PITHORAGARH: Eight climbers feared to have died on a Himalayan mountain took an untested route without permission and retrieving their bodies will be a high-risk operation, Indian officials said on Tuesday (Jun 4).Five bodies have been spotted on the slopes of India's second highest mountain, Nanda Devi, but rescuers say it could take days to get them down.Experienced British climber Martin Moran led three other Britons, two Americans, an Australian and an Indian on the expedition that officials said had permission to scale Nanda Devi's eastern peak.But Moran's expedition company announced on Facebook on May 22 after reaching a second base camp that they planned to attempt "an unclimbed peak" 6,477 metres (21,250 feet) high."This mountain range is more difficult to scale than Mount Everest. They knowingly risked their lives after changing their plans without informing the authorities," an official involved in the operation told AFP on condition of anonymity."The permission was granted … [Read more...] about Climbers who died on Indian peak took path without permission
Everest base camp adventure
Mandy Moore climbs up to Mt Everest base camp
Lifestyle The This Is Us actress completed the trek up to 5380m in a little over a week. 29 May 2019 02:25PM Bookmark “Spoiler alert: we made it!!!” That was how Mandy Moore, star of This Is Us, announced on Instagram that she had successfully completed her trek to Mt Everest base camp, which is 5380 metres high. The actress hiked for over a week to reach her goal.She posted a photo on social media of herself and her climbing companions doing a jump shot, and reflected on the journey. She wrote: “There is so much magic in these mountains. They represent adventure in the grandest form and in a language all their own.”The 35-year-old actress, who is married to musician Taylor Goldsmith, called her achievement “truly beyond my wildest imagination”.One of Moore’s climbing companions is Melissa Arnot, the first American woman to ascend and descend Mt Everest without oxygen. The actress credited Arnot for teaching her the art of pressure … [Read more...] about Mandy Moore climbs up to Mt Everest base camp
Singaporean climbs Everest for charity, succeeds on second try
When signs of frostbite forced Mr Jeremy Tong to turn back when he was just 150 minutes away from the top of Mount Everest in 2017, the failure haunted him for two years. Last Wednesday, the Singaporean co-founder of an adventure company laid the ghost of his failure to rest by conquering the world's highest peak. Achieving this feat was anything but easy. Coping with freezing conditions and extreme exhaustion was par for the course for anyone seeking to conquer Everest. But this time Mr Tong, 28, had to contend with another challenge - a human traffic jam causing a snaking queue of climbers in their final push to reach the top. Mr Tong, who had to queue in total for a couple of hours and even at night, recounted a point where he was trapped in the single-file queue along a particularly treacherous part of the trail. He told The New Paper over the phone in Kathmandu, Nepal, yesterday: "If you fall, you will plunge 2km into Nepal on your left or the same height into China on your right. … [Read more...] about Singaporean climbs Everest for charity, succeeds on second try
American climber dies on Everest
KATHMANDU: An American has died on Everest, his expedition organiser said Thursday (May 23), as a rush of climbers marked one of the busiest days on the world's highest mountain.Donald Lynn Cash, 55, collapsed at the summit of the 8,848m peak on Wednesday as he was taking photographs."Our two Sherpas helped him gain consciousness but he died close to the Hilary Step as they were bringing him back," Pasang Tenje Sherpa of Pioneer Adventure said.His death came as more than 200 climbers were heading towards the summit on both sides of Everest Wednesday as the weather cleared, with complaints of a traffic jam close to the top."We don't have the exact number of summits yet, but it has been a very busy day. Teams have complained of having to wait two or more hours to reach the top," said Gyanendra Shrestha, a government liaison officer stationed at base camp.It is the third fatality on Everest this season, after an Indian climber died last week and an Irish mountaineer is presumed dead … [Read more...] about American climber dies on Everest
Everest braces for record year amid overcrowding fears
KATHMANDU: The tented city at the foot of Mount Everest is bustling as mountaineers brace for potentially the busiest year yet on the world's highest peak, prompting concerns about overcrowding and safety.Since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent in 1953 more than 4,000 climbers have reached the top of Everest, according to the authoritative Himalayan Database.Recent years have seen especially rapid growth, with the mountain opening up to more people as competition between expedition organisers has caused costs to plummet.But rising numbers mean greater risk - a higher chance of bottlenecks as larger teams lumber their way to the summit, potential shortages of oxygen tanks, and increased risk of frostbite and even death.A photo of a huge traffic jam below the summit in 2012 prompted calls for better crowd management, and even a cap on the number of permits issued annually.Nepal currently grants permits to all who apply and are willing to pay US$11,000 to scale the … [Read more...] about Everest braces for record year amid overcrowding fears