The Khumbu Icefall is located at the head of the Khumbu Glacier and the foot of the Western Cwm . It lies at an elevation of 5,486 meters (17,999 feet) on the Nepali slopes of Mount Everest , not far above Base Camp and southwest of the summit. The icefall is regarded as one of the most dangerous sections of the South Col route to Everest's summit.
17-398: The Khumbu Glacier moves an estimated 0.9 to 1.2 m (3 to 4 ft) down the flank of Mt. Everest every day. Ice entering the fall takes approximately 4.3 years to emerge at the base, which is 600 metres (2,000 ft) lower and 1.5 kilometres (1 mi) away horizontally. The speed of ice flow and the precipitous elevation drop create a bergschrund (ice berg shoulder), characterized at
34-573: A Eurocopter AS350 B3 helicopter on the South Col. Two days later he made the first helicopter landing on the summit of Mount Everest, a feat he subsequently repeated. In May 2019, the highest weather stations in the world were installed at Everest, with one location at the South Col, and another on a place higher up on the peak known as "The Balcony" as well as some other stations and locations. The weather stations are about 7 feet (2.1 m) tall and weigh 110 pounds (50 kg). On 21 July 2022,
51-406: A maximum of only two or three days to make summit bids. Clear weather and low winds are critical factors in deciding whether to make a summit attempt. If the weather is not favourable within these short few days, climbers are forced to descend, many back to Base Camp . Climbers rarely get a second chance to return to the South Col on a specific expedition. In 2005, Didier Delsalle of France landed
68-620: A tragic accident occurred when 6 Sherpas lost their lives after a serac struck them while they were in the Khumbu Icefall. They were assisting in the production of the Canadian documentary The Man Who Skied Down Everest, featuring Japanese alpinist Yūichirō Miura. Miura later became the first person to successfully ski down Mount Everest. 27°59′45″N 86°52′22″E / 27.99583°N 86.87278°E / 27.99583; 86.87278 Bergschrund A bergschrund (from
85-399: Is a crevasse with one side formed by rock. The randkluft arises in part from the melting of the ice due to the presence of the warmer rock face. However, a randkluft is sometimes called a bergschrund. The French word rimaye encompasses both randklufts and bergschrunds. In a corrie or cirque , the bergschrund is positioned at the rear, parallel to the back wall of the corrie. It is caused by
102-407: Is typically slightly beyond the top of the Khumbu Icefall. Around 6:30 am local time on 18 April 2014, 16 Nepalese climbers were killed by an avalanche in the Khumbu Icefall. Only 13 bodies were recovered. Nine others sustained blunt trauma injuries. The climbers were preparing the route through the dangerous icefall for the spring climbing season when the avalanche engulfed them. On April 5, 1970,
119-468: The German for mountain cleft ) is a crevasse that forms where moving glacier ice separates from the stagnant ice or firn above. It is often a serious obstacle for mountaineers , who sometimes abbreviate "bergschrund" to "schrund". Bergschrunds extend to the bedrock and can have a depth of well over 100 metres (330 ft). A bergschrund is distinct from a randkluft (also called rimaye ), which
136-543: The South Col route to reach the summit of Mount Everest , a deep bergschrund lies at the bottom of the Lhotse face, separating Camp II from Camp III. South Col The South Col is a col between Mount Everest and Lhotse , the highest and fourth-highest mountains in the world, respectively. The South Col is typically swept by high winds, leaving it free of significant snow accumulation. Since 1950 (when Tibet
153-411: The death zone ; altitude sickness is a significant threat at this elevation and can easily prove fatal. It is also difficult to sleep, and most climbers' digestive systems have significantly slowed or completely stopped. This is because it is more efficient at this altitude for the body to use stored energy sources than to digest new food. Most climbers will begin using supplemental oxygen here and have
170-474: The Swiss drama, and they were also looking upwards to the final pyramid of Everest itself. It was a great moment for them both, and it was shared by all of us who watched it. Their presence there was symbolic of our success in overcoming the most crucial problem of the whole climb; they had reached an objective which we had been striving to attain for twelve anxious days. Once on the South Col, climbers have entered
187-483: The bottom of the fall. Due to constant glacial motion, snow bridges concealing crevasses and overhanging ice blocks (called seracs ), ranging in size from several tons to thousands of tons, can open or collapse with little warning, generating extreme danger for climbers. Crossing the Khumbu Icefall is so dangerous that even extensive rope and ladder networks installed by professional guides cannot prevent loss of life. The official Himalayan Database records 44 deaths in
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#1732772984522204-402: The icefall between 1953 and 2016. No deaths were recorded between 2017 and 2021. Prudent climbers place emphasis on avalanche and crevasse-fall survival and rescue techniques prior to entering this terrain. Most climbers try to pass through the icefall before sunrise, when it is usually less mobile due to freezing in the nighttime cold. As sunlight warms the area, ice-melt causes friction within
221-415: The rotational movement of the glacier. In a longitudinal glacier, the bergschrund is at the top end of the glacier at a right angle to the flow of the glacier. It is caused by the downwards flow of the glacier. In winter, a bergschrund is often filled by snow from avalanches from the mountain above it. In later summer, due to melting, it lies open and can present a very difficult obstacle to alpinists. On
238-413: The structure to decline, which increases the rate of flow and hence, crevasse opening and ice-block or serac collapse. The most dangerous time to cross the fall is generally mid-to-late afternoon. Experienced, acclimatized climbers can ascend the icefall in a few hours, while inexperienced or non-altitude-acclimatized climbers may take 10–12 hours to complete the passage. "Camp I" on Everest's South Col route
255-470: The summit. The following year, when Mount Everest was first climbed, Wilfrid Noyce and the Sherpa Annullu were the first climbers on the expedition to reach the col. According to John Hunt , the expedition leader: It was 2.40 p.m. Wilfrid Noyce and his companion Annullu stood at that moment above the South Col of Everest, at about 26,000 feet [7,900 m]. They were gazing down on the scene of
272-423: The top by massive transverse blocks that calve off the upper glacier, creating gaping crevasses (of over 100 m deep and often over 15 metres or 50 feet wide). As these massive initial glacial segments descend the fall, they are slowly twisted and crushed by the churning pressure of glacial flow, generating increasingly tortuous crevasse fields in the middle of the fall and a chaotic maze of smaller blocks toward
289-552: Was closed), most Everest expeditions have left from Nepal and gone via the southeast ridge and the South Col (instead of via the North Col ). When climbers attempt to climb Everest from the southeast ridge in Nepal , their final camp (usually Camp IV) is situated on the South Col. The South Col was first reached on 12 May 1952 by Aubert, Lambert, and Flory of Edouard Wyss-Dunant 's Swiss Mount Everest Expedition which failed to reach
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