The Everest Ice Doctors will be using drones this year to scout a route through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall.
The Icefall is a dangerous section at the base of the Khumbu Glacier that climbers must pass through in order to get from Base Camp to Camp 1 on Everest. Full of overhanging seracs that can fall at any moment, the Icefall accounts for a significant portion of climber and Sherpa deaths over the years. And since the glacier is moving, the route through the maze of crevasses and seracs changes every year, and the first job for the guides and Sherpas is to establish the least dangerous route through this perilous stretch. The Ice Doctors are the designated guides to establish the best route through the Icefall each season.
This year, rather than a trial-and-error attempt to solve the maze by blindly walking through, the Ice Doctors will use drones to scout a route ahead of them. The drones will also be used to carry ladders and ropes and even to move supplies and provisions to Camp 1 once a route through the Icefall is established. The use of drones may save lives that might otherwise be lost while exploring this year's Icefall, and is more environmentally friendly than the use of large military helicopters to transport supplies.
Actual climbing usually begins in early May when the winter winds subside but before the monsoon season begins.
No comments:
Post a Comment