in the world to ski from the top to the basecamp of K2. Also known as Savage Mountain due to its difficult ascent, K2 is specially hard for skiing due to the thin snow.
Slovenian extreme skier Davo Karničar was the first to make the first full ski descent on Everest in 2000, but with the use of supplemental oxygen. No one has done a full ski descent of Everest without oxygen.
“Icefall doctors and rope fixing team started clearing route from Saturday. This is a special expedition as history will be made in the world’s highest peak this season,” Mingma Dorchi Sherpa, owner of the outfitter told Everest Chronicle.
“There are two main reasons to attempt skiing in Everest during Autumn,” said Mingma. “Everest is crowded in Spring. And during autumn, ideal amount of snow is present for skiing,” he said.
Pioneer Adventure has deployed 11 Nepali guides to put ladder over crevasses in Khumbu Icefall and fix the rope up to the summit. In spring, Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) deploys icefall doctors to open route through treacherous Khumbu Icefall, while the Expedition Operator Association of Nepal (EOA) lays down rope from Camp II to the summit.
Expedition organizers are responsible for fixing rope and opening route to the summit in other seasons.
“We are excited to organize this expedition,” said Mingma, who is confident that his team will successfully scale the world’s highest peak in autumn.
Although the government charges only half the amount of fee for permit compared to spring, very few climbers attempt the peak in autumn.
The first ascent of Everest during the autumn was recorded in 1973 when two Japanese climbers, Yasuo Kato and Michio Yuasa, scaled the peak in October.
In the 80’s though, climbing Everest in the autumn was more popular than in spring which continued up to the early 90s. According to the Department of Tourism, the year 1993 recorded successful autumn summit by 37 climbers. American climber Eric Larsen is the last person in recent history to summit Everest in autumn in 2010.
