Summit route opens from Nepal side, 8 Sherpas scale Mt Everest

KATHMANDU: A rope-fixing team of climbing Sherpas reached the summit of Mt Everest this afternoon becoming the season’s first team to scale the world’s highest peak from Nepal side, according to the expedition organiser.

According to Iswari Paudel, Managing Director at Himalayan Guides Nepal (HGN) Pvt Ltd, climbing Sherpas including Pasang Tenjing  Sherpa, Pasdawa Sherpa, Lakpa Dendi Sherpa, Jen Jen Lama, Siddi Bahadur Tamang, Pemba Chhiri Sherpa, Tenzing Gyaljen Sherpa and Datuk Bhote scaled the mountain by opening a route to the summit point at around 3:30 pm.

The eight-member guide team comprising local Sherpas had reached the south summit at around 8:00 am. “Now, more than 240 climbers along with their high altitude workers can make their summit pushes on Mt Everest after the rope fixing team opened the route,” he said.

Expedition Operator Association Nepal has assigned HGN to fix the ropes on Mt Everest this season. Sherpas, who left for Camp IV two days ago, struggled hard to open the summit route as bad weather had caused a delay to proceed with rope fixing work last week, Paudel added.

More than 500 climbers including 347 expedition members have already completed acclimatisation rotations to make final summit pushes on Mt Everest, liaison officer Gyanendra Shrestha said.

“At least three different teams will begin their summit attempts on Monday,” Shrestha informed. Expedition officials shared that more than 90 per cent of the liaison officers have not reached the base camp yet to facilitate the world climbers.

Meanwhile, Viridiana Alvarez (Mexico) and Dean Christopher Carriere (Canada) successfully scaled Mt Lhotse (8,516m) at 4:00 pm along with climbing guides Pemba Sherpa (Phortse),Tsering Dawa Sherpa (Rolwaling) and Tsering Pemba Sherpa (Rolwaling), an official at Ascent Himalayas Pvt Ltd said.

READ ALSO: