Rope fixing team reaches Camp IV on Mount Everest
Sherpa guides, under the leadership of 8K Expeditions, have fixed ropes up to 7,950 meters from Camp II (6,400 meters), marking a key milestone in preparing the route to the summit of Mount Everest.
8K Expeditions
A rope-fixing team led by 8K Expeditions has reached Camp IV on Mount Everest and Lhotse, completing a critical stage in preparing the route to the summit, the expedition operator said Monday.
The Sherpa team installed fixed-ropes lines up to 7,950 meters on both peaks on Sunday and is now waiting for a break in weather to push toward the twin summits—Everest at 8,848.86 meters and neighboring Lhotse at 8,516 meters.
Once the final section is completed, hundreds of climbers waiting at lower camps will be cleared for their summit attempts, which typically begin in mid-May when weather conditions stabilize.
The route through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall up to Camp II is maintained by the Icefall Doctors, a specialized team of climbers employed by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee. Above Camp II, the rope-fixing responsibilities are taken over by a team hired by a coalition of expedition operators. This season, that task has been entrusted to Kathmandu-based 8K Expeditions.
This year, more than 450 permits have been issued for Everest alone, with additional climbers attempting other major peaks. Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 mountains above 8,000 meters.
In an Instagram post, 8K Expeditions founder Lhakpa Sherpa credited gear partner Pioneer Camp with supplying equipment for over 300 Sherpa climbers this season. The company said it will also field-test Pioneer’s new down-suits on the summit attempts—part of a growing push to advance high-altitude expedition gear.
