By Gopal Sharma
KATHMANDU, April 28 (Reuters) – A group of Sherpa climbers have opened the route to a camp on Mount Everest past chunks of ice and a giant serac that had delayed the opening of the route to the world’s tallest peak by two weeks, hiking officials said on Tuesday.
The annual climbing season for the 8,849‑m (29,032‑ft) peak runs from April to May, months which offer the best weather conditions in which to reach the windswept summit.
But a massive 100‑ft (30‑m) serac, or column of ice, had blocked the path above base camp this month. Parts of it have now melted and broken away, allowing Sherpa climbers, called the icefall doctors, to fix ropes, place ladders and carve a safe route through the treacherous Khumbu icefall to Camp I located at 6,060 metres (19,880 ft).
Lhakpa Sherpa of the 8K Expedition hiking company, who is coordinating the opening of the route, said 19 Sherpa climbers had crossed the difficult portion of the icefall and reached the site of Camp I.
“They are expected to fix ropes to Camp II, which is not difficult,” Sherpa told Reuters from the base camp.
Dambar Parajuli, president of the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal, confirmed that the route had been opened without giving details.
Hundreds of mountaineers from different countries are stranded at the Himalayan base camp for Mount Everest for more than two weeks ahead of making summit attempts next month.
(Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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