Climbing the Khumbu Icefall on Everest

The icefall is essentially a slow moving river of ice, falling, sometimes violently down the Khumbu Valley. The glacier proper inches down the broad valley of the Western Cwm and, reaching a steep flank, pushes out over the abyss until it collapses under its own weight. Unseen by the human eye flows a second layer of ice, made soft and pliable by the massive pressure from above. The soft bottom layer flows downward like liquid plastic, while the heavy brittle surface layer tumbles, collapses, splits, and splinters, like old decaying skin. Ice reacts to shifts in temperature, so in the predawn morning when the temperatures were coldest and in late afternoon in the hottest time of day, the icefall came alive, popping and groaning, and exploding with avalanches. At any moment falling ice could crush a climber, but during these two times of day, it was a good idea to be nowhere near the icefall. The trick was to time your movement through the icefall so that you approached the bottom by first light and arrived into Camp One by early afternoon.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Icefall
• Khumbu Icefall
• Basecamp
• Erik Weihenmayer
• Blind
• Blind Climber
• Erik
• Eric Weihenmayer
• Everest
• crevasse
• ladder

[HarrysSecret]

Now I have a dilemma..

Do I add your video to my Inspirational play list or my Everest play list?

Well done fella!

[keithgreener]

Never fails to amaze me watching your videos. Even with sight it would be extremely difficult. You are a true hero and inspiration to anyone. congratulations on your achievements from the uk