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The good news is the jet stream is easing off Everest as it moves north, the bad news is a cyclone skirting the west coast of India is expected to turn right running perpendicular to the Himalayas bringing strong weather along with it. It could "flood the mountain" according to meteorologist Chris Tomer and Everest Weather's Michael Fagin. Chris has told his clients on Everest and Makalu to "stand down" and wait this event out.  Cyclone TC01A aka Tauktae is predicted to bring heavy snow, perhaps two feet to Dhaulagiri, and strong winds to Makalu and Everest on May 18-21. Chris and Michael both think it will be a relatively fast event and summit bids can continue after the 22nd. That would leave plenty of time for the remaining 300 climbers to get up and off before the traditional end of Nepal side around May 31. So much for my talk of a "short season" just yesterday!  I had the rare opportunity to discuss this event with Michael and Chris on Sunday afternoon, May 16, 2021.  Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything

It was a big week of news on Everest this past week from clients summiting to a major operator canceling their expedition. This next week looks to be even bigger with 300 people trying to summit beginning May 19. I estimate 172 summits last week on May 11, 12, and 13. The jet stream was south of Everest thus the conditions were about as good as it gets on this high peak. However as the jet moved north, the winds picked back up, and teams that were hoping to squeeze a summit bid in before it hit with gale-level gusts, found it too windy even at Camp 3 to continue.  The big news of the week was on Saturday, May 15 when Austrian operator, Lukas Furtenbach, told his entire team that he was canceling their expedition due to an "out of control situation at Everest Base Camp." Furtenbach was one of the few operators who imposed stringent controls over his base camp to minimize the impact of COVID-19. He brought hundreds of test kits, hired a team doctor, and limited any exposure with anyone outside his team, including his Sherpas, cooks, and other base camp staff. Yet, he still felt the risks were too high for his 20 customers, 4 mountain guides, and 27 Sherpas. His entire team had completed their acclimatization and were waiting for the winds to recede for their summit attempt. He said. "With some teams, elementary precautionary measures were simply not observed. There were meetings between the teams, there were celebrations, parties were held."

The #Everest2021 scene is quiet now with the jet stream on top of the summit. On the Tibet side, China canceled the only expedition there.  I’m getting a few reports of high winds at C3 from the last rotation, and it’s worse now. That said, look for teams to begin their summit bids aiming for May 19-23. If for next week they will leave EBC on Monday, May 17th, or perhaps this weekend.  Sadly death on Everest occurs almost every year. Since 1953, only 1965, 1971, and 1985 saw no deaths when people climbed that year. In 2021, we have seen two deaths already. In this episode, I examine deaths on Everest, the reasons, and perhaps how to avoid it.  As always, visit my blog at alanarnette.com for more details. I usually do a YouTube and podcast for each post but not always.

With Everest 2021 well underway, we are seeing the first commercial clients summit after the ropes reached the summit by the Sherpa team on Friday, May 7, 2021. Now over 150 people have summited just as the weather turns bad. it looks like only a few more summits until after May 20. There are a bout 350 more people left to attempt the summit, including Sherpas. I discuss the season thus far plus the COVID outbreak in Nepal and the oxygen crisis.

The rope fixing team made the summit on Friday, May 7, 2021, opening the route to the over 300 climbers left at base camp. The weather remains good, for Everest, so look for many teams to jump on this window. Meanwhile, it appears that the virus spread has stalled for the moment with no new cases reported at EBC for over a week. It’s unknown if this is real or more coverups.

The Nepal government announced plans to assist climbers in leaving Nepal and another ban on any negative news saying “as it could terrorise the mountaineers as well as their family members.” I think someone climbing Everest can handle the truth.

The season continues on schedule and as normal as possible in this difficult year. Reports of helicopter evacuations have slowed to a trickle either because they are not happening or no one is talking. We know for sure the government is mum. Let's assume there are no new cases and hope for the best.

