The first summit success of the spring season on Lhotse, the fourth highest peak in the world, is perfect. “Lhotse summit route is officially open,” announced Nepalese operator 8K Expeditions in its Instagram story. The five-member rope-fixing team – consisting of Pasang Tenje Sherpa, Migma Dorjee Sherpa, Lakpa Sherpa, Ming Dawa Sherpa and Pas Rinzi Sherpa – reached the highest point at 8,516 meters today at 5.40 pm, the company announced.
For this season, 8K Expeditions had been commissioned to secure the normal routes on Mount Everest and the neighboring Lhotse from Camp 2 (6,400 m) in the Western Cwm, the “Valley of Silence”, to the summits with ropes for all commercial teams. The Icefall Doctors are responsible for the route from base camp through the Khumbu Icefall up to Camp 2.
Turned around a hundred meters below the summit
On Everest, the rope-fixing team will probably reach the highest point at 8,849 meters tomorrow, writes Lakpa Sherpa, head of 8K Expeditions, to me from Everest Base Camp. As on Lhotse, a summit success on the highest mountain on earth was already possible today after the team had reached the South Summit at 8,749 meters.
But then they had to abandon the ascent and return to Camp 4 on the South Col at just under 8,000 meters, according to Lakpa. The reason: a team member had fallen ill and had to be rescued. The mountaineer is now “in a safe place”, writes the head of 8K Expeditions.
