Shortly before the end of the spring season, some teams reached the summit of Mount Everest today. “Mission accomplished,” let Nirmal “Nims” Purja know, head of the operator Elite Expeditions. Apart from the 37-year-old himself, six of his clients and nine Sherpas reached the highest point at 8,849 meters, he wrote: “After having to wait for a weather window good enough to summit, their patience was rewarded.” All returned safely to the South Col at nearly 8,000 meters. Nine team members, including Nims, still want to climb the neighboring 8516-meter Lhotse on Tuesday – incidentally, as on Everest, with bottled oxygen.
Actually, the “Icefall Doctors” on Mount Everest wanted to start already today to remove the ladders and ropes from the dangerous Khumbu icefall, the first stage on the route to the summit. But because of bad weather last week, there was, with permission from the Nepalese government, an extra three days for this spring season.
Second Everest success for Anja Blacha
Lakpa Sherpa, managing director of the operator Pioneer Adventure, also announced that nine team members had reached the summit of Everest today. According to Lakpa, the 30-year-old German adventurer Anja Blacha was among the successful climbers. She had already scaled Everest in 2017: from the Tibetan north side, with breathing mask. Whether Anja was able to realize her original plan to climb the highest mountain on earth from the south this time without bottled oxygen is not yet known.
In 2019, she had reached the summits of the eight-thousanders K2 and Broad Peak in Pakistan without breathing mask. At the turn of 2019/20, Anja Blacha hiked 1,381 kilometers on skis – solo and unsupported – from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole.
Update 1 June : Nirmal Purja and his team mates have apparently renounced a climb to the summit of Lhotse. All have returned safely to the base camp, Nims let know.
Update 3 June: According to Lakpa Sherpa from Pioneer Adventure, Anja Blacha used bottled oxygen above the balcony (about 8,400 meters).
