>>20403078malla.mountaineer
5 d
At 6:00 am on May 21, 2024, I, along with @luchin.vig and Budhha stood atop the world’s highest peak and are now safely back in Base Camp.
The Everest summit ridge felt different than my previous experiences on the mountain. There was soft snow, many cornices and rocky sections covered in snow. The weather station was even half buried in snow.
After summiting, we crossed the Hillary Step, traffic was moving slowly then suddenly a cornice collapsed a few meters ahead of us. There was also a cornice under us.
As the cornice collapsed, four climbers nearly perished yet were clipped onto the rope and self-rescued. Sadly, two climbers are still missing. We tried to traverse yet it was impossible due to the traffic on the fixed line.
Many climbers were stuck in the traffic and oxygen was running low. I was able to start breaking a new route for the descending traffic to begin moving slowly once again.
We returned to rest at Camp 3 and proceed back to Base Camp on May 2.
