Climbing season in disarray as more Sherpas leave Mount Everest base camp
Major expedition companies cancel climbs as more Sherpas quit the mountain after an avalanche killed 16 of their fellow guides last week
Nepal’s attempts to salvage the Mount Everest climbing season took another hit on Friday as more Sherpa mountain guides packed and left the base camp for their village homes a week after the deadliest disaster on the world’s highest mountain.
Their departures come as major expedition companies cancelled their climbs and other Sherpas quit the mountain after an avalanche killed 16 of their fellow guides last week.
It also snowed on Thursday night, and by Friday morning a layer of snow covered the tents and rocky surface of the base camp. There was also a small avalanche Thursday near the spot where the big one swept through a week ago, but no one was in the area.
Bishnu Gurung, who is at the base camp, said he saw several yaks come to the camp early on Friday and were being loaded with tents, equipment, supplies from the expedition teams. Some Sherpa guides also left with their backpacks.
While the season has not been officially cancelled, guides and Sherpas said it appeared increasingly unlikely that any summit attempts would be made this season from the Nepal side of the 8,850-metre (29,035-foot) mountain.