In 2020, the coronavirus gave the tallest mountain on earth a rest. But climbers from all over are itching to go back.
As of mid-April, Nepal had issued 338 permits for Everest climbers, spread across 36 teams. But moreclimbers are still arriving, and the count is expected to approach the 2019 record of 382 permits. Including Sherpas and other support staff, Everest Base Camp will grow into a small city of over 700 people in the next few weeks.
A few climbers are seeking to add to their celebrity status with an Everest summit. Singer Mike Posner wants to use the mountain to advance his social agendas. Former NFL player Mark Pattison seeks to finish his Seven Summits attempt on Everest, but he’s added Lhotse immediately after to separate himself from former NFL player Craig Hanneman, who summited Everest in 2012, becoming the first former major-league athlete to summit the tallest peak on earth. (Hanneman finished his Seven Summits climb in 2019).
Climbers from the Middle East are climbing much more often in the Himalayas. A 16-person team from Bahrain led by Sheikh Mohamed Hamad Mohamed al-Khalifa and supported by Seven Summits Treks is on Everest. That group summited the 8,000-meter Manaslu last autumn. Also, Qatari Sheikha Asma Al Thani wants to be the first woman from her country to top out on Everest. The youngest on the mountain this season is 19-year-old Shehroze Kashif from Pakistan.
Still others are eager to set records. Kami Rita Sherpa will be going for a record 25th summit. Briton Kenton Cool will attempt to match the record for most Everest summits by a non-Sherpa, currently set at 15 by American Dave Hahn.
stock Wix photo
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