Since the avalanche many Sherpa guides left camp for a break or quit all together. Even after offering our guides full pay if they wanted to leave, they did not. They are all here with us as we work out the fate of Everest 2014 together. They are brave and wise men and I have an enormous amount of responsibility to them and their families.
The fate of this climb is not just a political decision, it's Mother Nature who calls the shots and that's why we are having this conversation in the first place.
As a professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association I have my educated concerns. The mountain has been deteriorating rapidly the past three years due global warming and the breakdown in the Khumbu ice-fall is dramatic, especially at the upper icefall. We need to learn more about what is going on up there. Each day we sit and listen to the groaning and crashing of the glacier. Political grievances aside, we are not here to kill people.
We have more work to do.
Stay tuned!
Tim Rippel
wishing you the best ,hope you all stay safe ,leaving luckla to ebc on may 01 hopefully thing get resolve .
ReplyDeleteglad you guys are ok,wish you all the best for summit safely.getting exited to come to ebc,leaving lukla on may 1 hope to see you up there
ReplyDeleteCome home Tim...........out of respect for those that have died
ReplyDeleteYou are the only person I've read who is noting that climate change is one of the factors, and a very important one, affecting this situation. While the economics and human and cultural dimensions of climbing are significant, the environmental conditions are also changing, and must be included in any consideration about how to go forward. Thank you for that insight.
ReplyDelete