This week, snow on the 8,000m peak of Everest forced a rare expedition to turn around.
On Monday, four seasoned Sherpa climbers left Kathmandu to attempt a winter summit of Mount Everest in Nepal. Their goal was to reach the summit of Everest in 5 days. Unfortunately, heavy snowfall forced the team to turn around and abandon the summit.
The team’s expedition was not only an attempt at a winter summit but also a remarkable speed climbing attempt to reach the top. Most climbers take weeks to reach Everest’s summit. This expedition’s pace was blazing fast, even by elite standards.
It was also the first-ever winter expedition of Nepali climbers on Mt. Everest (other winter summit attempts were made by Spanish and German climbers).
The Sherpas’ expedition aimed to set the world record by scaling Mt. Everest in under 5 days. The four climbers made it to Camp III before having to turn around.
The team leader, Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, has summited Everest eight times. The last successful winter summit of the world’s highest peak was way back in 1993.
