Following the success last year of the Chinese DJI Flycart 100 heavy-lift cargo drone, Seven Summit Treks has subcontracted the American firm, Airlift Technology, to conduct test flights of the American Alta X Gen 2 drone. However, in a development that caught Nepali authorities off guard, Airlift also proposed testing a robot that could go up and down the Khumbu Icefall and also climb Everest itself. The plan ran into immediate uncertainty, as Nepal currently has no legal framework that allows a non-human entity to attempt an ascent of the peak.
The Khumbu Icefall is perhaps the deadliest portion of the route up Everest. Located between Base Camp and Camp 1, the Icefall is characterized by massive blocks that calve off the upper glacier, gaping crevasses hundreds of feet deep and often over 50 feet wide, often concealed by snow bridges, and overhanging ice blocks (seracs) ranging from several tons to thousands of tons that can collapse with little warning. Since Everest was first summitted in 1953, nearly 50 climbers have died in the Icefall, mostly Sherpas, with 16 killed in 2014 alone and six in 1970. Two people were injured in an avalanche there this week.
The use of specially designed, high-altitude heavy-cargo drones, especially through the Icefall, can quite literally save the lives of Sherpa and other climbers. The American-made drone can carry 50 kg of gear to Camp 1 in about 10 minutes, a feat that would take a dozen Sherpas five to seven hours, making it the safest way to carry loads through the Khumbu Icefall.
Arguably, at very high altitudes closer to the summit, robots could safely carry gear where the air is too thin for drones to operate. However, they might also further crowd the already overcrowded route to the summit, potentially interfere with climbers' progress, or cause other unforeseen hazards. Also, while they might preserve Sherpa lives, they could also put Sherpas out of work in the classic high-tech threat to human labor.
Weather permitting, summit pushes may begin by next week. Ropes have been fixed up to Camp 3 and a team of Sherpa rope fixers is speeding up the Lhotse Face and expected to reach the South Col and Camp 4, the last stop before the summit, by Friday. With Camp 3 established and the ropes fixed higher, the route is open for load ferrying and acclimatization rotations, and other teams are following closely behind the rope fixers to set up camps for their clients. Forecasts predict moderate winds and afternoon snow flurries, but no major storms or high, jet-stream winds are expected.
According to the latest update, 464 climbers have received permits to climb Everest so far this year. With an even higher number of Sherpas currently on the mountain, the final summit tally could reach record numbers.
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