When climbing Everest, climbers must first overcome the Khumbu Icefall, which is strewn with gaps and cracks. Now, however, the route is blocked by a 30-meter ice wedge, around which the Sherpas are searching in vain for a way, the BBC website recalled.
Hundreds of people in the base camp therefore have to wait until the ice block melts, which, according to the climbers’ hopes, could last only a few days. Nevertheless, the atmosphere in the camp is tense until the obstacle disappears, the Sherpas cannot fix ladders or ropes.
The climbers thus have less time during which acclimatization ascents to high-altitude camps and the actual conquest of the summit would take place. “The delay in the opening of the route this year raised concerns about possible traffic jams at the top,” explained the mood in the base camp, Nepalese mountaineer Purnima Šrešta.
Concerns about congestion on the mountain are justified. “When the road is clear, everyone will want to leave as soon as possible. There is usually a two-week period in May when the weather conditions are the best for ascents to the top, so people can choose a later time for their final ascent,” German traveler Bianca Adlerová explained to CNN.