Slowly a few teams are revealing that they brought rapid test kits and are doing regular testing. Not sure why it was felt important to keep this quiet, perhaps none of our business I suppose. I think it should have been mandated by the government from the start. One bit of good news is a dump of almost nine inches of snow made the Lhotse Face more manageable. Climbing a steep slope on snow is much less stressful than on hard, solid ice.

The Everest area continues to be a busy place with people spread from Lukla to Namache, base camp and the high camps of 1, 2, 3, and the South Col. Everyone is in various stages of preparing for their summit bid that should begin soon. If you think that it is late for the first summits, let look at the last decade or so. As you can see the earliest summits by the rope team and members was May 5, and the latest was May 18 in 2012.

Now that we are solidly into May, about mid-season for spring Everest, let's pause for a moment and take inventory of the situation. At the risk of giving readers whiplash, the bottom line for me is that things are looking better ... considering.

Without a doubt, this may be the most challenging season in the history of Everest, perhaps topped only by the earthquake in 2015 and the extreme loss of life in 1996 and 2014. The overall situation has changed a bit in the last ten days with regards to the virus. Most teams are making excellent progress. I say this with all respect and acknowledgment to the tens of thousands suffering in nearby India and, of course, Nepal.

I, along with other people reporting on this season, have focused on the virus because, well, because it was the main storyline. And it's real, and it's devastating. As some of my regular readers know, I had the virus and had family spend weeks in the hospital. It's real, it's deadly, and having it at altitude is no joke. However, some teams remain unscathed through excellent discipline, well-thought-out protocols, and perhaps good luck. Others have not been so lucky.

Once it became clear that COVID was spreading throughout base camp, teams took action and slowed it a bit. I'm not trying to sugarcoat the situation, but in speaking directly to climbers and guides at base camp, the overall condition appears to be improving. Now hopefully, they can complete their climbs and return safely home given the deadly situation throughout Nepal.

I caught up with Garrett Madison, founder of Madison Mountaineering from Everest Base Camp. He describes #Everest2021 thus far as they prepare for a 2:00 am departure back to Camps 1 and 2 in the Western Cwm. This will be their last rotation before the summit push in a couple of weeks. I asked him how his team, Madison Mountaineering, was doing with the COVID outbreak at EBC.

I talk in the beginning about the virus situation at EBC and the possible scenarios that could unfold over the next few weeks. Garrett's section begins at 7:45 in this short interview.

Kenton Cool is one of the premier climbers from the United Kingdom. Among his many accomplishments, he skied the 8000er Cho Oyu, made the first, and thus far only, climb of Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse in seven days in 2013. And he has summited Everest 14 times. He's currently on Everest with a client attempting his 15th which would tie American Dave Hahn for the most non-Sherpa summits of Everest.

I caught up with Kenton while he was in Namache Bazzar recovering from his acclimatization rotations in prep for the summit bid. We discussed the allure of Everest, a bit of history, his own long-time interaction with the mountain, and the conditions this year.

It's a fun, fascinating interview I hope you enjoy.

It's clear that there is or has been COVID at Everest Base Camp. Well, at least it clear that people who had it there were taken to Kathmandu where they tested positive and are receiving treatment. It's also clear that Nepal is seeing a huge spike in new cases and has gone under lockdown once again. Finally, it's clear that India has become a super-spreader country and needs global help to respond.

Nepal tourism officials continue to deny there are any problems at base camp other than one person who had pneumonia. The guides, both foreign and domestic, are posting only climbing updates with no mention of the virus. This includes those who are well-known to have multiple cases within their teams and some who have been evacuated.

Now, on to climbing. Many, many teams are doing their rotations and report no issues. Of course, there are the usual problems with a few people having altitude issues or GI problems, but this is to be expected each year. The conditions are reported as good, albeit with the Lhotse Face being a bit harder than normal due to the lack of snow. Also, the Khumbu Icefall appears to be in good shape, however, the route is taking a bit longer than in previous years but not being a major obstacle. There are a few comments on lines at the few ladders due to the record number of climbers on the mountain in the spring of 2021.

At last count, Nepal has issued a record 408 Everest permits.