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The Way to the Summit
by Eric Simonson and Jochen Hemmleb
Base Camp |
Camp II |
Advance Base Camp |
ABC to North Col |
North Col |
North Col to Camp V |
Camp V |
Camp V to Camp VI |
Camp VI |
Yellow Band |
First Step |
Beyond the First Step |
Second Step |
Third Step |
Summit Pyramid |
Summit
Base Camp
See Base Camp QTVR
Base camp occupies a site on the gravel plain below the
Rongbuk Glacier at approximately 17,000
feet. Tents are set up on
the sandy gravel valley, which carves out a north-south swath
in the high Himalayas.
Camp II
See Camp II QTVR
As you approach Camp II you must hike up the
medial moraine
of the East Rongbuk Glacier. Both sides are marked by ice
towers or "shark fins," as they've been described. These ice
towers, some up to 100 feet high, are the remnants of glacial
ice as it stagnates and melts and slowly moves its way down
the East Rongbuk Glacier. The historic site of Camp II is
located at the base of Changtse at approximately 20,000
feet.
Advance Base Camp (ABC)
Advance Base Camp is located at about 21,300 feet on the
lateral moraine
of the East Rongbuk Glacier below the North Col. The site
extends for several hundred yards up and down the moraine, and
various expeditions' camps are scattered along the terrain.
It's rocky and broken ground, requiring a lot of work to
create tent sites. From the camp you look directly up the
North Col, but what really dominates the view from ABC is the
Northeast shoulder of Everest with its famous Pinnacles.
ABC to N. Col
From the ABC Camp at 21,300 feet, the route to the North Col
takes anywhere from two to three hours. Initially you move up
scree and rock until you can climb out onto the head of the
East Rongbuk Glacier. At this point crampons are required.
Another kilometer of glacial ice leads to the foot of the Col,
where the fixed ropes begin. In places the route is near
vertical, although most of the terrain requires steep to
moderate cramponing. Climbers ascending to the North Col do
not tie physically to each other. Instead they use several
thousand feet of fixed rope. The rope is strung from the head
of the glacier to the North Col itself, with anchors every
hundred yards or so. The climbers clip to the fixed rope and
also attach a mechanical ascender, which permits them to climb
up the rope.
North Col
The North Col (Col is a Welsh word, which means saddle) is the
low point of one of the three great ridges that emanate from
the summit of Mount Everest. In this case the North Ridge
drops thousands of feet to a saddle between Everest and
Changtse. The North Col sits at approximately 23,000 feet and
from this low point the ridge climbs back up to over 25,000
feet.
North Col to Camp V
The route from the North Col up to Camp V starts with several
thousand feet of moderately steep snow and ice up the North
Ridge. It is usually battered by exceptional crosswinds from
west to east and it is not unusual for climbers to be knocked
off their feet here. At 25,000 feet the terrain changes from
snow to rock. We have established fixed rope on this entire
route from the North Col to Camp V. The last 600-800 feet into
Camp V is predominantly rock with mixed snow.
Camp V
Camp V is not just one campsite. Historically, Camp V has
extended for nearly 1,000 feet up the ridge. Our Camp V site
is at about 25,500 feet and is in an area commonly used by
expeditions. The terrain is predominantly rocky on the North
Ridge. Campsites are located on small ridges that must be
manually freed of rock. Our site is located on several small
ledges that have been cleared by hand. You'll occasionally
find old oxygen bottles here and other remnants from past
expeditions. This is probably the windiest campsite on the
mountain, open to all the wind coming from the west and
northwest. The site is spectacular—from the tents you
can look all the way down to ABC. We intend to start using
oxygen at Camp V, which is about the elevation of the South
Col on the south side of Everest (26,000 feet).
Camp V to Camp VI
The route from Camp V to Camp VI leaves the North Ridge and
continues on the North Face. The terrain here is sheltered
from the wind. Climbers normally take three to six hours to
cover this terrain. The route follows the snow as it winds
through small gullies. We will establish fixed ropes the
entire way. As you approach Camp VI, the terrain steepens and
you begin to encounter downsloping, slabby terrain. While the
rock climbing is not difficult, the terrain is loose and it is
difficult to keep from slipping.
Camp VI: Like Camp V, Camp VI
occupies several different sites starting at about 26,900
feet—where the 1975 Chinese expedition established Camp
VI—and then extending up to where our camp will be
established, at about 27,000 feet. It typically consists of
very small sites for tiny high-altitude tents. The sites are
dug out of the rock and dirt built up around the old shale
debris. The camp is located just below the Yellow Band. From
here, we can look up to the Northeast Ridge and see the First
and Second steps up to the summit and then look down into
Tibet. The view from Camp VI is expansive.
