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The Way to the Summit
Western CWM |
Lhotse Face |
Yellow Band |
Geneva Spur
South Col |
Southeast Ridge |
South Summit |
Cornice Traverse
Hillary Step |
Summit
The Western Cwm
See Western Cwm QTVR
Often called the "Valley of Silence," the Western Cwm is a
broad, flat, gently undulating glacial valley basin
terminating at the foot of the Lhotse Face. The central
section is cut by massive lateral crevasses which bar entrance
into the upper Western Cwm. In this section, climbers must
cross to the far right, over to the base of Nuptse to a narrow
passageway known as the Nuptse corner. From here, climbers
have a stupendous view of the upper 8,000 feet of
Everest—the first glimpse of Everest's upper slopes
since arriving at Base Camp. The last 5,000 feet on Everest,
including its distinct black pyramid summit, are not visible
from Base Camp. Contrary to what most people believe, some of
the most difficult days on Everest are in the Western Cwm,
when on a windless day it is desperately hot. Says David
Breashears, "You literally pray for a puff of wind or a cloud
to cover the sun so you can keep moving up to Advance Base
Camp."
The Lhotse Face
See Camp III QTVR
The expansive western flank of Lhotse is called the Lhotse
Face and is an unavoidable part of the traditional southeast
route up Everest. Camp III sits about halfway up this
ascending wall of glacial blue ice. From its
bergshrund (base) to the top, the Lhotse Face rises
some 3,700 feet, at 40 and 50-degree pitches with some
occasional 80-degree bulges. The entire route is fixed with
ropes, and climbers must get into the rhythmic movement of
pulling and stepping up. Kicking steps, while lodging one's
front points into the hard blue ice, is the predominant
movement required for this unrelenting ascent up towards the
South Col.
The Yellow Band
The sedimentary sandstone rock of the Yellow Band is a
distinctive feature of the Lhotse Face which requires about
100 meters of rope to traverse it. This is the first rock a
climber touches on the route up Everest. It becomes very
obvious when one has reached this point in the
climb—one's crampons hit hard rock. The top of the
yellow band is at 25,000 feet.
The Geneva Spur
Named by a Swiss expedition in 1952, the Geneva Spur is an
anvil-shaped black rib of rock fixed with ropes so climbers
can scramble up its steep snow-covered surface. The spur
starts at about 24,000 feet. It is the last major hurdle
before reaching the last camp on Everest.
The South Col
The site of the high camp, also known as Camp IV, this
rock-strewn wind-swept saddle between Everest and Lhotse lies
at 26,000 feet. Col is a Welsh word for saddle or pass. This
location was named by the British Reconnaissance Expedition of
1921 which viewed it from a vantage point some seven miles
away. Currently used by all expeditions as the high camp, it
is still a demanding 3000-foot climb from here to the summit.
Discarded expedition equipment litters the football
field-sized area used for camp. At this elevation, all
expedition and Sherpa members sleep with a low flow of oxygen
except those wishing to attempt the summit "gas free." Fierce
jet stream winds can demolish an uninhabited tent here in
minutes so the expeditions do not erect their tents until they
arrive.
The Southeast Ridge
The climbers reach the Southeast Ridge at 27,700 feet at a
place known as "The Balcony." At this platform the climbers
rest and admire the dawn light illuminating the peaks to the
east and south. From here, the snow ridge rises 1,000 feet to
the South Summit and gently arcs to the north. 400 feet below
the South Summit, a series of rock steps often forces climbers
to the east and into waist deep snow. This can often be the
most strenuous and dangerous section of the climb, because the
wind-deposited snow can be avalanche prone.
The South Summit
The climbers' first small victory of the day, the South Summit
is a ping pong table-size dome of snow and ice at 28,700 feet.
From here the climbers can obtain the view of the final
obstacles ahead of them: the Cornice Traverse, the Hillary
Step, and the final slopes to the summit. It is traditional to
change oxygen bottles here so that one has a fresh bottle for
the final ascent and return to the South Summit. If it's late
in the day or the weather is deteriorating, this is the place
to make the all-important decision to turn around.
The Cornice Traverse
A 400-foot long horizontal section of rock and wind-carved
snow, this is easily the most intimidating section of the
climb. Climbers must carefully traverse a knife-edge ridge of
snow plastered to intermittent rocks. This is the most exposed
section of the entire climb, and a misstep to the right would
send a climber tumbling down the 10,000-foot Kangshung Face. A
misstep to the left would send one careening 8,000 feet down
the Southwest Face, were it not for the fixed ropes.
The Hillary Step
The most famous physical feature on Everest, the Hillary Step,
at 28,750 feet, is a 40-foot spur of snow and ice. First
climbed in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, the
Hillary Step is the last obstacle barring access to the gently
angled summit slopes. Modern-day climbers use a fixed rope up
here to ascend the Hillary Step. We marvel at Hillary and
Tenzing's achievement in climbing this impressive
mountaineering obstacle without fixed ropes and using what is
now considered primitive ice climbing equipment.
The Summit
See QTVR View from the Summit
At 29,028 feet, the world's highest point is covered with an
assortment of prayer flags, remnants of surveying equipment
and other offerings from climbers (photographs of family
members, prayer packets, and discarded oxygen bottles).
Covering the area of a picnic table, the snow-covered summit
slopes steeply away to the north, southwest, and east.
Climbers take care to not venture too far to the east as the
massive cornices overhang a 10,000-foot face. The 360-degree
panorama takes in the Tibetan Plateau to the north, as well as
the great Himalayan peaks of Kanchenjunga to the east, Makalu
to the southeast, and Cho Oyu to the west. On a clear day, it
seems as if one can see across half a continent. 150 feet
below the summit, climbers heading down often collect small
rocks as mementos of their climb.
Photos: (1) David Breashears; (2,3) Pete Athans
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