Rare event in climbing history

Kathmandu, May 14

For the first time in the country’s mountaineering history, four mountains above 8,000 metres were scaled in a single day. A team of Sherpas pushed through some tough conditions to make it happen.

Mount Everest (8,848 m), Mount Makalu (8,485 m), Mount Lhotse (8,516 m) and Mount Kanchenjunga (8,586 m) were scaled successfully by teams of experienced mountaineering guides, opening climbing routes to the aforementioned peaks this afternoon.

Gyanendra Shrestha, a liaison officer at the Everest base camp, told The Himalayan Times that at least eight Nepali climbers successfully fixed the climbing ropes from the South Col to the summit point, becoming the season’s first team to scale Mt Everest at around 1:45 pm. The team had reached the balcony area on Monday by fixing ropes from the South Col, he added.

According to Iswari Paudel, managing director at Himalayan Guides, highly experienced rope-fixing high-altitude climbers who stood atop Mt Everest include Siddhi Bahadur Tamang from Dolakha, Pasdawa Sherpa from Sankhuwasabha, Dorji Gyaljen Sherpa and Pasang Dawa Sherpa from Solukhumbu, and Ang Phurba Sherpa, Dawa Nurbu Sherpa, Ming Dorchi Sherpa and Sangbu Bhote from Sankhuwasabha.

The Tamang-led rope fixing team struggled for hours to reach the summit by placing ropes above the South Col, Shrestha added.

Later, Mt Kanchenjunga was scaled by a team of Lakpa Sherpa, Dawa Phinjo Sherpa, Phurba Sherpa, Ang Dorchi Sherpa, Furwa Dorchi Sherpa and Mingmar Sherpa.

A team of Kili Pemba Sherpa, Pemba Chole Sherpa, Ang Jangbu Sherpa, Dendi Sherpa and Tamtang Sherpa scaled Mt Lhotse, while a team of Sanu Sherpa, Neema Sherpa, Chhangba Sherpa, Mu Dorchi Sherpa and Lakpa Thinduk Sherpa scaled Mt Makalu.

The Expedition Operators Association of Nepal has assigned Himalayan Guides to fix the route above Camp II this season, while a team of icefall doctors assigned by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee opened the climbing route from the base camp to Camp II.

According to the Department of Tourism, over 378 climbers, including 365 foreigners from 41 teams, have obtained climbing permits for Mt Everest this spring season.

With the opening of a climbing route, the long wait is finally over for Mount Everest climbers, according to Paudel. “If the weather permits, climbers will begin their push for the roof of the world on Wednesday morning,” Paudel told THT.

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