After getting so close on the North side last year and decided I wanted to go back for another try one of the first decisions I had to make was which route to take, the two options are: North East ridge (Tibet) or South Col (Nepal).
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| North East ridge route |
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| South Col Route |
Both side have pro and cons. I saw the main advantages of the North as:
1) You can drive up to base camp and use Yaks to carry kit up to ABC. You need to trek into base camp on the South side and the Yaks can only go as far as base camp so more kit needs to carried over the Khumbu icefall either by yourself or by porters.
2) The North is much less crowded than the South, only 72 foreign climbers (plus around the same amount of high altitude Sherpas and porters) attempted to summit from the North in 2010 whereas on the South there was 157 foreign climbers (plus 190 high altitude Sherpas). Summit day/night can often be pretty crowded on the South side and it is not uncommon for a queue to form at some of the crux points like the Hilary step whereas the North seemed pretty quiet on summit night and certainly a lot quieter than Cho Oyu had been. In addition to the climbers attempting to go higher there are also scores of people trekking to base camp on the South side which means, or so I am told, that base camp is like a small town.
3) You must cross Khumbu icefall on the South side, this is a fast moving glacier (thought to move three to four feet down the mountain each day), the structure constantly changes, large crevasses can open up and huge ice blocks can tumble down the glacier. It is situated between base camp and camp 1/ABC, must be crossed many times and can be a dangerous place It is best crossed the icefall early in the morning as it is less stable later in the day when the ice begins to melt.
The main drawbacks against the North side are:
1) The amount of time spent in the Death Zone (over 8000m), high camp is at 8300m on the North, as opposed 7900m on the South and a large portion of the the North East ridge is not particularly steep and not as direct above 8000m as the South route.
2) It is difficult to drop down below base camp on the North Side whereas on the South it is possible to drop down to well below to rest and recover before the summit attempt. Helicopter rescue from base camp is possible on the South side whereas on the North this is not possible.
3) The North side is more exposed to the weather and normally has lower temperatures and high winds. The South side often benefits from an earlier weather window, climbers were summiting from the South last year while we waited at base camp for the weather.
4) The three steps on the North are very high up the mountain and make for a more technical summit day. The death rate on the North has been higher in recent years in 2010 there were four deaths on Everest all on the North side. I felt I had coped well with physical demands last year and made a sensible decision so was comfortable that I could manage the risk.
I had climbed the North route in 2010. I was familiar with the route and this is ultimately the factor that led me to choose the North once more as I thought this would give me a better chance of success. It also helped that a number of people I had enjoyed climbing with in the past would be on the North side in 2011.
Alan Arnette wrote a good article recently comparing the two routes reassuringly supporting my own thought process.
3D video of the North Route
Prospective Schedule
As detailed in my post of 23 March our outline itinerary is below:
Date
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Day
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2 Apr
|
1
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Depart Heathrow
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3 Apr
|
2
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Arrive Kathmandu
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4 Apr
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3
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Fly to Lukla (2800m); trek to Phakding (2640m)
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5 Apr
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4
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Trek to Namche Bazaar (3446m)
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6 Apr
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5
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Khumjung, acclimatisation day
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7 Apr
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6
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Trek to Pangboche (4000m)
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8 Apr
|
7
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Trek to Dingboche (4500m)
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9 Apr
|
8
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Trek to Ama Dablam base camp (4750m)
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10 Apr
|
9
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Trek to Namche Bazaar (3446m)
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11 Apr
|
10
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Trek to Lukla
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12 Apr
|
11
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Fly to Kathmandu
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13 Apr
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12
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Drive to Chinese border; overnight in Tibet
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14 Apr
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13
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Drive to Everest Base Camp (BC; 5200m)
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15 Apr
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14
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Rest day
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16 Apr
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15
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Acclimatisation walk up Frozen River (5700m)
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17 Apr
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16
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Rest day
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18 Apr
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17
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Acclimatisation Ridge walk (6000m)
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19 Apr
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18
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Rest day
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20 Apr
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19
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Move to Intermediate Camp (5700m)
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21 Apr
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20
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Move to Advanced Base Camp (ABC; 6400m)
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22-24 Apr
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21-23
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Rest and acclimatisation
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25 Apr
|
24
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Climb North Col (7000m)
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26-29 Apr
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25-28
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North Col reserve weather day
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30 Apr
|
29
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Return to BC
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1-4 May
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29-33
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Rest days
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5 May
|
34
|
Return to ABC
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6 May
|
35
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Climb North Col and overnight at North Col
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7 May
|
36
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Move to 7500m; overnight at North Col
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8 May
|
37
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Return to ABC
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9 May
|
38
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Return to BC
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10-13 May
|
39-42
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Rest day
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14 May
|
43
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Return to ABC
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15 May
|
44
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Rest day
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16 May
|
45
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Move to North Col
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17 May
|
46
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Move to 7800m
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18 May
|
47
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Move to 8300m
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19 May
|
48
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Summit day
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20-30 May
|
49-59
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Reserve Summit days
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31 May
|
60
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Descent
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1 Jun
|
61
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Clear mountain
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2 Jun
|
62
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Clear mountain
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3 Jun
|
63
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Clear ABC
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4 Jun
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64
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Return to BC
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5 Jun
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65
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Clear BC
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6 Jun
|
66
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Drive to Nylam
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7 Jun
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67
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Drive to Kathmandu
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8 Jun
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68
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Kathmandu
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9 Jun
|
69
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Return to London
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