Mount Everest: Calls for Climbing Experience Grow Louder
Two climbers, Pastenji Sherpa from Nepal and Daniel Paul Paterson, a 40-year-old British man, are still missing on Mount Everest (8848 meters). The mountain guide and his client were descending the Southeast Ridge on May 21 when the snow beneath their feet gave way near the summit. A similar incident has not been recorded in the history of Everest climbing. Six people were swept away, with four secured by the fixed rope. However, Pastenji Sherpa and Daniel Paul Paterson fell down the Kangshung Face on the east side of the ridge. It is possible that the two had unclipped their ascenders from the fixed rope to allow ascending climbers to pass. The search for the two missing climbers has since been called off. A total of eight deaths were recorded on the world’s highest peak this season.
Experience as a Requirement
Alan Arnette, an American climber who has been observing events on the eight-thousanders for many years and reporting on them in a blog, estimates that 200 clients, supported by 300 Sherpas, have summited the peak on the Nepalese side. The total number of ascents may have been as high as 600. For the first time since 2019, Chinese authorities have allowed foreign expeditions on the Tibetan north side. „This season started off exciting because there were some expeditions waiting for permits on the north side. Some expedition leaders decided last minute to go for the south side,“ says Billi Bierling from the Himalayan Database, the chronicle of high-altitude climbing in Nepal. China opened its doors on May 11. The three foreign expeditions on the north side had the mountain to themselves.
In Nepal, a total of 421 permits were issued to foreigners for the ascent via the South Col on Mount Everest. Last year, there were 479 permits. According to a report in the „Kathmandu Post,“ calls are growing louder to limit the number of climbers. „We have repeatedly asked the government to make climbing experience a requirement before attempting to summit the highest peak in the world,“ said Mingma G, the managing director of the expedition agency Imagine Nepal.
Notable Achievements
Kami Rita Sherpa has reached the summit for the 30th time. Despite the repetition, he finds it fulfilling to assist people in achieving their dreams. Another impressive feat was accomplished by Piotr Krzyżowski, who summited both Lhotse (8516 meters) and Mount Everest in less than 24 hours without Sherpa support or bottled oxygen. Billi Bierling highlights the challenges and uniqueness of being above 8000 meters without supplemental oxygen.
While Everest garners attention in the spring, successes on other peaks like Makalu, Annapurna, and Kangchenjunga should not be overlooked. Various climbers have achieved remarkable feats, including the first ski descent from Kangchenjunga by Bartek Ziemski and the first ascent of the West Face of Hungchi in alpine style by Charles Dubouloz and Simon Welfringer.
As the Icefall Doctors removed ladders in the Khumbu Icefall at the foot of Mount Everest and Lhotse, signaling the end of the season, climbers in Pakistan have begun their expeditions on peaks like Nanga Parbat (8125 meters).
Biography:
– Pastenji Sherpa and Daniel Paul Paterson
– Information about their early life, education, career, notable achievements, personal life, and any other relevant details can be included here.