Everest 2018 - That's a Wrap
A few weeks back I wrote about the start of the climbing season on Everest and as quickly as it came it went. 2018 proved to be an interesting year on the mountain; the normal weather window of 3-4 days extended into 11 which allowed for more successful bids at the summit. As well, the normal choke point of the Hillary Step has been relegated to a smooth snow slope. Some argue that the Step was taken out by the 2015 earthquake in Nepal while others claim its absence is due to more snow up top. In any case the normal bottle neck which has proven deadly in the past was not an issue this year which made for safer and faster travel..jpg)
In total a record 715 climbers made it to the top from both the Nepal and China side and a total of 5 climbers lost their lives. You can read more about the season and how it went here: https://gearjunkie.com/2018-everest-climbing-season-records