Suspended over deep crevasses at an altitude of more than 5,000 metres, Nepalese Sherpas have begun the perilous task of rebuilding the climbing route on Mount Everest after it was destroyed by an earthquake four months ago.
The specialist team, known as the Icefall Doctors, has begun surveying the damage to routes on the world’s highest peak after the quake triggered an avalanche that swept through Everest base camp in April, killing 18 mountaineers.
The Sherpas must fix ropes torn down on the Khumbu Icefall, a treacherous stretch of moving ice at the head of a glacier that climbers have to traverse to reach Camp 1. It is one of the most dangerous stages of the South Col route to the summit.
The Khumbu glacier moves more than a metre a day, meaning that vast crevasses can open without warning, and boulders and blocks of ice the size of houses can suddenly break free. Tall ice towers, or seracs, can collapse in an instant, triggering an avalanche. One man was killed at the site by a block of ice the size of a 12-storey building that broke free and crushed him.
The bodies of many who have died at the icefall have never been recovered, disappearing into the crevasses. Other corpses resurface years later, farther down the mountain, as the glacier ice carries them towards Base Camp.
More than 8,500 people were killed across Nepal and 23,000 injured in the earthquake in April, and by aftershocks in May. The Sherpas refused to rebuild the icefall immediately afterwards, saying there was not enough time to make repairs before summer temperatures melted the ice and monsoon rains began.
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As a result, the climbing season on Everest was cancelled for a second successive year. Last year, an avalanche killed 16 Sherpas and porters. The local economy has been hard hit because of this, and the Icefall Doctors are hoping that the restored route will attract foreign climbers back to Everest in time for the autumn season.
A team of Japanese mountaineers has already arrived in Nepal, determined to make the first climb to the summit next month. The Nepalese government is eager to reopen the Everest route — but there has been criticism in some quarters. Ang Tsering Sherpa, the president of the Nepalese mountaineering association, said recently that the Japanese expedition was too risky, with the unpredictable autumn weather adding to the dangers of the climb.
One of the Japanese climbers, Nobukazu Kuriki, admitted that he was daunted by the task facing the group. “I do feel nervous and afraid,” he said. “This is only natural before attempting the challenge of climbing Everest, particularly after the earthquake and at this time of year.”