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Climbing Everest is a dangerous challenge from the beginning. Climbers climbing via the South Col route must face one of the most dangerous passages before reaching Camp 1. His 2.6-mile stretch of slowly cascading ice just above base camp is called the Khumbu Icefall.
It’s a treacherous maze of crevasses that extend more than 300 feet deep and “ice towers” the size of houses that can unexpectedly come off and cause deadly avalanches like the one that killed three Sherpas last year. may cause.
Khumbu Icefall looks like a frozen waterfall. As the Khumbu Glacier retreats, the ice slowly falls off the mountain.
InnerPeaceSeeker/Getty Images
It’s called an icefall because it looks like a frozen waterfall, but here on Everest, the word “waterfall” may be a dire warning for everyone. As of 2016, six people have died from falls, but this is just a fraction of the lives lost to the Khumbu.
This icefall is so dangerous that a dedicated team of professional workers is responsible for planning a safe route through it. They are known as the “Icefall Doctors” and this year they delayed the Everest climbing season by 12 days due to dangerous conditions at the Khumbu Icefall.
And as global temperatures rise, that risk will only increase, Paul Meiwski, an Everest researcher and climatologist at the University of Maine, told Business Insider. He studies how climate change is affecting the highest peaks on Earth.
Why Khumbu Icefall is dangerous
Deep crevasses and deadly avalanches make the Khumbu Icefall one of the most challenging and dangerous routes to the summit of Everest.
Olaf Riek/Wikimedia Commons
The Khumbu Icefall is essentially a slow-flowing river of ice that gradually flows down the mountain as the Khumbu Glacier retreats.
Its movements make it highly unstable, creating deep crevasses and deadly avalanches.
Between 1953 and 2019, 45 people lost their lives in the Khumbu Icefall. According to Everest climber, mountaineering coach, and author Alan Arnett, the main causes of death are avalanches into icefalls (49% of deaths), icefall collapses (33%), and falls into crevasses (13%). %). blog About mountains.
At the beginning of each climbing season, Icefall Doctors are the first to traverse this treacherous icefall. They found the safest route through it and laid ropes and ladders along the way to help people navigate the cliffs and crevasses.
This year, Icefall Doctors encountered repeated dangers that delayed the process. Insufficient snowfall and high temperatures in winter made the ice towers and bridges unstable, and the route had to be reconsidered many times. outside report.
“It can look very different going up there at one time of the day and coming down the next. And the situation is likely to get even worse as the weather gets warmer.” ” Majewski said.
Climate change is having a negative impact on the Khumbu Icefall
As global temperatures rise, the ice melts and the Khumbu Icefall becomes more unstable.
Jason Marr/Getty Images
Rapid melting causes glaciers like the Khumbu Glacier to shrink and erode. Majewski said this would lead to more lakes and streams, but at a more dangerous level, it would also increase the risk of avalanches, icefalls and crevasses.
“As the climate warms, ice becomes more mobile, increasing the likelihood that the situation will worsen further,” he said. “The warmer the temperature, the more water flows. And that flowing water obviously destabilizes the ice.”
Majewski’s research suggests that conditions are changing, not just in this region but on Everest as a whole. A study of the South Col, Everest’s highest glacier, revealed that a third of its ice has disappeared in the past 20 to 30 years.
“It’s clear from just walking around base camp that there’s a significant amount of melting going on,” he said.
That’s not the only danger
You are far more likely to die from altitude sickness on Everest than fall into a crevasse.
While climate change is clearly making conditions at the Khumbu Icefall more dangerous, Arnett points out that not all risks on Mount Everest are climate-related.
2023 was the deadliest climbing year in Mount Everset’s history, with 15 of the 18 total deaths due to acute altitude sickness, falls, and disappearances. He feels most of these deaths were probably preventable.
For example, acute altitude sickness, a milder form of altitude sickness, can be treated by climbers and their guides who quickly recognize the symptoms and lower the altitude, Arnett said. However, if the climber chooses to continue climbing, the condition can become fatal. According to the Himalayan Database, AMS claimed eight lives on Everest last year.
Arnett believes increased safety on the mountain will go a long way toward reducing the number of deaths.
Climbers put themselves at risk by choosing low-cost climbing companies, attempting Everest without sufficient mountaineering experience, and refusing to turn back when they show signs of illness. There is also. In the last case, Sherpas often have a hard time convincing customers to throw in the towel because of language and cultural barriers, Arnett said.
Will the increasing risks of climate change one day make it impossible to climb Mount Everest? Majewski doesn’t think so.
“Can people still do it? Yes, I think they can. Will it become more dangerous? Probably yes, it’s already quite dangerous,” he said.