Yellow Band
From Camp VI the climbers must find the route through the
Yellow Band. Normally this is done by following a snow-filled
gully to a ledge at half height from where an ill-defined ramp
leads to the crest of the ridge. Fixed rope runs up through
the cliff bands and most climbers are loath to put a lot of
weight on the old ropes, as they are often of dubious quality.
It takes a couple of hours to make your way up through the
Yellow Band and up onto the Northeast Ridge.
First Step (27,890 - 28,000 ft)
The First Step is the terminal prow of two gray limestone
bands lying on top of one another, which are separated by a
wide sloping ledge. To circumvent this obstacle, a traverse of
its northern face is made along the junction between the Grey
and Yellow Bands until a shallow gully (or snow couloir)
allows access to the ledge above. The upper gray band, forming
the true top of the First Step, is then skirted on the right
side and the ridge regained beyond the Step. Recent
descriptions of the initial pitch have hinted at a surprising
degree of technical difficulty: The shallow gully—more
like a concave rock wall—is very steep and loose. Eric
Simonson, who led several expeditions to the route and
summited himself in 1991, compared it in difficulty to the
Second Step.
Beyond the First Step
A ramp leads past a tower and a short, horizontal, but very
jagged and broken section ending up on a platform marked by a
curious rock bollard (mushroom rock). This is the site of the
former Camp VII is at approximately 28,000 feet. Direct access
from there to the Second Step is barred by a snow crest some
50 to 65 feet high, the most prominent feature on the ridge
between the two steps. This is avoided by an awkward and
exposed horizontal traverse of the northern face over
discontinuous ledges and steep slabs. The foot of the Second
Step is thus reached beneath the ridge crest. The foot of the
Second Step is thus reached beneath the ridge crest at
approximately 28,120 feet.
Second Step (28,140 - 28,300 ft)
The initial climb up the Second Step itself involves a
10-foot-high slab to the right of a narrow chimney, surmounted
by way of a narrow ramp and a short rock step interspersed
with ledges. A prominent snow patch, some 23-30 feet high and
lying at an angle of 50 degrees, leads up to the foot of the
final 16-foot headwall. During the first confirmed ascent in
1960 this was climbed by a crack on its left side. The 1975
Chinese expedition placed a ladder on this pitch which is now
commonly used for the ascent. While the ladder is only 15 feet
high, it is dead vertical and tends to move while climbers
ascend it. From the top rung of the ladder, a tricky mantle
move onto a ledge leads to easier terrain below the top of the
Second Step and close to the crest of the Northeast Ridge. At
this point the exposure is incredible, with the entire North
face at your feet, literally 10,000 feet of exposure.
Third Step (28,510 -28,610 ft)
The Third Step—about 100 feet of blocky rock rising from
the vast boulder-strewn plateau above the Second Step and
situated immediately under the steepening of the final
pyramid—appears rather diminutive. Like the other Steps
it is usually skirted on the right, through shallow gullies
and over broken rocks. Meanwhile, it has become quite common
to tackle the Third Step head-on, along the crest by a series
of open chimneys and ledges.
Summit Pyramid (28,540 - 28,870 feet)
Once a climber is beyond the Third Step, the Summit Pyramid
remains as the final obstacle. The summit snowfield occupying
the northern aspect of the final pyramid is steep, 50 degrees
and perhaps even 60 degrees in the upper part. It is crowned
by a bastion of rock, the summit tower, which is usually
bypassed on the right along the uppermost part of the North
Face. A ramp involving three rock steps leads back left onto
the summit ridge. The summit pyramid takes at least an hour to
ascend, but parties are known to have taken as much as four
hours on this section. Summit Ridge (28,870 - 29,028 feet): An
undulating snow crest some 500 feet in horizontal distance,
the summit ridge leads up to the highest point of Everest. The
ridge is not steep, but is exposed, with a 10,000-foot-drop on
either side. Enormous cornices overhang the Kangshung Face
(East Face) on the left, so climbers are forced to stay on the
northern side of the final ridge.
Summit (29,028 ft)
"And there you are on the highest note, transfixed in the sky,
with the spindrift banner streaming miles back from your
feet."—Andrew Greig
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| Updated November 2000
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