Everest 2023 Updates – 23rd April
Today’s Everest News
According to the Department of Tourism, a record 454 climbers from 61 different countries representing 41 teams have obtained climbing permits for Mt Everest to date.
Juris Ulmanis
“Today was our Puja ceremony at base camp provided for us by a Buddhist lama. It is a special moment of the Himalayan expedition and the lama prays for our safe passage up the mountain.”
Kirstie Ennis
“Base camp is our next stop, where we’ll rest for a couple of days before climbing up to high camp on Pumori. Pumori is a beautiful peak lying 8km west of Mount Everest, and I can’t wait to tackle it!”
Baker Perry
Excited to be back on #mounteverest with @TenzingGyalzen, Dawa Yangzum Sherpa, and a small team of climbing Sherpa to conduct essential maintenance on weather stations installed in 2019 & 2022.
Lukas Furtenbach
And so it begins. Again. Full of gratitude to call this my job and full of humility for whats to come. We work hard to make this Everest and Lhotse season as successful and safe as possible. And to let our climbers have a smooth and genuine experience. From the first contact with our office to our basecamp kitchen and the final summit push on the highest point on this planet. Guides, Sherpas, team doctor, office staff, kitchen staff, pilots, drivers and porters – you all are the backbone of what @furtenbachadventures has become and stands for. The industry leading operator on Everest. Thank you team, you all rock!
Craig Hunter
Unfortunately, I’ve caught the Khumbu Cough, but thanks to some medication, I’m feeling better.
We’ve had some much-needed rest days and refresher training on the ropes and ladders in the Khumbu Icefall. Despite the snowfall and avalanches, our spirits are high after the meaningful Puja ceremony where a Lama blessed each climber. It was such a powerful moment for us all.
Rohan Freeman
Today’s objective is icefall SPCC 4 to acclimatize. I woke up feeling good with good energy heading into the icefall.
I wasn’t out of breath walking to breakfast and no body part was screaming at me as we made our way into the icefall. The highest I have been to this point was yesterday at SPCC2, which which we went by pretty quickly. We made good progress to SPCC 3 but at slower speeds due to new altitude – new milestone and confidence booster. Up until now I was climbing strong because I felt good.
I started feeling the altitude at SPCC 3. We stopped for a quick break to eat. Honestly, at this point the thought entered my mind to turn around. I was tired. My breathing was getting harder to control. Up we go.
As we continued on, I needed more breaths with each rest step, which got longer and longer. Onwards! Upwards. Despite all this, I was feeling good. I started climbing smart. Use the ropes to pull on. Jumaring stretches that I normally wouldn’t to distribute the work effort to my full body. This last stretch from SPCC 3 to the Football Field just before SPCC 4 took as long as the stretch from EBC to SPCC 3. Gotta get the body ready for those summit pushes.
We took a nice rest on the Football Field and ate a drink quite a bit. I felt good and my lungs were on point and I thought about going up another 150 feet to SPCC4. Just then this idiot came sat next to me and started smoking 3 cigarettes, my kryptonite. My lungs rebelled immediately and I moved away as fast and far as the fixed line would allow, which wasn’t far enough. We decided to leave immediately.
On the descent, I decided to be smart first and strong after. I used hand grabs, arm belays, armpit belays, atc belays and every combination thereof to conserve energy and get down out of the icefall safely. Consequently, the steep descents were fun. Relatively happy with my progress today.
