By IANS
 |
| Mt. Sagaramatha, 8848 M. The world's highest peak. |
Earthquake
in Nepal: The world tallest
mountain, Everest, has developed several cracks and holes due to the
devastating April 25, 2015 earthquake, ‘ice-fall’ doctors who are installing
ropes and aluminum ladders from base camp to top of the mountain have said.
These ice-fall doctors prepare the route from
the base camp to the summit, paving the way for climbers to ascend the peak.
Several media reports in Kathmandu said that
although a week has passed since the ice-fall doctors began their work, the
high-altitude specialists have not yet reached Camp 1 due to difficulties in
installing the equipment.
“There are several cracks and holes along the
Everest route this year,” said Ang Kami Sherpa, adding that tbe earthquake
might have caused the cracks. “As a result, we need more aluminum ladders this
year compared to previous years to navigate through the cracks and holes.”
The climbing season for Everest will being
next month, one the most adventurous and dangerous efforts in the world due to
a lot of risk that are associated with it.
Khumbu region where the Mt Everest is
located, is well-known for difficult ice-pits but due to new cracks and holes
this time, ice-fall doctors are facing new challenges in fixing the route.
After 19 climbers and porters were killed in
2014, the remaining had abandoned their expeditions en masse and last year too,
there was no expedition to Everest due to the earthquake.
It is difficult to summit Everest only after
fixing ladders in-between small peaks in between the routes and ice-pits. Nepal
has just seven such ice-fall doctors who are trained for fixing the route.
According to the Sagarmatha Pollution Control
Committee (SPCC), more than 40 ladders have been installed below Camp 1, and
the number could hit 200 by the time the ice- fall doctors reach Camp 2. The
SPCC manages the ice-fall doctors and has been launching garbage clearing
campaigns on the mountain.
There is a small window for climbing Everest
in early May and there is a huge rush of climbers and porters. When the weather
is clear, climbers rush to ascend the mountain. At that moment, Everest sees a
traffic jam. This time, to avoid overcrowding, the ice-fall doctors are making
a two-way route.”
“The move is aimed at reducing crowds and
ensuring the safety of climbers,” said SPCC administrator Nishan Shrestha.
Seven ice-fall doctors have been mobilized to
set the spring expedition routes. They said the cracks and holes are less
visible after Camp 2.
The SPCC said it would take at least a month
for the climbing to begin after the routes are prepared.
“Climbing will probably begin by the first
week of May,” the SPCC said. Some climbers’ groups who have obtained permits
have started setting up camps at the Everest Base Camp.
This March, the government extended the
climbing permits of hundreds of mountaineers who had been forced to abandon
their expeditions last year due to avalanches triggered by the earthquake. The
permits have been extended for two years, until 2017.
Last year, 103 teams consisting of 801
individuals had received the permits to climb various peaks in the Himalayas.
Among them, 357 mountaineers, including 18 Nepalis, had obtained permits to
climb Everest.