Winds force the Russians to retreat from Everest's West Ridge
'It is impossible to work higher on the mountain,' says Vasiliev. The forecast says the wind won't ease until next Wednesday.
The three Russian climbers attempting Everest’s West Ridge have had to turn back again. This time it wasn’t the snow or illness: it was the wind.
A snow cave at 6,400 metres
Andrei Vasiliev, Sergey Kondrashkin and Vitaly Shipilov are alone on that side of the mountain, without oxygen or outside support. After setting off on Monday on their third push, they sheltered in a snow cave at 6,400 metres. Gale-force winds forced them down to their tent at 5,600 metres, below the Lho La pass.
“The winds are very strong,” Vasiliev said. “It is impossible to work higher on the mountain.”
The route is doable
They made some progress before retreating. Vasiliev says they climbed four pitches on old fixed ropes already in place and fixed eight of their own. He believes the route to the summit is doable, although “it’s not exactly easy walking yet”.
What now?
Meteorologist Vitor Baia expects strong winds every day until Tuesday and an improvement from Wednesday. The team could wait at the tent, go down to their base in Lobuche or call off the expedition. They haven’t announced anything yet.
They’ve been battling the Himalayan autumn for weeks: earlier they had to wait in Kathmandu for Cyclone Arnab to pass.
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