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The 2024 Mount Everest climbing season has been delayed due to crumbling ice in the Khumbu Glacier.
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The Khumbu Ice is one of the most dangerous obstacles to cross on the path to the summit of Everest.
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As global temperatures rise due to climate change, this icefall will only become more treacherous.
Climbing Mount Everest is a dangerous endeavor from the start. Before summit climbers on the South Col route can even make it to Camp 1, they must face one of the deadliest descents of all. A 1.6 mile stretch of slowly cascading ice just above Base Camp known as the Khumbu Ice.
It is a treacherous maze of crevasses that can extend more than 300-feet-deep and house-sized “ice towers” that can break free unexpectedly, triggering deadly avalanches like the one that killed three Sherpas last year.
It’s called an icefall because it looks like a frozen waterfall, but here on Everest, the term “fall” could be a warning to everyone. As of 2016, six people had died, and that is only a small fraction of the total number of lives lost to the Khumbu.
This icefall is so dangerous that a dedicated team of specialist workers is responsible for charting a safe route through it. They are called the Icefall Doctors, and this year, they delayed the Everest climbing season by 12 days due to unsafe conditions on the Khumbu Ice.
And it will only become more dangerous as global temperatures rise, Paul Mayewski, a Mount Everest researcher and climatologist at the University of Maine, told Business Insider. He studies how climate change is affecting our planet’s highest peaks.
What makes the Khumbu Ice so dangerous
The Khumbu Ice is basically a slow river of ice that gradually falls down the mountain as the Khumbu Glacier retreats.
Its movement is what makes it so unstable, leading to deep crevasses and deadly plateaus.
Between 1953 and 2019, 45 people lost their lives on the Khumbu Ice. The top three causes of death were avalanche decelerations (49% of deaths), ice falls (33%), and falls into distress (13%), according to Alan Arnette, a summit and coach on Mount Everest who writes a. blog about the mountain.
At the start of each climbing season, the Icefall Doctors are the first to cross this treacherous icefall. They find the safest way through, laying ropes and ladders along the way to help people navigate its cliffs and crevices.
This year, the Icefall Doctors repeatedly encountered dangers that slowed down their process. Insufficient winter snowfall and high temperatures destabilized the ice towers and bridges, forcing them to reassess their route several times, Outside reported.
“It could look very different going up there one part of the day and coming down the next. And the likelihood of that getting worse increases with a warmer climate,” Mayewski said.
Climate change is threatening the Khumbu Ice
Rapid melting of glaciers, such as the Khumbu Glacier, causes shrinkage and erosion. In turn, this leads to more lakes and streams, but on a more dangerous level it also increases the risk of avalanches, ice falls, and crevasses, Mayewski said.
“The likelihood of that getting worse increases in a warmer climate because the ice becomes more mobile,” he said. “The warmer it is, the more water flows. And that flowing water obviously destabilizes the ice.”
Mayewski’s research suggests that conditions are changing all over Mount Everest, not just in this region. His study of the South Col, Everest’s highest glacier, showed that one-third of its ice has disappeared in the last twenty or thirty years.
“Even walking around the base camp, it is very clear that there is a lot of melting,” he said.
These are not the only dangers
While it is clear that climate change is making conditions in the Khumbu Ice more dangerous, not all risks on Mount Everest are related to climate, says Arnette.
In 2023, the deadliest climbing year in the history of Mt. Everset, 15 of the 18 total deaths were due to acute mountain sickness, falls and disappearances. He thinks that most of these deaths could probably have been prevented.
For example, acute mountain sickness — a mild form of altitude sickness — can be treated if climbers and their guides recognize the symptoms quickly and go to lower altitudes, Arnette said. But if climbers choose to continue, their condition can become fatal. AMS claimed eight lives on Everest last year, according to the Himalayan Database.
Arnette believes the number of deaths would decrease if more safety enforcement were introduced on the mountain.
Sometimes climbers also put themselves at risk, by opting for low-cost operators, tackling Everest without sufficient climbing experience, or refusing to go back even when showing signs of illness. In the latter case, Sherpas often have trouble convincing their clients to throw in the towel because of language and cultural barriers, Arnette said.
Will additional risks from climate change make climbing one day impossible? Mayewski doesn’t think so.
“Will people still be able to do it? Yes, I think it will. Will it be more dangerous? Arguably it will – it’s already dangerous enough,” he said.
Read the original article on Business Insider
